Career change during boot camp?

[Mother Hummer]

Hi everyone! I'm so glad to have found this site! My question is this... my son leaves for BC on January 7th and is going in as a nuke. He has been DEP, and realized recently that he really doesn't want to be a nuke. (He's not very good at math...) He was finally able to talk to his recruiter today, and was told to go in as a nuke and transfer during BC, when they meet with counselors. His ASVAB score was high so the recruiter told him he's eligible for any program he wishes. I'm concerned because I was under the impression that once they go in, it's harder to change programs. His recruiter made it sound as if he HAS to go in as a nuke since he leaves in a week. Can anybody confim this? He's now interested in going into Intelligence and I hate to have him go through unecessary hassles. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! - Denise

[Emily]

Denise,

My Husband started as a BT (Boiler Tect) in the Navy then . He had gotten out of the Navy for awhile then came back into the Navy as a MM ( Machinest Mate) since they No longer had BT since that rating had merged,then he had the chance to crossrate and He is now a GSM (Gas Turbine Maintance) all in the Engineering Department of the Navy.
He also has a NEC code for 9545 which is Physcial Security. ( he got that when he wanted to do shore duty as a Military Police)

Since he was coded for 9545 he went back doing Physcial Security again for our second shore duty rotation which he is now the ATO (Anti Terrorist Officer) of the base.This is normally a MA (Master at Arms) billet however there were none that could fill it at the time.

so as you can see he was able to do different ratings but still within the Engineering. with the exception of Physcial Security.

My husband consider himself lucky the Navy has sent him to some many schools. some were mths and some weeks.

one thing I must say never turn down any schools the navy offers you. because they might not offer it to you the second time.

[Hoppi aka Angie]

Shane,
Thank you for your help!

[Achseh]

Your son actually is not bound by anything other than his word that he's even going to join the Navy. He can tell his recruiter to kiss his fanny and walk away and there's nothing they can do about it. Once he raises his hand and swears in on the 7th, he's theirs to do with whatever they want.

Did he sit with the classifier already?

[Mother Hummer]

Sorry... I have to write this as a separate post, since I don't know how to edit my previous post. I just want to say to both of you that I really appreciate your comments. I have found so much of what you say to be true. I did best in my most difficult college classes. I guess we just didn't do our homework enough before sending Kevin to talk to the recruiter. His Dad and I are both biologists and since he was a little kid, he has wanted to be a Marine Biologist. I think we all thought that there would be some way for him to find a career in the Navy that would somehow be in the Marine Bio/ Oceanography realm.

We all fell into the 'trap' of being flattered that our son was eligible for Nuclear School, rather than taking the time to investigate the other possibilities for him... That said however, we do feel that joining the Navy was a really smart decision, and he is excited, though somewhat apprehensive! Either way, I know that wherever he ends up, he'll do well. I guess we all need to be more positive about Nuclear School! He'll probably love it!

[Mother Hummer]

Achseh -

No, I don't think he has yet. Doesn't that happen in the 4th or 5th week of bootcamp?

[Achseh]

I'm guessing he has since you already know he's going nuke. I'm unsure if they get another opportunity in bootcamp.

That said, perhaps he should try it out? The worst that can happen is that he washes out and if so he'll get the opportunity to pick another job. The best that can happen is that he finds his niche, spends a few years doing his job in the Navy, gets his GI Bill, gets out, attends college again as a more mature individual to pursue Marine Biology.

Btw- my friend has a degree in Marine Biology/Oceanography. She worked in the field for a few years and she now works for Girl Scouts. My other friend who has the same degree found she could not find work so she went back to get her doctorate so she can teach.

Perhaps he can look at this as an adventure!

[Mother Hummer]

Thanks Emily!

More good advice tol pass on to Kevin! I guess we're all going through pre-bootcamp jitters, so hopefully, we'll get this whole thing resolved this week. Once again, I thank everybody for their comments!

Happy New Year!

Denise

[Mother Hummer]

Hi Shane!

You are so right. For all of his 'smarts' he did poorly when he went away to college, mainly due to his poor study habits. His Dad and I know that he's capable of anything he puts his mind to, but he has his doubts. It's difficult for him to stand back and take an objective look at his actions (or inactions) and the results they brought about in his life thus far. I really think that when he doesn't have a girlfriend/ computer/ cell phone, etc around to constantly distract him, he will live up to his true potential. He will probably love the challenges of Nuclear School!

Thank you soooo much for taking your valuable time to allay our fears. This is such a wonderful site and I know I will be here a lot as we begin this exciting journey. In some ways, it's perfect that Kevin starts bootcamp on his 21st birthday!

Denise

[Mother Hummer]

Thanks for the info Achseh. I just talked to him (he doesn't live with me) and he is determined NOT to go into Nukes. I read him everybody's posts, but he said, if that's his only option, he won't go in at all... then re-enlist at a later date... or check out the Air Force. He called his recruiter and his petty officer, but neither answered so he left messages. Now I'm worried that I should never have interfered by telling him that he might not be able to switch out of Nuclear in BC. I just really didn't want him to be misled, though. I'm seriously at my wits end...

Well, he has to make his own decisions... although I want to be sure that they coincide with what I think is best! (A mother's curse, I guess...)

[Anti M]

Nuke isn't for everyone, high ASVAB or not. Finding what you love to do is important! I could have gone nuke but I chose advanced electronics and really enjoyed that.

How long has he been in DEP? He has up to a year to wait for a seat in a school he wants.

Look at the manning levels for different rates, that will give him some idea if what he wants may be available. Try this link:

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/navy/a/creolist2.htm

[Mother Hummer]

He's been in since April, so time is running out. What if they can't get into anything else by the end of the year?

[Hoppi aka Angie]

I was discharged from DEP years ago and it was a PAIN to get back into DEP to be able to join the Navy. It took months to get the paper work approved, does it still take a long time to get that stuff approved?Mind you that was 12 years ago