DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS

[JUST ME]

I'm new to this site and have been reading the post constantly for 2 days now, and am ready to let everyone know my story to see if i can get at least a little guidence.

So here we go.....

I'm on active duty and am getting out in July, to go to NROTC, as it gets closer and closer i'm starting to get more and more scared....1st i'm not completely sure i can get into the school i want to go to.... i'm not that worried about a scholorship because i plan to do collage program at least the first semester, i have like 22 credits but they are mostly from the local community college..... 2nd my age worries me, i just turned 25 on the 5th of october, i know i can get an age waiver for my years on active duty but, that still is going to cut it mighty close..... 3rd me leaving active duty to persue something that is not a definate, completely terrifies me.... 4th.. i'm not completely sure i want to be around a bunch of student who just came out of high school, 2 and 3 years ago.

Now i know what you thinking, why doesn't she just go STA-21 or something like that, i guess i could, but personally i'm not 100% percent sure my present command will give me the backing that i need .(nothing bad happened while i was here, just a complicated situation)

Basically i'm looking for other prior enlisted who went the route i'm trying to go, to see what happened in their expriences. Everyone i talk to, thinks that this is the most crazy thing i could do right now, but i'm trying to look at the big picture and focus on being a Naval officer because that is truly what i want to do with me life. I truly believe that if most people had the opportunity to fulfil a dream they would, at all cost, and that is basically what i'm doing. So any advice or sugguestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you.

ME.

 

[slasher]

Hey there, Shipmate

I did the same damn thing you're about to do, and felt exactly the same way. While it was difficult and took me longer than expected, things have worked out well and I don't regret it.

As for your age waiver may I suggest you take summer courses and CLEP out of as many classes as you can. It can save you A LOT of class time.

As for your fears, they are well founded, but don't ever let them deter you from what you want to achieve. Leaving active duty to obtain a degree is NEVER a bad idea, and if things don't work out, you could always return to the fleet.

There are many colleges that would accept you if the one you want doesn't, and hanging around college students ain't so bad.You leave them alone and they'll do the same. Besides, at my school the average age of an undergrad is 24, so I don't think you'd feel too out of place. Anyway, how many wet behind the ears 19 yr olds do you work beside in the fleet?

The ones who think its a crazy idea are too cowardly to ever pursue their dreams (imho), and spend the rest of their lives regretting what might have been. Don't be one of them.

plus, there's always scholarships, grants, a job, etc. to keep you afloat--I did it and so can you. Fear is natural, but I now know it would have been the biggest mistake of my life to NOT pursue a commission- I never would have forgiven myself.

Sorry for the long post, but I remember when I was in your shoes and had nowhere to turn. I hope this helped. If you need anymore advice, etc. pm or email me.

Take Care and Good Luck.

 

[Fatboy]

I did kinda the same thing, went to BOOST, got discharged (this was before they changed the program) and took the ROTC scholarship. Financially it was rough. Especially becuase I went through a divorce at the same time I got discharged. I was nervous about it also. I was a couple years younger than you when I started school, but I had zero credits and it took me allot longer than I had thought it would.

Bottom line, I couldn't imagine my life any different. Put your head down and just barrel through it. The people who think your crazy probablly don't have the drive to take on something like that. I can't think of any single word of advice other than try your hardest to have fun and hang in there.

 

[Penguin]

While I didn't follow your exact path, I know all about leaving your comfort zone. I'm currently a Navy Medical Service Corps officer, but I've decided to pursue a lifelong dream of flying for the military. It means I'll have to get a new commission, probably lose rank, and go through two difficult years of training. There will always be people who tell you you're crazy, or that you can't do it, but as others have said, they probably don't have the guts to stretch themselves.
As far as going to college at age 25, I say LUCKY YOU!! Do you have any idea how much more mature you will be than many of your classmates? You've had plenty of responsibility on active duty, I imagine you've learned to budget both time and money, and understand the consequences of your actions. Many 19 y/o kids are not there yet. I bet nobody will ever even mention your age. As a 19 y/o undergrad myself, I constantly looked for the people who already had a little life experience. They typically made much better study partners, etc. You'll do fine. Just remember: "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

 

[liberty4030]

