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Posted: 1/22/2021 11:59:32 PM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Love him any how and remind him it is not gay when underway.  Right on .We could be buddies in another world. Hard to get past the squid notion we were programed with. |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 12:04:44 AM EDT
[#2]
Quoted: As a former Marine, and Dad, I am very proud, and sad at the same time. My first born baby boy is going to be gone for 6 years. Anyone on here know anything about this MOS? Outstanding! Best of luck to your son. 90+ on the asvab...definitely too smart to be a crayon eater. 
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Posted: 1/23/2021 1:03:02 AM EDT
[#3]
Very difficult school with a high wash out rate. They advance fast and have high reenlistment bonuses. Lots of watches. First on last off. The money in civilian life is way better.
I could usually point them out on the ship. Fucked up uniforms, crazy hair, and a generally lost, where the fuck am i look when they were above the second level. |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 1:10:18 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I could usually point them out on the ship. Fucked up uniforms, crazy hair, and a generally lost, where the fuck am i look when they were above the second level. Damn, you just described me, except I was a HT... |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 1:13:40 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Damn, you just described me, except I was a HT... Shit chaser! |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 1:18:50 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Shit chaser! Voted time and time again, worst job in the Navy. |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 3:17:10 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I had one as a DOD fire watch a few years ago. I felt embarrassed telling him how to do a bullshit job like firewatch. He was waiting for some sort of Nuke civilian DOD TS to clear through (long process at the time) he was cleared to work with us and needed to make money before going off to Norfolk to work. He was out of Kings Bay IIRC. Great guy, loved tabletop RPGs...lol Shut all four. Written by an EM I know The parts he finished were amusing and informative, but please let us know when the rest of it is done :-) |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 3:36:24 AM EDT
[#8]
So..? In?
We are not addressing 08?  
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Posted: 1/23/2021 3:40:04 AM EDT
[#9]
Lol
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Posted: 1/23/2021 6:02:25 AM EDT
[#10]
Dad...is he a good student? Like the kind that buckling down to do homework is natural? Is he good at math? And by good, I mean top grades in the hardest classes in high school.
If he’s not—and you need to be honest about this—look at other options. A 91 on the ASVAB is certainly impressive...but not for nukes. In my class, most of us were 99s. The ASVAB is not an IQ test; it’s more of a GP aptitude test. Recruiters love filling nuke slots. What’s good for a recruiter may not be what’s best for your son. I cannot overemphasize how comfortable he needs to be with math and extended studying. It needs to be second nature for him. If it’s not, seriously rethink the nuke option. I was kicked out of nuke school two days before final comp with a 3.8 because I turned in a homework assignment 10 minutes late. This happened twice, six months apart. The first time, I was put on “homework orders”. Six months later, I was late again. I went to mast, lost a stripe, and a half-month’s pay for two months as well as sent to the fleet. It’s not just being smart—it’s being quick and smart. There isn’t room for error in the job. Study materials are locked up, so you can’t just study whenever/wherever you want: you’ll do your homework at the school, and the vault closed at midnight when I was in the pipeline. If you weren’t done by then, you were fucked. I’m not trying to talk you out of it, but I cannot overemphasize how tough the school can be if higher math isn’t second nature. If your son isn’t a naturally gifted student—and that 91 ASVAB score is NOT an indicator of this—it will be a grueling endeavor. This is a job for guys that are seriously gifted. I washed out in 1987. Maybe things are different now. |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 6:35:44 AM EDT
[#11]
Tell him to bank his bonuses into TSP.
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Posted: 1/23/2021 7:22:23 AM EDT
[#12]
I didn’t have the best study habits when I arrived, because I had never been forced to develop them in high school. The material in high school comes at a relatively slow rate and isn’t all that complex.
