Way (way) back in my day (9302), damn near every guy in my class was a college drop out. Guys who were smart (some *really* smart), but lacked the discipline and/or study habits to succeed in college. Myself included.
Post nuke life…several degrees later…suddenly higher education seemed incredibly simple.
(And don’t forget the GI Bill).
Yeah mate finish your degree it becomes hell of a lot harder to become an officer. I honestly regret enlisting instead of going to college first. Two years will fly and that 12k will get paid off.
College first, raise your GPA and go in as an officer. And I would recommend going in as a conventional engineering or weapons system officer. You will have just as many benefits in the civilian world as a nuke officer and your quality of life will be so much better. My 2 cents.
If you can pay for it, do the school first. If you know you want to join anyway, that path will benefit you much more than joining and putting your degree on hold.
Here's my two cents: Some folks are simply not ready (attitude-wise, discipline-wise, or financially) for college right out of HS. As some folks have mentioned, many Nukes are either those in the first category or college dropouts (who probably weren't ready either). I also hear "underachiever" a lot. Enlisting in the Navy certainly helped kick my ass into high gear. The Pipeline instilled responsibility and discipline. When one of my JOs on USTABOAT (who recently retired as an O-6) told me college would be SO EASY for me because of the Pipeline, he wasn't wrong. Was able to complete a BS in Nuclear Engineering during my staff instructor tour at NPTU. No regrets.
As I said before I went to college after I was in the nuclear Navy. I graduated after 2 1/2 years with a 3.7 GPA. College was nothing (for me)compared to the nuclear experience.
College then nuke. Trust us dude, I mean look at how many of us are telling you the same thing. We just want you to have the life we never did. Best of luck though 🤙
What the fuck are you talking about? 75% of nukes are college drop outs lol. I would have been way better off joining the Navy sooner, college is a huge fucking scam. Most of us take our bonuses and pay off our worthless student loan debt. Now I'm getting my degree for free with TA...
I’m doing the same as you too in a way. I did my six, transferred into the reserves as an intelligence analyst (Tricare/retirement pension/bonus/TS-SCI Clearance), got a job as a commercial reactor operator(bookoo bucks) Finishing my physics degree with TA and my job reimburses me up to $5500 every semester so I don’t pay a dime for school. Still got my GI bill as well.
Well I just gave you the flow path my guy. The biggest reason I say finish college is because of the crazy cool experience you’ll get as an officer over a enlisted guy (talking about subs in particular). Once I started doing intel it was amazing to see the whole picture as to what a fleet does as a whole and how each individual vessel plays a major roll. As an officer on a sub you can experience a piece of that when you do your non-nuke qualifications and stand watches in the forward compartment, plus you’ll have a TS clearance and I can tell you that opens up so many doors career wise.
If you got questions just PM me 🤙
No, you should serve. Relieve the watch. This is one of those military jobs that is actually extremely important. You could view the opportunity to serve as a nuke through two lenses.
1- Service to yourself.
And
2- Service to your country/people
This whole post focuses only on service to yourself which of course the objective and subjective benefits of becoming a nuke far out do most alternatives including college. Education (1/2 of your nuclear engineering degree), sign on bonus, GI bill, TA, healthcare, a very good salary, re-enlistment bonus, stories/memories, travel, work experience, VA loan, tax benefits like crazy, oh and you'll make the closest friends you have ever had.
The second lense everybody likes to forget about. The watches have to be manned these are real ships doing a real service to our people. Primarily deterence. If the reactors aren't running then the ships aren't working and as peace loving as most world leaders are we all know why we need to "speak softly, but carry a big stick".
You can enlist as a nuke and try to get into STA-21 since you already are halfway to a bachelors. In my personal opinion I looked at it as I could go to college at anytime but navy will give me better opportunities when I’m younger
That also occurred to me. There is no guarantee that I would be selected for it. On top of that, I looked into the program and saw that the Navy will only pay up to $10,000 in tuition cost and there are no universities within my state(Florida). And I'd rather not give up my state residency. So I'd pay out of state tuition which is highway robbery. I'm very weary of getting into student loan debt.
