Hey, my name’s Maurice. I’ve been through some shit in my life, and there isn’t much I could do about some of it. People get dealt different hands, and you gotta make the most of it. I know that. I want to be a better person and better myself, and I’ve been thinking about going into the Navy, mainly for IT. I love dealing with computers. I’m not great at it, but I know a lot about PCs and networks.

What I want to know is how hard it is to get in for IT. I don’t fully understand the process. I know they said we take the ASVAB and that decides if you can go in or not. I’ll be honest with you, I hate tests, always have. On top of that, I have a reading disability. It doesn’t affect me too much day-to-day because there are ways around it, like text-to-speech. Same goes for math I normally just use a calculator, a program, or even an LLM depending on what I’m working on. When I went to the recruiter and took their practice test, I got a 5. I forgot to mention I’m 27. I didn’t understand a lot of it and I felt so dumb. That’s unreal because I know I’m not stupid I program all the time but holy shit I felt dumb. The math word problems kept fucking me up, and then there were worded questions where half the words I haven’t even heard of, let alone seen someone use before. So I’m like, I’m kinda cooked.

If you have any guides, tips, or resources, please send them my way. I’m even wondering if I’m too old to go in. I’m a little overwhelmed too. I’m about 268, but if you look at me I don’t look it I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve been trying to lose the weight because I really want to go in. The one problem I have with losing weight is I don’t have the discipline to stick to something and keep at it. I can’t. I’m lazy and I hate that about myself. I work I go to work every day doing 10-hour shifts, blue collar, hard labor but when it comes to working on myself, it’s like I can’t do it. I don’t have anyone there to push me. I wish I had someone to force me and make me a better version of myself. I really do feel like the Navy can do that break me, then rebuild me in a way. And I’m not a quitter. Once I’m in, I’m in. There’s no backing out. If you heard about all the shit I’ve been through, you’d see I don’t quit when things get hard. But when it comes to focusing on myself, it’s always me doing stuff for other people and never myself. I just want something I can be proud of for myself, something I can build. So if you have any advice or guides, please send them my way. I know I sound all over the place sorry about that. If you have questions, just let me know.

My husband says one of the chiefs signed the dependents waiver because he has 4 kids and is allowing him to sign up for Navy. He is at MEPS right now and they said they dont have 4 yr IT jobs right now but they have 6 yr IT jobs. They are drawing up the paperwork right now. My husband really wanted a 4 yr contract but is afraid they will rescind his waiver if he waits for a 4 yr contract to become available so he is going for the 6 so he can just sign up today. Is that true? Could they rescind the waiver? Does he risk anything walking away from signing a 6 yr to wait for a 4 yr? Is this the recruiter pressuring him into a 6 yr and showing him there are no slots available for 4 ? What are the pros and cons of 4 vs 6 yr IT contract, is it worth it if the 4 yrs is truly not available?

Hi everyone, I’m going for SNA and I have an upcoming MEPS date and have heard the horror stories regarding the depth perception test. I’m hoping I don’t fail.. but in a worst case scenario are they still allowing external eye exams? Would it lead to a retest at MEPS or would an external review override MEPS?

I’ve also heard of people who failed at MEPS.. then got a “pass” through an external provider and just ended up failing later on in future tests. Any thoughts or advice are welcome. Thanks!

Honestly i am completely shocked with myself, military has been something i always wanted to do but i discouraged myself so bad. I have been walking everyday to build my endurance for running because its been so long running. Lol , struggling with pushups. I know this is going to be a big change for me and I'm excited yet nervous. L

I’m a born and raised floridian so my biggest worry is should i wear a sweater when shipping out i leave november 16th so id assume its safe to say it would be pretty dang cold. I’m usually just a hoodie guy when it gets below 30 here in florida i’d like to say it’s colder but with the winds and icy moisture coming off the great lakes im going to assume it’s awful 😂

I’m thinking of enlisting into the navy, any warning or other advice before I commit to the decision that would make me change my mind. Thank you in advance

I'm starting ocs sometime this summer and I was wondering if I would get singled out for having a tattoo of a ship (an 18th century style sailing ship to be specific). My reasons for wanting one aren't related to the navy at all (I grew up in a harbour village and one of my favorite books deals a lot with ships) but I'm still hesitant because I'm afraid that having a tattoo of one would draw unneccessary attention to myself.

I’m going to bootcamp in about 3 months and I’m curious about taking a leadership position. I want to get promoted as much as possible during bootcamp I think I’d be very willing to take on a job during my time there if it means I have a good chance at it. I only worry about getting one of the jobs that doesn’t have as good of a chance at getting you promoted because I don’t think I’d do well as Yeoman because of my handwriting being horrible, I think I could do great in that job but that’s the only thing that I’ve heard is a no go for Yeoman and I also think RCPO and AROC or even MAA are just too not my bag of worms because I succeed much more in physical work rather than more leading based work. I’m really curious about if you can be promoted from being the person who cleans the head or does laundry or mail because I’d like to take a job just not as long as it’s a big gamble in wether I’d be promoted or not you know.

