Undesignated...What's Up With That?

@reignbowtapia. thanks for sharing!  my daughter just start her deployment and even though she is HAPPY it is great to hear your SA story just makes me more excited for her!        

lisa, my son talks about that.  from what i understand, they can test only 2 times per year for a new rate.  someone can correct me if i'm wrong. 

reignbow, did your son PIR 6/27?  that's when my son did, then went to his ship labor day.  he's with the pacific fleet for his term. 

My son PIR'd early June. 

If you read some of the older posts Angie talks about the length of time undes have to wait before they can strike for a rate and the general process.  It is a confusing process with multiple paths to a rate.  My advice to my son was do the very best you can because 2 types of people get noticed, the top performers and the slackers.  Getting noticed for being a good performer will give him the best chance for the path he desires.  There are no guarentees, but being noticed for the right reasons is always better than being noticed for the wrong reasons.

You are right about that reignbowtopia! 

Just have to share - my son becomes a veteran on 11-11-11.  Its been one heck of a ride y'all.

I hope every single one of your sailors have wonderful success!

Silly question... How does one move up from E1, 2, 3? is it time served from BC plus test, what?

so if my son is E2 how much time before he makes E3?  I'm asking because he thought he could strike for rate in March?

Angie, thanks so much!

Hi all - just had to tell y'all one last thing....remember my son's last day was a week ago?  He went on terminal leave and wrote to me that he "took his uniform off for the last time" but he doesn't officially separate until January. 

Well...he got notified today that he has been promoted to YN3!  So he'll put the uniform back on at least once more to get his new bling installed. :-)

He said he thought it was a prank by his platoon when he started getting the congratulations messages, but then the career counselor called and asked if he wanted to apply for Perform to Serve to try to stay in.  We're both sort of shaking our heads over it, but I wanted to share it with y'all because it is more proof that undesignated can lead to a rate.

Congratulations kk!  And even better since your sailor is staying in :-)

He did say this makes him eligible to join the Navy Reserves which he wants to do.   And it will look nice on the resumes he'll be sending out soon.

Oh ladies what fanastic news! Congrats to ALL!!

kk, so happy to hear the exciting news.  I am right there with you.

LynB, good for him, I love the positive outcomes, or should I say the new beginnings.

Add another one to the list…

My son was dropped from Rescue Swimmer on 12/2010 and became undes aircrew. He didn't know what he wanted to strike for much less what was even available. This was surely not what he thought he would be doing. It's been a hard and disappointing road. He tested in September and is now an  AT Aviation Tech assigned to a destroyer.  

I have to say he is excited about his new rating  and so are we. He had grown, and learned many life lessons along the way.

 For those who are in the place we were almost a year ago, hang in there. And to all of you for supporting me when I first came to this group, Thank-you!

 Kathy

Its great to hear some of the undesig are starting to get rates.  Congrats to them and best wishes as they move on to new endeavors.

kk  I know it is exciting and bazaar, :)  I had not found the AT group... Thanks. I will see you there.

Goodmorning my son is assigned to the USS Bataan he is just preparing to leave A school in Great Lakes. He actually departs sometime in December afther he is done with leave. I am worried about him and how he will adjust because he is a E1 and also undesignated. If he would have listen to mh (his mother) he could have a bit more rank.

mso, my son is E1 undes.  He is just finishing his first deployment.  He has been doing his fair share of undesirable jobs, but he has gotten to do some jobs he has really enjoyed.  He has gotten to visit ports he could not afford to visit without the Navy.  I was worried about the undes, but so far it is more or less what he expected.  He told me he is "cranking" now which he doesn't care for, but it appears most if not all enlisted have to perform a predetermined amount of time "cranking".  Its part of the journey.  The hardest adjustment is life on a ship for 6 months.  When my son gets a little down I remind him I own my own company and I clean the toilets and empty the trash and vacuum and clean at my business.   It doesn't always matter the rank or rate, or in my case level in the company, if it needs to be done step up and do it.  In the long run it will work out.  Good luck to your new Sailor.

Thankyou everyone for your support. Yes I understand dearly. I am tring to let him go and fly on his own without the worries, I have two more in the home who I have to invest time into. I just love all of them so much and want the best. It is true we all have started some were and we faught our way threw. Thankyou again.

please forgive my ignorance, but what does "cranking" mean??!!!

I don't have a definition for cranking.  In general it is being waiter/bus boy in the galley for my son.  Someone told me their Sailor cleaned the officer quarters.  My son told me how many days it is, but I've forgotten.  He's surviving it and I hope it gives him an appreciation for others who do similar jobs.  

so, basically, it just means grunt work? my son's doing his fair share, too, from the sound of it! also, i think their hours are horrible! he hardly has any time to sleep, and that is way worse than doing low-level jobs.

I don't think the rate/rank has anything to do with the hours they work.  My son has periods where according to him he actually worked 20 hours with 6 hours off for several days, but it sounded like the entire division was working those types of hours.  That seems on his ship to be the exception rather than the rule.

He has learned to balance activities that are not required so that he get adequate sleep.  He's young.  When I was in college between working, classes, studying if I wanted to sleep I didn't get to socialize.  If I wanted to socialize I didn't get to sleep.  They'll survive and my opinion is at least he's going in a positivie direction.  He could be home staying up all night and still not getting any sleep. 

lol! kk, i like your story! it was my son's 22nd birthday last saturday and he spent it painting stuff. far from complaining about it, he said, "it was kind of relaxing, and it  could be worse!" a far cry from the kid laying on the couch, playing computer games and shredding on his guitar. cranking is good.

This question doesn't just apply to under, but I thought this group was as good a place as any to ask.  I understand that at about the 9 month timeframe Sailor automatically advance E1 - E2 and E2 - E3.  Are there ways they can advance besides waiting the 9 months?

