- What programs should I look into while in the Navy?
- What should I do within the Navy to make myself more competitive IF I even get a shot at going to OCS?
- I also wear glasses so I'll have to get PRK surgery.
- Will this mess up my chance at becoming Naval Aviation as well?
Welcome to the Great Adventure. When you get to the Fleet, you're going to be confronted with an adventure like you've never experienced before. When you get to your first ship, you will be assigned to Deck Division/Department (Depends upon the size and type of ship) and will work for/alongside the Boatswain's Mates. Deck can be a rough time as it's very physical labor and there's a lot of chipping paint and grinding rust in the hot sun. You'll also be on a watchbill and stand watch doing things that seem pointless but are absolutely vital to the safety and security of the ship. You will have a Chief Boatswain's Mate and many BM1s, BM2s, and BM3s who you will take orders from and they can teach you a lot about your job, the Navy, and life.
During your first year or so on board, you need to do everything you can to get qualified as quickly as possible. This will involve learning how to shoot a weapon, stand a topside security watch, line handling, drive the ship, and stand a lookout watch at sea. You will also be sent to work in the galley, goat locker, or wardroom as a mess crank; this will likely suck but it allows you to get to know the rest of the crew and see what they do during their daily routine. Use your downtime as a mess crank to get qualified and to see what other rates do. Same goes if you get sent to be a DCPO. Don't worry if none of this makes sense right now, it will when you get to your ship.
Around the 2-3 year mark you will have the opportunity to strike a rate. This is the optimal time to go find what you want to do with your enlisted career in the Navy and to go seek out the officers on board who are prior-enlisted. Ask them how they became an officer and find one who can mentor you. The Warrants and Limited Duty Officers (LDOs) on board are great for this. They can be grumpy but that's the nature of Warrants. Do know that the Boatswain's Mates that you work for will be pushing hard for you to strike BM like them; you will hear "Anybody can make rate but only God can make a Boatswain's Mate!" a lot. Understand that as a Seaman Recruit and Seaman Apprentice you will not have much control over your life. You will live on the ship, go where the ship goes, and be told what to do nearly every waking moment of your life. This is just the nature of the world. Don't let it get you down too much. Find a group of friends, have fun on liberty, learn how to skate but don't skate too much, work hard, and invest in yourself everyday.
To answer your questions specifically:
1. Get qualified first and make a name for yourself as a hard worker who doesn't complain or argue too much. It goes a long way. Once you've done that, start talking to your First Class(es), Chief, and Division Officer about getting college classes knocked out. These will likely be general education courses until you can get to shore duty (4-5 year mark) and really devote yourself to finishing up your degree. Getting advanced classes completed at sea is extremely difficult and you will not get good evals or a good reputation by shirking your day job for college classes. Look into
Tuition Assistance and NCPACE through your command. Also look into
Navy COOL which translates in-rate training and qualifications into college credits. There are a couple of other programs available in Norfolk and Jacksonville. If you end up in Mayport, seek out the guys doing online courses with University of Jacksonville and UNF which have programs to provide you with college equivalency for your time in the Navy. In fact, they led the nation in establishing these sorts of programs (They were the first STA-21 schools). But first and foremost, get qualified!
2. Talk to prior-enlisted officers (Mustangs) and ask them to mentor you. Most are more than willing to do so. Also, seek out your career counselor (Rate is NC, likely an NC1 or NCC) on board and tell him you're interested in OCS. His job is to get you a rate, retain you in the Navy, and help you plan your career. Understand that he gets evaluated based upon retention so he will say whatever it is he can to retain you in the Navy.
3. Getting PRK on sea duty is difficult and is likely not going to happen. Also, it is nearly impossible to get PRK as junior enlisted unless it's medically necessary. Don't worry, you'll have time once you have a rate and are on sea duty. All you'll need to do is get approval from your command, get the go ahead from your primary care manager (An actual doctor or a Corpsman, depends), and then get on the waiting list. There are also options for LASIK now, but I'm not sure how that works. Even if you can't get surgery, there's nothing wrong with being an NFO.
4. If you want to be in Naval Aviation while enlisted, then yes. You would have to find a way to strike and aviation rate and secure an A-school quota. This isn't impossible, and I've seen it done, but it will be easier to strike a surface rate that then translates over to aviation such as Corpsman, Personnel Specialist, Yeoman, or Logistics Specialist. These are also difficult to get as you will need good test scores on the rating exam to get them. Talk to your career counselor. Also, work hard and get qualified quickly; this will pay dividends when you need to start asking for favors for your career.
TLDR: Work hard, get qualified quickly, keep your nose clean (NJP doesn't look good on OCS applications), and don't forget to have some fun. If you find yourself in Souda Bay, make sure you volunteer to go on the gyro runs.
If you deploy, sometimes they bring on college professors aboard. . .
This is no longer the case. DoN cut the NCPACE-IL program last year.
https://www.military.com/daily-news...he Navy ended,taught by a civilian instructor.
