Thinking of joining the navy... or another branch of the military?

Krandiss,

Don't listen to Jake. He has no clue about the navy.

Yes you can change your job in the Navy (We don't call them MOS in the Navy Jake, they are called Rates)

It is Difficult to do and Navy rates are devided into three CREO ratings depending on manpower levels. A CREO I classified rate is critically undermanned and there would be little trouble transferring INTO that rate but trying to transfer OUT of that rate would be hard. A CREO III rating would be critically OVERmanned and a transfer out of that rate would be easy. Also in a overmanned rate, Advancement will be more difficult because of the lack of open billets.

Pros and Con about the Navy.

depends on if you are married with a family or single. and what your goals are.

PRO: The Navy will allow you to travel and see more of the world than any other branch of service. On a typical six month deployment, you will visit about 6 to 10 overseas ports for 3-5 days at a time. When you deploy with another Branch of service you will be stationed overseas longer, 1 to 3 years, but will be stationed ONLY in that one country. Any travelling to neighboring countries will be done on your own time and money.

CON: You will be gone most of the time (not really a con if you are single, but for a Married member with family this is a very bad Con. Typical (peacetime) schedual is this... 6 months deployed overseas, back home for a year and a half. during the year and a half back, part of it will be in the yards doing repairs and upkeep (it will be like a typical 9-5 job except duty days) and the rest will be training for the next 6 month deployment. ( during this time you will be gone a LOT just offshore in training. so it total for the 2 year period you will be home maybe 10 months of it.

PRO: During wartime the Navy is the Safest branch to serve in from a Combat point of view. except for certain rates (jobs) you will hardly if ever see combat. The Marines do not have their own medical personnel. All those wounded Marines screaming "CORPSMAN!!" in the movies...are screaming for a NAVY medical corpsman.

CON: During peacetime the danger level of the other branches drop (due to a lack of combat) to a level lower than the Navy. The US Navy operates the same way in peace or war. The dangers involved in operating ships at sea don't change. Being a crewmember on the deck of an Aircraft Carrier is THE MOST DANGEROUS job in the USA. But these are dangers that are mitigated by training and smarts. you keep your head about you, know your job, and most importantly, PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL. and you will be safe.

PRO: Least physically intensive. No running 15 miles with an 80 lb backpack like in the Army or Marines. Physical training in the navy is little more than what you were used to back in high school Gym class. Sit-ups, Push-ups, Jumping Jacks, etc... and a 1.5 mile run that depending on your age group you will have something over 9 minutes to just under 15 minutes to complete. You DO need to learn to swim though, and learn to tread water.

PRO: High Tech. Nearly everything in the Navy nowadays is high tech. Even engineroom snipes operated in something more akin to a starships engine room than the old hellfire boiler rooms of old. Most of our combattant ships today operate gas turbine engines or (in the case of Carriers) are nuclear powered. Even if you are in a low tech job (A cook for example) you will be around the high tech. When the ships takes part in a Missile test , you will be right there to see it. A cook in the Air Force may hear about it if he has a friend who works in the officers club and happens to overhear the pilots talking about it. LOL.

To sum up:

The Navy is not very good for those with Families, there is a LOT of forced absences and time apart. Divorce rates is the Navy are higher than any other branch. But for a single guy who wants to travel and see the world, loves to see military high tech in action. loves ships and the sea. looking for adventure (with a low risk of direct combat)... the Navy is THE PLACE to be.

So far you have heard from the Airforce, An Idiot, Army, Marine, and Now the Navy. Look good and close at ALL Branches of Military Service. Each have their good and bad points. and what is good for one person is not the same for another. Talk to each of the recruiters. Look into yourself and decide what you want to get out of your time in the service. and then decide.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

I have seen in my time in the Navy.

