CTN

Hey Craig.. Love the Life Saver...

My son made it to P'cola and is the process of phasing up.. said it would take a month from what he is being told.. was kinda nervous after talking to a few guys about CTN, but finally got to talk to a (mentor ?) and said a weight was lifted off his shoulders.. I'm glad for that.. It is good to hear from him more frequently.

Thanks for the info and I'm sure I'll be talking with all soon

Talked to my son Sunday and Corry Station has been without internet for over a week.  No Skype for two weeks and I am  feeling a little weepy.  Internet came back up today according to my email from him.

He is loving his "new" class and instructor and is confident he will "get it" this time around. 

Hello all.. seems I only have time on the weekend to talk or ask questions because of my work schedule. 

As I noted last weekend my son arrived in P'cola 6/6 the way it worked out and begins CTN school Monday 6/20.. He wants this so much, but only 2 from all who were sent to A school in Pensacola are CTN.. he has talked to others and told how many flunk out of A school.. only one guy was positive and advised as long as he puts his nose to the grind and studies he will do fine.. he also advised my son not to burn himself out on studying also, because that could cause problems as well.

I just told him to get into the school  see what is expected and take it from there.. He was very good in statistics and all phases of computers.. He helped with the main frame in the middle & high school here

Is this about right?? I hope I gave him the correct advice, since I'm a novice on computers..

Giraffe,

 My son, who graduated 5-13, had NO computer experience past email and web browsing and never had a lot of interest in computers survived JCAC. He was basically right in the middle of his class (of 12) GPA wise. He also never studied much in HS or in Comm. College. Got mostly B's an occasional C and A's in a few things. He was smart but not a genius and not especially dedicated to school. That changed in Pensacola. He studied very hard and spent time with a couple of the really smart ones in class. It really is 6 hard months but is doable if they stay serious and dedicated. There was usually time on the weekends to relax a bit but no serious partying because a lot of study was done then as well.

 My son turned 20 toward the end of JCAC. He grew up a lot during that time. One thing with him is he had been in BUD /s and had dropped due to an injury. BUD /s also matured him and he did not want to go undes for 2 years. Good motivation to work hard.

 Your son will be fine. Tell him to relax when he can but be prepared for a lot of work. Six months will go by faster than he thinks!

Thank Annie, prov2324mom, and clockard.. I was kinda worried that I should have said more to him.. but figured it would've been overload.. he is a thinker, planner, and saver.. always has been.. his older brother however is a damn the torpedoes full steam ahead type of character, with loads of charisma.

Congrats clockard to your son and his fiance'

Hello CMom... My son is new to A school so I do not have any tangible advise.. However like Annie Im sending good energy and prayers your sons way and to you as well.. Let us know how it turned out if you don't mind

My son said they are revamping how they instruct.. not so many classroom hours and more study.. if that makes sense to anyone

Totally understand your feelings CMom. It is all going to work out for your son in the long run. He's going to be OK and happy. I don't understand the threat thing either. Some people aren't motivated by that. You are both in my prayers! :-)

CMom - The threats are to keep the sailor motovated.  They do it because it works.  Having the thought of scrapping barnacles off a ship makes the sailor realize that they need to stop playing the X-box and grabbing a book.  It worked for me and kept the thought in my head to study more than chasing women.   

CTN school is extremely hard.  It has to be.  What these guys do in the field is totally amazing.  To me, having spent 2 hours in a meeting sounds like he will be given one more chance (just guessing).  I'm betting he will be rolled back, and taught to relearn the material.  Just curious, how long has he been in CTN "A" school now?  If it is more that 1/2 of the course he's got a real good chance of continuing, but he will be rolled back to the next class (again, just guessing).

Lastly, the 1% is a rule.  Just like body fat or anything else in the Navy.  They set "the bar", and you must meet the minimum requirement.  Yes, their are waivers, but they don't hand them out easily.  As a mom, just continue to be there and to support him. 

Everyone has a problem in life.  Whatever the problem is, do your best. If at the end of the day you can say "I did my best today", then you have done your job. Everyone in life has a "Weak Link", there is always something you will have trouble with. Learn to overcome those problems and continuing moving down the track.

CMom,

 Hope things have been sorted out to the good for your son. The Navy is hard for we the moms to deal with sometimes. The "rules" seem pretty arbitrary sometimes. There have been times I have been very angry over things that have happened. There's nothing I can do about it except pray. Later on I can see that despite the pain at the time it all worked out for the best for my son.

Still we moms aren't as good at accepting the different way of doing things the military has...I know how you feel and don't be ashamed for being frustrated with how things are done. The Navy's not perfect either but our sons and daughters learn through every hardship.

If you need to vent feel free to send me a message...

mary - I bet the reason your son made E4 so quickly was because he went to bootcamp as an E3 or he was promoted at boot camp meritoriously .  Most of the CTN's will enter as only E2's so their waiting time to meet the Time-In-Rate (TIR) is alot longer.  

This is the normal TIR for sailors.  You can shave off 1 year if you get an Early Promote (EP) on your evals.

