Hello everyone!
My name is Andrew, I'm 22 and I have been in the navy for 3 years, and am currently sitting as an AT3 expecting to pick up AT2 off of the exam in March. I was recommended to this site by a Commander that was standing outside of the galley here in Yokosuka, Japan. The site seems to have an extremely large amount of information available for any enlisted looking into joining the officer ranks, and I will be sure to forward it to many! But the real reason I am posting is that I have come to a turning point in what I have now decided will be my naval career. I am extremely interested in applying for the STA-21 program, but I have a few worries about it.
First off, I'm stationed aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, on what will be her last formal cruise. I will be Cross-decking to the USS George Washington sometime this summer and will eventually return back to Japan onboard the GW sometime later in the year. This poses what seems to me, a HUGE problem. My first command was a shore command and I had no opportunity's at all to get my (AW) pin. On top of that I'm not sure if I will have the option to get it on the Hawk because I'm being told you must be on board for 6 months before you can begin the qualification. If this is true or not I'm not 100% sure, but I have read on the site that if you don't have your pin(s), you may as well not even bother.
Secondly, I have only been onboard the Hawk for a month. With the cross deck schedule, I will only be on the Hawk for a few more months before going to yet another command aboard the GW. This really limits me on face time with my CoC, and my ability to show my potential as a worker, leader, and future Naval officer hopeful. I believe that I have already set a very good impression but I highly doubt that is enough to constitute me receiving one of these fabulous recommendation letters that I have been reading on the site.
The last issue is what really bothers me and keeps me awake a lot of times at night for the past month or so. I turn 23 in July, I have acquired SOME college credits from my A school, and my 2 C schools on top of a few clep/DANTES exams I have taken, and a few other military funded courses I have visited in my 3 years accumulating to approx. 60 semester hours. None of which is really directed toward any specific degree at all. But what I'm getting at is, it could potentially take me 3 years or so to finish my degree that I want to complete. And if I do not submit this package within the next year from this time I wont make the cutoff of age 27 by commission.
So there you have it, a brief introduction of myself and my concerns. I have searched through the forums and haven't really found any similar issues so if I offend anyone by posting a question that has already been answered, I apologize in advance. But I come to you all desperately seeking advice and guidance. Do I even have a chance at this or should I start working on another path for my career?
-AT3
My name is Andrew, I'm 22 and I have been in the navy for 3 years, and am currently sitting as an AT3 expecting to pick up AT2 off of the exam in March. I was recommended to this site by a Commander that was standing outside of the galley here in Yokosuka, Japan. The site seems to have an extremely large amount of information available for any enlisted looking into joining the officer ranks, and I will be sure to forward it to many! But the real reason I am posting is that I have come to a turning point in what I have now decided will be my naval career. I am extremely interested in applying for the STA-21 program, but I have a few worries about it.
First off, I'm stationed aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, on what will be her last formal cruise. I will be Cross-decking to the USS George Washington sometime this summer and will eventually return back to Japan onboard the GW sometime later in the year. This poses what seems to me, a HUGE problem. My first command was a shore command and I had no opportunity's at all to get my (AW) pin. On top of that I'm not sure if I will have the option to get it on the Hawk because I'm being told you must be on board for 6 months before you can begin the qualification. If this is true or not I'm not 100% sure, but I have read on the site that if you don't have your pin(s), you may as well not even bother.
Secondly, I have only been onboard the Hawk for a month. With the cross deck schedule, I will only be on the Hawk for a few more months before going to yet another command aboard the GW. This really limits me on face time with my CoC, and my ability to show my potential as a worker, leader, and future Naval officer hopeful. I believe that I have already set a very good impression but I highly doubt that is enough to constitute me receiving one of these fabulous recommendation letters that I have been reading on the site.
The last issue is what really bothers me and keeps me awake a lot of times at night for the past month or so. I turn 23 in July, I have acquired SOME college credits from my A school, and my 2 C schools on top of a few clep/DANTES exams I have taken, and a few other military funded courses I have visited in my 3 years accumulating to approx. 60 semester hours. None of which is really directed toward any specific degree at all. But what I'm getting at is, it could potentially take me 3 years or so to finish my degree that I want to complete. And if I do not submit this package within the next year from this time I wont make the cutoff of age 27 by commission.
So there you have it, a brief introduction of myself and my concerns. I have searched through the forums and haven't really found any similar issues so if I offend anyone by posting a question that has already been answered, I apologize in advance. But I come to you all desperately seeking advice and guidance. Do I even have a chance at this or should I start working on another path for my career?
-AT3
