Happy Uke to be Happy Nuke?
 

So, I took my ASVAB yesterday and my AFQT was 98 so my recruiter is pushing me towards Nuke. I like all the money they are talking about, but I don't really know anything about the program or the job.

So are there any nukes on here who can talk about what being a Nuke is like? Would you reccomend it?

I guess what I am mostly interested in is computers, but the pay is really, really good for a nuke. So, should I just take it?

One of the bonuses of going into the navy for me is the ability to travel. I hear that nukes never get to leave the carrier. True?

I also have heard that the job kind of sucks, and the bright spot it the pay.

I guess I am more interested in IT or CTT, but I don't want to pass up a good oppertunity.

I would say do something you really are going to enjoy. I wish I had more info for you! I will in a couple of years haha! Oh and Nukes have a long waiting list, so I depped in December and won't leave till September (that's the earliest they had) so if you're in a hurry, that's one thug to think about.

I'm kinda in the same boat as you Happyuke.
My AFQT score wasn't as high but my recruiter is pushing for me to take the NAPT to qualify for the Nuke program. At first that's what I wanted to do but it was mainly for all of the dollar signs I saw floating around from it. At MEPS I got the SECF rate as somewhat as a placeholder until I took my test. They said if I passed I would get a new contract for Nuke and if not I'd just stay with what I have.
I too am more interested in computers, so the more I read about SECF the more I'm liking it vs. the nuclear program.
The impression I've gotten so far from different articles and opinions is that the Nuclear field isn't as computer based as I might like.
If you're not really interested in nuclear science that much (like me, I'm more into math) then I'd look into different fields.

Like a friend of mine in the Navy told me before I joined, "Choose your rate, choose your fate"

While your re-enlistment bonuses are high the burn our rates are super high and the school drop rates even higher. I've work with a few former Nuke ET's and they said life was pretty crappy. You get paid the same as anyone else in your paygrade. They work a lot inport and underway. 18 hour days were the norm they said.

I would say if you are interested in the nuclear field go for it. If you are doing it for money that's the wrong reason to do it.

Revolutions: yeah, I found five or six other jobs that look to be more in my interest area then nuke. It's nice to know that I can have a pretty good selection based on my scores though.

Kforbs: I would just be doing it for the money. I don't have that much interest in the nuclear field. So you're right. Probably not worth it.

Thanks for the advice. My recruiter is going to be bummed.

I depped in October and shipping in June for NF, I will agree if you are in a hurry it's not going to happen fast. I love what the program is going to teach me but the more I hear about the training pipeline and the life that follows, if you aren't %100 sold and dedicated to going nuke it IS NOT going to be a fun ride. Do as much research as you can on it, and if it sounds like a good deal then go for it.

Do not take nuke for the money. Those that do usually don't last long or are miserable the entire time.

If IT or CTT is what you're interested in, try to get one of those rates. You will make good money in your Navy career so don't let the Nuke bonus sway your decision-that money will pass over time and you might be stuck in a career that you hate. Go for what interests you & what you think you will enjoy doing everyday.

From a mother of a veteran sailor that was a nuke...DO NOT GO NUKE UNLESS YOU WANT AND LOVE THAT TYPE OF WORK! You will be miserable if you take it for the money only..it is one of THE most stressful jobs in the navy and the highest in suicide rate!

I couldn't say it better myself. My recruiter is pushing for NUKE, but I aint having it. No $$$ could keep me away from what I want to do, which is a field in IT or CT. Seriously.

I've got good friends in various phases of the NNPTC training pipeline... it's not worth it unless you really like nuclear power. Most of the ones who were just in it for the bonus have rolled out of their classes or dropped out all together.

How's your fitness and swimming? If you'll forgive the shameless self-promotion, the Naval Aircrewman Operator (AWO) rating may also appeal to you if you like money, computers, and travelling... we get Top Secret/SCI clearances, which are worth a lot of money to private companies if you choose to get out. And we also get extra flight pay every month and make an average of $5k-$20k in per diem on every deployment (depending on location)... our jobs involve the ultimate form of hide-and-seek, sub-hunting, as well as operating Anti-Surface Warfare systems that, while classified, are pretty freaking cool... and for travelling, we go to all the usual places ships tend to go, as well as locations like the Netherlands, El Salvador, the Philippines, Korea, Japan, Rota, Spain, Sigonella, Sicily, etc... as an AW, you're going to get much more time off the flight-line to enjoy your deployment or detachment site as well... mandatory crew rest means you shall have at least 12hrs of "rest" between missions... "rest" usually means drinking or sightseeing.

Aircrew is a lengthy and challenging training pipeline though... AWO specifically is over 1.5 years in training with a lot of physical, intellectual, and emotional challenges associated. But it's absolutely worth it! PM me if you want more info.

