About to join, have some questions

[JasonS]

Well, I have been talking to a recruiter and i'm about to go take my physical next week and pick my job. But the thing is, i'm starting to worry that this may be a huge decision I might regret. After reading that you have 6/mo land/sea cycles I am a bit skeptical. If someone could answer a few questions I have it would really help clear my mind.

The reasons I want to join the navy are
1. The Job Experience - I want to be a Paramedic (Possibly a firefighter). I read that you can get your EMT license through the navy for certain Emergency Fire and Rescue jobs. I believe the navy could provide with me good experience/training for this type of job.

2.Travel - I want to experience new places.

Now saying that, can anyone tell me what jobs in the navy would give me the best training / experience to be a Paramedic or Firefighter. And do you get to choose where you want to be stationed. Me and my friend wanted to go to Germany.

My other questions are, what is life at sea like? What do you do on the boat when you're not doing your job. What type of time off do you have? When I was on land, would I be able to go to places like clubs/bars.

And do all jobs require you to be on a boat?

[pilotofatx]

Now saying that, can anyone tell me what jobs in the navy would give me the best training / experience to be a Paramedic or Firefighter. And do you get to choose where you want to be stationed. Me and my friend wanted to go to Germany.

Well there are a couple of jobs that could give you that experiance. Spec Ops(Search and Rescue), Firefighter, Damage Control. All of these fields will give you the nessicarry training to be a firefighter. Everyone in the Navy is actually considered a "firefighter", if you are in the middle of the ocean and you are making a pop tart and the toaster catches fire, you dont have time to call the fire department, it then becomes your responsibilty. That may not be the best analogy, but that is how it was explained to me.


My other questions are, what is life at sea like? What do you do on the boat when you're not doing your job. What type of time off do you have? When I was on land, would I be able to go to places like clubs/bars.
Although I may not know what sea life is like. I have had my ex-girlfriends mother, who is a retired Chief, tell me when you are on shore, it is like working an 8-5 job. Of course when you are on land you will be able to go to bars/clubs, that is where the Navy kind of gets a bad rep. My recruiters are always telling me the Navy is one big party. I am not speaking from experiance here, but this is what I have been told.

And do all jobs require you to be on a boat?
No, a couple of the recruiters up at my station have never stepped foot onto a boat. One is a Seabee, and the other is a helicopter mechanic.



Just my 2 cents.

I know how you feel about this being one of the biggest choices you will make. Just know, if you do decide to go ahead and DEP in, you can always get out. When I started talking to my recruiters they wanted me to fill out my paper work and leave the next day to go to MEPS. It seems like a lot of pressure on you right now, but just know it is you who has the last word, whether you decide to join or not. From the time I started talking to the recruiters to the time I joined, it was 34 days later. I wanted to be sure this is what I wanted, and then when I did DEP in, it was the greatest choice I have made thus far.

[RightHereWaiting]

I personally, have not talked to a single person who's been in the Navy who said they regretted it. Though my recruiter told me that the only people he's ever heard regret stories from are those people that never took advantage of what the Navy had to offer [such as free college courses] and most just had an over-all negative attitude. But if you don't feel that you're ready and that it's not right, don't do it!!! If you feel like you're being pressured into this decision, tell your recruiter. They would certainly like to have you for the quota, but I think the last thing they want to do is enlist someone who either isn't ready or finds later that they no longer want to "volunteer" themselves.

It is a huge decision and not for everyone, but look at all that you want to do! You may often times be on a ship 6 months out of a year [or you may not, I don't know], but think of all the places you will see and everything that you will experiance! Also, don't be afraid to talk to your recruiter about these things and any fears you may have. It's their job to inform you!!

[KYmom]

Welcome and to know what life is like on a ship, you need to watch Carrier.
I think you can even watch it online.... It's a great show to learn about Navy life.