# Joining the Navy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 24, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554 "2015-02-24T22:52:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/1 "2015-02-24T22:52:27Z")
I am taking my ASVAB and physical on Thursday. The soonest I would be shipping out is in summer. If you would like to share any experiences or advice I would appreciate it. I’m hoping to do IT or CTN. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/2 "2015-02-24T23:01:33Z")
Boot camp has a lot of bullshit in it. Intentionally! It’s not the “real” Navy. Don’t stress it. It doesn’t last forever. Pay attention to detail, follow instructions, stay out of trouble. When I went through in '83, out of thirty or forty guys, a handful couldn’t handle the stress and got separated out. I hope you get to pick some MOS (the Navy calls 'em NEC’s, I think. Job descriptions.) and get it “locked in” before you sign the enlistment forms. Going in as a non-rate means your gonna see more than your share of shit work. (Everyone gets some. Some get more than others.) ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/3 "2015-02-24T23:01:52Z")
You can sail the seven seas, and put your mind at ease. Come one now, take a stand, can’t you see we need a hand? You can protect the motherland - Come and join your fellow man! You can find pleasure, search the world for treasure, and learn science technology! ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/4 "2015-02-24T23:04:49Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Boot camp has a lot of bullshit in it. Intentionally! It’s not the “real” Navy. Don’t stress it. It doesn’t last forever. Pay attention to detail, follow instructions, stay out of trouble… Good point. In boot camp, you are nobody. Do as you are told, keep your head down, and pay meticulous attention to detail. In the real service, having your uniform a little askew is usually no big deal. In boot, it is. Keep it together, you can do it! ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/5 "2015-02-24T23:18:29Z")
Bah! I said [NEC](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_Enlisted_Classification) when I meant [rating](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_ratings). Sorry. Do I have to turn in my squid card? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/6 "2015-02-24T23:32:36Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Boot camp has a lot of bullshit in it. Intentionally! It’s not the “real” Navy. Don’t stress it. It doesn’t last forever. Pay attention to detail, follow instructions, stay out of trouble. > > When I went through in '83, out of thirty or forty guys, a handful couldn’t handle the stress and got separated out. > > I hope you get to pick some MOS (the Navy calls 'em NEC’s, I think. Job descriptions.) and get it “locked in” before you sign the enlistment forms. Going in as a non-rate means your gonna see more than your share of shit work. (Everyone gets some. Some get more than others.) Good points, make sure you lock in a good rate that interests you. I got tricked into the nuclear program and ended up and electrician instead of an electronics tech. Made me pretty unhappy from the get go with the Navy. So I did my 4 and out instead. Still proud of my time in and think I was an overall positive in my life but I would have helped if I was no deceived in the recruiting process. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/7 "2015-02-24T23:41:28Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > I’m hoping to do IT or CTN. How boring! 🙂 If you’re any good at photography and do well on your tests, try going for aerial photography. There’s a Doper - I do not recall the name - who was one and he got to fly in all sorts of awesome planes. Fighter jets, the works. Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/8 "2015-02-25T00:09:00Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > How boring! 🙂 If you’re any good at photography and do well on your tests, try going for aerial photography. There’s a Doper - I do not recall the name - who was one and he got to fly in all sorts of awesome planes. Fighter jets, the works. Amazing. Not if he was a photographer – he didn’t fly anything, he was just a passenger in a lot of awesome planes. (And not really that many – most Navy stations/ships use only a very few types of planes.) My brother did this for 8 years. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/9 "2015-02-25T00:11:34Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Bah! … > > Sorry. Do I have to turn in my squid card? Not if you dress like a sailor and sing 3 verses of _YMCA_ for us. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/10 "2015-02-25T00:40:21Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Not if he was a photographer – he didn’t fly anything, he was just a passenger in a lot of awesome planes. (And not really that many – most Navy stations/ships use only a very few types of planes.) > > My brother did this for 8 years. Only 8 years? I was aircrew and we’d occasionally have an aerial photographer fly with us. That had to have been the coolest job in the world (this is from someone who shot machine guns from a helicopter). From what I know, in the AF at least, people retire in that job. They won’t willingly give it up. To the OP: Boot camp is going to suck. Don’t become your TI’s “special pet” (I speak from experience). And when you look back at boot you’re going to laugh that you let it rattle your head and see all the bullshit for what it is. Still have to go through it. Best of luck. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/11 "2015-02-25T01:36:32Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > Only 8 years? I was aircrew and we’d occasionally have an aerial photographer fly with us. That had to have been the coolest job in the world (this is from someone who shot machine guns from a helicopter). From what I know, in the AF at least, people retire in that job. They won’t willingly give it up. > > To the OP: Boot camp is going to suck. Don’t become your TI’s “special pet” (I speak from experience). > > And when you look back at boot you’re going to laugh that you let it rattle your head and see all the bullshit for what it is. Still have to go through it. > Best of luck. My father in law was a team photographer for the Blue Angels back in the 50s. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/12 "2015-02-25T02:15:19Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > How boring! 🙂 If you’re any good at photography and do well on your tests, try going for aerial photography. There’s a Doper - I do not recall the name - who was one and he got to fly in all sorts of awesome planes. Fighter jets, the works. Amazing. Crap, who was that…Oakminster? No…if not, I feel like it’s a similar name. OP, I have an acquaintance who did IT in the Navy, and had a sweet contract job with a company who does work for DOD. So IT is always a good choice, work your contacts. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/13 "2015-02-25T03:54:56Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Good points, make sure you lock in a good rate that interests you. I got tricked into the nuclear program and ended up and electrician instead of an electronics tech. Made me pretty unhappy from the get go with the Navy. So I did my 4 and out instead. Still proud of my time in and think I was an overall positive in my life but I would have helped if I was no deceived in the recruiting process. Four and out? Mine was a six year commitment. When did you enlist? TO the OP: echoing the other squids, here. Make sure you read your enlistment contract before you sign it. If you can’t find the clause for what the recruiter “promised” you, make him (or her, it could be a her) point it out. You don’t get what you’re promised; you get what you contract for. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/14 "2015-02-25T04:25:09Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Four and out? > > Mine was a six year commitment. When did you enlist? > > TO the OP: echoing the other squids, here. Make sure you read your enlistment contract before you sign it. If you can’t find the clause for what the recruiter “promised” you, make him (or her, it could be a her) point it out. You don’t get what you’re promised; you get what you contract for. This is pretty much a continuation of his previous thread on the same subject, wherein he was warned about all that. Apparently, it didn’t sink in, or the recruiter BS-ed him. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/15 "2015-02-25T04:29:57Z")
It breaks every ever loving bone in my Army soul and ancestry to say it but --------- good luck. And hats off to you (or anyone) willing to serve. ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/16 "2015-02-25T05:16:28Z")
Not sure what you want to know but I joined in late 1988 and went to boot camp right after the Super Bowl in 1989. The less you get noticed the better in boot camp (unless you like doing LOTS of extra exercises, that is). Being in the Navy is an interesting experience. I hope you make the most of it. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/17 "2015-02-25T08:00:21Z")
If one of the training cadre asks if there’s anyone in your recruit company who likes food, no matter how hungry you might be, do NOT respond. Unless you like scrubbing pots. That’s not a floor, it’s a deck. That’s not a wall, it’s a bulkhead. That’s not the ceiling, it’s the overhead. Those aren’t stairs, it’s a ladder. That’s not a hatch, it’s a door. Unless it’s between one deck and another, then it’s a hatch. Never say “I’ve never seen a Sea Bat before. Can I take a look?” ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/18 "2015-02-25T12:54:16Z")
**boffking** – please share more about your desires, motivation, and what you’d like to get out of your Navy experience. I did 5 years ('02 to '07) as a submarine officer, and I’d be happy to talk about anything at all. Any interest in submarines? It’s certainly not for everyone, but submarine crews (I believe) are among the most tightly knit in the Navy, due to the somewhat small size of the crew and the intimate and singular nature of the environment. On the other hand, you’ll be at sea a lot. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/19 "2015-02-25T14:50:10Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Never say “I’ve never seen a Sea Bat before. Can I take a look?” My ship carried a couple of OH-58D helos that only flew at night. Their callsign was SeaBat. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554/20 "2015-02-25T15:15:43Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Never say “I’ve never seen a Sea Bat before. Can I take a look?” Those things couldn’t be any worse than a gamma goat, could they? 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joining-the-navy/713554.md?page=2)