quote:my only hang-up is family life. In my community, I do not deploy and I basically work a 9 to 5. I was hoping that you could help me understand what family life has been like throughout training, and what your it will be like while in a fleet squadron (I'm particularly concerned with time away from home).
Jeff, that is a good question. Matt pretty much summed it up. Depending on where you are in training, you will have more time off or you will be time constrained. During API and Primary Ground school phases of training, you will have that set monday through friday schedule (0800-1600, or whatever depending on the days training schedule, some days we would get out ridiculously early at 1100!). But usually with the beginning of any phase of training you are innundated with new material, and you will have to spend more time studying at night and on the weekends.
I for one have almost always been able to keep friday and saturdays for my family. You need that decompression time and the stress reliever of having a night and dinner out on friday, and a BBQ or something on saturday, whatever it is you do to relax. Usually I would catch up or get ahead on Sunday afternoons or review material. But hey, each their own, everyone has their own studying techniques. But as you mentioned family, you don't want to leave them left out. On the same token, your wife and children need to be supportive of what you are going through. During the week my wife would keep the kids out of my hair, "Daddy's studying!", you get the picture.
Matt brought up a great point with his son going to the field. Every time I soloed my wife and kids were at NAS Saufley and saw me enter the pattern and take pictures (I even got away with waving my wings at them!). Just it seems to help to make them part of the over all experience and training. My wife and daughters went out to the static display planes a number of times.
As training progresses you will find yourself with more an more time off, days that you don't have to report and can be spent at the wonderful Pcola beach! Heck, lets go golfing! Your schedule will be quite erratic though, and sometimes difficult to know when you will be home. You could have a 0500 brief and flight one day, then the next a 1500 brief and flight, followed by two days of not flying. Another day you could be stuck in the ready room waiting for weather to clear and a plane to become available. Just don't count on a very steady or predictable schedule.
You asked about the fleet schedule, well in my case, at a P3 squadron you have the 18 month cycle, a year at home, 6 months on deployment. When you are at home, and not flying, you have your ground job, and depending on the requirements, basically a 9-5 type of job, though seriously, depending on the command, and what needs to get done, that also will vary (also of course depends on who your boss is!). "Where's ENS Wickham, I need the monthly training report?", "Sorry sir, he is out playing a round of golf." Ouch, that can hurt. But anyways you get the idea.
All the way through the RAG you will have ample time with your family. It just really hits the fan when you get to the squadron, picking up your ground job (safety, pao..) and other collateral duties, in addition to "Welcome aboard, by the way here is your PQS, you are behind on your quals!". Yikes! So time gets short again as you work up the rungs on your quals.
I guess to sum it up, at times during training there won't be enough time in the day, and unfortunately something has to give, and that usually is time spent with family. But as Matt said, overall throughout training, you are going to find that you will be able to spend more time with your family and enjoy days off than you are now.
Another thought before I get off my soapbox... get to know the other married SNAs, introduce the wives, have BBQs, have the better half go to the wives club meetings. whatever it takes. Your spouse becomes better informed, and has a ready group of friends.
Whew, alot of info, hope that viewpoint helps to answer your question.
Nick, glad we were able to answer your question, being biased the way I am about the Navy, I think you will really enjoy the Aviation community, the people, and flying, "Hey, we get paid to do this?!?! Come on, where's the hook?"
As for the CS degree, don't necessarily think the degree itself is a waste (I really enjoyed getting my degree), just the fact that you run the risk of not using it during training and in the Navy (unless you get the ADP or Network Systems collateral duty at your command), plus not in an environment where you are learning all the new developments, techniques, etc. Though I try and stay current... in part this website helps out as I play with ASP coding!
Looks like I get to fly the P3 tomorrow, woohoo... so off to study!
