Considering the Navy

[BattleBear]

Brace yourselves, graduation is coming. 

 

And I have no idea what I'm doing.

 

If I can't get a civilian job I've pretty much settled that I will go into the Navy. I would probably do supply, because I'm an MBA. Boring! I want to do intelligence. Honestly, I think I would do well in either path. 

 

I have two big problems: 1) I hear the Navy relies heavily on BMI, but according to BMI I am obese. Everyone I told that do said "I don't believe you" Even when I tell people that I weigh 177lbs they're like "I don't believe you" because I'm not big. I'm quite muscular and therefore dense. But I honestly don't think that I can drop 30lbs at this point. At one point that was my goal but now that I'm powerlifting, I can see that dropping 30lbs isn't exactly in my best interest. What's a buff girl to do?

 

problem #2) I won't be able to take my dog... but there's not much I can really do about that.

 

Any current military or former military wanna give me some tips? Pros and cons of active duty vs reserve? 

[Flagwaver]

When I enlisted in the Army, I was 6'2" and 225 (19 pounds over my max).  They tried to say that I was too heavy, but then taped me at 8%.  The Navy charts say that you are allowed a maximum of 22% BFI from 18-22.  If you're muscular and below 22%, then you should be good to go.

 

Navy is good for your technical professions.  I was Army supply for 9 years and can say without a doubt that the Navy is a little bit ate-up in that department (that means they aren't good).  If you want a good supply job, I'd go either Army or Marine Corps.

 

If you're looking into intelligence, and have the ASVAB scores to qualify, then you should look at the Air Force.  Those are the guys who give Army intel their pictures from satellites and drones.

 

As for active vs. reserves, definitely shoot for active out the door.  You get your training, pay, three hots, and a cot.  They'll provide everything you need for the length of your contract.  If you go Army or Air Force, then you should definitely ignore the reserves and head straight into the National Guard after active (if you don't want to do your 20 or want to take a "civilian" break).  Better pay and benefits than the reserves and not seen as being ate up like the reserves sometimes are.

 

The biggest thing is to talk to a good recruiter, don't believe anything they say, take your ASVAB, and then shop around at the different recruiting offices to see who offers you the best deal.  Let them know up front that you want to get the ASVAB and then shop around.  I did and ended up going Army (Marines didn't offer as good a bonus).

[Myrik]

 

The biggest thing is to talk to a good recruiter, don't believe anything they say, take your ASVAB, and then shop around at the different recruiting offices to see who offers you the best deal.  Let them know up front that you want to get the ASVAB and then shop around.  I did and ended up going Army (Marines didn't offer as good a bonus).

 

 

I 100% agree with Flagwaver here.  I have been in the Coast Guard for 11 years now and have yet to do anything my recruiter told me I would do as an Operations Specialist. 

[StormieSkyez]

I was in Navy basic training in 2013, but I was sent home a week before graduation because my shins cracked, and while I was recovering in the convalescent unit, was diagnosed with anxiety. I was sent home on a medical discharge.

 

From what I do remember, I would highly suggest getting into basic during spring or fall. A three mile walk to your building on ice with 60 pounds of crap on your back is possibly the worst experience ever.

 

If you have any physical or mental conditions, be upfront about them. Do not let the recruiter tell you to lie about that. You do not want to end up in huge trouble for withholding that information.

 

I was very out of shape and just over the bmi when I joined, and managed to lose the bit of weight I needed to get in. I was given 6 months to train in time to ship in December.

 

I did join intelligence, it requires the HIGHEST security clearing. All I can tell you, is having a family member from a foreign country makes that bit a huge pain in the ass.

 

 

 

A few pro tips if you do join: 

 

If your uniform doesn't fit, or your boots are too tight/loose, don't be afraid to say so. I have permanent nerve damage in my toe from having ill-fitting boots.

 

Get used to drinking way more water than the human body requires. I can't count how many shipmates peed themselves during training..

 

Again, try to join in any season but winter. The required swimming classes are about a mile to two miles away from most buildings. It's not fun to walk back in the cold with wet hair.

 

I can write a book here, but it's probably best if you pm me if you want to know the nitty-gritty.

[jfreaksho]

To the OP: Ignore your major and do something interesting.  Intel is great.  As an officer, logistics is a pretty amazing field too- there's an old military quote, to the effect of "Amateurs discuss tactics.  Professionals discuss logistics."  I signed for a few sections of equipment when I was 23 years old, taking responsibility for nearly half a million dollars worth of equipment with a few strokes of a pen.  I wasn't even a supply guy, just a sergeant that needed to take care of things.

 

When I enlisted in the Army, I was 6'2" and 225 (19 pounds over my max).  They tried to say that I was too heavy, but then taped me at 8%.  The Navy charts say that you are allowed a maximum of 22% BFI from 18-22.  If you're muscular and below 22%, then you should be good to go.

 

Navy is good for your technical professions.  I was Army supply for 9 years and can say without a doubt that the Navy is a little bit ate-up in that department (that means they aren't good).  If you want a good supply job, I'd go either Army or Marine Corps.

 

If you're looking into intelligence, and have the ASVAB scores to qualify, then you should look at the Air Force.  Those are the guys who give Army intel their pictures from satellites and drones.

 

As for active vs. reserves, definitely shoot for active out the door.  You get your training, pay, three hots, and a cot.  They'll provide everything you need for the length of your contract.  If you go Army or Air Force, then you should definitely ignore the reserves and head straight into the National Guard after active (if you don't want to do your 20 or want to take a "civilian" break).  Better pay and benefits than the reserves and not seen as being ate up like the reserves sometimes are.

 

The biggest thing is to talk to a good recruiter, don't believe anything they say, take your ASVAB, and then shop around at the different recruiting offices to see who offers you the best deal.  Let them know up front that you want to get the ASVAB and then shop around.  I did and ended up going Army (Marines didn't offer as good a bonus).

