Life as a CTM?
 

Depping in as a CTM, I became curious what life would be like during and after A school. What are the barracks in A school like? Where would I most likely get stationed? What will I be working on most? And last, but not least, what skills do I learn as a CTM that can be applied to the civilian world?

Well welcome again ryry!

I don't know what school will be like exactly but its 26 weeks/½ a year long plus any time waiting to "class up" will put you at between 6-12 months total time there (I'd say around 8-9)

You can be stationed anywhere--CTMs are still "true sailors" in that they can, and is normal for them to, be stationed aboard ships and submarines (CTNs can but nowhere near as likely).

I saw two youtube videos from a CTM, one was him on some sort of Thanksgiving Leave during boot camp and the second (two videos about the Navy that is) is him 3 years later and he said he is liking the Navy, he loves being a CTM, and that the Navy has been good to him. I think he said he was at Fort Meade for his first two years (where he said he also had been to Afghanistan, Djibouti, Germany, Qatar, etc) and that he just received orders to a ship (I think USS Port Royal, a cruiser, if I remember correctly). I think he also said he signed on for two extra years for a "C" School and that he would enlist again.


Here is the second video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JftgamIxNXU



I think I signed as a CTM because of the credentials I already have and my two certifications are listed on the COOL website's CTM page: https://www.cool.navy.mil/enlisted/ctm.htm

And the A+ certification is about local computer repair and basic networking. The Network+ is about the fundamentals of networking, but way more in depth than A+, like the OSI model, TCP/IP suite, network management, LAN/WAN topologies, networking mediums, network security, etc.



Rating Card your Liaison should have given you: https://www.cool.navy.mil/enlisted/r..._cards/ctm.pdf



I ship out next month and will be in Pensacola some time late January/early February and I will definitely keep you updated on and as a CTM--I know there weren't that many CTMs when I signed up as I think its one of the smallest, if not the smallest, ratings in the Navy.


Congratulations again!
Ryan

P.S. Is Your name Ryan by any chance? lol

Thank you Bronx! Yes, my name is Ryan lol
What do you mean by class up though? When I signed, I was told straight after boot I was heading to Pensacola. My spot is reserved. Im more of an onshore kinda guy, but I dont mind the offshore duties at all. Ive heard of CTM's never going offshore in their entire careers! CTR and CTN interest me highly though, simply for the hacking portion of it. Love the idea of hacking stuff hehe
I already work with programs like Python for coding.
As a CTM, how could I prepare for A school?

Class up time refers to the period of time between bootcamp graduation and the start of your A school classes.

You will be sent to your A school immediately after graduation, but most people are scheduled to start their actual classes a month or two later. In the mean time, you'll be "on hold" and work on quals and clean and stand watch for the most part.

Sometimes A schools will get backed up and you may be allowed to take leave if there's several months before you'll be able to start.

Then even with my guaranteed schooling spot, I may still class up?

Classing up is part of the process that everybody goes through. Yes, they're guaranteeing you a spot, but that doesn't mean they're guaranteeing you a spot that starts the minute you get off the plane . . .

What can the wait period range from and to?

Here at my school it ranges from a minimum of 4/5 days to maybe as much as 2 or 3 months. I would say the average wait time is about 1 month.

This is something that varies by school though, I've heard stuff about this school or that school being backed up 4~6 months. A CTM currently at A school would be able to give you more specific information.

It sucks because there arent many CTMs. Hard to really gather info.

I would say to prepare learn the fundamentals of how hardware and software work and like the first few layers of the OSI model...

Yeah as I said, CTMs are I think the smallest rating in the Navy (definitely one of them). CTMs can go offshore--I've seen pictures of CTMs on the Navy Cryptology and Technology Facebok page assigned to ships, one was even a member of his ship's VBSS team. And this CTM in the video got to do all of it, worked at some sort of data/computer center at Fort Meade and visited a few countries during that tour and now he is headed off to a ship.

It does say on the rating card that CTMs normally get two tours of sea duty before their first shore duty.


As I said I will be able to keep you updated as I am scheduled to be there from at least late January/early February. You told me in chat the other night...but when is your ship date for boot camp again?


Ryan

My ship date is April 9, 2014. I appreciate it.

I will have been at Pensacola for 2-2½ months so no problem :)