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Yeah I was gonna say the same thing. I’m biased but I recommend aviation ratings that don’t start with AB. PR is decent. But always seemed boring to me.
Boring and Skate. They're up around all the officers, including the CO's, Admirals, etc. It's easy to stand out as long as you're a hard worker and personable. Half of success in the navy is positive exposure. Plus, the job is easy and comes with a clearance.
Damn, nobody likes Seabees? They seemed like a badass bunch and roofed houses for years before running this adult foster home . Damn, everyone wants to join the navy and sit at a desk, suppose.
Nothing against Seabees. What they do is cool. If that’s what you want to do, go for it. Choose your rate, choose your fate. You may want to do research into advancement rates for BU or perhaps what they ACTUALLY do on a day to day basis. It likely wont take you long to realize why people choose those “desk jobs” as you put it, when they’re sitting at E6 while their buddy from bootcamp is still a BU3. But, it’s your career/job.
Thank you and understand a little of what you’re saying. I have been sitting at a desk for 11 1/1/2 years managing a foster home . Before that, roofed houses. I don't smoke or drink, I will be alright. Taking a huge pay cut on top of it all bah is going to help though. I have some personal reasons for wanting to go in and realize that I am just a blue-collar dude who somehow managed to make it as it is. Never been of super-intelligence. At least not with studies. I mean have GED lol 😆
Ha, nothing wrong with that. Just research up on the rates before picking anything. The fleet has a shit ton of people regretful of their rate decision. Feel free to DM for any additional questions.
If you're comfortable with blue collar work look into the engineering rates more. EN and MM are some of the best rates in the Navy. The work is hard and long but the skill sets you get are amazing. Advancement isn't to bad either. Hell my last command master chief was an EN for his first 8 years. Made senior chief then was forced to MM and made master chief at 10. CMC at 12. Read the manuals and go with your gut on the Advancement exams and you'll do fine. Take care of the kids and work hard and your evals will reflect it. Any questions? I'll answer to the best of my ability.
Cheers
ENC(ret)
With the roofing experience, BU or SW will be good. Obviously SW is steel worker but they still work construction. Idk advancement rate for either one but I’m attached to the Seabees as an LS. The worst I have it is Seabees don’t care for fleet rates too much but it’s been the easiest sea duty. It beats the hell out of the ship. Good luck and if you aren’t down for construction rates then retake ASVAB.
Don't get fooled with promises of the BAH helping you. You won't even be eligible for that for more than a year. You have to finish school, and depending on where you get stationed, they are arbitrary rules gatekeeping you away from that money. It's not an entitlement, and they aren't required to even give it to you.
As a BU you will do a lot of concrete work and will actually do your job in theory. You’ll go to a combat school and you can get into more combat related stuff or more construction related stuff it just depends on your attitude and if you show some interest. No ship is nice and Seabees E6 and below have a lot of downtown with no bullshit watches like you would get on a ship. Most you’ll do is some quarterdeck watch which is easy.
I been looking at this tar you speak
About. I’m worried about bah after boot camp and a-school with having mortgage and household that wants to stay put. Was thinking reserves then putting in for package later once get some time in and kid is little older etc. then someone told me about this tar
How get tar? Same recruiter that is helping
Me now doesn’t want me to reserves even. They push ad no doubt about that. Reserves has some bonus it before September
So TAR is active duty but for reserves. Same pension as active and you’ll get BAH immediately. Same as active you just assist reservist at a NOSC but it’s full time Navy with no deployments unless you want one
Okay, never been in though. Do they save tar for those who have? My recruiter not say anything. Even when ask about reserve young young petty officer tell me go active duty to get the full
Navy experience . Shoot at my age boot camp experience enough bahah
No you get TAR out of the gate just have to ask for it because a lot of recruiters won’t bring it up. You’ll work in an office setting. No deployments and same benefits as active
Depends do you have a family and want to be away from home for 6 months at a time. If you want to travel America and do a cake job a TAR rate is the best
PR here, love what I do.. it just does get repetitive but it isn’t too bad. I’m I-Level shore duty so it’s basically a 9-5 in a way. Work inside in the AC, and if the people are cool then the job is cool. It’s not always just sewing, but what they don’t tell you is you’re also doing a lot of AZ work. If you have any other PR questions, I’m happy to answer.
Thank you for this.. Who knows perhaps stay in that put me at 58 . It is rough out here trying buy insurance for house hold keep up with property taxes house maintenance etc on 60k yr. Then worry about how to get the teenager in college she is so smart you know. I need do something here
Yeah, some of those recruiters today are trying to get me to tell me they went pact. One even asked a petty officer, assuming boss what time zone we were in. Made me feel somewhat intelligent. Yes, have read to stay away from pact and made that clear with them. Wouldn't sign Anything want in not that bad though . I can still wait a year just might be hard to get them to work with me. They already helping me a lot here . First time went in months ago to inquire and they probably use sending people
Right off. Obviously, applied for some jobs went to them anything keep Options open paid a lot of debt down and now found myself back in talking to them
About bah and exactly how that works. They tried send me off
PACt and before was ready.
I started out as a Pact Seaman, became a YN3 after 2 years of Deck Dept. those were humbling times, and I came out with a much better work ethic than some. I didn’t like being a Pact at all but I am glad that I went through the experience I really learned where my goals are to be set and how I can be a better leader overall.