The material in the Nuke pipeline isn’t incredibly complex, but there are some concepts you have to get down... the problem is that you are drinking from a fire hose the whole time. You have to master each day’s information that night before class the following morning, because there simply isn’t enough time to play catch up. A/Power School kicked my ass, I lived in that damn building. But it all came together for me when I got to prototype and I developed a much better understanding after putting my hands on the equipment. Your son will find out his rating and his future based on a combination of the Navy’s needs, his test scores, and his dream sheet. All of the options provide excellent employment opportunities after the Navy. Based on my experience maybe 2-3% go nuclear after the Navy everyone else goes manufacturing, data center, operations, etc... really any place an employer needs and is willing to pay for a technician that they know is trainable and is accustomed to working in a zero fuckups allowed environment. From this point on roughly 1/2 of the people your son meets with any tie to the Navy will tell him unsolicited that they were “offered” nuke but didn’t want xxxxx. It’s almost always bullshit based on a recruiter thinking he can get his package in front of the nuke recruiter that is usually regional. Who then reviews the package and determines if additional testing will be necessary or if they actually qualify at all. I did my 20 as a nuke ET and got out last year, it isn’t an easy path but worth it in the long run. -Mike |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 8:11:59 AM EDT
[#13]
I work with a former Nuke and he’s a genius. Best tech in the dept, probably the company.
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Posted: 1/23/2021 9:36:58 AM EDT
[#14]
I work with a lot of guys who went that route early in their careers.
They do very well now. |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 10:40:30 AM EDT
[#15]
First thing he needs to do is pretend he doesn’t have that money. Invest it and forget about it. All of it.
Don’t forget physical assets for investment. Some gold in a safe deposit box would be a good thing if you believe inflation will kill the dollar. If he does that he’ll be so far ahead in life compared to 99% of kids his age. Hell he’d likely have more in retirement than many guys on this site |
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Posted: 1/23/2021 11:53:12 AM EDT
[#16]
Friend was a nuke MM early 90’s time frame. He is now a dentist. Said Nuke school was the hardest thing he ever did. Test every Friday. Pass the test or back to the fleet. Two year school as I recall.
Served on the Long Beach and the Texas. When the Texas was retired midway through its refit a lot of the crew got early outs. None of the nukes did. They served their full six. |
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Posted: 1/24/2021 11:02:10 AM EDT
[#17]
A poster above does have a point.
I do remember a lot of guys struggled to make it in the schooling portion because they just couldn't grasp the concepts being given to them. But ALL of the instructors had some kind of office hours to teach after dinner, and there were study hours in the morning before classes as well. It isn't sink or swim without help. But there are better ways to make a living. Also I remember a nuke test after the asvab test to see if you were qualified. Did he take that yet? As for jobs in the nuke industry, I don't think that matters. I think I know that guy that became a dentist. Of the bunch of nukes I served with, I only know 1 that stayed in the nuke world. He was the last guy I ever thought would be a lifer, but stayed in for his 20 and made it out as a chief. Does the nuke shipyard work, doing refueling. The rest are in IT type jobs and that one outlier as the dentist. I think a couple went into the FBI, but that is it on the how did you go there from nuke type jobs. |
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Posted: 1/24/2021 11:16:20 AM EDT
[#18]
Congrats pops!
My two baby girls are in the USN and I couldn’t be more proud. |
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Posted: 1/24/2021 11:20:31 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Never served 15 seconds in anyone's military. So I'll keep my mouth shut. That said, I don't really approve of the way they do business. I think they are a bit hard on their human resources. You should have kept your mouth shut. |
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Posted: 1/24/2021 11:24:32 AM EDT
[#20]
I work with several ex-Navy Nuke Techs. Very smart guys.
All work in high tech now. |
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Posted: 1/24/2021 11:35:35 AM EDT
[#21]
Good for both of you OP, you are right to be proud. Make sure he sticks to his guns, and gets whatever MOS he wants, not just what the recruiter needs at the moment. Since you have prior service I hope he takes your life advice.
Nuke anything sounds like a good MOS for post-service career potential. He will be fine even under a Biden admin; national politics doesn't really come into play except past 0-6/E-9. |
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Posted: 1/24/2021 11:36:40 AM EDT
[#22]
He may be working for my nephew. He is sorta in charge of commissioning and decommissioning nuclear reactors for the DoD.
