All of this movement means that the Navy has to operate as one, large team—aviators depending on sailors who depend on engineers who depend on engineering aides, and so on. In other words, if you join the Navy, you're guaranteed to quickly learn the meaning of trustworthiness, cooperation, discipline, self-confidence, and responsibility—not to mention how to function when you're utterly exhausted. These, of course, are the skills that will make your parents blush with pride. And they'll make you a marketable employee, too, whether you stay in the Navy or pursue a civilian career. After all, when was the last time you heard an employer say, "I think you're a little too trustworthy for our company"?
So how, exactly, does the Navy instill these qualities in its people? Well, first they look for people who already possess those qualities. They want leaders, team players, and morally strong personalities. Beyond that, they instruct enlisted personnel and officers in the ways of the Navy.
Whether it's in primary training (that's boot camp for us lay people), at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago, or as a plebe (or freshman) at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, you'll quickly learn that you're part of a hierarchy. You will start your military career with school, but the training doesn't stop there. You will have plenty of opportunities to attend formal courses while you serve, but you will also receive on the job instruction everyday. At the bottom line, the Navy is a learning experience.
The Navy has a huge range of careers. Aviation requires pilots, mechanics, and ground crews. Navy ships operate as floating cities, and require personnel to make the cities run. For example, you can be a fire controller, payroll clerk, cryptologic technician, or embarkation specialist. The Navy hosts some of the most elite and well-known military units, including the SEALs, Seabees, and the Blue Angels. The Navy also supplies religious and medical services to its own personnel as well as to the United States Marine Corps, so you can become a medic and spend your time on the ground with the Marines.
Once in the Navy, you start at the bottom, but you will have the opportunities to ascend in position. You have to demonstrate physical, moral and academic prowess to succeed in the Navy. Promotions in the early years of your career will come almost as a matter of fact, but as you rise in rank, your promotions will more accurately reflect your individual abilities and skills.
If you enlist at your local recruiter's office, you're likely to start as a Seaman Recruit, or E-1. In less than 20 years, though, you have the potential to rise to Master Chief Petty Officer, or E-9, the highest notch in the enlisted ranks. Talk to any Navy recruiter and they'll proudly tell you that the Navy promotes its enlistees and officers more quickly than any of the other armed forces. In most cases, more than two years quicker from bottom to top.
Of course, you're not obligated to stay in the Navy for 20 years. At first, you will be required to sign an eight-year contract. The eight years is split between active duty and reserves. You can decide whether you want to serve your reserve time actively (you work for the Navy one weekend a month and two weeks each summer and you get paid for it) or inactively (you have to report in—long hair and all—just once a year, but you remain eligible for recall in time of war). Depending on what you choose to do, you'll probably spend three to five years in active duty. Dental assistants, for example, owe five years of active duty, while full-time reserve administrators owe only three. Graduates of the Naval Academy will put in at least five years of active duty.
Still, many people choose the Navy as a longtime career. If they stick around for 20 years, Navy personnel are eligible to collect retirement paychecks and lifetime benefits for themselves and family members, while continuing to have access to never-ending travel discounts. The Navy recruiter mentioned above told us that she's looking forward to her retirement in a few years. She's currently an E-7—a Chief Petty Officer. She enlisted in the Navy when she was 17, as part of the Delayed Entry Program (or DEP). She can retire with full privileges at 37.
Now, even if all of this sounds like it's right up your alley, don't go running to the nearest naval recruiting office just yet. There are four ways to get your foot in the hatch (that's Navy-speak for door), and you first need to figure out the best option for you. If you're between 17 and 23, and if you're braced to compete for a slot in one of America's most esteemed undergraduate institutions, then check out the U.S. Naval Academy. If you already have your college degree, or if you will soon, you may be eligible for direct appointment as a naval officer. If you're on your way to college or already there, the NROTC, or Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, offers you the chance to begin your training in exchange for a little dough and big scholarships. And if you have a high-school diploma and you're anywhere from 17 to 35, you can dive right into the Navy by enlisting.
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