Some unexpected things the Academy taught me

Kierkegaard

Kierkegaard

Bancroft Escapee
5-Year Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
1,251
I’m a couple years out from graduating (which almost feels surreal to say). Lately, when I have the time, I go for long walks and reflect on life. I’ve found it very therapeutic, moreso than most other things I’ve tried actually. Anyway, I on these walks I end up reflecting on my life, of course including my time as a midshipman. Though I was mostly unhappy through those four years, I must say that time was not all in vain—I learned some valuable lessons, and I thought I’d share so that aspiring or incoming midshipmen and their parents can get a sense of what an Academy education can do. I’m not saying attending a service academy is the only way to learn these things. By no means. But this is how it worked for me.

1. Losing things. First, I have to plug one of my favorite standup routines (from back when standup was actually funny):

I cannot remember the last time I seriously lost my keys, wallet, or ID card. I’m in the habit of always patting myself down any time I leave any setting. For the “no fail” items like my housekey, I must have eyes on it in my hand before I go out. Not sure if that’s a common thing, but I think I picked that habit up when I went to leatherneck. We had to lock our rooms when we left, and trust me when I say you did not want to be the poor guy or gal who either forgot to lock their room, or worse, lost their keys in the field. @NavyHoops , I’m wondering if you can relate from your time at TBS.

2. A$$-chewing and negative attitudes. This was one of my biggest pet peeves as a plebe. Getting talked down to by an upperclassman over something minor like one square centimeter of my shoe not being shiny enough. But hey, that stuff didn’t go away. And now it doesn’t even phase me whatsoever. When someone gives me an attitude, it rolls out of my ears like water off a duck’s back. Quite a valuable trait to carry through life!

3. Social dynamics. Remember how in high school you had your various clicks, and people gossip about all kinds of things, and rumors would spread like a wildfire? Yeah, well the Academy is like that too, and guess what, so is the Fleet! Learning to take things people say with half a grain of salt, having a healthy skepticism, knowing what to say to people and what not to say…These are senses that I couldn’t have made it through the Academy without having to pick up, and I use them almost every day at work.

4. Professionalism. Some of my colleagues get a little nervous when they see a bird on someone’s collar. Not me. And not most Academy grads from my experience. We respect their rank and authority, but also recognize they are still normal people just like us—They have families, hobbies, and sometimes use the restroom. Nothing to be afraid of. Though I will admit, some of my fellow grads take their familiarity with senior officers just *a tad* too far, probably because at USNA we knew them as our instructors and sports team officer-representatives. But I still know not to walz into the Captain’s office unannounced with a “Hey Sir how’s it going :)”. A minority of JO’s don’t but they learn pretty quick!

5. My parents are very happy about this one when I visit home—When I leave a room, I now turn off the lights…It only took a detailer screaming in my face once to get me to do what dear ol’ Dad spent 18 years imploring me to do…

Okay, that’s all for now! Maybe I’ll add more later if I think of some. Feel free to share your perspectives.
 
Kierkegaard said:
I’m a couple years out from graduating (which almost feels surreal to say). Lately, when I have the time, I go for long walks and reflect on life. I’ve found it very therapeutic, moreso than most other things I’ve tried actually. Anyway, I on these walks I end up reflecting on my life, of course including my time as a midshipman. Though I was mostly unhappy through those four years, I must say that time was not all in vain—I learned some valuable lessons, and I thought I’d share so that aspiring or incoming midshipmen and their parents can get a sense of what an Academy education can do. I’m not saying attending a service academy is the only way to learn these things. By no means. But this is how it worked for me.

1. Losing things. First, I have to plug one of my favorite standup routines (from back when standup was actually funny):

I cannot remember the last time I seriously lost my keys, wallet, or ID card. I’m in the habit of always patting myself down any time I leave any setting. For the “no fail” items like my housekey, I must have eyes on it in my hand before I go out. Not sure if that’s a common thing, but I think I picked that habit up when I went to leatherneck. We had to lock our rooms when we left, and trust me when I say you did not want to be the poor guy or gal who either forgot to lock their room, or worse, lost their keys in the field. @NavyHoops , I’m wondering if you can relate from your time at TBS.

2. A$$-chewing and negative attitudes. This was one of my biggest pet peeves as a plebe. Getting talked down to by an upperclassman over something minor like one square centimeter of my shoe not being shiny enough. But hey, that stuff didn’t go away. And now it doesn’t even phase me whatsoever. When someone gives me an attitude, it rolls out of my ears like water off a duck’s back. Quite a valuable trait to carry through life!

3. Social dynamics. Remember how in high school you had your various clicks, and people gossip about all kinds of things, and rumors would spread like a wildfire? Yeah, well the Academy is like that too, and guess what, so is the Fleet! Learning to take things people say with half a grain of salt, having a healthy skepticism, knowing what to say to people and what not to say…These are senses that I couldn’t have made it through the Academy without having to pick up, and I use them almost every day at work.