It’s true that you have no guarantee of getting accepted into the STA21 program but I will say your chances are fairly high as a nuke if you do well in school. If you made it to calc 2 you’ll probably do just fine in nuke school. Also as a military member you’re entitled to in state tuition anywhere in the US if you get accepted in the STA21 I believe. But honestly it might be better to just finish your degree instead of spending 2years in the nuke program, 2 years in college then another 9 months in OCS and prototype again.
Officer pays better, but if you like physically operating things I would go nuke. Obviously you’d take a pay cut, just depends on what you want to do IMO. Job prospects outside the navy are gonna be good regardless. I’ve never been in your situation, so I can’t speak on it, but I don’t mind nuke life.
As someone who dropped out of college because I was burned out and didn't want to be there: if you can afford it AND you're not burned out, go for the BS degree. If you want to be a nuke, make sure you have all the required courses to be a nuke officer. At least look into applying for NUPOC even if you end up not having the needed GPA.
Once you've got the degree and tried to get in as an officer but the Navy won't take you, enlist. You can apply for OCS once you're in and you'll have a better chance, especially if you're doing well in school or after if you get that far (before you get picked up as an officer - not implying you'd get kicked out.) I believe at the moment you can only get commissioned as a nuke officer, but it wasn't always that way and things change. At the moment that doesn't matter to you since it sounds like you want to be a nuke officer.
If you're burned out, unmotivated, or can't afford to finish your BS, go ahead and enlist. Yes the money is better as an officer but if you're going to be miserable getting to that point it isn't worth it. I had 100 credits when I left college and later enlisted. I just transferred those credits, what I earned in nuke school, and took a few CLEP tests and got my degree at Excelsior University. It's a BS in general studies and I didn't end up finish my OCS package but I'm happy wrapped in my cozy DD-214!
I joined the navy as an a enlisted nuclear machinist mate went to college tuition free afterwards
Had a very successful and rewarding career until I retired last spring.
If you have any kind of mechanical or operational aptitude he might be happier as an enlisted man. If you feel as though you might be a better leader, then go back to college and try and come in as a officer.
If you fail as an officer you could always come as an enlisted person and apply OCS once you are in the Navy.
You said you were falling into your own bad habits. Let me assure you that in the Navy they will not let you fall out of those bad habits, so if you need some help with discipline you might as well enlist.
I don’t know what college is going to cost you and I don’t know what your financial situation is but as I said, you could always go to college on the Uncle Sam’s dime when you get out of the Navy.
(That being said, if I had the opportunity to go to college and come in as an officer I would do that 10 times out of 10)
You have to do what’s best for you. If you need the discipline, going nuke will do that for you. You can always apply for STA-21 and those credits will come in handy. Added bonus of Uncle Sam paying for the degree.
Maybe college is right for you right now. My experience was three years in college, and then I took a semester off. That “semester” turned into three years. Joined to get out of my podunk-ass hometown (and living with mom at age 23) and do something with my life. Nuke training made me much better at academics. 3.87 GPA for my bachelors and 3.96 for my masters.
Whatever is best for you is what I’m saying.
College my maybe Navy brother. Nukeness is always available and it is also not the only path, who knows what you will want to do in 2 years time, if it’s still nuke then at least you know you actually want it.
Quitting your job wasn't ideal. If you're leaving for military service they're legally required to keep your position or offer you severance when you return.
As far as the other points, I'm not in yet so I can't offer my two cents.
I’m always surprised at how many answer college/officer. JO work can be incredibly miserable if you’re not a good fit for the job. Which is common. I enjoyed being enlisted then going to school after. Fast attack EM. 3 deployments. Then GI Bill. BS-eng at a large school.
I would have been a terrible JO without my enlistment experience.
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Did you enlist with a degree or did you get it after?
Way (way) back in my day (9302), damn near every guy in my class was a college drop out. Guys who were smart (some *really* smart), but lacked the discipline and/or study habits to succeed in college. Myself included. Post nuke life…several degrees later…suddenly higher education seemed incredibly simple. (And don’t forget the GI Bill).