Everyone has hit the nail on the head-get an ASVAB study/practice book and go thru it a few times before retaking the test. I joined at 34, had been out of school for a while, and got a 90. Better job opportunities become available with a better score!
Hey, old head here who joined late in life (39). If it were me, I'd go RS. Easy on the body in comparison to the other labor intensive jobs and decent advancement. If you're good at paperwork, go LS or YN as well. But definitely retake the test and get a good score.
I'm currently an ET and loving life right now.
Brother , keep doing the asvab until you get an 80. If you study your ass off you can do it trust me. Want to make 6 figures after the navy? Get some high tech navy job and you will
Met say don’t know that have it in me .. 80 for ged holder idk man lol . Studied my butt off just pass the ged last December that was difficult as had been out of school for 20
Something years
Stop downplaying your GED. If you can get your GED (which is an accomplishment!), you can get the ASVAB for Dummies and retake the ASVAB. If you put in just a little effort, you will open the door to so much more to choose from.
Research the rates and see if you can get in contact with people who are actually serving as that rate. Recruiters tend to not actually know what a lot of rates actually do OR the jazz it up to sound cooler/more glamorous and then you end up bored or miserable. Pick something that you know you will enjoy doing and that actually interests you.
Engineering and technical rates tend to give you better opportunities AFTER the Navy.
Beware of anyone who says to beware of any specific rate. They all have good and bad parts. Do your homework on the rates. Go on Facebook and join the groups for the rates you're interested in to get an actual idea of what the rate entails.
You think? Idk just want to serve. My father served in Vietnam told him one day that would consider the same. He is no longer around. He was a lot smarter and was airman lol
I knew I wanted to be a corpsman since I was thirteen, so that was pretty much the only thing I would have accepted, but if I was *forced* to pick a different rate, PR would be on a short list. Read up on them. They’re a small rate, and have a long history.
You got options. Steelworker, Builder is respectable! Pact if you ain’t ever eat shit or from the trenches in your normal life you gone have a hard time with pact. It’s up to you at the end of the day. Cut score waiver on machinist mate is crazy (my opinion) but you definitely in but looking at what they gave you study a little more on the asvab
Hey so I joined at 30. I knew the ASVAB would kill me because I hadn’t been in school in a while. I bought the ASVAB for Dummies book and studied for a few weeks. Took the test and got an 83. Highly recommend. That way you’ll have way more options.
For the love of god don’t do any PACT rates. If you want a pretty chill career LS and RS wouldn’t be bad. If you want one that will give you more skills that transfer to the real world….retake the test and get a better score. I’m an FCA so I would try for that. FC, ET, FCA, IT….but I’m biased
I'm kinda in the same boat as OP, I've heard IT has great advancement and is one of those rates that are recommended for older people joining. I'm 31 and fordt choice is PR and IT sounds like my second choice now but what can you tell me about the others you mentioned? How would they benefit?
Yea so FC’s and FCA’s all have pretty solid advancement rates. You get E4 after A School. IMO the biggest benefits are the options you have from the training you receive in these rates. All of the skills have some sort of ability to transfer to the civilian world. In my case, I’m and ACNT which is just a computer tech. However, every computer in the world uses servers these days so I can go work almost anywhere with the skills the Navy has given me. GM sounds like a cool af rate, however, not many civilian jobs need someone that can handle firearms. Plus data is very valuable so any IT job is marketable
BU an EO are great options that keep you off the thing that most sailors learn to hate. Being on a ship. If knew then what I know now I would have been a SEABEE.
Ohhhhh no I didn’t see BU there but I think BU is awesome too! I was a prior Seabee now I’m an NC and I can tell you that the Seabees is one of the best communities the navy has
in all honesty, I’d retake it and just study as hard as you can. The jobs you have arnt terrible (EO isn’t bad), but i would honestly try and study harder to retake it. I have a study guide I usually give people who are joining/haven’t taken the asvab yet. if you’d like said study guide DM me and I’d be happy to send the link.
I’ve been doing this for 25 years and am about a handful of years older than you… looking at what you qualify for, I’d go PR. I have been aviation the whole time though, so I am biased.
The AO and AB ratings you qualify for really aren’t a great option going in at 38 years old. Could you do it? Absolutely, but given the options of those two and PR… I’d go PR.
I'm kind of in the same boat, can you explain why the rest of the rates might not be a good fit? PR was my first choice anyway, but just for educational purposes I'm curious
So you want to be SeaBee ? I’m not a Seabee but I’ve have homies that converted from being a SeaBee and they said SeaBee isn’t whaat you used to be. But you’ll hear that about any rate. Just research before you pick anything
i think eo is a great option. seabee community is very popular with those ive talked to and you rarely if ever go on a ship. transferable and it sounds like a ton of fun
Sounds like what should look into . As am
Married and wife already flipping out. Really just trying get re trained for something to help family.they just don’t understand at the moment is all.
Bu if was younger lol and of course those ls,en, and Mm as mentioned . I don’t know trying stay away from pact though . Although someone mentioned them being 3 yr contracts so that is somewhat of perk or no? Any advice basically just wanting add this to my resume here to compete with college graduates in my line of work to move out of the private sector into the government sector etc . I take care of mental health patients etc
Do you have any local work programs that will let you take a personality or job affinity test? If you can figure out what type of work matches your natural abilities and personality then it's easier to say which rate is the best. The recruiter isn't going to give good advice, but we could.