I've worked pretty extensively with most of the other branches and you've got a mixed bag of info here- some good, but a few misconceptions.  Air Force is great for living conditions, but promotion is ridiculously slow- I know people that did 4-5 years and had no shot at becoming an NCO.  The Army has plenty of their own drone operators and imagery analysts.  The Army living conditions are worse, but promotions are faster than the Air Force and there's more money to go to interesting courses (and bonuses) than the Marines have.  The Navy people I worked with have been pretty sharp, but their bureaucracy is amazingly impenetrable, which is a bit of a morale-killer.

 

Personally, I think that imagery is one of the least interesting of the disciplines, if intel is your thing.  If intel is your thing, there are quite a few ways to transfer that back into business skills- analytical skills, writing and communication, planning and prep, decision making,   I would discourage you from picking supply/logistics unless you are really actually interested in it.  I picked electronics maintenance for my first military job because I was an engineering student but there were many other jobs I think I would have liked better.  I found my niche eventually, but pick something you are interested in.

 

Active out the gate is the way to go.  You get "vested" in all your benefits much quicker, such as education, home loans, etc.  You get the option of Reserve Component when you complete your initial period of active duty, if you want it.  I signed such a contract, and (aside from a mobilization) was not eligible for the same level of benefits until I hit 6 years.

 

Flagwaver is a bit mixed up on the Reserve/National Guard thing:  Reserve Component units can be really awesome or really terrible, whether Reserve or National Guard.  Either way, neither is Active Component, and the rules of the game are different.  People coming off active duty don't always adjust, and there are a lot of good reasons for that.

 

Additionally, the Reserves tend to have more money for schools, better training opportunities (unless you want to be a grunt and jump out of planes or climb mountains), and much better promotion opportunities- you can't get promoted unless there is a valid spot for you to fill, and much of the National Guard is full up, so you can't move up until a slot opens.  When that slot opens, you have to compete for it, while on the Reserve side they will often put you in an empty slot for your next rank up as soon as you are promotable, so you can be promoted in the position you already hold. The Guard is funded by each state, while the Reserves is funded by the federal government, leading to more funding issues in the Guard than the Reserves, though it varies wildly by state.  Most states do have a few special programs just for the NG, though, such as specialized tuition assistance, or free tuition at state schools that the Reserves may or may not be eligible for.

 

The actual pay is the same though, as that is all standardized for all branches and all components.  Aside from any other extra pay (language pay, sea duty, hazardous duty, family separation, jump pay, etc) an O-1 in the Navy will get the same base rate as someone from any other branch with the same time in service.

 

The benefit of the Reserve Component over Active duty includes flexibility- you get to be a civilian until you are sick of it, and you can request active duty orders until you get sick of it.  You also have more control over your career- if you want to change units or get trained in a new job or career field, you just need to impress the commander enough to sign off on accepting you and/or spending the money on you.  I've now been in 4 different units with four different jobs in three different career fields.  You can drop into the Inactive Ready Reserve and do your own thing for a while and then come back pretty easily, if you want to focus on school or career or family for a couple of years.

 

Shopping around is a good idea, but even that can be of questionable value.  Many recruiters know very little about the positions they are trying to fill.  You can talk to a dozen recruiters and if they haven't actually been in intel, none of them will be able to tell you *much* about it, as much of it is classified and the rest is freely available online.

 

TL:DR Go active first for a few years.  Pick something interesting.  Do it until it isn't fun anymore.  Try Reserve Component, whether Guard or Reserve.  Do it until it isn't fun anymore.  Consider a different career field.  Do it until it isn't fun anymore.  Profit!

[CharlieFoxtrot]

Why are you thinking Navy vs the other branches? Are you thinking officer or enlisted?

I'm currently in the Air Force and I absolutely love it. When I joined it was based on height and weight, but I believe you could do a tape test if you were over the max. This was 5 years ago, so things may have changed.

I agree with everyone else though and go take your asvab. There are jobs out there that you may not even know about. I went to the recruiters office wanting to be an aerial gunner, but found out my height disqualified me. I needed to get out of the situation I was in so I took the next job I was offered and lucked out. I know work with server systems and have been all over the world.

While Stormie is right there are people who will make rank slow it is not as bad as people believe. This is on the enlisted side, but you would come in as an e-3 and will put on e-4 in either 20 or 28 months depending on whether or not you are selected for Below the zone promotion. Then it's all testing, performance reports, and decorations to make rank.

I know how hard the idea of leaving your dog behind is. I had to give my boy to a new family before I enlisted. It was almost 2 years before I had my own place and I moved halfway around the world.

Good Luck!!!

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[Why not?]

If you want to go intel, you should consider that in the Navy most of the opportunities are in signals intelligence (SIGINT) (think electronic surveillance) and cyber. Most Air Force opportunities will be imagery intelligence (IMINT) with some SIGINT and cyber. Army has all of that plus more opportunities in human intelligence (HUMINT) and counterintelligence (CI). In the Navy and Air Force, the same organizations do CI and criminal investigations, so they're not quite as specialized.

 

Now, the only way you'll be able to be guaranteed a specific intelligence discipline is if you go enlisted. Most people coming out of college go the officer route (which is what I did). As an officer in the Army, you'll have the opportunity to choose a general branch (such as intelligence, quartermaster, finance, infantry, armor, etc), but you won't be guaranteed the chance at a specific "INT". I can't speak to how that works in the Navy and Air Force.

 

My last job was actually as a battalion logistics officer. I can attest that there was a great deal about it that was boring, but it was also satisfying to see my efforts at resourcing and acquisitions come to fruition. As Quartermaster you'd have your fingers in a lot of pies.