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Old 07-14-2008, 07:15 PM   #4
TheMadHatter99
Kept the Faith
 
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Drives: '10 Camaro 2SS/RS CGM
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 721
I don't have much experience with the enlisted side of things (the side you'll be entering) but I can try and give you some generic advice that's helped me weather the officer side of things thus far:

A) Train NOW. Boot camp is NOT the time to get into shape. You need to have a solid base in order to save yourself a lot of grief from your cadre/detailers/whatever they're calling them today.

B) Don't just think "I want to join the Navy"... think about what you want to do in the Navy. Do you want to be on ships, on subs, with aircraft or what? If you're as technically savvy as you say you are then I'd suggest looking into submarines. They get paid more and deal with a lot of technology in a hands-on scenario.

C) Look at the other services as well. Air Force might appeal to you more than the Navy (although I doubt Army or the Marines will if you're not really into the physical side of things).

D) Be prepared for a rough couple of years at the least. Yes, the benefits are great and sometimes the jobs are awesome (how many of your high school friends will be on a $500 million ship in the middle of an ocean?), but a lot of the time will not be fun. Time on the ship can be mindnumbingly boring and, depending on your division, the majority of your time might very well be spent painting and repainting the same patch of deck. As a seaman right out bootcamp you'll get a lot of the jobs no one else wants and it'll be that way until you advance beyond the bottom of the totem pole.

E) In short, be completely sure its what you want and then throw yourself into it completely. Trust the Navy (as scary as that is at times) and do what it asks of you and in the end you'll be a better person.

Anywho, hope this helps and perhaps there are some former enlisted out there who can give you a better feel for what the first year or two would be like.
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