4. Professionalism. Some of my colleagues get a little nervous when they see a bird on someone’s collar. Not me. And not most Academy grads from my experience. We respect their rank and authority, but also recognize they are still normal people just like us—They have families, hobbies, and sometimes use the restroom. Nothing to be afraid of. Though I will admit, some of my fellow grads take their familiarity with senior officers just *a tad* too far, probably because at USNA we knew them as our instructors and sports team officer-representatives. But I still know not to walz into the Captain’s office unannounced with a “Hey Sir how’s it going :)”. A minority of JO’s don’t but they learn pretty quick!

5. My parents are very happy about this one when I visit home—When I leave a room, I now turn off the lights…It only took a detailer screaming in my face once to get me to do what dear ol’ Dad spent 18 years imploring me to do…

Okay, that’s all for now! Maybe I’ll add more later if I think of some. Feel free to share your perspectives.
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Love that you are still checking in and keeping those who want and have a desire to know informed.

Sounds like hard place to be but good place to be from adage is true.
Best to you!
 
@Kierkegaard Your thoughtful post will probably have more impact than you know. Perhaps a parent will send it to a mid or cadet son or daughter struggling with their “why.” Perhaps a candidate wondering what if’s really like in the “after-the-academy” time.

And turning the lights off - so funny. Every time we had sponsor mids over, after they left, I would go around turning off lights. The first time they visited after paying utility bills as an officer, they were very attentive to power usage.

Always good to see you here.

And perhaps a current mid reading this might have a 💡moment about power usage at home or their sponsor’s house.
 
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Kierkegaard said:
I learned some valuable lessons, and I thought I’d share so that aspiring or incoming midshipmen and their parents can get a sense of what an Academy education can do. I’m not saying attending a service academy is the only way to learn these things. By no means. But this is how it worked for me.
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Let me take issue with two things you've said.

First, your post should be read by every newly minted O-1 who didn't attend an SA or SMC, in order to understand the mindset of many of their cohort, as well as many of those up and down the COC. It's not unlike a situation of starting out in new job with people of various backgrounds. There will be aspects of each background that provide advantages, but an important key to one's success will be the ability to work with and learn from others. I always tried to impress on my kids a quote:

“In my walks, every man* I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Second, from an outside perspective, you have enumerated the most important advantages to the SA/SMC route to a commission and they are more important than your modesty suggests. They do not preclude success for the non-SA/SMC O-1s, but each of them represents something that my DS did not learn and fully absorb in AROTC. He would say that those advantages are most obvious at the beginning, but overtime become less pronounced. He would have not survived his first encounter with the proverbial "upperclassman". On the other hand, the "freedom" he enjoyed at a civilian school, academic and otherwise, gave him advantages later on in his career.

Best of luck going forward!

*Given @Capt MJ ,@Casey , @NavyHoops , et. al. I would include "and woman"
 
Do you mean that there are people who leave a room and don't turn off the lights?

Nothing in my kitchen stays plugged in, either. After the toast is made, I unplug the toaster. Same with the coffee maker.
Phantom power drain is a thing.
 
THParent said:
Do you mean that there are people who leave a room and don't turn off the lights?

Nothing in my kitchen stays plugged in, either. After the toast is made, I unplug the toaster. Same with the coffee maker.
Phantom power drain is a thing.
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I'm a light Nazi. Sitting in the dark currently. Matches my mood. My brother and I were laughing recently about how our dad would holler at us for staring too long into the fridge. A lot of times we did it just to cool off. No AC in the Deep South was a struggle.
 
Oh and here’s another one that will surprise nobody: Memorizing lots of information. Quals in the Fleet really do bring back memories of Plebe ProKnow. I hated taking those quizzes, and I still disagree with how it’s implemented—It’s deliberately made a lot more stressful with lots of “training” (If you want to call it that) which in my opinion ends up detracting from the learning process. But anyway, no matter what community you or your mid commissions into, they will be required to memorize A LOT of info. Parts, processes, places, people, procedures, protocols, programs, gadgets, gizmos, widgets….Can you tell I’ve had caffeine this morning?
 
Kierkegaard said:
Oh and here’s another one that will surprise nobody: Memorizing lots of information. Quals in the Fleet really do bring back memories of Plebe ProKnow. I hated taking those quizzes, and I still disagree with how it’s implemented—It’s deliberately made a lot more stressful with lots of “training” (If you want to call it that) which in my opinion ends up detracting from the learning process. But anyway, no matter what community you or your mid commissions into, they will be required to memorize A LOT of info. Parts, processes, places, people, procedures, protocols, programs, gadgets, gizmos, widgets….Can you tell I’ve had caffeine this morning?
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I was terrible at Pro Knowledge as a Plebe. But my ability to memorize, take in tons of info, process and move on is really good. Or at least my bosses do. It definitely has helped me.
 
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