Hey I need advising!

B

birdboybird

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Mar 13, 2011
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Sorry if i sound extremely uninformed...it is because I am.


I am currently a non contracted Army ROTC cadet in Florida..
My "dream" military career is an officer on a submarine.

I'm not sure how I should approach a pipe line dream of being a sub marine guy

Any advise would be great.

(( Easy question, how competitive is being in a submarine compared to a job like flying or Infantry ))
 
It's extremely competitive, considering you're in Army ROTC and you can't branch into a submarine billet.
 
Birdboy - what Bull is trying to say is there are no submarines in the Army, so you have a 0% chance if you remain in AROTC.

Where do you go to school? Do they offer Naval ROTC? If so, I suggest you walk over and find out the requirements to switch to NROTC as a college programmer.

If not, perhaps they have a crosstown agreement with a school that does. Or, since you are non-contracted and therefore a freshman or sophomore, perhaps you could investigate transferring schools.

Bottom line is you really need to educate yourself - it's your career.
 
This is a great lesson for every poster and lurker, don't go down this path for the scholarship or the dream college only offers this branch for ROTC. JMPO I am assuming this is why you are in AROTC now and not NROTC, that or a recruiter fed you line of bunk saying it would be easy to go into the Navy as an AROTC commissioned officer, now sign on the dotted line.

Placing that aside and going with you were unsure of which career path, you still will be facing the fact that all 3 of these career fields are insanely competitive. It is great to have career goals and aspirations, but it is something that is secondary from the military's perspective. You serve at their pleasure. When you enter this realm (ROTC), you need to prepare yourself for not ever obtaining that goal, and being happy to serve in whatever and wherever the branch determines is the best needs for the military. Getting that dream career field is a perk, not a guarantee when you enter.

Look at this even deeper. Let's assume, that you can transfer into the Navy, but there are no helo or submarine billets, instead they place you in Public Affairs. Will you now want to switch back to the Army, hoping to get that flying or infantry slot?

I am not trying to be antagonistic, instead realistic regarding AD military life. Not everyone is in their 1st or 2nd pick career field and many are at installations that are not the hotspots people shout send me there! They enjoy their life because they are happy with their branch.

Long ago I heard this statement, you can't hate 8 hrs of your day because you hate what you are doing, and 8 hrs of your day because you hate where you live due to that job (remaining 8 hrs are sleep) and expect to be happy. You need to choose 1 because more than likely if you love the job, you will like where you live. If you love where you live, than you will like your job.

Problem for the military is loving where you live is an added bonus, it is not a guarantee, thus loving your job will be more important.
 
Thanks for the replys so far.

I read on the Navy website they prefer math/science/technical degrees, what is the navy's view on biology ( my current major ).

Also I read something that said I can apply for a submarine slot as a sophomore in college...any elaboration?

Anyone think I should just stay in AROTC??

Sorry for the random questions ( Going to a recruiter very soon )
 
OK...so far you've checked a website, and asked uninformed questions on a Service Academy discussion board, and you "read something". Here are some questions for you:

What did your AROTC instructor tell you when you asked her/him about submarines?
You still haven't told us if there is NROTC at your school. Is there?
If there isn't, are you planning on transferring?

You are going to need to talk to someone from an NROTC unit to get the answers you need
 
"Advising" requires a lot of detail you've left out, esp. what Clarkson asked. Give us the whole story if you want advice. How, What, When, Where, Why.
 
Investigate NUPOC

Hey Bird, if you're in a technical major, preferably engineering, perhaps you could drop AROTC and take the civilian NUPOC route. If accepted, monthly cash flow is very good (3k+ per month) -- often enough to cover most costs. After graduation, it's off to nuc School. Yes, it's tough, but most BSMEs will shine.
 
I just read about the NUCOP program and it looked amazing! However the glaring issue is my major is biology and the program is "extremely competitive". I am smart, but I am not 4.0 smart.

I was denied admission from the Naval Academy and West Point. I don't see me qualifying for another program.

**in response to earlier comment, if I knew 100% i could go subs, i would transfer schools**
 
You won't be guarenteed anything. The military is not going to cater to your needs, hence the whole "serve" part. However, you can join a Navy program, work as hard as you can to get good scores and grades and significantly increase your chance at serving in a billet you enjoy.
 
Bird Goes Nupoc!

Bird, don't discount the biology degree. My Dad did NUPOC at VT back in the mid 1980s. One of his NUPOC buds was a history major. Beef up you're coursework with physics (And health physics if available). Don't waste an elective on sociology or psycology. Instead, take intro engineering classes if permitted. Biology majors take a lot of chemistry -- lots of Water chemistry in nuc. Showcase the value of a bio degree! You CAN jump to NUPOC in 2nd or 3rd year.
 
Bird Goes Nupoc!

Bird, don't discount the biology degree. My Dad did NUPOC at VT back in the mid 1980s. One of his NUPOC buds was a history major. Beef up you're coursework with physics (And health physics if available). Don't waste an elective on sociology or psycology. Instead, take intro engineering classes if permitted. Biology majors take a lot of chemistry -- lots of Water chemistry in nuc. Showcase the value of a bio degree! You CAN jump to NUPOC in 2nd or 3rd year.
 
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