A Fork in the Road

[ErrantVenture11]

Hey all, as usual this academic term I've been pretty much absent here. No time to chat, hardly time to breathe, only time for studies

Anyways, school term is over and we're in Maryland visiting family. My wife went out to visit a friend in California, Maryland whos' husband is enlisted in the Navy. When she came home she was oddly interested in Navy OCS and what I thought about it.

I applied to the USNA out of high school but my dreams ended with some unfortunate computer errors during the nomination process (not my fault, they lost my info or never received it...) and the subsequent knocking-up of my then-girlfriend (now my wife). Can't attend with dependents, so I moved to Michigan to attend an amazing university centered around cooperative education (Kettering University, formerly GMI). I graduate in June with my BS in Mechanical Engineering, teetering on the edge of magna- and summa-cum-laude, with about three years of experience in my field of study. On top of this, my company wants to hire me, the regional VP going as far to say that my resume is at the top of the pile for any open positions, and if nothing is open they'll probably just make something up for me. I won't be making less than 54k/yr, at a company that I really like, probably doing something that I'm interested in. Pretty good situation for a fresh college grad in this current climate.

Back to the Navy stuff. Apparently this whole idea of me going back to pursue my Navy dreams has been pinging around inside my significant other's head for a while now, and she's been thinking about it and praying about it a lot. It has always been a fall-back plan for me in the event of not being able to find a job, but for about five years now I've been resigned to living the civvie lifestyle, best-case being a job in the defense industry. If I do pursue the Navy bit, my plan would be OCS > NNPS > NPTU > SOBC, or about 1.5 years of continued classroom and hands-on education, the end goal being submarine work (patently obvious if you know those acronyms). My grandfather was a sub commander in WWII, and I've always dreamed of following in his footsteps.

In short, I'd like some guidance from you guys, in your infinite wisdom, on which direction you think I should head. If any of you are the praying type, I'd also ask that you pray for me and my family as we make this decision. We have three kids, and this decision is as much about them as it is about us.

Thanks, and I look forward to what you have to say.

[USSWisconsin]

Hi ErrantVenture11,

Congrats on the great acedemic acheivements! It sounds like you have distinguished yourself. I don't have any answers about the navy really, but I will pray for you to make the best choice. If I was in your situation with 3 kids, I don't believe I'd be wanting a career that took me away from them.

[ErrantVenture11]

Thanks Wisconsin. It is quite sudden for me, but the more I'm looking at this rationally the more it makes sense. I'm always telling people to follow their dreams, so it would be quite a thing for me to tell people to follow their hearts and not their wallets, while I do exactly the opposite.

Now I'm looking at enlisting for three years prior to OCS to take advantage of college loan repayment (something not afforded to officers), but considering I'd be paying for my loans as a civilian or as an officer, that would really be just a bonus. And since we're used to living on a pittance now, it isn't too much for me to devote a large chunk of my officer salary to loan repayment. We'll see what the recruiter thinks next week.

Keep me in your prayers, and please, some of the fifty-odd people who have viewed, please reply! I'm in need of counsel, whether it is wise, unwise, or just plan ignorant

[Officer of Engineers]

Do both. Join the Naval Reserves.

[bonehead]

Research all you can about both directions. Get all the pros and cons, and read the fine print. Once you have all that take off for a few days so you can mull it all over with a clear mind. Keep in mind that either direction taken should be because that is what YOU want and what is best for you and yours. If you choose to make someone else happy the odds are far less that its going to work out for the best. Once you do decide, hit the ground running and don't look back. Our lives are rarely what we expected them to be and we all know the grass is greener on the other side so don't waste time on coulda, woulda, shoulda. Good luck and remember, you have at least two people praying for you.

[Genosaurer]

If you're really interested in the nuclear pipeline, I'm about halfway through the enlisted side of Nuclear Power School right now and may be able to give you some information if you've got specific questions or concerns.

From reading your initial post, however, I'm wondering if you've considered any of the Limited Duty Officer programs? It seems like it would offer you a lot of what you are looking for. Most of the officer instructors here at NPS, both on enlisted and officer sides, came through the LDO nuclear power school instructor program more or less right out of university, and from there you can lateral-transfer into active duty service at a later date if that's your intent.