If I understand you right, once take the required tests, then you select aviation or surface warfare. Then once is all done, you are off to OCS, correct?
Here's what I have heard regarding OCS and surface warfare. Apparently, it is more difficult for someone going through OCS to get picked up for surface warfare. From what my roomate (who went thru OCS) told me, it is easier to get NFO than surface warfare. Regardless, that is just side info. Make sure you put in for what appeals to what you want to do.
Personally, I thought SWO school was incredibly easy. This was my experience. I have also been through enlisted nuclear power school where we were in class 40 hours a week and it was not uncommon to study 30 hours more per week on top of that. SWOS is considerably easier than that. There were others there who failed many, many tests. I can't think of anyone who failed out of SWOS. If you fail a test, you take a different version of the same test, usually the next week. However, if you fail too many tests, you'll be rolled back to the next class that starts. Classes start every couple of months. Trust me, you don't want to roll back. The material during lecture is usually quite dry and you DO NOT want to have to sit through it again. SWOS is broken up into essentially three phases. The first phase covers administrative aspects of being a SWO, navigation and rules of the road, maneuvering boards, weapon systems, 3M system and PQS, seamanship, damage control and leadership. The second phase deals strictly with engineering. This phase would depend on what type of engineering plant is on the ship you are going to, ie: steam, gas turbine, nuclear power if you're a nuke. The third phase corresponds to the billet (job) that you will have on the ship. There are a number of things that you can be as a first tour division officer. Whatever it is, you attend follow on schools or also called billet specialty schools. For me, I am going to be the gunnery officer. So my schools that I attended were ammunition admin, gunnery officer school, harpoon watch officer, and AEGIS officer console operator school. Once done with your follow on schools, you leave Newport, take leave, and then report to your ship.
The outlook for the surface warfare community appears to be quite good. The common attitude that the SWO's eat their young is apparently going away. I'll soon find out if that is true. I think morale has a lot to do with the individual. If you have a good attitude about what you're doing, I think it makes your stay a lot better. If you are an individual who doesn't want to be there and you make it known thru your actions or words, your attitude can be contageous. This would make for a poor work environment I think.
I don't really think there would be a problem keeping your job as a SWO. As for advancement, you make LT(j.g)(O-2) after two years and then full LT (O-3) after another 2 years. Then to make rank from there, you essentially begin competing with others.
Yes, you do have an input to where your first duty station will be. For me, I got my first choice duty station and first choice type of ship. You can choose up to 5 of each. Some people didn't get any of their choices. So you have to take that into consideration too. I know that most people do get one of their choices though. Just remember that the needs of the navy override yours and accept that fact, and you'll be ok.
I am headed to the USS VALLEY FORGE as the gunnery officer as I mentioned before. My ship is homeported in San Diego, CA.
Here is the link to the SWOS homepage if you'd like to check it out.
www.swos.navy.mil
I hope this answers your questions.
Best regards,
ps: I'm not really sure where they get those ships, but if you find out, let me know.
