This is going to be a long post... Both rates are good. It’s really hard for a recruiter to say whether it’ll be open or not (btw, I’m a recruiter). But here’s the deal. If you go to MEPS and get offered a list of jobs then decide to wait... well, we have a name for that QNE. That’s Qualified but Not Enlisted. Can you wait it out? Technically, yes. But good luck getting a recruiter to send you back to MEPS. Plus you really never know when the job may open up. It might open up tomorrow then close down for a month. There’s really no way to know unless you happen to be close to Millington and can actually talk to the people that handle quotas. And that’s not really something YOU do - it’s something the recruiter can possibly do. But, honestly, the amount of work that goes into getting someone slated for MEPS and the whole process means recruiters don’t really have the time available for them to focus on getting you the specific job you want. There are exceptions to that: SEAL, Nuke, etc. But for a CT rate unless your recruiter has a CT goal for the month they’re not likely to push for it.
I say all that to say this... Why are you joining the Navy? If it’s to serve your country, or get the benefits, or see the world then don’t go into it rate-locked. When someone comes into my office rate locked I always ask them “What do you think the worst job in the Navy is?” Then I tell them if they’re not willing to take that job if it’s the only one available then I don’t have time to deal with them. I have other people dying to get into the Navy no matter what job they get. That may sound harsh, but it’s the truth. So, there’s some stuff to consider.
You can come out of either A School with a ton of college credit. You’re going to get lots of hands on experience. You can apply for certs through Navy Cool. CTN is a badass rate. But so is IT. If you really want to get down to brass tacks - all the rates in the Navy are badass.
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