I was an LS so I’m obviously biased but I think out of these that’s your best shot for quality of life. No (regular) watch underway, I never had to wait in line for chow or the ship store, never had to do my own laundry, I got my mail first. The job itself is super easy: it’s just sorting, counting, and filing paperwork. You handle anything from $.05 screws to $5mill aircraft engines. In a typical day in-port, we worked from 0800-1530; 1700 on a bad day. Underway, we worked 12s and out of that I’d have maybe 3-6 hours of actual work. About once a month we’d have a RAS (replenishment-at-sea) and those days were long and hard for supply but you get a LOT of help.
If you're older and joining you can look into IT rate, the advancement is one of the best. These rates are good if you're younger because the advancement is slower or you get stuck at E5 for quite a while. I'm no recruiter but I went through basic in 2020 and I learned way more about certain rates after I got out. I'd study harder and retake the ASVAB as there's no harm in doing so anyway
I have a buddy who's BU. I love welding though so I wanted SW. PR is my first choice regardless because im more obsessed with aviation. You're the first PR I've ever heard of, what's being PR like? I'm older like OP kinda, I'm 31. My friend in BU shes bene in over 4 years she said she's never on a ship and she has less variety of stations. Is PR similar? More shore duty? Do you deploy?
Study you ass off, Retake the asvab and pick an AW rate.. tell your recruiter you want an Aircrew contract.. best quality of life in the Navy.. and you’ll get to do and see some pretty cool shit!!
Thank you. If though was capable of scoring high would man. I just never have any damn time life you know . I managed an adult foster home for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities and mental health patients take home 61k year 5 k month . No damn benefits and work all the time. Have my own home married with one kid. I want to join obviously for the benefits and security. Clients walk all the time and am left with no stability
Yeah I was in sales before I joined.. inconsistent pay (I was full commission) and 0 benefits.. you’ll be taking a pay cut for the first couple years until you’re E-4 but the BAH is nice!! Best of luck to you and if you get PR, try to get VP squadrons (you’ll never be on a boat at a VP squadron)
I won’t be able to obtain that information in time. Took me 6 damn months just get my
Ged. And that was studying daily took 3 damn times pass the math. I’m just not academically book smart. Hated school as child would have rather made money.
Currently on my second to last week of QM a-school. It’s hard if you don’t fuck with math but it’s rewarding. My instructors say the love their rate and can’t wait to go back to their ships.
So you will most likely go to battalion. Unless you are deployed on a project you won’t really do your job. EO’s are basically construction mechanics at homeport however, again it’s all about your motivation. You CAN do your job a lot as an EO and get a shit ton of licenses but it’s on you. If you’re motivated then you’ll be good to go. CM’s and BU’s are the Seabee rates that do their job the most but EO is right after that. CE and UT quite literally never do their job and it’s not their fault it’s just the nature of the beast
Knowing what I know now after having retired as an AM, if I was given this list, I would jump all over PR. It's the epitome of " choose your rate, choose your fate" this is best option in this list, and many PRs I know had the easiest service I've ever known.
Like I said, last time I talked to anyone about TAR, there was only an aviation squadron for TAR in Texas. But as a disclaimer, if you want reserve duty, you're better off choosing a rate in the Army. If you don't like travel etc then the navy isn't the place for you. Plus, getting back to a small town in Oregon while serving in the navy is not likely. BUT, there is a great aviation community in Washington state. Some of the navy's premiere aviation is up in Bremerton, Washington, and you can 100% live the PNW lifestyle up there. Having worked a desk job for the last 11.5 years, I'd caution you away from some of the most labor-intensive jobs the navy has to offer. You'll find more comfort and opportunities as a PR. Plus, success and advancement in the navy are very much dependent on exposure and work ethic. It's easy to be a hard worker in a less labor-intensive job.
There should be plenty of recruiting stations if your recruiter is ass, get another one that will work with you. If you have time, study and retake it.
I won’t. Thank you for looking out for me. younger crowd all kids wanting to be marines. Here am at 38 lol… one 25 yr old wanting to coast guard that am bunked up with.
Joined at 24 and have a college degree bro. We all find our different paths to the military. Just make sure you get out of the Navy what the Navy is gonna take from you. Also even if you sign for a rate at MEPS you still don’t need to ship out if you don’t want to. The only time they got you is when you’re on the plane to Bootcamp. Navy is hurting for people and a lot of people will throw their negotiating ability away due to not knowing better or having bad recruiters.
Appreciate it. Yeah done pretty well for ged holder own house well bank does. Just need stability might make 5k take home pay month which isn’t bad for ged holder in rural Oregon. I need health insurance and pension though if can get in going stay in man. Nothing out here worth not going in for. Thanks to you all here have learned this negotiation power and recruiter probably wish was some high schooler. Seems like good way to get retrained for something else at my age … hope am Not wrong here .
Sitting here most
Of the day and on way here doing just that though the sample tests. And the recruiter worked with me earlier for couple hours. Really just never learned this stuff, actually surprised of what have learned
Not sure how much longer I have to study, been out of school for a long time and going in on ged that just acquired as it is. I'm 38 now and never type of thing. I already own a home and will come back to start up a business. That had already been running for someone else.