Interesting job for your son I wish him well. |
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Posted: 1/24/2021 1:39:45 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Good for both of you OP, you are right to be proud. Make sure he sticks to his guns, and gets whatever MOS he wants, not just what the recruiter needs at the moment. Since you have prior service I hope he takes your life advice. Nuke anything sounds like a good MOS for post-service career potential. He will be fine even under a Biden admin; national politics doesn't really come into play except past 0-6/E-9. Navy Nuke is one of the ultimate "whatever the recruiter needs at the moment" ratings.
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Posted: 1/30/2021 10:14:21 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Not able to answer any of these questions yet, he is still on his way home from meps. When he left yesterday he was going to be either a gunners mate, or cryptologic tech. He scored a 91 out of 99 on the asvab test.It sounded like they really wanted him for this mos, they guaranteed him e3 out of school, and $40k sign on bonus. Congrats son and dad. 1998-2007, nuke MM/ELT. Now run commercial nuke. A lot of doors will open for him if he's successful. GO SUBS! |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 10:39:24 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: So if it's still like it was many years ago (I qualified but failed the physical); your son is going to boot, then Florida for education, then most likely New England for submarine school, but if he's lucky he'll wind up on a carrier. He'll probably re-up at 6 years because the Navy will dangle a giant bonus in front of him. When he gets out, he will be well qualified to work at a Power Plant - could be nuclear or conventional, or as a utilities technician at a large manufacturing plant that either runs it's own power / steam plant, or has a significant wastewater operation. At the major manufacturing site I work at, we specifically seek out Navy nuclear techs for our technician roles in our utilities teams. Good jobs - $100k a year is pretty much the typical base pay, with significant opportunities to advance in the organization for those so inclined. Some of the best leaders / managers I've worked with in manufacturing skipped college, did a tour in the Navy or two after completing nuclear school, and tend to be really analytical, smart, qualified leaders of people. I'd say your son is setting off on what can be a very good career path. Good for him. Even if he does go to submarines, nukes don't go to sub school. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 10:40:06 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: So..? In? We are not addressing 08? One small step above the NPEB. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 11:00:39 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Not able to answer any of these questions yet, he is still on his way home from meps. When he left yesterday he was going to be either a gunners mate, or cryptologic tech. He scored a 91 out of 99 on the asvab test.It sounded like they really wanted him for this mos, they guaranteed him e3 out of school, and $40k sign on bonus. Quote HistoryQuoted: Not able to answer any of these questions yet, he is still on his way home from meps. When he left yesterday he was going to be either a gunners mate, or cryptologic tech. He scored a 91 out of 99 on the asvab test.It sounded like they really wanted him for this mos, they guaranteed him e3 out of school, and $40k sign on bonus. If I could "do it all again" I would have taken CTN (Crypto Tech - Networking) over MA. If I'd even known CTN existed at the time (I think it was relatively new in '07). I definitely wasn't getting an appointment to a service academy so we can forget about flying.  There's a bunch of pros and cons to nuke. For me, I think picking dumb-cop MA rating over Nuke was unintentionally brilliant because I had a vastly superior quality of life while in, probably made better than nuke pay considering overseas allowances, etc, and finished most of my undergrad on night shift harbor patrol. Note that I didn't pursue an engineering discipline or anything like that, I did MBA then another MS in information assurance (thanks, taxpayers!). Nuke would have just been a shitload of extra work that wouldn't really help me out (again assuming I took the same career direction). CTN would have been really helpful and I'd probably be ahead of where I'm at now. MA was just plain chill since I got a couple lucky draws for duty stations. The 40k bonus is cool, but he's also signing up for like 6 years. You get the Post-9/11 GI Bill with a bare-minimum hitch of four (three, even, I think). The value of Post-9/11, assuming you take advantage of it, can be well north of six figures. Just all things to consider. I'm not saying nuke is a bad - it's an elite field that looks great to people who recognize it and will definitely prep him for study in engineering, etc... just think about everything besides that bonus when making the decision. There's a reason they have to pay it. Quoted: Even if he does go to submarines, nukes don't go to sub school. No shit? I guess that's a clue about how much time you spend outside the reactor area?
