EggXpert

im 25 and I want to learn more tech, i live in mobile, alabama. horrible place to get into tech. I would take classes but im a little non motivated because i feel like i will not learn what iw ant to learn and plus grants don't give c**p.  i was thinking about going into the navy to learn more stuff then when I get out get a good tech job. Is this a good idea???

I might be a good idea but it will also depend on your ASVAB score as well on where they want to place you. You might or might not get in to tech right away.

You aren't motivated and you want to get into the Navy?

Dude if you are not motivated forget it. You flunk out of the Navy's tech school and you could end up like a friend of mine fueling aircraft at sea or scrubbing out fuel tanks or even worse stripping off old paint from ships and repainting same.

I thought most sailors have to do that anyway

I dont know ya very well but if they say that you are not motivated at all then there is no use of going in to any branch of the mil.

mrbiggums:

You aren't motivated and you want to get into the Navy?

 

^

 If you're motivated enough to get into the Navy and can actually study with decent rigidity, then the Navy would be a perfect opportunity. On the other hand, what one of the posters above me said is true, and you might not land in a tech-based job directly. The Naval Academy is sort of wishy washy, and they're likely to put you where your original strengths are before they put you somewhere else.

I wouldn't say I am not complete non motivated.  it that I don't believe i will get enough money so i don't try. I don't want to take out a loan.  How much do pell grants give out what 2k a semester. That did ok at a community college but if I go to a university 2k will barley cover anything.  So it is mostly cost of classes

Well you would have to be completely motivated for entering any branch of the armed forces. The fist step is the ASVAB which tell them what jobs you are qualified for. And for any tech job you do have to score high in the Navy.

 

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/l/blafqtscore.htm <--score calc.

take it from a navy vet,if you go into the navy and have no motivation you are asking for the lowest job they got! they will put you where they need you if you don't care or have no drive . they will tell you anything to get you to sign up ! 

yeah bro,,listen to Richone,,he knows,,he scored so low on his test that when he got assigned to his ship,,they gave him a lifejacket with a harness on it,,they attached a line to it and made him swim out front of that carrier and tow it,,,,,,,,,,,,but after 3 years of that he was in great physical shape tho,,,

yeah i know about the asvab and I took it I made a 58.  Im going to do some practice test and hope to take it again.

58 is not too bad but for what you want you have to score at least a 80 or higher. And it can be done.

Okay.. ASVAB + 58 GT score = lots of menial jobs in the Navy.

You want a Technical Job, shoot for a 80-100GT score on your ASVAB. 

Morrison1002,

     Army vet here, but the ASVAB is the same test for all services. You need to have an initial cut score of 85+ to get your choice in the tech jobs. I cut a 97 and ended up as an MP...lol It was a fun job, but they did not let me stay there long. Ended up in air defense and working on those systems and radars. Pretty cool. You will not get the type of education you will form a college though. You are not going to be programming, things like that if that is the route you are wanting to go. To do those types of jobs most of the military uses DOD civilians, but to get in to one of those jobs you have to have at a minimum a BS degree to even apply. Take it from there. You can get some good experience, money for school later, but you will undoubtly will end up on a ship at sea for 6 month deployments. Somthing to consider if you dont have your sea legs yet...lol I know quite a few bubble heads, if your into mechanical things and cut high enough you could get an invitation to Nuke power school, do that and your set for life. Good Luck mano!

My brother went to Navy after school - he was already pretty high in class regarding tech, so he ppretty much aced the placement. And  barely made it into the sectoor he wanted   BTW, first couple months of boot camp is gonna test your motivation something awful.    He had a 6 year contract, some of which he spent in a tech school in Chicago, some working on a base in VA, and the rest sailing - including a year in Persian Gulf.  (You can get killed there, you know)  His primary specialty is communications, almost all of it computer stuff.  But he still had to scrub decks occasionally, too.

Not, no meaning to discourage, but at 58 score and at age 25...   you are going to be competing against 18-year-olds fresh out of high school with all the tech stuff they learned in there still fresh in the memory.   You aren't the only one seeing Navy as a good opportunity to get ahead without having to pay tuition.   If you wanna have a chance in hell vs those guys, you better motivate yourself to some serious study.   That test just gets your foot in the door - if you study just for that and flunk any of the subsequents, out you are.

I can't give you advice about the Navy, but something that might give you a little better idea is the PBS program "Carrier".  Check it out. You can find it in most libraries now.

I think Richone hit the nail on the head.   If you are not motivated you will not be successful in any endeavor.