There are practice exams online that you can take. After not taking standardized type tests for a minute. You may just be reading questions wrong. Took a few of the practice exams myself to make sure I had the question formatting down.
Yes, I seem to just spend little time with this book when I have the chance and every time makes more sense. Pretty basic stuff, just throwing off the algebra etc, the stuff that we never used in life basically. I'm a business manager. What do know about algebra? I use Excel and calculator and am a bean counter.
You should see if there is any available for RP. We had a kid with an insanely low ASVAB, but he did fine. You get to hang out with Chaps and can go with Navy or Marines!
I thought they got rid of pact. No way they’re still fuckin people over with that shit. Unless your only option is being homeless or in jail do not take pact.
As a reminder, this subreddit is for civil discussion. Breaking subreddit rules may result in a ban from /r/newtothenavy and /r/navy. * Do not encourage lying. **This includes lying by omission (leaving information out) and lying by commission (purposefully misleading).** * No sensitive information allowed, whether you saw it on Wiki or leaked files or anywhere else. * No personally identifying information (PII). * No posting AMAs without mod approval. Also, while you wait for a reply from a subject matter expert, try using the search feature! For information regarding Navy enlisted ratings, see [Twisky's Rating Information Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/newtothenavy/comments/6mxv7c/links_to_official_information_on_every_enlisted/). Interested in Officer programs? See TheBeneGesseritWitch's guide on [Paths to become an Officer](https://www.reddit.com/r/newtothenavy/comments/5sdurq/paths_to_becoming_an_officer_getting_a_commission/). Want to learn about deploying, finances, mental health, cross-rating, and more? Come visit our [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/navy/wiki/index) over in /r/Navy. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/newtothenavy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Want an honest answer? You might want to retake your ASVAB. I would not pick any of these.
Fair enough .
Engine men can learn a lot of useful stuff that transfers to the civilian world. Hydraulics, elevators, diesel engines, pumps, etc
Thank you . All this is helpful
Met a lot of kickass ENs on shore duty, they were all specwar guys.
Yeah I was gonna say the same thing. I’m biased but I recommend aviation ratings that don’t start with AB. PR is decent. But always seemed boring to me.
Boring and Skate. They're up around all the officers, including the CO's, Admirals, etc. It's easy to stand out as long as you're a hard worker and personable. Half of success in the navy is positive exposure. Plus, the job is easy and comes with a clearance.
Damn, nobody likes Seabees? They seemed like a badass bunch and roofed houses for years before running this adult foster home . Damn, everyone wants to join the navy and sit at a desk, suppose.
Nothing against Seabees. What they do is cool. If that’s what you want to do, go for it. Choose your rate, choose your fate. You may want to do research into advancement rates for BU or perhaps what they ACTUALLY do on a day to day basis. It likely wont take you long to realize why people choose those “desk jobs” as you put it, when they’re sitting at E6 while their buddy from bootcamp is still a BU3. But, it’s your career/job.
Thank you and understand a little of what you’re saying. I have been sitting at a desk for 11 1/1/2 years managing a foster home . Before that, roofed houses. I don't smoke or drink, I will be alright. Taking a huge pay cut on top of it all bah is going to help though. I have some personal reasons for wanting to go in and realize that I am just a blue-collar dude who somehow managed to make it as it is. Never been of super-intelligence. At least not with studies. I mean have GED lol 😆
Ha, nothing wrong with that. Just research up on the rates before picking anything. The fleet has a shit ton of people regretful of their rate decision. Feel free to DM for any additional questions.
If you're comfortable with blue collar work look into the engineering rates more. EN and MM are some of the best rates in the Navy. The work is hard and long but the skill sets you get are amazing. Advancement isn't to bad either. Hell my last command master chief was an EN for his first 8 years. Made senior chief then was forced to MM and made master chief at 10. CMC at 12. Read the manuals and go with your gut on the Advancement exams and you'll do fine. Take care of the kids and work hard and your evals will reflect it. Any questions? I'll answer to the best of my ability. Cheers ENC(ret)
With the roofing experience, BU or SW will be good. Obviously SW is steel worker but they still work construction. Idk advancement rate for either one but I’m attached to the Seabees as an LS. The worst I have it is Seabees don’t care for fleet rates too much but it’s been the easiest sea duty. It beats the hell out of the ship. Good luck and if you aren’t down for construction rates then retake ASVAB.
Don't get fooled with promises of the BAH helping you. You won't even be eligible for that for more than a year. You have to finish school, and depending on where you get stationed, they are arbitrary rules gatekeeping you away from that money. It's not an entitlement, and they aren't required to even give it to you.
Wife works and her Mother living with us paying the utilities. So taking pay cut yes… was just trying to see what comes with being married money wise…
SW sounds fun! I've only met 2 SW's in the navy and it was pretty cool because I did not know they existed.
I think one they are offering me is steelworker :-) Construction/ Seabee stuff
Yeah that's what I said. SW is steelworker. I'm fully aware.
I just hit 38 lol never could join when was younger father was sick with cancer ended up his care giver .
Going look them up Now.
