Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Toad on August 28, 2008, 08:25:55 PM
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I have a 23 year old son that is thinking about enlisting in the Navy. He's visited the recruiter one time so far. I think the next time he goes back I'll go with him.
He has an associate degree from an accredited school; recording arts, he's a sound engineer.
Now, what are the key things to ask for, the things to watch out for, etc.? Are there currently enlistment bonus programs? I googled but found nothing definitive. He's interested in the LRP as he has some large school loans.
He's interested in the medical field as he feels its something he could easily find a job doing after he gets out since there will be plenty of old baby boomers like me keeping the health system hopping. He's thinking radiology/CAT scan type work.
Any and all tips, advice, suggestions appreciated.
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I'd try to get him enrolled into a ROTC program if he wants to do 2 more years of college. Would make life a heck of a lot easier on him.
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<<< Active duty Navy. My 2 year mark is in December for time in service so Im probably the earliest one in here Navy wise. If your son wants to go into the corpsman rate I would suggest against it as of now. Their rate is locked up advancement wise. Extremely hard to gain rank at this point in time. Also he would almost be guaranteed to be going overseas to Iraq, Afghanistan, or one of those Army hot spots.
I cannot comment on the college loans but I do know that the Navy will pay them off if he asks them to. And make sure he gets everything in writing and many copies of it.
Officer is the way to go.
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I plan to get a 200,000$$ scholarship to A&M from my NJROTC. They give em out after we're seniors.
ROTC scholarships are one of the best ways to go. Have him go for 2 years, then he'll be an officer I think from what I understand.
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He's 2 classes short of his Batchelor's.
On the corpsman rate, is it possible to come out of training and get right into radiology?
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First, have him visit all of the services. It's a big decision to enlist and going into one office and saying, "This is for me!" is kind of a rush to judgment. All services have something different to offer regarding their roles in the protection of this country but they all have the same educational benefits and the same pay rates. Rates in the Coast Guard advance fairly fast, depending on which one it is. I can't really tell you what the Health Services (medical) rating is doing right now but like I said, ask around. I know there is a "C" school for radiology for corpsman if he so chooses to go that path. As far as "C" schools go, it takes approval from your command to go to them, depending on the demand and where he's at but I don't think he'll be getting into that right away. It's somewhat like a residency and he won't be a doctor per se. Any doctor will be an officer.
Enlistment bonuses kind of got lost there for a while when I joined. If that's something you or him are interested in, ASK. It's a long drawn out process, the recruiter should welcome any questions that you have and answer assertively.
Ask him why he wants to join, the real honest reason. It's okay to be selfish in the reasoning. Make sure it's what he really wants to do, if there is any doubt about it then he needs to step back and think about it again.
P.S. ROTC doesn't automatically make you an officer when you enlist, but it does make things go a little smoother with the military structure of it. You'll also possibly be able to enter at a higher rank and/or get a signing bonus.
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He's 2 classes short of his Batchelor's.
On the corpsman rate, is it possible to come out of training and get right into radiology?
I dont know much about that rate. But if there is a school for it make sure he has it written into his contract. Anything he wants have it in writing.
And have him finish his degree. If he goes enlisted he has a good chance of coming in at a higher rank. Make sure thats in his contract to. A degree is also on the right path towards officer.
Nirvana hit it on the head tho. Have him go to ALL of the services first. If he intends to join the Navy to stay away from ground pounding he's got it wrong. The military is not what it used to be due to current situations. We all are doing things we never expected. When he goes to each recruiter use them aganst one another. Like buying a car or airline tickets. Say the Army recruiter says they will do this for me to another branch's recruiter. Make the recruiters fight for him, not him fight for one branch to except him
Also, the Navy is making some huge downsizes to our numbers. So the Navy is a hard place to be right now.
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He's thinking of enlisting mainly for the college loan repayment program money.
Air Force (my old service) is out because they are only covering $10K while Army and Navy will pay up to $65k. Of the two, he thinks the Navy would probably be more his type.
He could probably finish the two courses. He needs Probability and a Senior Project. But he seems like he's sick of school for right now. I pointed out the difference between E and O but he's still not that eager to go back to school.
