Dream Sheets/ Requested Bases/ Etc.

[EngineGirl]

I have seen this talked about before, but I would like to ask some more specific questions about where you are stationed. I understand that the needs of the Navy come before the needs of the individual, but how is it determined where you are stationed out of OCS (I am going straight to a ship as a SWO). Do you fill out a dream sheet and just hope you get somewhere on it? Can you put down why you want to be stationed somewhere (I have family in San Diego and am going to request there)? Or do you just get a list of places that you can go and you pick from there? Does it matter how you are doing in OCS (i.e. would someone who is first in the class get more preferential treatment thansome who is last?). Also, realisticilly, does anybody know how hard it would be to get stationed in San Diego or Washington State?

Any advice would be welcomed!!

Thanks in advance!!!

EngineGirl

 

[BIG J]

As far as your first duty station out of OCS I am not exactly sure. For the rest of your career the navy has detailers that you can negotiate were you are goin next.

 

[Brett327]

If you're a SWO, then you do not go right to a ship, but to SWO school in Newport RI, which I think is about 4-6 months. You'll get your sea tour orders out of there and your preference will be solicited at that point. The JASS system does not apply to officers. Your second tour orders will be negotiated between you, your CO and the detailer for your community. That's as much as I know about SWO career path, as it's different for Aviators.

Brett

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Bad gouge.....bad, bad gouge.

First (as pointed out above), JASS (Job Advertising and Selection System) is not for us....it's for the enlisted guys/gals. We in no way shape or form use that system to determine available billets or negotiate for orders. Specifically, SWO's use the Pers-41 (Surface Officer Distribution Division) website (http://www.npc.navy.mil/Officer/SurfaceWarfare) to look for available billets that match your PRD. EngineGirl, I am not going to claim to know anything about how the process works for picking/getting assigned your first ship out of OCS. But I would guess that there will be a period during OCS that you will get to select your ship. If that's not how they do it (as they do with the ROTC folks), then you will most likely be assigned a ship based on your duty preferences. If I were in your shoes, I would contact one of the division officer detailers at Bupers to get the straight skinny.

Second, SWOS DOC is there no longer. EngineGirl, as you already know, you will be going straight to your ship (unfortunately) since the navy has decided to do away with the division officer course. Now you'll get to do the Division Officer at Sea program....an interactive CD ROM based instruction.

Re: negotiating second tour orders, you need not worry that your CO has to be a part of the negotiating process. He can be if you need some back up and you feel that you are getting screwed. Otherwise, he doesn't need to get involved short of you keeping him informed of your intentions.

When it comes to deciding where you want to go, you'll really need to consider two things for the most part. You need to determine what is most important....type of ship, or duty location. If duty location is most important and you don't care what type of ship you get, it really shouldn't be a problem getting San Diego. Everett may be a little more difficult only because it is much smaller. But even still, they have ships, and ships need divos.

 

[engineman02]

Not sureif it will be the same, but the way they worked it in our class was they got all the SWOs together and gave them a list of ships with their stations. Then they got to work it out together to pick which ones they wanted. Everyone pretty much got what they wanted (with what was available) without any brawls breaking out. No garuntees it will be the same for you.

 

[Brett327]

Bad gouge.....bad, bad gouge.

Second, SWOS DOC is there no longer. EngineGirl, as you already know, you will be going straight to your ship (unfortunately) since the navy has decided to do away with the division officer course. Now you'll get to do the Division Officer at Sea program....an interactive CD ROM based instruction.

Really? No more SWOS? That's funny. No wonder the shoes are such lunk heads. Can you imagine going directly from, say, API, to your fleet squadron and learning everything about flying through OJT? Maybe that's the why the San Francisco's skipper was so good at keeping his boat out of the rocks.

Brett

 

[EngineGirl]

Thanks for all the information. One question I didn't think of to ask, that some of you might or might not know, if I am going to a ship to repace someone, do I have to replace a female? Or can I replace a male and I'll just be but in female berthing? (I was looking around on the websight that Steve Wilkins gave and I noticed for some boards, for alot higher ranking officers, that sometimes it would say that at least one female was required or one minority was required.....just thought that was interesting. I thought people got the jobs b/c they were the best for it.)

