[Texas Red]

Originally Posted by ET2SN

Yikes, that's a big question and I don't write short posts.

The universal Rule # 1 is "Don't be a Dick". You'll be meeting a lot of new people who are kinda like you. Don't turn it into a competition. No one likes a stranger who's constantly getting in their face and business. One of the first things the military teaches you is that you all can be different but once you start to work together, you can move mountains before you break for lunch.

That brings up something that surprised me. We sell ourselves massively short. As individuals, we think we know our limits and capabilities. The military teaches you what they really are. Wait until you figure it out, its a real eye-opener.

There's no textbook guide to learning Leadership. You'll meet folks who are really bad at it and folks who really, really good at it. Learn from both. Watch how they act and talk.

Don't be a dummy with your money. At first, you'll barely earn enough to make it to the next paycheck but that will get better as time goes on. Start saving as soon as you can. The Navy has a great deal with Navy Federal Credit Union. You won't see much that's impressive at first, but give it time.
Defiantly DON'T start out in the hole with credit cards and loans. Military bases are famous for having clip joints and rip offs just outside the main gate. If you need some wheels that bad, pull some leave and go back home to buy it. Don't try to "have it all" right from the start. "Chief has a nice apartment downtown and I was thinking.." Yeah, Chief has also been on the job for 14 more years than you. I think Chief earns a little more. Don't fall into that trap. Live within your means. If that means living in the BOQ or BEQ and eating in the chow hall, suck it up.

Time moves weird when you're in uniform. Days can feel like weeks but years can go by in what feels like a month.

Cars (and even motorcycles) don't mix well with sea tours. Think about it, the Navy is paying you to log miles underway. You're going to be gone a lot.
Fortunately, the Navy will provide long term parking if you jump through enough hoops. Usually in a parking lot three feet from the ocean. This is great if you really like that rusty, rat rod patina and enjoy rebuilding your brakes. Its not so great on a car that's less than ten years old. There are exceptions, Norfolk and San Diego subase where you almost need a car, but for the most part parking on base is a pain in the ***. Its better to invest in a good bike (and an even better lock) or public transportation.

More than likely, you'll get to travel to other countries. See Rule # 1 again. You'll be seeing places and people you never planned for, don't screw it up.
If you wind up spending some time in another country, take the time to learn the culture and customs, try to pick up enough of the language to get by. Reading about Buddhism is one thing, sitting to talk about it over lunch with a Monk is another.

Hand in hand with Rule # 1, DON'T B****. Everyone has bad days. Griping constantly is not going to make you any friends. Think about it, you're in a group of peers who make the same money and do the same job. You think you're telling anyone something they don't know?? The food stinks, the weather stinks, the job stinks, my boss stinks, my paycheck stinks... On and on but there's never a plan to make it better. Speaking of..

Get ready to meet some of the best life-long friends you'll ever have. The military does that. Thirty years from now you'll still have friends that you'll bail out of the Pokey with no questions asked. Because you KNOW they have your back, no matter what. It sounds sappy but its true.

Great, I've already seen what happens when you break rule 1, and its not pretty. The CO's daughter is an instructor at our unit that is CONSTANTLY in everyone's business and being a dick, always yelling at people for the smallest things. She is going to Parris Island in June, and every cadet cannot wait for her to leave. She is hated by every cadet.
Recently though, I've been reading a lot of leadership books to try and improve myself. I have been sticking to books by John C. Maxwell, but I plan on moving on. Since I have awhile before I get too old to be in the Cadet Corps, I may be able to hit Chief by 17 if I stick to it and impress the higher ups.

Originally Posted by 3catcircus

A couple of other things to consider (assuming you end up going enlisted)

If you enlist (and I advise against this if you have the option of getting commissioned out of college), get everything in writing and ensure you get a good A-school. Nothing is a bigger waste of your time than being Seaman Apprentice Non-Rate for your first sea duty because you'll spend that time being on the lowest rung once you get to the boat. Chipping and painting? You. Cranking for 3+ months at a time? You.

Get a decent A-School even if it means a longer enlistment. Electronics Technician, any nuclear rating, IT, Sonar Tech - they all have translatable skills when you get out. Even though I am not in the nuclear industry now, after I got out and got my degree, I was hired because the hiring manager was a former submarine officer and knew that the amount of time it would take me to get up to speed and be a contributor would be very short since, as a former nuke, he knew I would be able to quickly absorb vast amounts of complex information.

Being a nuke has financial advantages if you plan on reenlisting because of the large SRB, but the downside is it is a closed career path. You won't be getting shore duty as an admiral's aide in Sydney Australia or teaching seamanship at the Academy. Non-nuclear careers have lower SRB, but many more options for shore duty, and a wider array of sea duty options.

