Need some help/opinions here... this is a long post so beware.
A little background info on me-
College junior, Texas A&M University. GPA 3.4 in Finance. ASTB scores AQR 7, PFAR 6, FOFAR 5, OAR 57. Retesting soon because I was told I need a PFAR 7 and FOFAR 6 to be competitive. Want a spot in OCS as SNA or SNFO.
My questions:
I'm looking for a little insight on what it's really like to be a pilot or NFO. I expect it to be the most challenging, most rewarding thing I could ever do. However, one of the people who I asked to write a LOR for me keeps telling me that I need to talk to someone who's flown for the Navy before I decide to do it myself. I don't know any Naval Officers personally (other than my recruiter) so I thought I would try for a few good responses on this forum. I’m not especially looking for info on OCS or flight school, there’s plenty of good gouge for that here already. I am looking for comments about Navy life in general, especially as a NA or NFO.
What's it like when you actually get out of training and in the fleet? How much time do you spend deployed on a carrier? What's it like to try to balance a demanding career and a family? What about kids- how do they handle the absence of a parent? Do you ever get to see the family (parents) you leave back home? How often should I expect to move? What are some things to consider about a Navy career that most people don’t think about? How much time do you spend flying/planning compared to other things? I know that your first job is to be an Officer, not to fly.
I know that some people don’t make it through OCS. I feel like you can make it through anything if you want it badly enough though. Any Officer position will be hard; you have to know it's what you want before you sign up. I know that being a NA or NFO is not easy. I'm prepared to work for it because it means so much to me. Hard work and dedication will get a man far in life.
I try not to make decisions without carefully thinking about all of the effects of those decisions. I have done lots of information gathering up to this point and feel confident that I want a career in the Navy more than I want anything else. I believe it really does take that much desire. I simply want to know if there are things that I should consider that I haven’t thought of yet. Also, I’d be surprised if anyone out there has any regrets about the Navy, but for my sake I have to ask anyway. Regrets? Does any one have any other advice for someone who is about to send up an application package? (Other than to be persistent and never give up!)
Thanks to all, and feel free to email or PM me.
bcgeib
A little background info on me-
College junior, Texas A&M University. GPA 3.4 in Finance. ASTB scores AQR 7, PFAR 6, FOFAR 5, OAR 57. Retesting soon because I was told I need a PFAR 7 and FOFAR 6 to be competitive. Want a spot in OCS as SNA or SNFO.
My questions:
I'm looking for a little insight on what it's really like to be a pilot or NFO. I expect it to be the most challenging, most rewarding thing I could ever do. However, one of the people who I asked to write a LOR for me keeps telling me that I need to talk to someone who's flown for the Navy before I decide to do it myself. I don't know any Naval Officers personally (other than my recruiter) so I thought I would try for a few good responses on this forum. I’m not especially looking for info on OCS or flight school, there’s plenty of good gouge for that here already. I am looking for comments about Navy life in general, especially as a NA or NFO.
What's it like when you actually get out of training and in the fleet? How much time do you spend deployed on a carrier? What's it like to try to balance a demanding career and a family? What about kids- how do they handle the absence of a parent? Do you ever get to see the family (parents) you leave back home? How often should I expect to move? What are some things to consider about a Navy career that most people don’t think about? How much time do you spend flying/planning compared to other things? I know that your first job is to be an Officer, not to fly.
I know that some people don’t make it through OCS. I feel like you can make it through anything if you want it badly enough though. Any Officer position will be hard; you have to know it's what you want before you sign up. I know that being a NA or NFO is not easy. I'm prepared to work for it because it means so much to me. Hard work and dedication will get a man far in life.
I try not to make decisions without carefully thinking about all of the effects of those decisions. I have done lots of information gathering up to this point and feel confident that I want a career in the Navy more than I want anything else. I believe it really does take that much desire. I simply want to know if there are things that I should consider that I haven’t thought of yet. Also, I’d be surprised if anyone out there has any regrets about the Navy, but for my sake I have to ask anyway. Regrets? Does any one have any other advice for someone who is about to send up an application package? (Other than to be persistent and never give up!)
Thanks to all, and feel free to email or PM me.
bcgeib
