Thinking about joining

[firemedic07]

I am planning on joining the Navy and I was wondering what to expect. I am married and we are planning to have kids. Any information you could give me on the navy that I could in turn pass on to my wife would be greatly appreciated. I am thinking that I would like to go in for something in the medical feild. Also my wife keeps asking how family friendly the Navy is. Thank you in advance for all the information.

[KYmom]

WOW, that's a tough question (family friendly) to answer. We will have to let the young married girls answer that one. But welcome to the Cafe and have your wife join us also.

[firemedic07]

Thank you. I will have her join soon

[poddoc]

HI. I am a new comer to this site. My husband just left for boot camp on Tuesday. He has his MBA and decided that he wanted a stable career. He decided on the Navy and his ASVAB scores were high enough for Nuclear Program. He joined the DEP (delayed entry program) in March of 2007, so he was in it for about 8 months. He had weekly meetings where they did physical training as well as prepare for boot camp. Ryan was super excited about joining. I am in my 1st year of residency at the VA in Phoenix AZ, so my schedule is hectic. I am not sure how conducive the Navy will be to family life. I know that Ryan signed a paper that stated since he was married it was less likely he would be sent outside the US (financial reasons). I have received a phone call from him letting me know that he arrived safely at boot camp and I guess he will be able to write after the 1st 3 weeks. I wish I had more insight. I can tell you that it is hard to be separated, but I know that this is something he wants and in the long run this is a good decision for our family. Good luck.

[cousinIT]

Hello! I'm Jennifer and I'm currently stationed on the USS Kitty Hawk in Yokosuka, Japan.
I have a lot of friends that are married over here, but their spouses aren't with them. With being overseas, and being E-4 and below, they normally do not allow spouses to accompany you. Some say that since you're married, you wont be sent overseas...and that's not exactly true. It's all with the needs of the Navy.
I also have some friends that are even E-5 and they were not allowed to bring their spouses. But dont let that get you down, every sitauation is different.
Wanting to go into the medical field...corpmen go EVERYWHERE. I dont think there's a place you couldn't go.
Spouses in the military are treated pretty well. They get the free medical/dental insurance just like we do. The Navy does a good job to make sure you are taken care of. Look into it! It's a great stable job. Dont get me wrong, it does suck at times. Like when China wouldnt let us pull into Hong Kong on Thanksgiving, and we got stuck on the boat. That SUCKED. It was my first "big" holiday away from home, and I got to spend it going through a storm....on the boat. Not exactly what I had in mind!!! But oh well, time goes on.
If you have any questions let me know!
I dont mean to sound like a damper on your parade, but I'm not going to be like a recruiter and tell you everything in the Navy's peachy, cause just like any other job, it's not. It has it's ups and downs. But if I were you, I'd really consider it!

[NCMEDIC]

Welcome to the site. Being a medic for 21 years myself in Charlotte I would say the medical field would be good but there are a few things about being a Medic in the Navy you must understand. While you are in the Navy, as a medic you will more than likely be deployed with a Marine unit and as far as risk it will be higher than many other Navy jobs. The Navy medics go into active combat areas and it's a risk I hope you are already aware.

[innrevil]

Question for Navy Recruiters or anyone who can help real quick:

Im currently about to finish my AA in graphic design, and I am currently interested in Mass Communications as ONE of my choices. Would you recommend waiting to get my AA, and i fi choose to finish college first, would an AA get me promoted? or would I hav eto wait and get a BA or higher to expect promotion? Also, I weigh 230lbs, and im taking hydroxycut to help me reduce my size, ( i run and eat right also), will i get DQ'd for taking Hydroxycut? Is there anyways of knowing the training schedule for mass communications' A school? to have a basic idea of wether I will get to go home after basic or not? Also, ... ive heard that some bases do not allow family? Im married with one chile and would like to be stationed where my family can follow. Thanks

[Tyler's Dad]

" I know that Ryan signed a paper that stated since he was married it was less likely he would be sent outside the US (financial reasons). "

As a Nuke, your hubby will be deployed on either a sub or a carrier for up to 6 months at a time. The " no overseas " letter pertains only to land duty stations obroad.

Welcome and good luck.