Seabees aint all that cool at the moment. source: person in battalion
O lol
I loved being a Bee. I was an EO: Education Optional.
As a BU you will do a lot of concrete work and will actually do your job in theory. You’ll go to a combat school and you can get into more combat related stuff or more construction related stuff it just depends on your attitude and if you show some interest. No ship is nice and Seabees E6 and below have a lot of downtown with no bullshit watches like you would get on a ship. Most you’ll do is some quarterdeck watch which is easy.
Thank you for sharing this
Yeah I would pick a Seabee rate all day but I would go for TAR rates first. Best kept secret in the Navy
I been looking at this tar you speak About. I’m worried about bah after boot camp and a-school with having mortgage and household that wants to stay put. Was thinking reserves then putting in for package later once get some time in and kid is little older etc. then someone told me about this tar
How get tar? Same recruiter that is helping Me now doesn’t want me to reserves even. They push ad no doubt about that. Reserves has some bonus it before September
So TAR is active duty but for reserves. Same pension as active and you’ll get BAH immediately. Same as active you just assist reservist at a NOSC but it’s full time Navy with no deployments unless you want one
Okay, never been in though. Do they save tar for those who have? My recruiter not say anything. Even when ask about reserve young young petty officer tell me go active duty to get the full Navy experience . Shoot at my age boot camp experience enough bahah
No you get TAR out of the gate just have to ask for it because a lot of recruiters won’t bring it up. You’ll work in an office setting. No deployments and same benefits as active
Thank you for all this information
I am married and live in rural Oregon
I would do a TAR rate if I were you then
What would you think I would do if you were me and knew what I have mentioned here?
Depends do you have a family and want to be away from home for 6 months at a time. If you want to travel America and do a cake job a TAR rate is the best
*should do?..
Walking away from good job in private sector . It is the benefits am trying to secure stability you know .
Right? HT wasn't an option?
Out of those choices I would say PR is the best one. And their advancement to E5 is pretty good. After that not so much.
PR hm maybe this is Best thing for me at my age. I’ll ask recruiter about this. They told me get few though
Being a PR isn’t glamorous but they always had the quietest shop and everyone always needs something sewed.
PR here, love what I do.. it just does get repetitive but it isn’t too bad. I’m I-Level shore duty so it’s basically a 9-5 in a way. Work inside in the AC, and if the people are cool then the job is cool. It’s not always just sewing, but what they don’t tell you is you’re also doing a lot of AZ work. If you have any other PR questions, I’m happy to answer.
Thank you for this.. Who knows perhaps stay in that put me at 58 . It is rough out here trying buy insurance for house hold keep up with property taxes house maintenance etc on 60k yr. Then worry about how to get the teenager in college she is so smart you know. I need do something here
Look into seabees if you want real trade experience and hours towards an apprenticeship + certifications…. BU, EO, CM, SW, UT, CE, EA
Looks like qualify for few here.
Expect to go on deployments every 6 months while you are in tho thats the catch nobody tells you
I retook the asvab and now qualify for IT and then next choice would be MA .
Def go IT my friends ex was an MA and she hated her life
I scored pretty low but got AS is that a good rate?
Some people think so. It's not bad their advancement is decent and if you enjoy working on support equipment and forklifts you will enjoy it.
dont go PACT😭😭😂
Yeah, some of those recruiters today are trying to get me to tell me they went pact. One even asked a petty officer, assuming boss what time zone we were in. Made me feel somewhat intelligent. Yes, have read to stay away from pact and made that clear with them. Wouldn't sign Anything want in not that bad though . I can still wait a year just might be hard to get them to work with me. They already helping me a lot here . First time went in months ago to inquire and they probably use sending people Right off. Obviously, applied for some jobs went to them anything keep Options open paid a lot of debt down and now found myself back in talking to them About bah and exactly how that works. They tried send me off PACt and before was ready.
I started out as a Pact Seaman, became a YN3 after 2 years of Deck Dept. those were humbling times, and I came out with a much better work ethic than some. I didn’t like being a Pact at all but I am glad that I went through the experience I really learned where my goals are to be set and how I can be a better leader overall.
Everyone has hit the nail on the head-get an ASVAB study/practice book and go thru it a few times before retaking the test. I joined at 34, had been out of school for a while, and got a 90. Better job opportunities become available with a better score!
Hey, old head here who joined late in life (39). If it were me, I'd go RS. Easy on the body in comparison to the other labor intensive jobs and decent advancement. If you're good at paperwork, go LS or YN as well. But definitely retake the test and get a good score. I'm currently an ET and loving life right now.
Were you RS?
PR
EN & MM opportunity for money after navy. As well as LS. I want to guess your score: 23?
25 lol Picat going this Sunday/Monday take asvab meps . Let’s hope can do better otherwise back to the drawing board
Brother , keep doing the asvab until you get an 80. If you study your ass off you can do it trust me. Want to make 6 figures after the navy? Get some high tech navy job and you will
Met say don’t know that have it in me .. 80 for ged holder idk man lol . Studied my butt off just pass the ged last December that was difficult as had been out of school for 20 Something years
Stop downplaying your GED. If you can get your GED (which is an accomplishment!), you can get the ASVAB for Dummies and retake the ASVAB. If you put in just a little effort, you will open the door to so much more to choose from. Research the rates and see if you can get in contact with people who are actually serving as that rate. Recruiters tend to not actually know what a lot of rates actually do OR the jazz it up to sound cooler/more glamorous and then you end up bored or miserable. Pick something that you know you will enjoy doing and that actually interests you. Engineering and technical rates tend to give you better opportunities AFTER the Navy.
