I'm pretty anxious to hear what comes up, as well. Classified, I hope to meet you at DLI!

during bootcamp, since I will be needing a security clearance, will I still be able to send letters to my mom in Germany? She just got stationed there a few months ago.

Your first enlistment duty station is 90% likely to be at a NIOC. What specific NIOC you'll be going to would depend on your language (obviously Chinese linguists don't go to Texas; you get the idea).

If you want to do some extra special spooky stuffy, Aircrew or sub support would be the most likely. This is something you could talk to your detailer and school house about while you're at DLI. It would be a follow on C-school, as both of those are volunteer only programs. Something like TIO though would be around your 2nd enlistment, as they want some experience in you first for that.

Your mother being stationed in Germany will have no effect on your security clearance stuff. Write away!

/r
CTT1

Thanks for the input Petty Officer,

If you saw another post from me a few minutes ago I went back and deleted it. I didn't know if my post went through or not last week when I checked this weekend, I have a tendency to start writing a post then get busy and forget to send it. Didn't think to check page 2 :drunksailor:

Hows its going CTT1,

How would you say the work/life balance is as a CTI or CTT? How often would you say i am able to see my wife and son?
Thanks for the response in advance.

Do you know any information about CTR C-schools? I haven't really been able to find anything on that topic so any info is appreciated!

CTI and CTT are totally different worlds, but I'll touch on both.

As a CTI you're 99.9999% likely going to a NIOC (so you'll be shore based). That being said, it's going to be a pretty average 0700-1600 working day like a normal job. You may have a watch rotation in there, but it still will be a very average work week.

CTTs however can go to a ship (and most do). While in port on non-duty days you'll be there 0700-1600. Days you're on duty though you're going to be there a full 24hrs. The average ship has 4-5 duty sections, so every 4-5 days you would be staying over night. Don't stress that though, its not a huge deal. The ship will also get underway from time-to-time and also will obviously deploy; so you would be gone for those as well.

Don't let sea duty discourge you though. Most of the crew had a wife and kid at home and it wasn't an issue. Plus you're only going to go see the world if you're on a ship. Guys on shore duty don't get to have crazy adventures overseas. For example, I did 30 countries in about 2 deployments... So take that for what its worth (I was on an FFG).

Could you be more specific on what exactly you want to know? Just talking about a C-school is a pretty broad topic. =]

/r
CTT1

Yah sorry bout that. I guess I was wondering what they go more in depth about if that makes sense. And how likely is it that I'll even get a cschool or is that hard to tell? And also are they all going to be at Corry? Sorry if I'm still being kinda vague lol :P If so I'm sure I'll find out eventually. And thanks in advance!

Well I'm assuming you already know vaguely what a CTR does, so I'll touch more about the actual school system, billets, and Corry. If you want me to elaborate on CTR life more I can do that too.

As far as A-school goes, you'll most likely be on a pretty regular schedule;
(This is a very rough idea of a normal day, don't take the times to be written in stone)
Wake up and get breakfast at the galley
Go muster up with your class and march over to the school house
In class probably from 0800-1130
Break for lunch
Back in class by 1300
Remain in class until probably 1600ish
The rest of the day is yours to do what you want with as long as you're not on duty! Just be ready for class the next day.

PT wise you might do it 3 times a week and probably earlier in the morning before classes.

As far as C-schools go, those are on an as-needed basis by what the Navy/your future command needs at the time.
C-schools are given to Sailors so that they can become specialized in a specific task or field within their rate. For instance, I'm a CTT, but I could go get a C-school for OPELINT and get an NEC showing that I'm an expert in that particular subject.
HOW you get a C-school is based on if whatever command you're going needs that specific skill set. So if your future command just needs a regular CTR without anything special, then you aren't getting one. If they need someone that can do Morse Code, then you're gonna go to the Morse Code C-school and get that NEC.

90% of the CT C-schools are at Corry. You may go to some other smaller schools (that don't award an NEC) while you're at your command too. So don't think just because you aren't getting a C school that they aren't going to train the shit out of you. They will.

/r
CTT1

That definitely helps, very good info! Thanks a lot!