The AWO rating is on my dream list. I narrowed it down to Nuke, AC, IS, and AWO. I'm leaning towards IS and AWO currently. I love computers, analyzing, and physical work. I do half-ironman triathlons and swim a lot and would like to use both my intellectual and physical skills. Trying to find as much info as I can on the AWO rate.

AWO is currently grouped into the broader AIRC "Aircrew Program" as a series rating, but we're commonly referred to as "the original AW's" by the older operators because we were our own rate back when the flight engineers, in-flight technicians, and non ASW helo crewmen were all aircrew-designated flightline aviation rates like AT, AE, etc.

AWO's are currently split into two types of operators on two types of aircraft... Acoustic/Sensor 1 and 2 operators, and Non-Acoustic (EWO)/Sensor 3 operators... current aircraft we fly on are the P-3C Orion and P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance planes. Currently, P-3 squadrons are based here in Jacksonville, FL... Whidbey Island, WA... and Kaneohe Bay, HI. All P-8 squadrons are currently here in Jacksonville.

SS1/2 Operators are trained to analyze visual and aural returns from sonobuoys in order to locate, identify, and track submarines... we also operate the IRDS camera whenever the SS3 is too busy with other functions. We know every type of submarine in existence, and the detailed in inner-workings of them as it related to sound propagation... we also have an advanced working knowledge of oceanography and how sound transmits through water.

SS3 Operators monitor radar for safety of flight which included terrain-avoidance, possible enemy contacts, and weather avoidance... they know every type of radar signature in existence, what platforms carry those radar types, what weapons may be associated with certain radars, and what the range of that weapon is. SS3's also use Inverse Synthetic Apeture Radar to identify surface contacts, and on the P-3, they operate the Magnetic Anomoly Detector system to locate changes in the Earth's magnetic field caused by submerged submarines.

All of the above duties are related to Anti-Submarine Warfare mostly... Both Acoustic and Non-Acoustic Operatora also do other stuff related to the newer ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) missions, but that stuff is all classified.

I'm currently in NFAS. Like everyone else has said, choose the job you want in the navy because you want to do it. The nuke path isn't for everyone. I personally love the challange the pipeline has given to me thus far. If you choose it because of the sign on bonus or the re enlistment bonus you're going to hate the job halfway through a school.

But to answer your question, nukes leave the carrier just like everyone else. You might have to stay on board longer but you'll get port calls(assuming all conditions normal)

I will say that my son loved the job as a nuke...just not the hours and the work load while deployed..16 to 20 hour shifts were very common...now that he is in the civilian world..he makes great money with great benefits. But he as stated likes that kind of thing and he actually thinks mathamatically...didnt get that from me! I SUCK at math!

my neighbor is a fresh nuke EM subs, been on the Submarine for 8 months just put on 2nd class and I never see him. We have his wife over for dinner weekly and she says that knowing what she knows now she would never have let him go nuke. alot of people i went to school with finished nuke A school but dropped out at some point and were still given their crows. and since you are rated at that point you can still take the advancement exams while going on to your next school cool deal.

If you fail or drop out of any school during the pipeline what rating could you be moved to?

Sometimes you'll get an option to pick a new rate. Sometimes you'll be needs of the navy and go wherever they need you.

I can only vouch for CTI, but I've heard that any school with a high drop rate (NUKE, BUDS etc) is the same.

In my experience, anything you qualify for. There's no specific job, it's basically like going to MEPs all over again in that what's available changes all the time - sometimes there's lots of options, sometimes there aren't that many. There was one month last year when all they could get was Undes, but I've seen CT-everything, IT, GM, MA, LS, AD, Seabee etc.

It's the same for Aircrew (Unless you DOR, but not many schools have that option)... they'll sometimes try to push a school in the same field just to keep from moving you to another base, but you'll still get some kind of choice unless you piss someone off.

Back when my son went...tha majority of those that failed out of nuke A school were for mental meltdowns! Those were seperated from the navy...if someone failed out after A school while in Power School or Prototype, and it wasnt for a mental break, they "generally" went to non nuke ratings for what they were, ie; MM, EM, ET However it could depend on just how bad someone failed on class testing.

I don't know why everyone keeps bringing up dropping out. I honestly think more people get kicked out then drop out, by a good amount. The attrition rate for the nuke pipeline is actually ridiculously low in relation to what everyone thinks it is, like 11% or something over the past few years. It's harder to fail than it is to pass, to be honest. The people that "drop out" generally don't drop out, they are kicked out because they went to mast for underage drinking or cheating or anything along those lines.. Integrity is such a big deal here, and any integrity violation will have you out of the program instantly.

- Currently a student at NNPTC (ET)

If you truly want to be here, you will put in the work required. If you're lazy, unmotivated, etc.. it will show.

If the Nuclear Field interests you, go for it. It's challenging, but because it's challenging it is also very rewarding.

~ Knowledge, Integrity, Excellence ~