[NavyMomx2]

Question for Navy Recruiters or anyone who can help real quick:

Im currently about to finish my AA in graphic design, and I am currently interested in Mass Communications as ONE of my choices. Would you recommend waiting to get my AA, and i fi choose to finish college first, would an AA get me promoted? or would I hav eto wait and get a BA or higher to expect promotion? Also, I weigh 230lbs, and im taking hydroxycut to help me reduce my size, ( i run and eat right also), will i get DQ'd for taking Hydroxycut? Is there anyways of knowing the training schedule for mass communications' A school? to have a basic idea of wether I will get to go home after basic or not? Also, ... ive heard that some bases do not allow family? Im married with one chile and would like to be stationed where my family can follow. Thanks


I know that having a college degree can definatley help with advancement, but not sure if an Associate's Degree will do that. I can also tell you a little bit about Mass Communications A School as my son is there now. He finds that the first portion of it was very hard and a lot of English/Writing/Reports etc. and now they are into more of the hands on - photography, interviews, etc. It is a long school in compairison to other A schools - 6 months or more and they PT every morning before class. My son did not get to come home before he left for A school from boot camp, nor do I think any do. He did get a two week break at Christmas time however. As far as family on the base while at A school I know that they can't have them living there, but they can visit when the Sailor is phased up. As far as being stationed where your family can follow...that's in the hands of your detailer...you could literally go anywhere.

As far as the "suppliment" you are taking to help with weight loss - I'd be VERY careful and definatley not take it for a prolonged time frame.

Also, your ASVAB will tell you alot about job placement - study hard - Mass Communication billets are few and far between to my understanding and you have to score high on your test to even be considered.

Good luck in your quest - keep us in the loop.

[innrevil]

One more quick question tho:

Not that I mind being deployed, but I've heard thru the grape vine, that the Navy deploys even during times of peace. Like am I looking at being deployed every year for 6months at a time as an MC? Considering I get it, I know for a fact that I can rape the ASVAB. So let's go ahead and give me the nefeit of the doubt, lol. Thanks

[NavyMomx2]

Even if you score perfect on your ASVAB there still has to be a billet open for that position, so you may want it, but not get that rate. As far as being deployed - I don't have an answer to that, sorry.

[Retired Navy Chief]

For those of you who are doing your research about the Navy and what it can do for you (and vice-versa) ... good deal !!!

Family life in the Navy .... very hard question to answer. It takes a special family to be able to pick up and start a new life every 3-4 years. The kids usually do just fine with it all provided mom & dad are organized and make it an adventure. I have known parents that did nothing but whine about the transferring process and this trickles down to the kids.

My kids (4 of them ages 7-20) were all raised Navy. They have enjoyed the travel and the education that they gained from it. Even though there were often long separations from each other, we absolutely LOVED being a Navy family and would do it again if given the opportunity.

That being said ... if you are wanting a stereotypical homebody type family life ... then I would not persue this line of work.


High asvabs, college degrees & Mass Comms jobs ..... First off, let me clear up a common misconception about the ASVAB. It is not, nor has it ever been a tool to tell the military how smart you are. It's sole purpose is to predict your POTENTIAL to learn what the military needs you to learn. A high ASVAB score means that you should be able to pick up and retain more technical information. I have seen countless sailors with the lowest possible scores run circles around those making a 99 on the test. Please keep this in mind.

As for the AA degree .... if you are real close to finishing it, do so before you join. The Navy has been here for a looooong time and should still be here when you are done with this part of your education ;). I would, however suggest that you talk to an officer programs recruiter about your opportunities with your degree. Usually an associates degree isn't enough to slide you into an officer slot. It is sure a good start though :smile:.

And lastly .... YES, the Navy deploys even during peace time. Not always 6 months at a pop. Sometimes more, sometimes less. There is always the chance that you may get shore duty and not deploy at all. I was in for 4 years before I went on my first deployment. A buddy of mine was two weeks out of bootcamp before he headed out on WESTERN-PACIFIC cruise. Mass Comms covers a very diverse part of the Navy .... anything is possible.
Just remember ... the US Navy takes the fight to the enemy. We can't do that very well if we don't leave homeport once in a while :laugh:.

Good luck in your decisions.
PISTOL