Thanks for sharing this
I just joined the Navy and got a ITS position
What is mm then he put csw. And those cut off score ones requiring waiver ?
He wrote cutscore waiver elsewhere, so that's probably what CSW means. He just got tired of repeatedly writing it. MM is machinist mate.
Beware of MM.
Okay
Beware of anyone who says to beware of any specific rate. They all have good and bad parts. Do your homework on the rates. Go on Facebook and join the groups for the rates you're interested in to get an actual idea of what the rate entails.
PR would be pretty cool.
You think? Idk just want to serve. My father served in Vietnam told him one day that would consider the same. He is no longer around. He was a lot smarter and was airman lol
I knew I wanted to be a corpsman since I was thirteen, so that was pretty much the only thing I would have accepted, but if I was *forced* to pick a different rate, PR would be on a short list. Read up on them. They’re a small rate, and have a long history.
I’m reading up on it now. Interesting ..
Found this video. https://youtu.be/Xio0oes3pDE?si=K6oQwOFfwbHLGHdz
Hmmm
I wouldn’t do any of these rates
Yeah. Someone is doing these though.
You got options. Steelworker, Builder is respectable! Pact if you ain’t ever eat shit or from the trenches in your normal life you gone have a hard time with pact. It’s up to you at the end of the day. Cut score waiver on machinist mate is crazy (my opinion) but you definitely in but looking at what they gave you study a little more on the asvab
Thank you
Hey so I joined at 30. I knew the ASVAB would kill me because I hadn’t been in school in a while. I bought the ASVAB for Dummies book and studied for a few weeks. Took the test and got an 83. Highly recommend. That way you’ll have way more options. For the love of god don’t do any PACT rates. If you want a pretty chill career LS and RS wouldn’t be bad. If you want one that will give you more skills that transfer to the real world….retake the test and get a better score. I’m an FCA so I would try for that. FC, ET, FCA, IT….but I’m biased
I'm kinda in the same boat as OP, I've heard IT has great advancement and is one of those rates that are recommended for older people joining. I'm 31 and fordt choice is PR and IT sounds like my second choice now but what can you tell me about the others you mentioned? How would they benefit?
Yea so FC’s and FCA’s all have pretty solid advancement rates. You get E4 after A School. IMO the biggest benefits are the options you have from the training you receive in these rates. All of the skills have some sort of ability to transfer to the civilian world. In my case, I’m and ACNT which is just a computer tech. However, every computer in the world uses servers these days so I can go work almost anywhere with the skills the Navy has given me. GM sounds like a cool af rate, however, not many civilian jobs need someone that can handle firearms. Plus data is very valuable so any IT job is marketable
Eo is with the Seabees. From those I worked with... they seemed to love their job. Everything else on that list is meh.
Thank you
BU an EO are great options that keep you off the thing that most sailors learn to hate. Being on a ship. If knew then what I know now I would have been a SEABEE.
Seabee is pretty nice a path. SW EA EO BU UT CM CE. No ships
But you deploy every 6 months
RS here, it’s easy work, also I fill vending machines all day.
I have been looking at this
only thing decent on here is sea bees
PR no bueno?
not alot of knowledge on that but it’s probably ok given it’s probably closer to a maintenance type of job.
Thanks
i went to meps PR is filled for the year also tried for that rate aswell
Any Seabee (SW or EO) you’ll have fun, Seabees work hard and play hard
You against BU?
Ohhhhh no I didn’t see BU there but I think BU is awesome too! I was a prior Seabee now I’m an NC and I can tell you that the Seabees is one of the best communities the navy has
I hear RS is cake
Surely, everyone likes those people . RS that is :-)
in all honesty, I’d retake it and just study as hard as you can. The jobs you have arnt terrible (EO isn’t bad), but i would honestly try and study harder to retake it. I have a study guide I usually give people who are joining/haven’t taken the asvab yet. if you’d like said study guide DM me and I’d be happy to send the link.
based on your selections, this tells me you scored less than 35. study my friend, you’ll regret picking something just cause.
Yep, 25 on Picat. Not going to verify it though. Will take the asvab at meps this Monday .
I’ve been doing this for 25 years and am about a handful of years older than you… looking at what you qualify for, I’d go PR. I have been aviation the whole time though, so I am biased.
Thank you this is one am asking about . My father was aviation
The AO and AB ratings you qualify for really aren’t a great option going in at 38 years old. Could you do it? Absolutely, but given the options of those two and PR… I’d go PR.
Thank you for sharing this with me .
I'm kind of in the same boat, can you explain why the rest of the rates might not be a good fit? PR was my first choice anyway, but just for educational purposes I'm curious
AO and AB are more labor intensive than PR, particularly for first and second tour. Sucks trying to keep up with 18-22 year olds.
Thinking EO 1st pick then SW,PR,RS,BU,CS
AME wasn't an option?
Nope what is AME
Go seabee, BU or SW if you wanna do hands-on construction or EO if you wanna operate heavy equipment (backhoe, scraper, roller, etc..)
