Navy: Enlisted Nuke v. Surface Warfare Officer
I'm trying to decide on which path I want to take in the Navy. I'm 3 years into a Finance & Stats degree with a 3.9 GPA. Got a 99 on the ASVAB. My goal is to be working in trading-related high finance by my late 20s. I want to spend some time in the Navy first though. I'm 21 now.
I can finish the degree and go enlisted Nuke because you need a STEM degree to be a nuke officer.
Or I can finish my degree and apply to OCS. If I do that, I'd like to be a Surface Warfare Officer. I haven't looked too much into it and would definitely consider other roles.
Which choice would have the best finance career outlook in the long-term? I don't care much about the variance in short-term benefits and quality of life.
How would enlisted nuke vs. non-nuke officer affect my grad school and job prospects?
Officer is almost always a better choice than enlisted across the board.
I got out of the navy 16 months ago. Like the other posted said, as long as you can officer, it won't matter. Civilians won't understand the difference is between nuke and surface warefare.
That being said....you should care about the variance in quality of life. I was stationed on a nuclear aircraft carrier and I knew many nukes. They work 18-20 hours a days, 7 days a week at sea, 5-6 days in port. During their time off, they have to fit in studying for advancement exams, laundry, emergency drills(which happen almost daily), and sleep if there's any time left. Usually they only sleep 3-4 hours a night. In addition during these 18-20 hours of work, they are working in an extremely noisy and hot environment(100>F) and they work under incredible stress. They are responsible for the electrical power for the entire ship, so if something breaks in their department, 5000 people are sitting in the dark in their offices and the boat is drifting in the current. Nukes get paid $100,000 cash to reenlist after for an additional 5 years after their initial enlistment and I know several who said it wasn't worth it. You always know someones a nuke because they're drenched in sweat and they walk and talk like their very fucking soul is exhausted.
If you just want to serve your country, pick the surface warfare designation.
The Navy's nuke program is world-class. SWO officers, while amazing in their own right, are relatively common. Many college grads join elite military programs through the enlisted ranks; there is no shame in it. I'd join nuke if you can handle the lifestyle. That said, don't join to position yourself for MBA admissions or a finance job.
i was recruited to be a Nuke out of HS and got the 99 on the asvab as well -- pretty much ALL nukes go OCS from what i was told and hwat ive heard from others?
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