Hawaii (Pearl Harbor , Oahu)

Tahiti

Fiji

Soloman Islands

Singapore

Thailand (Phuket)

Sri Lanka

Oman

U.A.E. (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jebel Ali)

Bahrain

Hong Kong (multiple visits)

Phillipines ( Olongapo City.. those who know, KNOW <grin>)

Pusan Korea

Japan (Sasebo, Nagasaki, Yokosuka, Yokahama, Shinjiku, Tokyo)

UPDATE:

LMAO Insane...

the only two real navy guys to respond are both from sister ships during the same time period (Desert Storm)

Leahy Class Missile Cruisers

USS Richmond K Turner CG-20

USS Halsey CG-23

DAMNED SHAME what they did to them and the Belknap Cruisers in '94-'95

I can't say it much better than CG-23 Sailor did!

For a single guy the NAVY is the place to be!

I served aboard a Guided Missle Cruiser (CG-20) during Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm and I swear we were in the safest spot on earth, Our sips job was to over see the skies and protect 4 Carriers from Air Attack, Imagine sitting in the middle of the Gulf Surrounded by 4 Super Carriers, providing them with Missle defense, Not one Fighter Jet would Dare to come within the safety zone created around those ships, with the Missle tech we had then ( and it's even better now 15 years later) we couldn't have missed an attacking aircraft if we tried to.

I saw some great places in my time in the Navy too, Many of which I would never have been able to afford to go to on my own.

I have been to :

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - twice

Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in CEIBA,Puerto Rico - more than 6 times

Rhodes, Greece - twice

Hifa, Israel - twice

St. Thomas

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Bahrain

Curaçao,

Aruba

as well as a few Cities withing the USA that I got so see while in Several Navy Schools.

also I have to share some advise given to me when I asked that question at your age:

In the Navy you Always know where you will be sleeping tonight, the same BED you slept in last night, even in War Time, no Fox Hole, No tent.

In the Navy you WILL have at least 1 hot meal a day, you will be served 3 (or 4 if you count MidRats underway) Meals each day.

My advise to you, if your wondering what to do after high school and want some adventure and some hands on job training, GO NAVY!

I commend you on your ability to even consider the armed services as a way to improve yourself after high school. I was a Marine veteran of 13 years before I got out a decade ago. Now I am a successful business owner and have found the leadership skills taught me were unattainable anywhere else. I agree with what others here have said, go see recruiters of all branches and check your options. I was recruiter of the year in 1992 in Pennsylvania, because I told young people the truth and didn't candy coat anything. My personal opinion right now, is that the Air force and the Coast Guard have the best to offer someone, and that is the advice I have given my 19 year old daughter. AF has best facilities over the other branches and a varied job field. The coast guard offers you the safety of working in the continental US without worrying of serving in a war zone. They all offer the same educational benefits. The Army does not guarantee jobs, only the job training. It is not unusual for them to guarantee you can train as a cook, send you to that school, then when you get to a base where that job is not available, give you a rifle and say you are a rifleman. I preferred the Marines because they did guarantee me an MOS job specialty based on my ASVAB score, and I wanted the challenge of being elite.

I joined the Army because I wanted a change in my life, I was going to the University of Texas at the time and wasn't happy doing that. I have been in the Army for 10 years now and am loving it, I wouldn't do anything else now. If linguist interest you, look at ALL the branches they are all different and offer different choices. The advantage I saw to the Army when I enlisted is the fact that they guarantee you a job BEFORE you enlist. I looked into all the branches when I joined and the Army just seemed to fit me best.

Like I said the very best thing to do is look at all the branches and go with what you want to do. Good luck with your decision.

In AF and the greatest choice I made in my life!! It does build character, putting something before you when you really want to do something else creates discipline. I joined b.c I wanted to for a long time, but I wasn't sure if I could do it, also I went to school and realized I had no idea what I wanted for my life!! I joined AF awesome Education benefits and benefits all around I feel very blessed to where I am now. I would to a different recruiter for each branch get all of the information and compare. In the mean time take the ASVAB this way if you need to get your score up for the career you want you have enough time! Don't go in general! Have them assign you your job!

You cannot change into another MOS if your a member of the US NAVY. Promotions are extremely limited! If you decide to stay in the service specifically the US Navy,you will find that the Navy retains many that are just incompetent unlike other branches which will release each that fails to be promoted! If you're willing to accept an organization under those terms you should be very happy, although I would certainly wonder why! Watch how many Navy recruiters give me the thumbs down for my post!