Pros/Cons of joining the navy?

dychejs

I was enlisted and an officer, am still in reserves. First, officers in the Navy start as Ensigns, not Lts, but that is not all that important.

I did not find it difficult to switch from enlisted to officer. The Navy encourages enlisted folks to obtain their degree and will pay for most of it. The drawback is that you will have to go to school while still working full time.

If you enlist, you wiIl have many choices as to careers and platforms in which to work (e.g., surface, subs, aviation) and will get more college credit when you attend technical school (called "A" school). If you excel in your job and keep taking college classes when you can, the Navy may select you to go back to college full time as long as you agree to serve as an officer afterwards.

Another thing you could do is look for a college that has NROTC and they will pay your way *now* to become commissioned as an ensign.

Many opportunities either way. I think the Navy is a great choice...yes I am biased. :)

Kendra

you should definitely finish college first then go officer/ you wont get the free schooling but as an officer you will make double what the enlisted do; look up military pay charts and you will see. plus sometimes it is really hard to balance military and school.

VT Bound

If u are already in college then u should just join an ROTC program to see if u like the lifestyle. i attend virginia tech and i am in army rotc but i talk to people in navy and af rotc and they all say they would rather switch out of it.

Wayne A

Apply for Officer training don't just be a petty seaman, use the Navy to pay for your degree, travel the world, have a girl in each port (I'm from Sydney & can tell you whenever a US Aircraft Carrier is in town, its a HUGE party).

Kho

You have to consider why you're joining the Navy. The same roadblocks you may have encountered in your first semester of college could the same roadblocks when you join. If you enlist without a degree, you start at the very bottom. Unless you have stellar job performance, straight A student, and VERY lucky, you could get the chance to do the Seaman to Admiral program where they groom you to become an officer. This is reserved for the most highly motivated and very lucky - yes, there is an application process and a panel decides who can go into this program. As a rule of thumb, it takes there are so many years you have to spend at a certain rank before you can move up. Generally, you start as Seaman, then 3rd class, 2nd class, 1st class, Chief, Senior Chief, Master Chief, then to the officer ranks. Just for example, it takes you three years to get from one rank to the next up, it could be close to 20 years in the enlisted ranks. You take a test, get a certain score, then you need to make the "cut-off" score (they promote an X number of people to the next level depending on their needs), so it could get really competitive. Also, at the Chief and higher level, you not only need to pass the tests, you also need to pass the "board", a panel of people who compare you with other candidates. So there is an objective and subjective parts to this system. Long story short, it's not easy to get from enlisted to officership.

Pepe LePeu

pro is the travel. Con is the actual being at sea. You need a bachelors to be a commisioned officer, and getting a degree while enlisted would be difficult because you don't really have a lot of time to go to school.

Kiker

Finish college and then you can become an Officer...only way.
The Officer world is far better than that of the Enlisted World.
If you are interested in the Navy, than you should look at a Degree in the sciences or math.
Or, you could take it up a notch and go Marine Corps.

John

Pros- You serve your country proudly. Pays for your college. You become more fit.
Cons- Your gone for along time. Hard work. Possible death.
Whatever you choose best of luck =)

wichitaor1

Depends on your degree in becoming an officer. Also, you will either have to join the NROTC, if one is available at your university, or go through Officer Candidate School. You can go through OCS during the summer; my brother-in-law did for the Marines, but decided not to continue.

If you really want to become an officer, stay in college and try for NROTC/OCS. There are plenty of enlisted personnel who have college degrees.

John J

Depends

There is no Shermer in Illinois

Yvan eht nioj.

SuckitUp

Pro's - you get money for college now and while your aboard ship you can take college courses, essentially completing most of your Freshman and sophomore years. When you get out you can go to school full time and not work. While in College sign up for Navy ROTC.

CON's - Out to sea for six months, won't make as much as an officer, have to attend Basic in Chicago (make it a summer enlistment).

If you can't afford college now, joining any branch of the service is a great option (the AF would be my suggestion

HanZ

do not join until you graduate, because if you join now you're like every other recruits, but if you join with a college degree, then you're consider as commission officer, which start with rank of Lt, and you work your way from there.

njmizerny

pros - pays for school, adventure, benifits, job experience.
Cons- less freedom, seems to me like it would be harder to find a wife

bubbles

im thinking of joing, iv filled out the papers and everything..but im worried about the fitness tests and how life would really be life there,

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