navy all the way

[bigcountry]

well the other day i got laid off from my fourth job in about 6 months this GOD bless ecomony has really screwed me big time and living paycheck to pay check isnt working for me anymore im getting married in about 18 months or so and i need benefits and a steady income to support us. yes she has a job but she doesnt work all the time cause of school and im in school too so that really limits us on income. So im sittin at home the other nite thinking of places to work that arent having problems with keeping employees and the military pops into my head and i start to look at the best part of the military like national guard, army etc. so im readin the navys page and read it for about 4 hours and it seems to be the best bet for me and the fact that my grandfather was in the navy and my uncle was in the navy and my grandfathers brother was a green berate in vietnam so military just seems like it fits me the best so far and well i guess the reason why i am going through all this is to see what yall think about it. my parents are divorced and i dont talk to my mom and not really to much of her side of the family for how they have treated me through the divorce so i dont have to worry what they think cause at this point it wouldnt mean much. what do yall think about this should i keep looking for another job and keep doing so till i get lucky or go with the navy

 

[adsm08]

Well, first off, I have huge respect for all members of all branches of the service and probably would have enlisted out of high school if I could pass the physical or the phsyc exams.

That being said, every member of the military I know, both active and retired, say they wish they'd gone to college first. It can also put a huge strain on a marriage, new or old. I'd try to find something until I was done with school, and talk it over with her. If you are both up to it, and you still can't find anything, go for it.

 

[bigcountry]

she has memebers of her family in the army so she is used to alot of moving around and we have talked about it lots and we have both prayed about it and we both are ok with it i just want her to be taken care of i dont like for her to have to worrying about what happens if she gets sick or gets in a wreck

 

[pastor bubba]

I was a junior in high school when I joined the National Guard and I stayed in for 9 years while I went to college, went to seminary and got married. The world is a lot different now than it was in 1985 when i joined. In reading your post, I think you are leaning towards the reserves, but as we all know, the reserves can be deployed just as easily as the regular military and so I agree with adsm that you need to talk it over with your girlfriend because this decision does impact her as well. I am currently filling out paperwork to go back into the guard as a chaplain so I understand the decision part and the desire to bounce it off some other people. I talked about my situation with my wife and 15 year old daughter because the decision I make will affect them. As far as college goes, I didn't have any problem going through 8 years of college and graduate school while in the guard. You will have weekend drills and two weeks in the summer where you have to be there. You will receive a paycheck and I know some of the branches offer loan repayment programs for your school loans.

As far as what branch to go into, it doesn't really matter because they all have something different to offer and so you need to find the best fit for you.

 

[bigcountry]

i was leaing more towards active duty

 

[Roger]

What are you considering as a career field? DO NOT go to the recruiter without an idea of what you want to do in the Navy, or what you want to get OUT of the Navy during your stay.

Roger
USN, Retired

 

[Ozwynn]

what ever you do, pick a career that is useful on the out side like power generation or some such. I worked on radar system and satellite systems in the airforce ..... like 100 applicants for every job in those fields.

 

[bigcountry]

i was looking at mechanical and industrial.
and im already osha certi. and they already told me that would help me in becoming a safe petty officer

 

[press 1 for english]

well the other day i got laid off from my fourth job in about 6 months this GOD bless ecomony has really screwed me big time and living paycheck to pay check isnt working for me anymore im getting married in about 18 months or so and i need benefits and a steady income to support us. yes she has a job but she doesnt work all the time cause of school and im in school too so that really limits us on income. So im sittin at home the other nite thinking of places to work that arent having problems with keeping employees and the military pops into my head and i start to look at the best part of the military like national guard, army etc. so im readin the navys page and read it for about 4 hours and it seems to be the best bet for me and the fact that my grandfather was in the navy and my uncle was in the navy and my grandfathers brother was a green berate in vietnam so military just seems like it fits me the best so far and well i guess the reason why i am going through all this is to see what yall think about it. my parents are divorced and i dont talk to my mom and not really to much of her side of the family for how they have treated me through the divorce so i dont have to worry what they think cause at this point it wouldnt mean much. what do yall think about this should i keep looking for another job and keep doing so till i get lucky or go with the navy

County and State law enforcement agencies are ALWAYS looking for corrections officers. Pays better than the Armed Forces and you are home every day or night depending on your shift. Benefits are top notch so it is worth looking into. Corrections Officers are never laid off!!!

 

[88_ranger]

Navy

Hey man...I was in the Navy for 8 years Active Duty. I just got out last year and haven't looked back! I don't regret the decision to join but I will tell you that it was very tough on both me and my family. I was gone 6 months at a time on deployment and could barely talk to my wife for days at a time. And even after I got back from deployment we would do things like come into port for a weekend and the back out to sea on monday and you had to stand duty one night over that weekend too...it sucked!
And as far as the reserves go, my friend is in the reserves and didn't expect to get called to active duty but did and he's done 2 nine month deployments to afghanistan in the last 2 years. Him and his wife just had their first baby 8 days before he got shipped over and he won't be able to see him again until the baby is nearly a year old.
Yes the money is descent and you have free medical but you have to decide if being away from your wife and kids are really worth it! Believe me when I say you'll being gone way more than you are home! Your wife will have to be very very strong and independent or else it will get to be too hard on her too! I'm speaking from experience so don't take that the wrong way!
So please please please think very hard about your decision before you decide to enlist!!! And if you do be very careful while picking your job! The recruiters are very good at telling you what you want to hear just to get you to sign up and then you get to the ship and find out that it's nothing like what the recruiter said it was going to be! The recruiters have a quota they have to meet every month so they are going to push you very hard no matter what it takes and they don't really care what happens to you after you leave their office!!! Good luck!!!

 

[Hawker]

It's a tough decision. I'd not make it hoping that you'll contine life as is with the military as a fall-back job. Whole new life course once you sign on. Just make sure you and and future Mrs. are on the right page. The up side is if you're convinced this is for you, they do have some attractive career options that can be beneficial after your military time is over. Do your homework,, and then do it again.

 

[skippy]

If your hellbent on going,don't let the recruiter know that you are desperate.Have them describe the fields like aviation,surface forces,silent service and the various careers in each field.Get it in writing if he/or she promises anything,hold out for the schools!again get it in writing,school after bootcamp,not after you go to the fleet.

Yes you will be away from family alot,more if you end up on a carrier or sub.Some overseas assignments allow for your family to be there with you.I had my wife and kids in Japan when I was there.

Schools!Did I mention schools?The navy has some good ones,acr school,electronics,gas turbine tech and electrician,nuclear propulsion,aviation jet mechanic,etc...just depends what you want to do.don't go if your just looking for a paycheck,but if you want to travel,learn a trade,see interesting cultures and enjoy working hard,then by all means.

 

[bufordanthony]

If you are thinking of the military in these times, Navy is by far the smartest way to go. Did 13 years in the Navy, and some recruiting (sad to say), and what you need to know before seeing the recruiter is don't believe a damn thing he says. Wait til you get to MEPS to get your answers, and even then take them with a grain of salt. Know what you want from the Navy (i.e. electrical training, computer training etc...). We had a saying choose your rate choose your fate. To the guys working the entrance part, you are a quota. They have certain quotas to fill weekly and certain quotas to fill in each rate. If they say something you want is full up; don't be discouraged, stand your ground and just go into DEP (delayed entry program). DO NOT join undesiginated! Once you have a school the only way out is to fail out of it. If you are undezed then you will be scrapping barnacles, or chasing turds out of ships plumbing. Good rates to think about that lead to good careers outside are air traffic controler, aviation electrician/aviation technician, any sea-bee field, air framer, aviation powerplants, EM/ET, you get the idea. I tend to lean toward naval aviation, because I was an AE, and the airdales don't belong to ships company. First off and last on with a base on the ground some where.
With every good thing there are always draw backs. You will be gone on at least 6 month deployments (some off the best memories I have by the way), and when you are "home" you will be doing work ups getting ready to go on deployment. Thats where you go out to the boat for a week or so, so the pilots can keep their carrier quals up to date and get so many approaches to a moving target. You do this a few times while on your home cycle. You will be gone alot while on sea duty, but there is always shore duty on your next enlistment, and your sea/shore rotation depends on your rate.
When I was recruiting there was the TAR navy (training active reserve), don't know if that still has funding or not, but doesn't hurt to ask. Basically your are, for all intense purposes, active duty, but don't deploy. You will supplement the fleet here and there. Go on two week long dets. Get laughed at by regnav guys, but thats from jealousy.
Go see a recruiter, see what he has to say, and see if it is what intrests you. As far as going to college before, or after; me personally I wish I hadn't wasted time in college. I wish I would have joined right out of highschool. Give us a shout back and let us know what they say.

 

[bigcountry]

i went and saw a recruiter monday he wasnt pushin anything on me (shock) and told me to study for the asvab and once i ace the pre test and pass the real asvab he told me then we would talk which sounds good he told me to take things one step at a time. i am really glad to hear all yalls opions its nice to see different ideas thanks for yalls help with this

 

[akalogan]

County and State law enforcement agencies are ALWAYS looking for corrections officers. Pays better than the Armed Forces and you are home every day or night depending on your shift. Benefits are top notch so it is worth looking into. Corrections Officers are never laid off!!!

I am a correction officer and last year they (the state) laid off more then 100 officers. Admittedly they did over hire but they talking of maybe laying off more. I am with the military also and if you go that route More power to you. Plus you will be able to work towards a second retirement if you want to stay in that long!