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BlueJ1 I think they told him the Associate degree would put him in at E-3 after basic.
Of course, it all needs to be in writing. Everything.
I did ~7 years, enough to know that even if you have it in writing sometimes they welsh.
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My NJROTC Cheif served aboard the Enterprise for like 2 years. It sounded so cool, that if I ever dont get into the Marines, Navy is where it's at. :aok
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BlueJ1 I think they told him the Associate degree would put him in at E-3 after basic.
Of course, it all needs to be in writing. Everything.
I did ~7 years, enough to know that even if you have it in writing sometimes they welsh.
Roger that. I can say tho that anything in writing and signed now a days will hold water. Its what keeps a lot of us in.
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My NJROTC Cheif served aboard the Enterprise for like 2 years. It sounded so cool, that if I ever dont get into the Marines, Navy is where it's at. :aok
Carrier = h e double hockey sticks.
Are you a Sea Cadet? Or is this a high school NJROTC?
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Carrier = h e double hockey sticks.
Are you a Sea Cadet? Or is this a high school NJROTC?
It's High School, but then again, my cheif was a diver...
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Ah there is much for you to learn 1plus.
There are something like 10+ ways to make E-3 after basic. Being an Eagle scout, enlisting for 6 years active, ROTC, degrees, etc. Recruiters will hook you up with any info you need, and if they don't give me a shout and I can get it for you.
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It's High School, but then again, my cheif was a diver...
You dont have to listen to anything I say but this one tidbit of info. DO NOT JOIN UNDESIGNATED! Get yourself a rate. Or else you end up hating life chipping paint and cleaning on a daily basis.
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i wouldnt talk to recruiters my friends dad was head recruiting officer for the Texas
National Guard and he says that most recruiters would lie... BTW any time he caught 1 lieing he "fired" them.
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Ah there is much for you to learn 1plus.
There are something like 10+ ways to make E-3 after basic. Being an Eagle scout, enlisting for 6 years active, ROTC, degrees, etc. Recruiters will hook you up with any info you need, and if they don't give me a shout and I can get it for you.
I already meet one of those requirements. And from what I was told, X amount of years in NJROTC (Navy Junior) gives you X rank when you join. Dont know completely though.
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When it comes the time, ask a recruiter. Policies change fairly frequently but as far as I know ROTC of any sort will only get you E3 because to be an E4 you have to be rated. Regarding being an officer, you have to go through the Coast Guard Academy or OCS to be an officer in the Coast Guard, not sure about other services. The Coast Guard doesn't even accept graduates from other maritime academies for direct commission, they still have to go through mandated training like everyone else.
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He should finish his school and go for the commission. The standard of living is like night and day.
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Sorry for sort of hijacking this, but if you want to become a pilot in the Air Force or Navy etc do you need to go through actual parachute training? I've wondered about this for quite a while (btw in case you wonder about my location, I have dual nationalities of both US and UK).
<S>
Yossarian
EDIT: removed retardation
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He's 2 classes short of his Batchelor's.
On the corpsman rate, is it possible to come out of training and get right into radiology?
Finish the degree then join as a officer. And go Army its better for you : )
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Sorry for sort of hijacking this, but if you want to become a pilot in the Air Force or Navy etc do you need to go through actual parachute training? I've wondered about this for quite a while (btw in case you wonder about my location, I have dual nationalities of both US and UK).
<S>
Yossarian
EDIT: removed retardation
I don't believe they have to jump out of an airplane, but yeah... they do ejection seat training.
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I already meet one of those requirements. And from what I was told, X amount of years in NJROTC (Navy Junior) gives you X rank when you join. Dont know completely though.
...and it usually amounts to squat. They all make those offers. "You'll be an E-3 after boot camp." Big friggin deal... in two-three years, your peer group won't be any different anyway. Advancement is pretty rapid from E-1 to E-2 to E-3 and even E-4 in the Navy, but after you make E-5, things slow down considerably.
I had this one jerk instructor in "A" school. We didn't get along at all. At the time, he was an E-5 and I was an E-1 or an E-2. About five years later I saw him again. We we're both at E-6... and I must say I was deliberately disrespectful.