I’m trying to find resources to study for the dlab stress part assessment but haven’t found any useful except for. Game assessments for 30 dollars for a mouth should I use this to study for the dlab?

Hello all!

While I’ve had my vision waiver approved and I will be heading to boot camp, I do have a question.

All throughout my life whether high school or college, I’ve bad difficulties seeing the board due to my vision. I would always need some form of priority seating ( front row ).

I understand boot camp has some classroom time, are they accommodating to this? I don’t want my eyes that I can’t control be a hindrance when it comes to learning course work.

Thanks for any insight!

hi all! i have two questions today. I leave for bootcamp in 23 days, i’m super excited but i’m also kind of nervous because of where i am physically. I can’t do any pushups, plank for more than maybe 10 seconds on a good day and I run super slowly. I haven’t had much of a chance to go outside to run since where I live it rains just about every evening and it’s way too hot to run during the day so my options are very early morning and very late at night at the park next to my house but it’s dark outside and as a woman that makes me kind of nervous. we do have a treadmill but it’s at a weird incline that can’t be changed and hurts my ankles after a while so i’m not sure if that’s more hurt than it is help. i’ve been doing 2 reps of 10 wall push up, 2 reps of 5-10 second planks, 2 reps of 10 glute bridges, 2 reps of 10 one arm rows, 2 reps of 10 bicep curls and 2 reps of 10 shoulder presses a day. should i be doing this twice a day? maybe more? is there anything else i should be adding to my schedule? i dont have the money for a gym membership or to buy any extra workout gear. its been about a week and i know i wouldnt see any progress but im starting to get quite nervous about being able to do anything physical in bootcamp. i would have started sooner but i came back from meps about a week ago and i was more focused on just trying to pass my asvab before that. does anyone have any tips or advice? is there any way to speed up my progress to be able to even hold a plank for a minute and do a handful of pushups or am i just cooked when i get to basic…. and the question to add onto that which isnt that important, i wear glasses and contacts, will i be able to bring my contacts and just wear them for graduation or should i just stick with the glasses they provide? thanks for any advice. :)

Hello hoping someone can answer my questions about barracks or possible BAH. I’ll be reporting for sea duty attached to a DDG in Norfolk in 2027. “No sailor living afloat” is set to be “completed” by then. Many friends tell me that barracks are at maximum capacity and I see online that E-4s are possibly eligible for either on base housing or BAH. Can anyone at the command advise if this is a real alternative? Or is it more likely that I will be living on the ship and the timeline for no sailor living afloat will simply be extended.

For reference for anyone not aware “No sailor living afloat.” Is a new initiative that basically states junior sailors are no longer going to be required to live on the ship when in home port and instead will be offered barracks or other housing options.
“When our ships are in port, our Sailors should be able to rest, recover, and reconnect in safe and modern housing ashore. Said Adm. Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations.

As the title says, just got the news that I am disqualified for SNA. Reaching out to see if anyone had any advice on what to do now? Feel a little overwhelmed right now and am reaching out for any input on how to deal with this.

I do not mind NFO, I just worry about the job prospects that follow after I get out.

An NFO friend said that because you know the system well the companies who make the systems would like your expertise but that’s also small portion of companies and I’m not sure I want to work on that side of things.
A mentor of mine said that I for sure have NFO so it’d be stupid to try and go for something else and risk getting SWO.

If I wanted to redes I would like to believe that my two tech based degrees (undergrad DS, masters OR) would help me edge out the competition for MCWO, IP, or Intel. I even looked at maybe going for EOD but that seems to not be possible as I don’t have a warfare qualification.

Any and all advice is welcome, even if it’s calling me stupid or whatever. I know it could always be worse and understand that my position in things may piss some people off.

I got I looked at job list and got offered AT, AE, CE, OS,CTT,IC,CTM,AS,YN,ANS,MR,ABE,MA,ABF,ABH,Ic/atf and more surprisingly

Hi all, would love to hear from some current or former SWOs that could help give me some better insight into this.

26 y/o M considering joining the Navy as a SWO. I am drawn to the "Jack of all trades, master of none", instantaneous leadership responsibility aspects, and being able to navigate a ship around the world. I believe I would excel at this position, because I am a natural leader (I didn't like writing that).

The problem is that I had a knee injury and surgery in college over four years ago (patellar dislocation - MPFL reconstruction surgery). While was able to recover and play sports after the surgery, I still get some occasional pain, stiffness, and crunchiness associated with it like going up and down stairs. I was cleared by the doctor at MEPS.