E1 --> E2 = 9 months

E2 --> E3 = 9 months

E3 --> E4 = 6 months

E4 --> E5 = 12 months

E5 --> E6 = 36 months

E6 --> E7 = 36 months

E7 --> E8 = 36 months

E8 --> E9 = 36 months

ActiveDutyCTN.. what you said was interesting. My sailor just started CTN 'A' school.. Guess I'm so new at this I don't understand all the formal initials for everything yet though ;o)

ActiveDuty - My son will be head for NIOC Georgia within the next two months.  What is the command like?  In the local community, what is there to do to keep the sailor entertained?  They probably have University of Maryland on base, but what other colleges do they have?

BTW, welcome aboard!

ActiveDuty - He's a E5, taking the E6 test in Sept.  He's has a sponsor, I forgot the name.  

Back in my days, (ie like the 1980's) Ft Gordan was a place that no one wanted because it was extremely old, and dated.  How is it now?  Do you have alot of CTN volunteering for IA duty?  

They have alot of CTN's in Hawaii going IA.  They are double gapping the CTT billets (since CTN's don't have any) to get them there.  It's all volunteer, but quite a bit go.  My daughter is friends with alot of them, so she Skype's them while they're there.  

Without going into mission, are the CTN's grouped together in Ft. Gordan or are they more compartmentalized?  I guess what I'm saying (just to keep it on the "down low") is, do you know all the CTN's there or are some placed in "black world" projects never to be seen from?

If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you more.  I will send you my SID, on the "high side".

Hi josephsproudwifey,

 I'm no expert but I'll answer what I can. My son just graduated in May. Before CTN he was at SEAL training and dropped due to injuries and illness. He was smart but young (19), not a studious type and never dreamed he would become a  computer geek in the Navy!

But he was motivated and worked really hard to get through the school so he succeeded. It was 6 months long and I've heard it said it is the hardest school only after Nuke. He is based in Baltimore at Ft. Meade. Lot's of CTN's go there to work at the NSA. My son wanted it because he said there are more opportunities there to do different training. So far they do not go on ships or on deployment.

 It sounds like your husband is smart and knows how to study. He would probably do well. I'm sure the others on here with more experience will give you advice too. Good luck to you and your husband.

Hello All!

Just wanted to let you guys know that I am in my last week and if all goes well, will be graduating on Wednesday!!! It's been a long 6 months but hasn't been too bad at all.  If anyone has any questions about the school, please feel free to email me and I will try and help you out as best as I can. 

clockard - That is the best link, and actually the last one you'll ever find from that group.  Sadly it goes away 30 Sept 2011. 

http://doni.daps.dla.mil/Directives/05000%20General%20Management%20...

linxs - Good to see you again.  Do you have your orders yet?

josephs - CTN school is hard, and your son has 1 strike.  I would actually have him try to become a Intel officer.  In the fleet they call them 1630.  1630 is just like a rating enlisted rating (CTN, IS, MM, CS).  It's actually better to be a 1610 which is a Cryptlogic Officer because it is much easier. 

Going officer is always the best way to go.  The money is alot more, and the staterooms on the ships are just 2 man room.  Sure beats living with 50 other people like the enlisted guys do.

Just curious, how can he go STA-21?  That is a very limited program.  Not many ever get it.  Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Here is an example of a ASVAB Score sheet.  The overall score really means nothing and is only used to see if you qualify for the Navy.  The overall score must now be 50, before it use to be 35.  Things are always getting tougher.

Just click on the picture, it will get bigger...

Ugh......Another day of no news from the ARB. I am so stressed out and hoping just by chance they will let him retake the test.

My son said the drop-out rate is due to the intensity of the course.  He was a straight A student all through high school and NEVER failed a test.  He did mention that some of the instructors don't even grasp themselves what they are teaching which is kinda what happend when he failed another test and got rolled back.  Also, he mentioned something about the CTN rating not being offered to new "booties" anymore.  It will be only offered to those coming back from the fleet and sailors/soilders wanting to reclassify after two years.  Not sure if this is 100% true or not.  He is extremely worn out, tired and homesick at this point, but unwilling to give up.  He is still going to class and sitting in it realizing it may be his last day in the class as well a completing all of his homework. 

The U.S. Navy SEALS has an 80% drop rate, and it sounds like the CTN course is the same.  

We should start calling those that pass the CTN course "CTN SEALS".

~~~~ ALL MEMBERS ~~~~

Please take the time to vote for "Mollys adopt a sailor" so she can earn money from Pepsi (based on the number of votes) for sending packages to our sailors.... 

It's a really good cause and only takes a second to vote.... Please do it, because it helps our sailors!!!!!  

See this link....

http://www.navyformoms.com/forum/topics/urgent-molly-s-adopt-a-sailor

Sherblond ,

I really don't know why some in the military feel the way to encourage is to tell them they will never make it for one reason or another! Yes they should be told it is hard and they cannot afford to fool around but being told they will fail constantly is the worst motivation.

 Tell your son my son had NO computer interest or computer related college courses under his belt.He was just 19. He had just recovered from illness and injury that caused him to leave BUDs.(a tough decision) Studying had NEVER been his thing BUT he finished the school and enjoyed learning 90% of the material. He too was told he would fail, (because he was X spec ops and not already a computer nerd). Just continue to encourage your son. If he works hard he can get through the school despite what the all-knowing BUS DRIVER says!!!

Thanks all, I have copied some of your comments and sent them to my SA.  I really appreciate your support and kind words!