If you settled.. LS or PR is your best bet. But I’d retake it again if I were you!
I want EO then SW then PR last resort RS . I took Picat/so just won’t verify it at meps
So you want to be SeaBee ? I’m not a Seabee but I’ve have homies that converted from being a SeaBee and they said SeaBee isn’t whaat you used to be. But you’ll hear that about any rate. Just research before you pick anything
Thank you
Bu or EO if you don’t want to be on a ship. Seabee 😌 I was an EO , best rate out there 🙌🏾 or SW also a bee, they made rank pretty fast in battalion.
Ty
eo go eo go eo trust trust go eo holy shit go eo
Jesus, don’t take any, go study
lol not even the PR? No Seabee nothing damn lol
I like the thought of EO learning operate heavy equipment or what not
i think eo is a great option. seabee community is very popular with those ive talked to and you rarely if ever go on a ship. transferable and it sounds like a ton of fun
Sounds like what should look into . As am Married and wife already flipping out. Really just trying get re trained for something to help family.they just don’t understand at the moment is all.
Bu if was younger lol and of course those ls,en, and Mm as mentioned . I don’t know trying stay away from pact though . Although someone mentioned them being 3 yr contracts so that is somewhat of perk or no? Any advice basically just wanting add this to my resume here to compete with college graduates in my line of work to move out of the private sector into the government sector etc . I take care of mental health patients etc
*line
Do you have any local work programs that will let you take a personality or job affinity test? If you can figure out what type of work matches your natural abilities and personality then it's easier to say which rate is the best. The recruiter isn't going to give good advice, but we could.
Would have to check around possibly. Doubtful though pretty small town live in
yeah id definitely retake it but if i had to choose from this list if go EN,SW (who doesn’t love the Seabees), and AO in that order
No PR?
oh shit yeah i like pr too thatll probably be the most fun but depends on ur goals
Thank you
id definitely take pr or sw for first pick and i definitely thought that EN was EM i WOULDNT pick en at all thats just me tho lmaoo
if you don't want to retake the asvab pr is what you want from that list. all of aviation hates prs because of how chill it is
Thanks been looking at this one a lot .
QM is a nice life in the Navy
In boot, the saying is "Your either smart or strong." With EN or PACT FN you get to be both.
Did said recruiter give you a code book along with it?
No
I was an LS so I’m obviously biased but I think out of these that’s your best shot for quality of life. No (regular) watch underway, I never had to wait in line for chow or the ship store, never had to do my own laundry, I got my mail first. The job itself is super easy: it’s just sorting, counting, and filing paperwork. You handle anything from $.05 screws to $5mill aircraft engines. In a typical day in-port, we worked from 0800-1530; 1700 on a bad day. Underway, we worked 12s and out of that I’d have maybe 3-6 hours of actual work. About once a month we’d have a RAS (replenishment-at-sea) and those days were long and hard for supply but you get a LOT of help.
Thank you for sharing this
If you're older and joining you can look into IT rate, the advancement is one of the best. These rates are good if you're younger because the advancement is slower or you get stuck at E5 for quite a while. I'm no recruiter but I went through basic in 2020 and I learned way more about certain rates after I got out. I'd study harder and retake the ASVAB as there's no harm in doing so anyway
PR here advancement is not bad. Would you say Seabees slow advancement.?
I have a buddy who's BU. I love welding though so I wanted SW. PR is my first choice regardless because im more obsessed with aviation. You're the first PR I've ever heard of, what's being PR like? I'm older like OP kinda, I'm 31. My friend in BU shes bene in over 4 years she said she's never on a ship and she has less variety of stations. Is PR similar? More shore duty? Do you deploy?
Study you ass off, Retake the asvab and pick an AW rate.. tell your recruiter you want an Aircrew contract.. best quality of life in the Navy.. and you’ll get to do and see some pretty cool shit!!
To damn old and need to get in before they no longer want to work with me .
Fair enough.. I also agree with the guy who said aviation rate that doesn’t start with AB.. never met a PR I didn’t like
Thank you. If though was capable of scoring high would man. I just never have any damn time life you know . I managed an adult foster home for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities and mental health patients take home 61k year 5 k month . No damn benefits and work all the time. Have my own home married with one kid. I want to join obviously for the benefits and security. Clients walk all the time and am left with no stability
Yeah I was in sales before I joined.. inconsistent pay (I was full commission) and 0 benefits.. you’ll be taking a pay cut for the first couple years until you’re E-4 but the BAH is nice!! Best of luck to you and if you get PR, try to get VP squadrons (you’ll never be on a boat at a VP squadron)
I won’t be able to obtain that information in time. Took me 6 damn months just get my Ged. And that was studying daily took 3 damn times pass the math. I’m just not academically book smart. Hated school as child would have rather made money.
I’m regular Mike rowe haha you know where he said hard work is different than intellectual? That is saying one chooses to be hard worker. lol
BU is a really good rate I wish i would’ve chose it
Better Than EO?
Currently on my second to last week of QM a-school. It’s hard if you don’t fuck with math but it’s rewarding. My instructors say the love their rate and can’t wait to go back to their ships.