I am not nearly as athletic as I was before my knee injury, I can still run a sub-9 minute 1.5 mile, play pickup basketball, softball, and other sports, referee lacrosse games, and can do a set of single 10-15 single leg squats to a bench on it. I would say I am more athletic than than the average person.

If I am to become a SWO, I do not want to have any knee issues jeopardize my team or my own safety or the mission of the ship as a whole. I understand that I won't be doing SEAL type of stuff as a SWO and the potential range of things I could be doing is very large, but I would love to know from some current or former SWOs, how physically demanding on the knees is the lifestyle? Or the joints as a whole? Would I be setting myself up for failure as a SWO? What was physically the hardest thing you had to do? How often are you doing PRTs? (staying in shape won't be an issue, I love to exercise).

Thanks in advance

Just an odd question and I know this doesn’t mean much for my career in the Navy but I see it as a goal in boot. What do I have to do to get it? Be a stud? Like score Outstanding high? Leadership position? Does anyone have info on this?

Hello, and thanks for any replies in advance.

I had a question regarding the HM NEC manning snapshot, online it says the Field Med Tech role is 124% overmanned

Does that mean after A-School there’s basically no chance of going to FMTB? Should I look towards other branches that might have similar medical roles with more open availability, or am I misinformed on how this chart is supposed to be read?

I spoke to a recruiter a few months ago when I was first considering joining a branch, he’d basically said it depends on different factors and I shouldn’t worry about it this early in the enlistment process.

FWIW I don’t mind working in a clinic, it’s what I do currently, I’d just prefer to fill a role where I can move my body around a bit more.

Thanks in advance for anyone who takes the time to read or reply.

Hey guys I just started my freshman year at university and I’m looking at applying for the BDCP at the end of my sophomore year. I was reading over the specific authorization document (PA 147) and it says no waivers. I just want to confirm that this means if I were to apply I would have to not require a waiver. I’m currently on a single ADHD medication but I function fine without it. I asked a recruiter about this and he said it shouldn’t be a problem for the BDCP, but now I found this and I’m not sure.

Just looking for some clarification/confirmation is all. Thanks!

Hello. I want to do cyber warfare in the Navy, but I don’t have citizenship yet. I am still a green card holder for now. I figure I should get citizenship before enlisting in cyber. However, a navy recruiter told me I can get in the navy, do the training and enlist in the PACT program while my citizenship is underway. Then he said I could get the citizenship within 6 months, then leave the PACT and enlist in cyber warfare and go to A-school. I was also told the navy recruiters would just say anything for you to sign and not care about what happens to you later. That’s why I am here to hear honest answers. I’m a a smart person so I think I will the appropriate asvab score with some preparation. Let’s assume I meet all other requirements for cyber warfare. Now my questions are:

1. If I get the citizenship while doing PACT and we know I need top security clearance to do cyber, am I gonna be stuck in PACT until I get the clearance before going to cyber school?

OR

1. I will get into cyber school with an interim clearance and wait for clearance to be completed before leaving school and be assigned?

And

1. Can I really just leave PACT after 6 months in there(not counting training) and go to Cyber if I can get an interim clearance and meet all other requirements?

I am thinking about joining the Navy after I graduate from high school and getting my associates degree. I am curious what career is the best out of these careers? I am interested in these careers:
1. Aviation Boatswain’s Mate-Aircraft Handling
2. Aviation Machinist’s Mate
3. Aviation Electrician’s Mate
4. Aviation Structural Mechanic
5. Aviation Ordnanceman
6. Aviation Electronics Technician
7. Hospital Corpsman
8. Boatswain’s Mate
9. Culinary Specialist
10. Electronics Technician
11. Fire Controlman
12. Information Systems Technician
13. Logistics Specialist
14. Master-at-Arms
15. Operations Specialist
16. Yeoman
17. Electrician’s Mate
18. Engineman
19. Machinist’s Mate

I had a wavier for reclass to a different rate approved last month, a rate which has a listed bonus. My recruiter confirmed my new ship date and the rate but when I asked about the bonus they said that is processed on my actual ship date. Is this true or can they contact the classifier to get me my new contract sooner? Now the bonus has dropped 5k and I'm worried it will drop further.

I smoked weed in highschool casually, there’s no records about it or anything and i’ve been clean for 7-8 months approx. My references i’m using SHOULD not know about it. My recruiter said im overthinking it and it’s not a big deal as long as you can pass a drug test and have no criminal history tied to it. Idk man. I have a feeling this can fuck me over the future

Hello,

I'm currently in the ISEL pipeline for a pilot slot. I haven't received a ship date yet, but I'm interested in connecting with other people in the navy pilot community (as well as people about to commission, such as myself). I've tried using AirWarriors but I can't stand the UI of that website.

Does anyone have a discord group? Even something for Navy OCS