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Posted: 1/30/2021 11:08:35 AM EDT
[#28]
Quoted: As a former Marine, and Dad, I am very proud, and sad at the same time. My first born baby boy is going to be gone for 6 years. Anyone on here know anything about this MOS? Congratulations! Your son should be commended for serving his country unlike most of the kids his age who are worthless. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 11:49:50 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Nuke ET? I was nuke MM, 1987 to 1993. Spent nearly three years near Saratoga Springs, NY working in "The Ball", D1G. There are ET, electronics tech EM, electricians And MM, Mechanics https://i.postimg.cc/QxkByRyx/FB-IMG-1459118119771.jpg I thought that was familiar. I went to Ballston Spa as well. We lived on Saratoga Lake (me and three others). I was nuke EM. Had a great time in NY. OP, he's off to a good start. The training I received in NNPT has served me well with major industries working on DCS and PLC systems and as electrician. My nuke friends have all done well for themselves. My income is abou 5x the average for my parish (county) and I've never had to look for employment long. The school itself was tough for me as I have always been an outdoor guy and never had to study. I had to LEARN how to learn in the Navy and those lessons, along with the discipline have served me well. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 11:52:18 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ETs are a special breed, the geek's geek of the nuclear world. Conventional I&C techs are the same, weird folks. Electricians are hard working and have a solid future in the real world based on the training they have. Mechanics are truly the knuckle draggers of the nuclear geek world, hard working, always dirty, always staying late and showing up early due to broken equipment. Looking back, I'd have chosen ET or EM, but I was always mechanically inclined, so mechanic it was. Adding: Nukes are always first on and last off. Reactor has to ge started up and shut down. Sucks to see everybody leaving in port while you have another 8 hrs of duty to go before you go out or go home. When I was in, they didnt't let us choose, it was chosen for us based on exam scores. I was told I was an EM, so EM it was. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 12:01:03 PM EDT
[#31]
 |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 12:05:10 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: When I was in, they didnt't let us choose, it was chosen for us based on exam scores. I was told I was an EM, so EM it was. Then again, I originally signed up as AQ (?? Aviation Fire Control). My recruiter talked me out of it because it was all black box troubleshooting and I wouldn't get to work on the components. Maybe it was a ploy to get me to take the nuke test. Then, after I decided to go conventional instead of nuke I realized that in my Navy tenure I did real-world component-level work exactly once. We were in the middle of the Persian Gulf with a bad transistor that I got to scavenge from another board to replace the one that was bad. Oh well. 
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Posted: 1/30/2021 12:12:08 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ETs are a special breed, the geek's geek of the nuclear world. Conventional I&C techs are the same, weird folks. Electricians are hard working and have a solid future in the real world based on the training they have. Mechanics are truly the knuckle draggers of the nuclear geek world, hard working, always dirty, always staying late and showing up early due to broken equipment. Looking back, I'd have chosen ET or EM, but I was always mechanically inclined, so mechanic it was. Adding: Nukes are always first on and last off. Reactor has to ge started up and shut down. Sucks to see everybody leaving in port while you have another 8 hrs of duty to go before you go out or go home. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 12:16:28 PM EDT
[#34]
My son had a good head about the bonus. He drove his old Dodge with a Cummins to New York. On his way to work, he'd drive by the New Challengers in the ditch. Lol
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Posted: 1/30/2021 3:05:16 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It's probably the most intellectually demanding enlisted MOS in all of the armed forces. Be proud he qualified for training, be very proud if he makes it through. You can still be proud if he doesn't make it all the way through. Navy nuke school opens doors just because of how "on the ball" you have to be to get there. A niece married a guy who ended up washing out of a Navy nuke school at the Carolina Power & Light (CP&L) plant in Brunswick, NC. He elected to be separated and was immediately hired by CP&L for operator training on their coal-fired plants. Now after 20 years as an operator he is plant manager for Duke Energy after they bought out CP&L. Navy nuke techs don't make that kind of money and he's slept in his own bed at home every night instead of a bunk shipboard for months at a time over those 20 years. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 9:59:05 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You can still be proud if he doesn't make it all the way through. Navy nuke school opens doors just because of how "on the ball" you have to be to get there. A niece married a guy who ended up washing out of a Navy nuke school at the Carolina Power & Light (CP&L) plant in Brunswick, NC. He elected to be separated and was immediately hired by CP&L for operator training on their coal-fired plants. Now after 20 years as an operator he is plant manager for Duke Energy after they bought out CP&L. Navy nuke techs don't make that kind of money and he's slept in his own bed at home every night instead of a bunk shipboard for months at a time over those 20 years. Never heard of anyone “electing to be separated”. If you can’t cut nuke school you still do 4 years in another rate depending on whether you get dropped for LOE lack of effort or not. I know a few that got sonar tech but maybe he got a dishonorable or medical discharge. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 10:09:49 PM EDT
[#37]
a year of prep for nuke school (basic training, tech schools), 6 months of very intense classroom book learning, 6 months of land-based hands on with a Real Nuculer Reactor, four years of fairly demanding work as an operator in the fleet, either a bubblehead or on av carrier.