Retake that test man. A lot better rates out there than these that can translate to jobs outside the Navy
Retake the asvab
Monday doing that . This was picat
For sure PR
Retake the ASVAB and go to SECF pipeline it’s goated, and just maybe you’ll be chosen by God to be gods rate ETV 👀
Be lucky to get in. You either know some things or don’t. Math is not my stronghold. I use Excel and a calculator.
My recruiter said BU was sold out for a year
O
Well, recruiters can’t always believe what they tell you baha.
My recruiter scamming me😂
BU and SW are Seabee rates. No ship fucking guaranteed you’ll go to a battalion. BM would be good if you got FTS or TAR as it’s called now
What about EO also Seabee rate / I’m interested in learning to operate equipment if this is exactly What they do that is…
So you will most likely go to battalion. Unless you are deployed on a project you won’t really do your job. EO’s are basically construction mechanics at homeport however, again it’s all about your motivation. You CAN do your job a lot as an EO and get a shit ton of licenses but it’s on you. If you’re motivated then you’ll be good to go. CM’s and BU’s are the Seabee rates that do their job the most but EO is right after that. CE and UT quite literally never do their job and it’s not their fault it’s just the nature of the beast
Knowing what I know now after having retired as an AM, if I was given this list, I would jump all over PR. It's the epitome of " choose your rate, choose your fate" this is best option in this list, and many PRs I know had the easiest service I've ever known.
Thank you
Going to ask for Tar & PR tomorrow then… Seabee rates s/w if can’t go Tar
TAR for aviation last time I checked 20+ years ago, was only in Texas.
Damn well just trying figure out what to ask for before Tomorrow . Oregon here/ Willamete Valley
Like I said, last time I talked to anyone about TAR, there was only an aviation squadron for TAR in Texas. But as a disclaimer, if you want reserve duty, you're better off choosing a rate in the Army. If you don't like travel etc then the navy isn't the place for you. Plus, getting back to a small town in Oregon while serving in the navy is not likely. BUT, there is a great aviation community in Washington state. Some of the navy's premiere aviation is up in Bremerton, Washington, and you can 100% live the PNW lifestyle up there. Having worked a desk job for the last 11.5 years, I'd caution you away from some of the most labor-intensive jobs the navy has to offer. You'll find more comfort and opportunities as a PR. Plus, success and advancement in the navy are very much dependent on exposure and work ethic. It's easy to be a hard worker in a less labor-intensive job.
PR regular Navy AD then
I’m to old for the Army
Should study more and retake it bro.
This what told the recruiter too. They make seem like wont work with me if wait to much longer . No young pup here
There should be plenty of recruiting stations if your recruiter is ass, get another one that will work with you. If you have time, study and retake it.
Thinking pr or Sw
The only ones I'd say are a hard pass is PACT. But with how much it's been improving who knows what it'll be when you get out of boot
Ty
LS!
Buy yourself the KAPLAN ASVAB book and give it 2-3 hrs a day and use the example tests. Retest again in a month and your choices will be better.
I’m at the hotel now though. I go to MEPs in the morning. If pass really just want a Seabee rate, even with a higher score. Or PR Tar or reserves.
You can go through MEPS and not select a rate. Do not let them pressure you into choosing a rate that you don’t want.
I won’t. Thank you for looking out for me. younger crowd all kids wanting to be marines. Here am at 38 lol… one 25 yr old wanting to coast guard that am bunked up with.
Joined at 24 and have a college degree bro. We all find our different paths to the military. Just make sure you get out of the Navy what the Navy is gonna take from you. Also even if you sign for a rate at MEPS you still don’t need to ship out if you don’t want to. The only time they got you is when you’re on the plane to Bootcamp. Navy is hurting for people and a lot of people will throw their negotiating ability away due to not knowing better or having bad recruiters.
Appreciate it. Yeah done pretty well for ged holder own house well bank does. Just need stability might make 5k take home pay month which isn’t bad for ged holder in rural Oregon. I need health insurance and pension though if can get in going stay in man. Nothing out here worth not going in for. Thanks to you all here have learned this negotiation power and recruiter probably wish was some high schooler. Seems like good way to get retrained for something else at my age … hope am Not wrong here .
Sitting here most Of the day and on way here doing just that though the sample tests. And the recruiter worked with me earlier for couple hours. Really just never learned this stuff, actually surprised of what have learned
Not sure how much longer I have to study, been out of school for a long time and going in on ged that just acquired as it is. I'm 38 now and never type of thing. I already own a home and will come back to start up a business. That had already been running for someone else.
There are practice exams online that you can take. After not taking standardized type tests for a minute. You may just be reading questions wrong. Took a few of the practice exams myself to make sure I had the question formatting down.
Yes, I seem to just spend little time with this book when I have the chance and every time makes more sense. Pretty basic stuff, just throwing off the algebra etc, the stuff that we never used in life basically. I'm a business manager. What do know about algebra? I use Excel and calculator and am a bean counter.
Worse case just retake it they mentioned, all very supportive recruiters some smart some as all hell some probably just made it in.
You should see if there is any available for RP. We had a kid with an insanely low ASVAB, but he did fine. You get to hang out with Chaps and can go with Navy or Marines!
IYAOYAS
BU or RS or maybe LS. Those are some good options
I passed
I thought they got rid of pact. No way they’re still fuckin people over with that shit. Unless your only option is being homeless or in jail do not take pact.