So I'm thinking about the Navy.

In My Humble Opinion
1

About joining it, that is. Not just, you know, thinking about boats. Kinda considering the Air Force too.

Here’s my sitch (as some close to me like to say):

I am a college graduate. I have a semi-useless degree in Political Science from the massive and yet massively unknown University of Central Florida. I planned to use this degree to go to law school, but for reasons too complex to detail here I’m not gonna.

I have been casting around looking for a career, rather than just a job, for a few months, with little luck.

It has occurred to me that if I’m going to be doing all this career-hunting, I may as well be paid to do it by Uncle Sam, with the added bonus that I get to keep you safe and so on.

I have an interest in counterterrorism- took classes on it, planned on doing International Law with said focus when I was on my way to law school. Thus, it appears I might be suited for an intel position or something similar.

Potential issues: 1) I’m not a citizen (British, as it happens, but have decidedly renounced my roots and embraced the good ol’ USA with both arms). This means (or at least used to mean) that I can’t be an officer, as I recall, and obviously presents difficulties as far as obtaining DoD clearance and all that stuff. 2) I’m in horrible physical shape. You wouldn’t know it to look at me, I’m 6’ and 150 pounds, but take my word for it. I’d be surprised if I could complete an eight-minute mile right now.

Obviously, talking to a recruiter is a priority, but I’ve heard from several people in the service (and formerly in it) that recruiters tend to blow a lot of sunshine up one’s nether regions.

So… what’s it like? Am I right about the officer thing? Is PT really THAT hard? I’m not really considering the Army because if I’m going to whip myself (or be whipped) into shape, I’d prefer the smallest whipping possible.

Perhaps most importantly, are the armed services really a good place to be undecided about one’s future?

2

Sorry, sorry, should have specified: I’m talking about the U.S. Navy, since my location field probably doesn’t make that clear.

3

I think you’re correct in that you’re not eligible for a commission unless you’re a U.S. citizen.
If you choose the Navy, there’s an excellent chance that you’re going to do some time aboard ship. That means travel and foreign ports, but it also means an entirely different lifestyle. If your up for that, the Navy is a good choice. In the Air Force, there’s a good chance that you might be assigned to a base in the U.S., although it’s probably equally likely that you’ll be assigned overseas. Either service has excellent training schools that you should be able to have a leg up on, being a college graduate. If you’re still close to your alma mater, and they have ROTC, you might get some good info. from the military instructors. Otherwise you want to find the main recruiting station in a metropolitan area. You should be able to get some basic info. online, just Google U.S. Navy (or Air Force) recruiting.
Don’t worry about your physical condition, if you can pass the basic enlistment physical exam, they’ll take care of the rest. You’ll be a new man in a matter os a couple of months.

4

One of my brothers grew two shirt sizes during his military service, which was only 9 months and not particularly excruciating. But he went from being the X-ray of an anorexic asparagus to actually having shoulders.

One month basic, followed by 8 months of guard and driving duty, with daily exercise.

5

Consider the US Coast Guard, instead. Not the same as what the UK calls a coast guard.

http://www.uscg.mil/

It’s Homeland Security, so you’d be, well, not overseas. You would be enforcing the law, & saving lives at sea.

A good gig, all in all.

Career link http://www.uscg.mil/top/careers.asp

6

great user name-topic subject combo.

7

Mr. Kerry?

8

You are right in that not being a U.S. citizen is going to be a problem. You wouldn’t be able to get the security clearance you’d need to do counterintelligence work. Your job choices would be limited. Here’s a list of enlisted rates that are open to non-U.S. citizens:

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/enlistedjob1/a/noncitizen.htm

Have you thought about joining the Royal Navy instead?

If you do decide to enlist in the U.S. Navy, it puts you on a faster track to becoming a U.S. citizen (you are eligible after 3 years of active duty), and from there you could try to get a commission.

9

I do not see a downside.

A shorter path to US citizenship, a place to get set on some career or another, an adventure while you are still young enough to enjoy it.

As for the physical stuff, at some level it is their problem, not yours. They are in the business of whipping you into shape, so trust them to do.

Still, as an Army man, I would recommend that service. The Army alone offers certain incentives, although I have no idea what they are nowadays. Worth looking into.

10

Might I ask why you would consider the Military if NCO status is all you could rise to?

I merely ask because it isn’t exactly the best financial decision (even lower level officers don’t make a whole lot). If you have a family and debts and the like, it could be problematic, though not impossible.

The military is great for right out of highschool. You can see the world, get money for college, and learn some new skill. Then get out and get a real job. (My father is a lifelong Air Force CAP NCO so I’m not saying it isn’t a “real” job, just not as good paying as civilian jobs).

If you have a degree, you could get a job that has a much higher ceiling, and doing the temporary military thing for college probably isn’t what you are looking for.

As for doing something you enjoy and not caring about the money… I’ll give you that. Money isn’t the be all and end all of life, but in your chosen career path, are you really going to get to do what you want to do without clearance or an officer status? Many jobs are restricted to Officer status IIRC.