I hate spell check on this, it changes things to words i don't want, example I type undes and it changes it to under if I don't watch carefully.  

Good Morning! I am new to this group. Our son just got an Undesignated rating. He had been ATI and was just 4 weeks from graduating. Needless to say he was pretty upset! I think he is now an Udesignated Fireman...not sure exactly what that means?

I have been reading back many pages and have gained a ton of info from your group, I would love to join you to learn more and get to know more of you! My Husband and I have a feeling that this could work out to being a blessing in disguise! It sounds like that could very well be the case! Hubs was Navy he even enlisted Undes..then struck for Dental and got it...He has never felt it was a wrong choice!

kk- Were you on the AT group recently? I recognize your profile pic!

Thanks for the replies regarding rank advancement.  

kk- Ha! I knew that was you! How long has your son been in? Our son B is 31 and PIR was 5/20/11. He was supposed to graduate ATI "A" school in about 4 weeks! He is going to be home for Christmas they did let him keep his leave. I am relieved for that, his plane tickets were $844.00!!! We certainly could not afford to eat that! Hubby and I are retired and that is a huge amount of $$ to just end up tossing away. B and his fiance had also planned to get married during his leave and I have not heard yet from them what the plan is going to be now.

Any way, I do have a couple of questions...Will this effect his pay rate? Will he lose his E3 rank? Do they take into account their experience when they place them on a ship or base? ( He has a degree in CADD, Architectural and structural design)

Angie and kk- Thanks for your replies. We have had a chance to talk to B a couple of times now and things are a bit clearer now. They did ask which platform he wished to serve on and he has asked for Carrier duty but we will have to wait and see there. He is really determined to do well and to shine where ever he goes. With him being 31and having been on his own before he is handling things quite well, there is a lot to be said about the maturity that comes with age! We are counting the days "til he gets home for Christmas leave. There will still be a wedding while he is home and so we are going to have an especially exciting couple of weeks! Have a wonderful Sunday all!

My sailor just became an undesignated seaman. He got dropped from his air rescue contract, and then the navy apparently lost some of his paperwork , and switched him from airman to seaman. He is in pensacola waiting for his orders/assignment. Does he go to an A school first as an undesigated seaman? Everytime I feel like I know something about the navy, they switch things up, and I have to start all over again! Thanks.

Thanks HuntersMom! My son just got his orders and will be headed to the USS Rushmore out in San Diego. I can now focus on learning all I can about that (and yes, I have already joined the N4M Rushmore page!) For me, the not knowing limbo is the worst. And best of all, he still gets to come home for a Christmas visit before he heads to SanDiego.

Hi jody! Our son B, has just recently went undesignated, but he has not received orders as of yet... how long did it take for your son to get his? B will also be home at Christmas, only 10 more days!!!

It took about 3 weeks before he got his orders. he is currently in Pensacola, I don't know if where they are makes a difference or not..

I am worried that he will not get where or what he wanted when he had dreams of joining the navy and it will break him down mentally. How can I keep his spirits up while he is doing crappy jobs and not what he wanted?

annie, he will be okay. things happen for a reason. there are many times in life where we don't get what we signed up for, and the sooner we learn this, the better. it is a process, to be sure, but one we are all faced with. if your attitude is good, you will naturally convey that to your sailor. help him to look on the bright side of things, even try making jokes about it. that's worked for my son and i.

Annie- when my son got dropped from his original contract, he (and we) were devastated. But as it does, time helps. And he has met and become friends with others who are in the same boat, so he has a much better attitude about it. I was surprised that he was able to turn it around as quickly as he did. We aren't there, but others are who will help him through this.

Thank you for the words of encouragement, I hope so!! I only pray and try to be possitive that he will make out with the best attitude he can to carry him through and forward. His brothers and sisters all had rates when they went in and were established with good orders. I hope he doesn't see this as a failure for him.

Hi everyone, I don't usually post in this group, although I've been a member for a while.  My son sent this to me when he was in A School after dropping from SWCC.  I love reading it.  Our children are in the fray, they don't sit back and let someone else do it.  They are the ones the President was talking about so long ago.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Theordore Roosevelt April 23, 1910

Tee-1sailor's mom

Thank-you

msmom,

Congrats to you son's new rate!

This group has been a saving grace for many of us.

Hello everyone, Our son arrived home last night for leave! It was sooo great to see him and he looks good too! His chief has made him head yoeman and it has been very hectic just before everyone went home from Pensicola. He has a great attitude and is really handling things well, he said it is just a detour on the road to what he wants! Happy Holid

hi, connie. that's great news about your son! so happy for him and for you. us moms feel so peaceful inside when our kids find their way.  :-)

navymomx3- - So glad to hear about David's success! My new "Nephew in Law" is in Logistics. He and my Niece are in San Diego.

B and his fiance got married Dec 20 th! We are so happy for them!

msmom, congrats to your son and to all who are hanging in there, putting one foot in front of the other, serving our country.  There are no small jobs, only small men.  (don't know if that's a real saying, but I think it fits.) 

To those with sailors who are depressed...unhappy with their job, .that is so hard for us to handle.  Been there, done that and probably will be again. Being new to the group stream, I'm sorry if this is repetive, but my 2 cents is to try to be thankful that they have a job, and remind them how proud your are of them, even if they "poopoo" that like mine does.

I'd like to make a pitch for my "Drop on Request" group.  It's private so you can say things or ask questions there you might not to in other groups.  We've recently gotten some very good information from a retired soldier who works with Deppers and has a lot of good advancement/transfer type information. If you are interested, I'll post a link to the group. 

Here it is:

http://www.navyformoms.com/group/droponrequest