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Take ASVAB and look at what's available. Nuclear medicine tech school is almost a year long (with a hefty bonus last time I checked).....if he can't take regular college - what makes him think he will be able to finish military style tech school? One is much more stressful than the other....
I highly recommend finishing those two classes...
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Ok, thanks.
<S>
Yossarian
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You dont have to listen to anything I say but this one tidbit of info. DO NOT JOIN UNDESIGNATED! Get yourself a rate. Or else you end up hating life chipping paint and cleaning on a daily basis.
Yes Get a school! Go in undesignated you lose control of where you go. The Navy will assign based on"needs of the Navy". With a school at least you get some control. Orders to a graduating A school are often(not always) assigned on graduating rank. Highest grade gets 1st choice.
I got lucky when I went in. Went in with no A school, just choice of coasts and designated as a airman recruit. I got orders to a squadron. Worked hard, got the squadron to send me to A school. Graduated. Returned to my squadron went on deployment. Ran into couple of non-designated guys from boot. Both working flight deck. Humping chains/chocks chipping paint working 12-18 hours a day. Not a good life.
Its also important to pick a school that you can complete. Failing out of a school is another way get into a paint chipping career.
USN retired
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He should finish his school and go for the commission. The standard of living is like night and day.
You know that and I know that but he, being 23, knows everything, trumping our accumulated knowledge. :lol
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He should finish his school and go for the commission. The standard of living is like night and day.
Toad let me add a very definite +1000 on what Sandy said. The down side of going commissioned is that he might not get a specific medical specialty like radiology unless he has a medical degree. As an Officer he won't have some of the options an Enlisted man gets but on the other side he won't get the "details" either. Have him check with the Guard for the Officer side especially if there is a hospital unit in the area. He may be eligible for a direct commission as well without ROTC but that's going to be dependent on his particular skill set and degree. Medical folks are likely to get preferential treatment in that case.
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Toad let me add a very definite +1000 on what Sandy said. The down side of going commissioned is that he might not get a specific medical specialty like radiology unless he has a medical degree. As an Officer he won't have some of the options an Enlisted man gets but on the other side he won't get the "details" either. Have him check with the Guard for the Officer side especially if there is a hospital unit in the area. He may be eligible for a direct commission as well without ROTC but that's going to be dependent on his particular skill set and degree. Medical folks are likely to get preferential treatment in that case.
In addition... the leadership experience after even four years as an officer is worth more than ten or more as an enlisted person... that is if I we're weighing resumes.
Bottom line, odds are he'll get paid more when he leaves the service if he has a commission.
I still work with the Navy as a civilian. By and large, they hire prior enlisted for technical positions. they hire officers for management.
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Navy is a relatively good choise, (not like Army infantry or Marines), if you don't want to him to come home in small pieces in case of an "Incident", like Iran or Afghanistan.
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Navy is a relatively good choise, (not like Army infantry or Marines), if you don't want to him to come home in small pieces in case of an "Incident", like Iran or Afghanistan.
You must realize that more and more Navy personnel are being sent to Iraq to work on "security" details.
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This is the moment... when he signs those papers, he's signing a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America,' for an amount of 'up to, and including his life.'
In this detail, matters not a bit where he serves, what color his uniform is... he's on the team.
<S!> for your boy, Toad. I honor his decision. I hope we make it worth while for him. I remain resolved to do all I can to make his choice the right one.
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Hang loose, Hang.
He's still deliberating. He hasn't made the decision. With the advice here, he may decide to go back and finish his batchelor's.
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He's thinking of enlisting mainly for the college loan repayment program money.
Air Force (my old service) is out because they are only covering $10K while Army and Navy will pay up to $65k. Of the two, he thinks the Navy would probably be more his type.
He could probably finish the two courses. He needs Probability and a Senior Project. But he seems like he's sick of school for right now. I pointed out the difference between E and O but he's still not that eager to go back to school.
Tell him to finish those two courses. Going back to school later is going to be even harder. I didn't want to go back to school after 2 terms off, but did and got it over with. Happy I did.