If you enlist, once you get to the boat, plan on being a hot runner - stay ahead of your quals to avoid having to come in on an off weekend to catch up your studies. Better to stick around after liberty on a Monday to get that additional checkout or two than have to water a few hours on Saturday...

Once you are in the duty section, one of the biggest things you can do to make the duty day go quicker is to volunteer to make a minimart run or pick up food orders for the rest of the duty section of they are ordering it rather than eating what the cooks are serving. As a non-qual, you can't support the watchbill, but you can support your duty section - and this will also make it easier to get your checkouts from guys who may otherwise be considered a hard checkout.

As to checkouts - your ability to understand everything about a particular system or evolution literally is life-and-death. If you don't know the trim and drain system, you might be the only guy in a compartment that is flooding and you won't be able to line up valves to start dewatering. So don't try and get anyone to skim your qual card. If you don't get the signature it means you don't know enough to save yourself or anyone else. Lookups are not intended to make it harder to get a signature - they are advanced levels of knowledge in disguise.

Study in your free time if you enlist out of high school. If you can get the taxpayers to foot the bill for you to get a college degree, it's worth the time. I don't know how much is available, but typically there is a tuition assistance program for distance learning - even while underway.

Lastly, although NAVY stands for Never Again Volunteer Yourself, if you are offered what seems like a pain in the butt (other than the aforementioned chipping and painting), it's probably an opportunity in disguise. You might ask for a boomer out of the west coast but if they offer a fast attack out of Guam, it might actually be better career-wise if you establish yourself as someone that detailers go to to fill difficult billets like Guam. My first boat was a 594 out of San Diego that PCSed to Pearl for decommissioning. At the end of decom I asked for a 637 out of San Diego. Instead I got a 688 in Pearl. That turned out great - I got to augment during an Eastpac and go to QA Inspector school and Electronics Technician Maintenance Supervisor school. Something I wouldn't have gotten if I were on a 637 out of San Diego. And towards the end of my time on my 2nd boat, we PCSed to the east coast to decommission - so I also ended up getting to swim in the panama canal...

As to seeing other countries - while the idea of drinking enough for a small town and chasing ladies of the evening in exotic ports of call sounds like fun for a young single guy, the days of being able to do that safely are long gone. Breathalyzers on the boat, drug-resistant STDs, and the internet all mean that bad behavior *will* haunt you. As dopey as it sounds, cultural things not partaken of will be a regret later in life. How often do you plan on climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge or Mt Fuji? Take those opportunities when they come because they will be few and far between. In homeport, don't spend your off time sleeping away the day or wasting money on consumer entertainment. Go and do things that are available and inexpensive where you are stationed - hiking, surfing, skiing, fishing, whatever. That's a lot more affordable and also stress-relieving than spending $70 on an Xbox game that you end up yelling at strangers while playing, or blowing $100/night every time you go out drinking.

I'll echo what was said - save every penny you can. I had a car when I went to nuclear prototype in Idaho - I needed it for that. After that, I sold my car before I got to the boat. Didn't need it, even in San Diego. Hawaii was even easier to get around via bus. I never had a car after prototype. If I could, I wouldn't own a car now...


Lastly - wherever you get stationed, there will be local establishments that serve adult beverages you may decide to frequent that attract a certain type of female (I suppose nowadays, males too) because they know soldiers, sailors, airmen also frequent them - and you may attract them even if not frequenting those establishments. There will be women who can smell that you are a single guy and they will be salivating and ready to fight over you like you are piece of meat. They may be single and childless, or they may have a (couple of) child(ren) of questionable sire with an ex-. She may seem really nice. She may seem very attracted to you. She may even tell you her tale of financial woe or confide in you that it was love at first time - whichever tale will seem to earn her a more sympathetic ear. For the love of your future's sake, run, don't walk, away. These are people who prey on young impressionable guys who have a steady income that they are looking to exploit for a life of ease. If you aren't careful to spot this (or take the advice of someone else on the boat who is older), you could find yourself "married" to this person who will happily look forward to the married BAQ/VHA money that she is now entitled to, even if you end up getting forcibly evicted from "your" apartment/house. Or you could be even more gullible and end up being financially responsible for children that aren't yours.

Great, thanks for the advice. The women part hit me in the head and definitely knocked some sense into me. It kinda scares me tbh, but I should be able to handle it.

What was it like at Pearl Harbor? Was it nice and warm and beautiful as the pictures make it seem?