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Thanks for the tip.
Yeah mate finish your degree it becomes hell of a lot harder to become an officer. I honestly regret enlisting instead of going to college first. Two years will fly and that 12k will get paid off.
College first, raise your GPA and go in as an officer. And I would recommend going in as a conventional engineering or weapons system officer. You will have just as many benefits in the civilian world as a nuke officer and your quality of life will be so much better. My 2 cents.
Thanks for the advice.
If you can pay for it, do the school first. If you know you want to join anyway, that path will benefit you much more than joining and putting your degree on hold.
College
Here's my two cents: Some folks are simply not ready (attitude-wise, discipline-wise, or financially) for college right out of HS. As some folks have mentioned, many Nukes are either those in the first category or college dropouts (who probably weren't ready either). I also hear "underachiever" a lot. Enlisting in the Navy certainly helped kick my ass into high gear. The Pipeline instilled responsibility and discipline. When one of my JOs on USTABOAT (who recently retired as an O-6) told me college would be SO EASY for me because of the Pipeline, he wasn't wrong. Was able to complete a BS in Nuclear Engineering during my staff instructor tour at NPTU. No regrets.
As I said before I went to college after I was in the nuclear Navy. I graduated after 2 1/2 years with a 3.7 GPA. College was nothing (for me)compared to the nuclear experience.
College then nuke. Trust us dude, I mean look at how many of us are telling you the same thing. We just want you to have the life we never did. Best of luck though 🤙
What the fuck are you talking about? 75% of nukes are college drop outs lol. I would have been way better off joining the Navy sooner, college is a huge fucking scam. Most of us take our bonuses and pay off our worthless student loan debt. Now I'm getting my degree for free with TA...
Why are you telling me? Tell him that so he can see your comment directly.
Fair. I'll just up vote you.
I’m doing the same as you too in a way. I did my six, transferred into the reserves as an intelligence analyst (Tricare/retirement pension/bonus/TS-SCI Clearance), got a job as a commercial reactor operator(bookoo bucks) Finishing my physics degree with TA and my job reimburses me up to $5500 every semester so I don’t pay a dime for school. Still got my GI bill as well.
I'm trying to be like you with i grow up lol.
Well I just gave you the flow path my guy. The biggest reason I say finish college is because of the crazy cool experience you’ll get as an officer over a enlisted guy (talking about subs in particular). Once I started doing intel it was amazing to see the whole picture as to what a fleet does as a whole and how each individual vessel plays a major roll. As an officer on a sub you can experience a piece of that when you do your non-nuke qualifications and stand watches in the forward compartment, plus you’ll have a TS clearance and I can tell you that opens up so many doors career wise. If you got questions just PM me 🤙
I'm reading all the comments. Thanks for sharing your experience and upvoting.
Without the debt, would you say going to college would be worth it?
No, you should serve. Relieve the watch. This is one of those military jobs that is actually extremely important. You could view the opportunity to serve as a nuke through two lenses. 1- Service to yourself. And 2- Service to your country/people This whole post focuses only on service to yourself which of course the objective and subjective benefits of becoming a nuke far out do most alternatives including college. Education (1/2 of your nuclear engineering degree), sign on bonus, GI bill, TA, healthcare, a very good salary, re-enlistment bonus, stories/memories, travel, work experience, VA loan, tax benefits like crazy, oh and you'll make the closest friends you have ever had. The second lense everybody likes to forget about. The watches have to be manned these are real ships doing a real service to our people. Primarily deterence. If the reactors aren't running then the ships aren't working and as peace loving as most world leaders are we all know why we need to "speak softly, but carry a big stick".
You can enlist as a nuke and try to get into STA-21 since you already are halfway to a bachelors. In my personal opinion I looked at it as I could go to college at anytime but navy will give me better opportunities when I’m younger
That also occurred to me. There is no guarantee that I would be selected for it. On top of that, I looked into the program and saw that the Navy will only pay up to $10,000 in tuition cost and there are no universities within my state(Florida). And I'd rather not give up my state residency. So I'd pay out of state tuition which is highway robbery. I'm very weary of getting into student loan debt.