As for the Coast Guard, I know very little about it, but aren’t most of the jobs Officer class? Or is their requirements for Officer class different from other branches of the military?

11

NCO is one of the best things to be! An expert in your little area, a boss who still gets to do the fun stuff. As for money, it is better than some jobs worse than others. It also offers excellent health care, housing and nifty uniforms.

12

Ah, didn’t see this:

Sorry, didn’t see where you (the O.P, not Paul) said you didn’t have citizenship, guess I assumed you already had it.

I guess the military is good if it would cut your citizenship wait in half and you are in a hurry to get it.

13

Yeah, but here many of the jobs (and the OP wants a career in a field that isn’t one of the normal NCO jobs) require a degree and / or Officer status.

NCO is great if you like Loading planes, doing mechanic work, or various other lower end support work (definitely needed, but wasting his education IMO).

14

Argh, stupid me, I mean Enlisted, Enlisted! Sorry for the confusion. I read NCO in somebody else’s post and it stuck. Sorry.

15

Well, I’d say that a definite downside to joining the Army (or the Marines) at this point is the possibility of getting your ass shot off in Afghanistan or Iraq …

16

Really Not All That Bright–the Coast Guard might be a wee less demanding in the Security Clearance thing, & it is quite possible they can help you get your citizenship.

17

As a peacetime veteran (U.S. Army, 1974-77) I’ve long believed that enlistment is a great way for a young person to sort out his or her future.

Romansperson has the right idea if, in fact, U.S. citizenship is your goal.

Having had three brothers and a son in the Navy, here’s my recommendation, if you are contemplating an actual career: Get a short enlistment at first. It doesn’t matter what you do in your first enlistment in the Navy – deck ape on a carrier, grease monkey in the engine room, cook’s assistant in the galley, whatever. What IS important if your heart is set on the Navy is getting aboard ship early and finding out what that’s like. If you can get on a carrier, great – it’s a great big boat with some elbow room and lots of people; it is, in fact, the ultimate “Navy experience.” If you decide that you are, in fact, a seafarin’ man, re-up on the condition of a change in rate and get a more technical skill. Or, if your first enlistment whets your appetite for the Navy AND facilitates your citizenship, you could then look into getting a commission.

The worst that could happen is that you could find out a whole lot about yourself you don’t yet know and that you absolutely hate shipboard life (a good thing to know if you’re in the Navy). Three years of hard work and discipline is good for anybody’s life perspective.

Dont’ worry about your physical condition, or lack thereof. Barring any kind of actual disability, the Navy will correct any perceived deficiency. My son was 6’4" and weighed less than 190 pounds when he went in, and he did have some challenges meeting the physical demands at first. But Navy chow and plenty of “fresh air and exercise”, bulked him up in no time. When we saw him after basic training, he was, in the words of his then-girlfriend and now-wife, a “magnificent man.”

Military service will change you. It will change the way you think about the world and yourself. For most people, these are good changes (it depends, in large part, on your general attitude about life before you enlist.)

Good luck.

18

Yes - that’s one thing we’re just assuming here - that you want to be a U.S. citizen eventually. If you don’t, then that puts a different perspective on things.

19

Are you speaking from personal experience, or just what you heard? NCO (Non Commisioned Officer) does mean enlisted. But, being enlisted does not mandate that you have to do low end manual labor jobs.

I did 5 yrs active duty USAF out of high school and I’m glad that I did. My job was maintaining computer networks and encryption devices, as well as routing classified messages. It was interesting and rewarding work.

I do agree that going enlisted may be a waste of a degree, but go and talk to a recruiter. You don’t have to commit to anything. See what jobs are available and if you find something that you are qualified to do that interests you, you can enlist for that job.

DO NOT go in “Open General”, they will give you what ever job needs you the most when you get out of Basic Training. The job that needs you the most is likely the job that no one else wants to do.

If you have any questions about USAF basic, let em rip - I should be able to answer them for you. Physically, it is not that demanding and you will be amazed at the physical improvement you make in 6 weeks. I went from running 2 miles in 16.5 minutes down to 11 min 27 secs.

20

Just what I have heard from TV, books, friends and my dad. My own stint into the Marines ended with a bad knee and a medical discharge before I got too far. My confusion I think is that I was conflating NCO with Warrant Officer status.

As for jobs, my dad is an E6 in the Air Force, and his jobs have always been lower level. I’m not saying they are not skilled. Working with computer systems, loading airplanes all take some skill and training depending on the level you are operating at. I’m just saying that many jobs (like Military Intelligence, Counter Terrorism, et al), require degrees or advanced degrees, security clearance and as far as I know, officer status. Or Upper NCO rank like Master Sargent or equivalent.

Usually any kind of mid to upper level management jobs, higher degree jobs, and things that take lots of training (like being a pilot), all require Officer status. I could be wrong, I’m just speaking from my perception, so please don’t assume I am an expert. :wink: