My experience in this area comes from observations as a division officer. I want to provide a little reality (like many of the previous posts did) about what your first few years in the Navy will be like. Ok, lets say you enlist and get through boot camp and make it to a carrier based squadron (with or without A school). And for the sake of argument let's say the squadron is getting ready to deploy and is on and off the boat every couple months. Your first 6 months+ you will be assigned to 1st LT division probably, and more likely than not you will handed over to ship's company working as an FSA. Ooooo FSA, that sounds cool and all, yeah not quite. I am not sure what it stands for, but those are the poor guys who scrub pots and pans, swab the decks, and do other manual character building labor down on the mess decks necessary to feed a crew of 5000. You do this 12 hours a day for 3-4 months straight (on cruise). Maybe just maybe, if you can stay awake enough you could squeeze out one class which would count for 3 or 4 credits. But don't count on the internet to be up, and if it is don't count on you getting to use it much because A) you are an E-1 to E-3 who is assigned to the lowest internet tier which equates to the smallest bandwidth and B) since you are only kind of in the squadron and definately not ship's company you will have to beg for someone somewhere to let you use a computer (I know some Sailors who got to check their email once a week max)
Whew that's 3-4 months of hard labor down, no problem right? Now if you didn't manage to piss of the MS1 (excuse me CS1) you were working for (or god help you a Chief in your squadron) your CMC will let you come back to the squadron. Now guess what? You might have a little temp light duty in 1st LT, requiring that you perform the manual labor necessary to make a squadron run, again for 12 hours a day (assuming you have not finished cruise)
Now great, you finished all of that, and it is off to Line Division! There you will working for the meanest, toughest PO1 and Chief in the squadron. Because that's where they assign the meanest toughest PO1 and Chiefs so that they can whip new Airmen into shape. Again long hours, and lots of manual labor. Even back at the beach Line division has got the longest hours. They are the first ones in to pull the birds out of the hanger, and the last ones to finish, since they have to wash the aircraft and put them back in the hanger.
So now at this point you have finished 1-1.5 years in the squadron (not the Navy mind you, maybe you are at 2-2.5 years in the Navy) and if you are the most amazing human alive have completed 1 MAYBE 2 courses of 3 or 4 credits each. So max you are looking at 8 credits in 2.5. This DOES NOT count any credit you can receive from Navy training. Although even designated airmen who show up to their first squadron go through a schedule similar to this. After you have finished this routine off, life does get a little easier, but not much. On the boat expect 12 hour days every day, with poor internet access (and we have the best out on the carrier) BUT now your Chief/DIVO/CMC someone starts harping on you to study for your next rating exam so you can make PO3, get your EAWS or something.
I know this is a long post, but all I am trying to say is that don't expect to get a lot of personal college work done your first few years in the Navy. I had several of my guys who came in with a great plan just like that, who in the end just ended up demoralized because their plan was not realistic. I have no idea at all what Air Force enlisted life is like.