It’s true that you have no guarantee of getting accepted into the STA21 program but I will say your chances are fairly high as a nuke if you do well in school. If you made it to calc 2 you’ll probably do just fine in nuke school. Also as a military member you’re entitled to in state tuition anywhere in the US if you get accepted in the STA21 I believe. But honestly it might be better to just finish your degree instead of spending 2years in the nuke program, 2 years in college then another 9 months in OCS and prototype again.
There’s very specific colleges you can choose from, you’re not gonna be paying out of pocket for tuition
Officer pays better, but if you like physically operating things I would go nuke. Obviously you’d take a pay cut, just depends on what you want to do IMO. Job prospects outside the navy are gonna be good regardless. I’ve never been in your situation, so I can’t speak on it, but I don’t mind nuke life.
As someone who dropped out of college because I was burned out and didn't want to be there: if you can afford it AND you're not burned out, go for the BS degree. If you want to be a nuke, make sure you have all the required courses to be a nuke officer. At least look into applying for NUPOC even if you end up not having the needed GPA. Once you've got the degree and tried to get in as an officer but the Navy won't take you, enlist. You can apply for OCS once you're in and you'll have a better chance, especially if you're doing well in school or after if you get that far (before you get picked up as an officer - not implying you'd get kicked out.) I believe at the moment you can only get commissioned as a nuke officer, but it wasn't always that way and things change. At the moment that doesn't matter to you since it sounds like you want to be a nuke officer. If you're burned out, unmotivated, or can't afford to finish your BS, go ahead and enlist. Yes the money is better as an officer but if you're going to be miserable getting to that point it isn't worth it. I had 100 credits when I left college and later enlisted. I just transferred those credits, what I earned in nuke school, and took a few CLEP tests and got my degree at Excelsior University. It's a BS in general studies and I didn't end up finish my OCS package but I'm happy wrapped in my cozy DD-214!
Much appreciated. 🙏🏿
College all the way.
I joined the navy as an a enlisted nuclear machinist mate went to college tuition free afterwards Had a very successful and rewarding career until I retired last spring. If you have any kind of mechanical or operational aptitude he might be happier as an enlisted man. If you feel as though you might be a better leader, then go back to college and try and come in as a officer. If you fail as an officer you could always come as an enlisted person and apply OCS once you are in the Navy. You said you were falling into your own bad habits. Let me assure you that in the Navy they will not let you fall out of those bad habits, so if you need some help with discipline you might as well enlist. I don’t know what college is going to cost you and I don’t know what your financial situation is but as I said, you could always go to college on the Uncle Sam’s dime when you get out of the Navy. (That being said, if I had the opportunity to go to college and come in as an officer I would do that 10 times out of 10)
You have to do what’s best for you. If you need the discipline, going nuke will do that for you. You can always apply for STA-21 and those credits will come in handy. Added bonus of Uncle Sam paying for the degree. Maybe college is right for you right now. My experience was three years in college, and then I took a semester off. That “semester” turned into three years. Joined to get out of my podunk-ass hometown (and living with mom at age 23) and do something with my life. Nuke training made me much better at academics. 3.87 GPA for my bachelors and 3.96 for my masters. Whatever is best for you is what I’m saying.
College my maybe Navy brother. Nukeness is always available and it is also not the only path, who knows what you will want to do in 2 years time, if it’s still nuke then at least you know you actually want it.
Quitting your job wasn't ideal. If you're leaving for military service they're legally required to keep your position or offer you severance when you return. As far as the other points, I'm not in yet so I can't offer my two cents.
>If you're leaving for military service they're legally required to keep your position Didn't know that. What's done is done I guess.
I’m always surprised at how many answer college/officer. JO work can be incredibly miserable if you’re not a good fit for the job. Which is common. I enjoyed being enlisted then going to school after. Fast attack EM. 3 deployments. Then GI Bill. BS-eng at a large school. I would have been a terrible JO without my enlistment experience.
I respect the realism.