As one who served on active duty for five years as an enlisted man (the DP rating required one to commit to a one-year extension), I can honestly say that I would have never served as an enlisted man had I held a degree when I joined the Navy (I enlisted a month after I graduated from high school). The life of a commissioned officer is at least an order of magnitude better than that of an enlisted man or woman. The most junior officer lives better than the most senior enlisted man aboard ship. No enlisted rating prepares one to hold a true profession-level position after leaving the Navy. One is prepared to work as a paraprofessional at best (e.g., computer technician versus a true computer design engineer). Officers leave the Navy fully prepared to fill professional-level technical and leadership positions in the private sector.
With that said, giving the Navy several years of one's life in exchange for technical training can be a good deal for kids straight out of high school. It gives bright kids who are not quite ready to attend college time to mature. Enlisted service will teach them humility and the value of hard work.
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