Hey! I'm in DEP for AV right now, and it wasn't at all my first choice, but I want to be in the Navy and a job is a job (plus, I love aircraft). I really wanted to be IS or CTN but my credit isn't great because of student loans, so I couldn't get the clearance. I have a bachelors and most of a masters degree, I scored really well on the ASVAB, and I have nothing in my background to DQ me, so my recruiter really wanted me in either of those as much as I did. I talked to the chief and my recruiter and they're saying once I get my loans down a bit I should be able to get that TS clearance and re-rate after I'm in a few years. Realistically how difficult do you think it would be to do that? I'm committed to AV but my dream would really be one of the others, especially because I'd love to work with the Feds eventually. Just figured I'd get the opinion of someone already there. Thanks in advance!

Some CTI questions
 

What areas do CTI's usually get stationed at? Is it usually sea duty or shore duty mostly? How do deployments work for them? Do CTI's learn their language fluently for the most part? I'm currently in DEP for AECF, but have thought about taking the DLAB to try for CTI, so I appreciate any help! :)

CTIs generally get stationed at NIOCs - Georgia, Maryland, Texas, or Hawaii depending on the language. We aren't stationed on ships, but can travel on them as direct support and can also become aircrew.

I can watch a Chinese tv show or read the news and understand 85% of what they say, but there are a lot of gaps in my knowledge.

Thanks!! If there are holds during the initial school for CTI, is it possible to take college classes to work towards a bachelors? (I already have an associates) For the SSBI, what do they do? My understanding is that they talk to a bunch of people you have known and not all of them are people you put down on the background investigation. I wasn't a bad kid, never in legal trouble (couldn't have worked in the dept. of corrections if I had been!), but I have known people in high school with questionable moral backgrounds. If someone decides to try to diss my name, they wouldn't automatically disqualify me, right? It seems like they would talk to me about the results they came up with

Realistically speaking your hold time will be 2 months at most, and juggling time for other classes with DLI would be very difficult to say the least. There's a chance, but it's a very small one.

CTT1 is better acquainted with the SSBI process than I am, but as far as I understand, they're not going to trust any one person implicitly.

Ok, thanks for the info!! :)

Cobblestone:

The people assigned to your case are seasoned investigators, they can tell who's worth trusting and who isn't. The reason they branch out on your contacts like that is to see if they can find anything you or your close circle of friends might not tell them. But they have a good sense for what's reliable and what isn't. They will also go over any issues or discrepancies with you to get some clarification.

So long story short, just be honest about everything and it will work itself out. They're looking at you, not some other person! If everything you tell them checks out then you'll be fine. Don't sweat it.

/r
CTT1

I can't stress enough how much people freak out about the investigation cycle in DEP or in boot.

As long as you're honest and don't have anything to hide then you're gonna be fine. You'll see plenty of people freaking out or telling some kind of polygraph horror story, but 90% of those are either WAY exaggerated or just flat out fabrications.

/r
CTT1

Ok, thanks! :) I think I should be 100% fine then!

You will be. People make this process way more difficult than it needs to be haha

/r
CTT1

Been seeing some CT/Security Clearance questions pop up again.

Bumping for visibility.

/r
CTT1

is it possible for someone with a moral waiver to get a DAR approved for a CT or IS rating?

Anything that shows poor moral judgement will normally disqualify you from access to classified material, especially at the TS//SCI level. So most likely CT or IS is not a path that will be open to you if you're enlisting with a moral waiver.

/r
CTT1

I've mentioned it a few times in other threads, but I personally work with people who have prior criminal records ranging from DUI and teenage shoplifting convictions, to one guy on my crew with a felony receiving stolen property arrest (Plead out as a misdemeanor)... and all have Secret to TS/SCI clearances. It seems to come down to frequency and time since offense. One screw-up in your teens... with several years of productive behavior since... doesn't seem to be a disqualifier when determining clearance eligibility.

I myself have my teenage delinquency blemish... my investigator for my SSBI spent more time asking about my prior advisory work in the movie industry than he did about my record.

I would take that with a grain of salt, Hass.
Keep in mind that by needing a moral waiver, that means this individual would have been ineligible for military service without that waiver. That's something that DONCAF is going to see.

Getting a SECRET clearance might be doable, but in most cases TS//SCI is a much more difficult thing to get when you have a record. Like you said, it does depend on the specific offense, where, and when it was committed. But by all accounts having a police record, especially one requiring a waiver, is not a favorable thing when applying for clearance, let alone when going into the SIGINT realm.

Is it possible, sure. But it all depends on what it was and if DONCAF feels that it shows moral turpitude.

