4 yr VS 6 yr (ATF)

[Craig]

Originally Posted by kaicyr

Hello all, future sailor Kennedy here. Would like to know as much about my rate as possible. If someone could answer these questions in depth, I'd very much appreciate it.

1) Any difference at all, job wise, between IT's and IT ATF's? I know I'll go to "C" school, but what purpose does that serve me? Big advantage there?

2) I am enlisting as an E-3, will this mean I will be automatic E-4 out of "C" school?

3) Where is "C" school?

4) Did I choose well in signing the 6 yr contract? Do IT people generally like their rate? I feel confident I'll appreciate it, but I can only speculate.

Thanks guys.

1. IT is only a 4 year program, where as IT (ATF) is a 6 year program. The ATF consist of a "C" school (more training). The "C" school just makes you specialized in a certain area, like for IT an example would be a "tech controller" which means you are responsible for all signals coming into the radio shack. This training will pay off really well once you complete your service and get back into the civilian world.

2. Even though you are going in as a E3, you truly will only be a E1 in boot camp. Everyone is a E1 since they don't want people to be "pulling rank" on each other. Once you complete boot camp, you will be back paid for E3 from the time you started boot camp. Yes, you will be an E4 out of school. Here is the rules. Remember, if you started as an E1 you probably would be since you must have the correct Time In Service (TIS) to be advanced. You going in as a E3, then you would have that time.


3. Your "C" school would most likely be at Corry Station, Pensacola Florida.

4. I think you did great. 6 years may seem long, but in the grand scheme of things it truly isn't. I hope you don't have any "dirt" in your background. Because you need a special access clearance, you will have all types of invesigators talking to your neighbors, teachers, friends. They are there to find any dirt on you.