I hope the conversation went well… my kid just completed the three part training program. The first part, Nuclear Power School (NPS) is hard. No other way to put it. It’s basically a year of nuclear engineering graduate school crammed into 6 months. Lots of math and theory. The SWOs and Subs Officers are together for that but divide for Prototype to work on different platforms/ training boats moored at the base. Then the SWOs go off to ships because they’ve already been out & about (they are LTjg’s, Cmdrs/PXOs - former aviators rising to eventually take over command of aircraft carriers), while the mostly ensigns proceed to SOBC (Sub Officer Basic Course). (Not everyone is 22/new to the Navy though: my kid met former Air Force, former enlisted who have enlisted dolphins, and the Aussies are now starting to trickle through Charleston as well. Those PXOs were nearing 40.)
My kid went subs, always wanted it, and is happier than … I was going to say a clam on linguine, but I don’t really know if they’re happy but I see my kid is… once he survived power school.
I’ll share an interesting stat one of the speakers mentioned at his SOBC graduation: of those who re-enlist after 5y nearly half will get to XO and/or command a boat. The speaker’s advice was to approach your career as though you’re going for the full ride. Now I’m aware the speaker has his own re-enlistment agenda, but his words made an impression.
And the best advice my kid got was to look at the missions not just the cool tools/toys. It’s a big part of why he went subs.