/r
CTT1

I only speak with confidence on the guy with the felony arrest/misd. theft conviction because I helped him complete his e-QIP, and later saw his granted TS/SCI when we both had our access checked through JPAS. I needed a moral waiver to join as well... didn't disqualify me. Now, we both joined into a Program that initially required a Secret, and was upgraded down the line... would it have been a different story had we been trying for a community with a TS needed right out the gate? Quite possibly...

Also, in my case it had been close to a decade since being a dumb teenager... in my buddy's case, close to 15 years... so the situation will obviously be different for the 18 year-old trying to get a clearance with a record from 2-3 years prior.

would it make a difference if i was never charged with anything? when i was a teen, i paid a restitution fee and the place never charged me and dont have anything on my record

If you don't have anything on your record then yes you would still have a chance at going CT/IS. Everything is on a case by case basis thought. Just be upfront with everything that you're asked and see how it goes!

/r
CTT1

Aircrew Ctt
 

I recently graduated from A school and i was told that there were no more billets for aircrew when I applied. How do I know if my instructor put in the billet. I never got an answer, i just got order to go to norfolk (attached to the George Bush)

I've got a related question for a spook. I've heard that debt in collections can screw one's chances of getting a TS clearance. I had a college debt go into
collections, about a thousand bucks, and set up a payment plan. Still in good
standing with the agency. Would this be an issue?

Your instructor doesn't "put in" a billet. It's either there or it isn't. The only one who decides that is the rating adviser up in Millington. So if your instructor made the call and there weren't any, then there weren't any at that time.

Debt can definitely cause issues during your investigation; however, college debt is understandable and if you have a payment plan in place and are in good standing then it shouldn't cause you any issues. They're more worried about say if you owed $20,000 on a house or car or something like that. College debt is super common though.


/r
CTT1

Bump

Hey CTT1 I posted this in another thread. But I'll post here cause I don't think anyone noticed :p
regarding the security clearances for CTI/CTT/CTN my mother and older sister are not US Citizens, they are residents. I know they are planning on taking the citizenship test, so should I wait to join aCT rating until they are citizens? Is it possible to join a different rate and then when they become citizens swap to a CT rating?

Just finished reading this thread and gathered a lot of valuable information. Excited to be a future CTN, but I have 5 months til I ship. I have years of experience using Windows and Microsoft Office programs, but none in programming or networking. Any CTN's have a networking tutorial book that they would recommend? Would like to build a foundation to give me a leg up when I get to A school, because programming and networking is going to be challenging. Thanks for any advice. I appreciate it.

Castro,
As long as YOU are a citizen, that's what counts. Your family being residents is going to be a crap ton of paperwork no matter when they become citizens (since they were born in another country). Just be upfront on your paperwork and get everything the investigator will need and you should be fine.

I'll touch base on the 2 big things you mentioned:
Networking: Study material as if you were going to take your CCNA. That cert is going to cover a TON of what you're going to pick up in the cyber realm. Having at least a working understanding of the concepts in CCNA will make life a lot easier. If I had to pick the most important thing though, I would say LEARN TO SUBNET. You should be able to subnet using only a pen and paper and be able to tell me Network Address, Gateway, First Usable address, Broadcast Address, and what the next network address after that would be. If you can do that before A-school, you're going to have a significantly easier time there.

Programming: Don't stress too much on this one. If you want to be a programmer then there might be some opportunities at whatever site you land at. But they aren't going to start drilling you on Perl scripts or anything in A-school haha So don't stress about knowing how to code.

Let me know if you have more questions! I'm currently part of the cyber world myself, so I have a very close relationship with CTNs.

/r
CTT1

So i'm leaving in just a week for boot, going IS. Do you have any wisdom to shine on the IS rating? (:

I am wondering if/why does the Navy consider Persian Farsi an Arabic dialect? They are two separate languages. Is there a way to change the language after boot camp and prior to A school?

your spouse should be finding out that information. If it was any other job would you be calling their boss?

The languages are based on their test scores.

Good point, I'm overreacting, but was really looking forward to the one. It's hard to just feel like I'm along for the ride and be okay with it, but it's something to work towards. It's hard to be in the blind though, even if I have questions for her, I can't get any answered from her for like two weeks, but I guess that's kind of the point of boot camp to prepare us for it.

It can be frustrating at times (I've been a navy spouse longer than I've been a sailor). But it's something you and she will have to figure out.
You may want to join a military spouse group, because you really aren't alone. MilitarySOS is a pretty good group; it can take some getting used to, but there is a lot of good information.