Radiology is a great career choice, if he gets training in the services he's set. I have a friend who has been on the waiting list for 3 years trying to get into a Radiology program. I just read in the news, it's one of the top 10 paying jobs for people with a Bachelor's and, of course, demand will only increase.
But finish those 2 courses!
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I'd have him watch out for enlisting. The Navy too, watch out for that.
Seriously, finish the 4-yr degree, or go ROTC and go in as an officer.
Better yet, go coast guard. More action and less BS from everything I've heard about the CG. I grew up in San Diego, my Grandfather retired as a commander in the Navy, and my brother in law is in the Navy, but if I was making decisions today about what service to join, I'd still pick USAF as an officer or Coast Guard if I was going to enlist.
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You know that and I know that but he, being 23, knows everything, trumping our accumulated knowledge. :lol
I still don't want to sound flippant, but what the heck does he think he'll end up doing if he enlists? He'll go through boot camp and then he'll go straight to school! If he gets an interesting/fun career field, he'll spend a LOT of time in school. Not only that, he'll be going to school and treated like a child. Tell him to imagine the worst hazing or dumb freshman tricks he saw, and then imagine people being REQUIRED by law to treat him that way. That's boot camp and tech school for an enlisted man.
If he's sick of school, he needs to finish his degree and go to OTS. At least he'll be treated like an adult (mostly) during his training.
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Regarding payback on student loans...
1. Many (most?) student loans are interest free during military service.
2. An Officer's pay is so far above enlisted pay especially after the fourth year (near-automatic promotion to O-3) that the student loan payback won't be much of a crimp in his lifestyle.
As an officer, he'll be treated as an adult and leader from day one and his peers will be people with reasonably similar attitudes. It's a sad fact that there is a high enough percentage of enlisted troops who behave selfishly and/or criminally that almost all enlisted troops are treated like children for the first several years of their military careers. In actual practice, an enlisted member has to prove that he/she is trustworthy while an officer is expected to be responsible the day he/she is comissioned. This is terribly unfair to the majority of enlisted members and gives some young officers too much credit, but that's the way it is and that's the way it will remain until the on-base enlisted dorm rapes, gang activities, and drug busts stop (ie. not in my lifetime).
Anyone who doesn't think this reflects reality ought to ask the local JAG and OSI officers what they spend most of their time doing... It's not a pretty picture and statistics like the survey that showed some 30% or more of all women in the military have been raped or sexually assaulted by other military members makes the situation look even worse.
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I know I'm from a different land and our naval fleet is fishery patrol, but if he is already at uni, his grades would be sufficient to allow him to join in officer training, he would then be paid to finish his degree/s and get the best of both. As for what eagle was saying yes this will happen however I'm pretty sure that because of all the PC bollocks these days it's not like it used to be....really have to feel sorry for guys who hit ships co nowdays. And the bad stuff that happens...well if you are the sort of person that attracts those problems the real world is no better. Obviously check with the recruiter and be aware that yes the initial training side will be at most an eye opener. Friendships for life.
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You must realize that more and more Navy personnel are being sent to Iraq to work on "security" details.
Sandy,
I don't think he realizes much of anything. He'd have to buy a game to get a clue and even then it's not a sure thing.
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Has he looked at the Nuclear program at all? I have been in 11 years now and made Chief (E7) at my 7 year point. Enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses are plentiful in the Nuclear field. With just my re-enlistment bonuses (3 of them now), the Navy has given me $194,000 (and some change) to serve the time I have. The Nuclear field will also be good for going officer if he decides to do that later, or when he gets out of the Navy and gets a civilian job. The nuclear field will open up all kinds of doors. My 2 cents.
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Sandy,
I don't think he realizes much of anything. He'd have to buy a game to get a clue and even then it's not a sure thing.
IMHO, well-informed recruits are few and far between. ;)
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Go Air Force, much better than Navy. Did 6 years of the sea going stuff and really did me no good.
I wish him luck in his decision.
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I'd try to get him enrolled into a ROTC program if he wants to do 2 more years of college. Would make life a heck of a lot easier on him.
:aok :aok
I'm in NJROTC right now, Naval Junior Reserved Officer Training Corps....