Me,
Slasher is right. Take as many CLEP tests as you can before you get out, and GO FOR IT! I can tell you that I was directly where you were two years ago, and felt how you did concerning the age of students in college (kids). I was able to CLEP out of english, math, and a few other basic courses and this really helped out. Your military transfer credits will also give you an advantage. I understand your reticence about leaving the military; its a big decision. In terms of paying for college, your MGI bill will get you around $900/month, and if you have the college fund, even more. Don't be scared to take on some college loans because they will more than pay for themselves once you have your degree. And if you don't feel comfortable going to school under an NROTC scholarship (not sure if you want to go back into the military maybe) then go it alone for a year. Feel free to email me at chuck_tanner@hotmail.com with any questions.
Chuck

 

[orthaj]

Another tip is to always keep your options open. I was just recently commissioned (june) and will goto TBS in a couple weeks. Before that I was an E-4 on Active Duty and then went to college.
It may happen that the military may change some policy and you end up disqualified through no fault of your own. I am not saying this will happen to you but I know it has happened to others. While you are in college think about other career paths that may interest you. With a college degree and your current military service you would make a very valuable asset to many civilian employers.
My back up plan was/is to goto law school if my next phase of this military career doesn't unfold like I expect. There is some great advice from these previous posts on this forum so there is no need to repeat any of it. I think a good back up / alternate plan is something to consider if you are feeling unsteady about your present situation.

 

[TSPO]

I was in your situation years ago. I did four as a flight deck catapult guy, got out as an ABE2. I got the same kind of crap from some other enlisted guys when I was about to leave, too. My chief actually told me that it was more difficult to get a job "on the outside" then I could imagine because his wife had a degree and couldn't get a job. They even gave me a second NAM to try to get me to stay, I had made E-4 and E-5 on the first time, and was on track to make chief in 8-10 years. I didn't care, 35 grand a year as a chief, spending half of my life out to sea just wasn't appealing to me. Alot of guys wished me luck in my Mcdonalds job when I got out. I told them they were just scared to try anything without a safety net, and I knew that I would be fine. I was actually sick of the Navy when I got out, so I never considered NROTC. I knew I wanted to fly, but not on the boat, so after I started school I talked to the AFROTC cadre. Turns out that it is MUCH easier to get a commission as a civilian with prior enlisted experience than as a currently enlisted person. I did little more than fill out some papers, sign up for the classes, get good grades, and march around in an Air Force uniform, and boom, I was in, guaranteed commission. I worked my ass off in school (3.86 BSEE from U of I), and showed the same dedication to the AFROTC that I did while enlisted and got the pilot slot that I wanted. Now I'm an AF 2nd Lt. about to start UPT. Point: if I had listened to all the Navy guys I used to work with, I would be a chief right now, still looking at the jets every day and dreaming of flying them (actually I still do that, but at least now I know I'm going to be flying them soon!), wondering what could have been. I don't know if I heard this somewhere or made it up, but I always say that if a person sets their goals to low, they are very likely to achieve them and wonder what to do next. Set your goals high so that you're always working towards something and never become complacent.

As for the hanging out with 20 year olds, good god, you're only 25! I'm 28 and enjoy hanging out with the 22-23 year olds. You're only as old as you feel, and I prefer to feel young. Open yourself to the possibility and you just might enjoy it.

Also, I don't have any idea of your financial situation, but if you don't have any kids, it's possible to make as much as a college student as you do as a petty officer. The GI bill is up around $800 per month now. I don't know about NROTC, but as an AFROTC cadet I had full tuition and books paid for, plus a monthly stipend that was up to $375 per month my senior year. In addition to that, you can work a part time job, which will be your only income for financial aid purposes. Since you are a veteran, your parents income will have no bearing. Assuming a part time job that brings in around $200/wk, you will qualify for pell grants. I was bringing in around $1600/semester in free grants. All added up, that's $800 (gi bill) +375 (ROTC stipend) +800 (pt job) +400 (pell grant, 1600 per semester divide by 4 months per semester) = $2375 per month, including free tuition. That's about what I made as an E-5, but was also more work, balancing engineering studies, ROTC obligations, and pt job. I always hear people worried about being a poor student coming off AD, but as a ROTC cadet/mid, you shouldn't have much to worry about. Best of luck and don't let your cowardly coworkers discourage you.