Personally, I was tired of school and I had a low draft number so I decided to enlist....guaranteed job ...yada yada.  Unfortunately a month before I got on the bus I was in a car accident....and immediately got a DD214 in the mail.   Ended up going to college, despite my dislike for school. 

I wanted tech, but my ASVAB said I should be a desk jockey.  

Do some soul searching....but don't sell your soul.   As my grandpa used to say "there is no free lunch".

That's my 2 cents.

So you want to gain more technical knowledge but you're not sure if you'll learn what you want to learn in college? You'll end up learning a lot of things you don't want to learn in the Navy as well. If you take the Navy route, you'll still have to go to school to get a real degree. A few technical courses from the military won't fly much in the job market. Experience is great buy you still need the depth of knowledge.

If money is an issue, get a different job or a second job. I work at UPS in montgomery, AL in the mornings from 4-9. They provide me with full benefits, the job is easy, and they give me up to $1,500 a semester for school. The $2,000 from your pell grant and $1,500 from UPS would be enough each semester for you to attend a decent school in Alabama.

 The military is a great career opportunity if you're willing to get what you can out of it. Joining a branch of the military for a bit of technical training won't get you very far unless you stay in that branch persue something more. Getting a degree and becoming an officer would be great but it sounds like you really have no idea what you want to do with your life. That WANT you expressed should be your motivation.

No idea that United Package Smashers pays some of your college tuition. I'm going to have to check them out sometimes

Another thought....if you do go to college....start out at a good Junior College...one that has a program with a state university where you can transfer your credits.   That's what my son did....you can get your first two years in and transfer 95% of your credits.   Usually JC is closer to home too....and a heck of a lot cheaper.

I always thought people were joking about stuff like United Package Smasher stuff before I started working there. I must say we mistreat packages left and right. Anything we can carry with one hand, gets throw. We step on whatever is in our way instead of going around it. We often place heavy packages on not so heavy packages. I sometimes don't like the thought of my personal packages going through the system but I enjoy getting my packages at 8 am instead of in the afternoons.

 Part-time employees get up to $1,500 a semester and no more than $3,000 a year. I believe part-time supervisors get $2,000 a semester no more than $4,000 a year. Regular part-time people like myself get free benefits though. After 3 months I had full medical, dental, and vision.

I joined the Navy in the spring of 1968 because I had been sent for a pre induction physical.  Since the military is all volunteer now they will probably offer an enlistment incentive of some kind.  I don't know what is currently being offered since I retired in 1992 after 24+ fun primarily poking holes in the ocean on a ballistic missile submarine.  I got a year of tech (electronics and missile fire control) before I went to my first submarine.  My first job on the sub was painting the inside of a depth control tank with rust preventative but it got better fast.  Each Navy command has an Educational Services Officer whose job is to assist those interested in further education find the means to meet their goals.  I had a turn at the ESO job and I will assure you that the Navy will be very supportive to anyone with a genuine desire to further their education.

It's a tough call regarding education, because at 25, you've got a late start. Regardless of what the Navy trains you to do in IT, most employers will require at the minimum a 4 year BS/BA to move into any of the more interesting jobs. I haven't seen a job outside of support and low-level admins that don't require a degree, and once you get there, you won't move anywhere until you attain one. The majority of govt work is also outsourced to private contractors, which provide the same stipulations.

The only moneymaker of a benefit going into the Navy might provide is a security clearance, but that is only if you need it based on your role. Anymore, the number of civilian employers saying that they want a certain clearance level "attainable" (you guarantee that if they sponsor you, your record is clean and you will get it... though you will be terminated if you fail) has plummeted, because of the expense of the sponsorship. What they're asking for now is currently held clearances. Typically at the minimum Top Secret, if not TS/SCI...

The other caveat is if you look on Dice, higher level jobs also require experience (and I mean years of it). So even if you skip the Navy and go straight to college, once you graduate you won't have any experience and will be piped to an entry level. Experience the Navy would give you, but not the education.

The one good thing is you can cover the cost of college with federal loans (the rates are decent) and grants. There are many different types of loans and grants available, not just the one grant you specified. IE: Don't give up. Also, as long as you take your time and keep a reasonable classload, there's nothing saying you can't work while in college, either.

Unfortunately, as you can see it is a clear toss-up... Any way you look at it, it's gonna be an investment of more than 4 years of time. With the economy/job market the way it is, there're no guarantees unfortunately. Had you been inquiring in the mid 90s or even earlier this decade, it would be a completely different story! The only guarantee in this market is if you have a degree or two, 10+ years of experience and a TS/SCI w/ Full Scope Poly & Lifestyle.