Many ex nukes go on to power plant jobs, but the skills gained are useful in a lot of places. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 10:13:38 PM EDT
[#38]
I was a navy nuc. Reactor Operator. Also worked as an Instructor at S1C Prototype in Windsor CT at Knolls Atomic Power Labs.
Navy nucs are sharp. Many of my friends are nucs. He will study more than he ever has. Navy spends a fortune on making a nuc. All the training is classified...or it was. No taking homework home...you stay at school. Most in my class (class 8201) were on Suggested 35 hours per week of extra study, logged in. If you grades went down..you went to Mandatory hours Has your son taken the NFQT test? It was seperate from the ASVAB. Recruiters LOVE nucs..since they count for multiple people towards their goal. I was an ET. As a result I went to Basic Electronics School, Electronics Tech A School.... worked on radar units, etc...They want RO's (Reactor Operators) to be ET's due to the logic and troubleshooting skills. After ET A school...was Nuc School (Orlando for me)....then Prototype in Windsor CT. Now all the nuc schools are in Charleston. Tests are ALL written essay tests. No multiple choice questions ever. They are Loooong. After you complete Prototype training..you have a final oral board. They are ball busters. PM me if you like |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 10:22:13 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Nuke ET? I was nuke MM, 1987 to 1993. Spent nearly three years near Saratoga Springs, NY working in "The Ball", D1G. There are ET, electronics tech EM, electricians And MM, Mechanics  That's where Rex Tillerson's goons caught up with Gina Haspel! |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 10:27:32 PM EDT
[#40]
OP - I would think the young man has a bright future. Best of luck to him and congrats to you.
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Posted: 1/30/2021 10:47:08 PM EDT
[#41]
Nuke is honorable, but the shit end of the stick. You get worked to the fucking bone.
I'm an STE (instructor now). Closest thing there is to a "civilian navy nuke". |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 11:08:58 PM EDT
[#42]
I was a fuck up as a teen, and barely graduated high school. Apparently, the only thing I had done well up to that point, was answering the questions on the ASVAB. GW1 was about to kick off, and somehow, on a whim really, I ended up on a plane to Orlando to become a Nuke MM.
I was so scared I would fail out of the program, that it became maybe the first thing I ever ‘applied’ myself to. Got out 8 years later, and although I never took a job in that field, I had learned everything I needed to somehow build a good career doing something I love. I hated almost every minute I was in the Navy, but I wouldn’t give it all back for any amount of money. |
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Posted: 1/30/2021 11:36:16 PM EDT
[#43]
Tough school.
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Posted: 1/31/2021 1:27:04 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Nuke is honorable, but the shit end of the stick. You get worked to the fucking bone. I'm an STE (instructor now). Closest thing there is to a "civilian navy nuke". I can’t help but laugh at an STE saying we were overworked. I had more than my share of rough patches in 20yrs. But it seems like the STEs were there with us for many of them... and when things finally calmed down for us and testing wrapped up, you guys just moved to the next project and started all over. In all seriousness, STEs are (usually) some of the smartest and most knowledgeable guys you can find in a maintenance environment. They also spend their entire career under the microscope of every regulatory authority in the Navy nuke program be it NRRO, AIRPAC, etc. -Mike |
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