I am personally excited about going straight to a ship. Then again I have worked/sailed on 3 USNS and am not completely in the dark on ships.

Thanks again for all the information. It was very helpful!!
EngineGirl

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Really? No more SWOS? That's funny. No wonder the shoes are such lunk heads. Can you imagine going directly from, say, API, to your fleet squadron and learning everything about flying through OJT? Maybe that's the why the San Francisco's skipper was so good at keeping his boat out of the rocks.

Are you even in the navy? Your posts continue to lead me to believe that when it comes down to it, you really don't know what you're talking about. Sorry to seem so gruff, just pointing out what I see.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

...if I am going to a ship to repace someone, do I have to replace a female?

No. All the Divo/DH/XO/CO billets on ships these days are gender neutral. In any case, you will most likely not be replacing anybody at all. Ships are so crammed packed full of Ensigns these days, they're having to make up jobs for the new divos checking aboard. It's unfortunate, but true. Big Navy's logic behind having such an influx of Ensigns was that enough would stick around for their DH tours so as to help the DH deficit. I'm pretty sure they've stopped bringing in so many SWO's since they were just recently asking for volunteers for early release. So, your situation may be a little better than before, though there will still probably be a lot of officers walking around.

 

[Honour_Class]

Not sureif it will be the same, but the way they worked it in our class was they got all the SWOs together and gave them a list of ships with their stations. Then they got to work it out together to pick which ones they wanted. Everyone pretty much got what they wanted (with what was available) without any brawls breaking out. No garuntees it will be the same for you.

We had a similar process for my class. Also, we had a lot of help from the OTC-P CO CAPT Nawrocki, who is a big time alligator SWO. Not sure who is CO there now or their community.

 

[Brett327]

Are you even in the navy?

Are you? Just checking, besides, Steve, you seem to have alot of attitude for a flight school attrite. Feel free to boot me if you think that what I have to say is too subversive.

I never claimed to be expert on SWO career progression, like I stated in the original post. What I described is how it was done when I was in OCS. Things change, good times.

Brett

 

[VarmintShooter]

Really? No more SWOS? That's funny. No wonder the shoes are such lunk heads. Can you imagine going directly from, say, API, to your fleet squadron and learning everything about flying through OJT? Maybe that's the why the San Francisco's skipper was so good at keeping his boat out of the rocks.

Brett

Dude, the San Francisco is a sub ... I suspect that it wasn't the lack of SWOS that got them in trouble ...

 

[Brett327]

Dude, the San Francisco is a sub ... I suspect that it wasn't the lack of SWOS that got them in trouble ...

Yes, I'm aware. I was making a general statement, and trying to be a little light hearted. Come on, people, let's break it down!

Brett

 

[engineman02]

We had a similar process for my class. Also, we had a lot of help from the OTC-P CO CAPT Nawrocki, who is a big time alligator SWO. Not sure who is CO there now or their community.

Capt. Nawrocki had just retired shortly after we started and Cdr Miller is the new CO, and is an aviator. Our class officer was a SWO so that probably helped some.

 

[adam28270]

Yes, I'm aware. I was making a general statement, and trying to be a little light hearted. Come on, people, let's break it down!

Brett

Ok, then what I don't understand is that you commented on how SWO's are going out in the fleet directly. And then compared it to a Sub Officer? ANY officer that serves on a sub goes through a very tough school to get there. Just getting into the nuclear power school is a challenge. And then from nuc school, they go up to a prototype program and then a SUBMARINE SCHOOL, where... they learn how to operate and NAVIGATE a sub.

So, I ask you, how does your comment reflect on the idea that SWO's are going directly into the fleet to learn how to navigate OTJ?

Also, sub officers, do all this, to endure weeks of no sunlight, soo..... I wouldn't exactly call them "lunkheads" either. I for one, have great respect for anyone who serves on a sub, enlisted or officer.