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Post by chrislydman on Jul 1, 2009 17:20:45 GMT -5
What John said...Good advice to go 'car shopping' BEFORE you go to the dealer ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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Post by Johnny Edwards on Jul 2, 2009 14:11:48 GMT -5
Well I know what jobs I will settle for the recruiter was telling me to be open an I had already talked to every single branch like 4 times lol except the air force just never really had an interest in the air force for some reason. I will have to wait an see what they offer me at MEPs if they don't offer something I want i'll hold out till something I want opens up.
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Post by Johnny Edwards on Jul 2, 2009 14:40:36 GMT -5
I've pretty much picked I wanna try an get ET or something in Aviation.
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Post by Johnny Edwards on Jul 2, 2009 15:34:56 GMT -5
Anybody know anything about the Electronics Technicians?
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Post by John Wilson on Jul 2, 2009 16:15:03 GMT -5
ET is a good rating.
First you'll go to boot camp, of course. You live in North Carolina so you'll be going to Great Lakes, Illinois for that. After boot camp you will go to what the Navy calls "A School". You'll go to A School in Great Lakes, too. ET A school is probably about 16 weeks long, but I could be wrong. I went to a different version of that school and it was a long time ago.
ET A School is broken into sections. You'll go through BEE (Basic Electricity and Electronics) where you'll do LOTS AND LOTS of math because, well, electricity is all math and physics. Then you'll get into solid state, then integrated circuits and troubleshooting.
The good news is that ET is not an ass-busting job. On a ship, ETs have their repair shop where you repair circuit boards and sensitive electronic equipment. I could be wrong about this, but I thought that Radio technicians and Fire Control technicians (not firefighters, these guys repair missile control systems) got merged with ETs.
At any rate, you'll likely be in the air conditioning a lot of the time. ET is a highly technical job. The school is very hard but the job is not physically hard.
Be prepared- everyone in the Navy is a full time janitor! I don't care what you do for a job, you will clean, clean, clean and then clean some more. You could eat off the deck plates in my engine rooms. The Navy is big on clean.
The way life at sea works is this: You have your job, then you have what is called your 'watch station'. You stand two 4-hour watches per day on top of your regular work day. As an ET you could be in CIC (Combat Information Center) which is where the ships combat systems are located. When you watch a war flick and a bunch of guys are sitting in a dark room monitoring radar scopes and plotting targets, that is CIC. In port your watch station will probably be the quarterdeck where you stand there and make sure no strangers come on board.
ETs have about the best quality of life on a ship.
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Post by Johnny Edwards on Jul 2, 2009 16:41:55 GMT -5
Thats what I had when I was first depped in AECF with gauranteed E4 outta A-school wish I woulda took it when I was depped in last an not made stupid decisions.
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Post by John Wilson on Jul 2, 2009 18:01:27 GMT -5
Worst thing you can go is be in a hurry. If you qualified for ET before you still qualify now. The recruiter doesn't determine what you get and neither does MEPS. You possibly might miss out on some special offer such as enlistment bonus or guaranteed rank, but don't sweat it. Advancement is fast in the Navy unless you choose a job that is way overpopulated or some tiny rate with fifty people in it. (Think musician). Yes, the Navy has Musicians.
Two things to consider: do you plan to do a tour and get out or do you plan to do thirty years? If you plan to do one tour and get out then pick a job where you'll come out if ready to make some money. That means the job will be bust-ass but you'll learn a lot and get great experience.
If you plan to stay in for thirty years get a job you'll enjoy doing for thirty years that will be exciting and you won't work like a slave.
Example: Four years only: Electrician's Mate. HT (welder). Avionics Technician. (airplane electronics). Get out and make some real money.
Thirty years: Photographer. ET. Quartermaster (Navigation). Parachute Rigger. IS (Intelligence Specialist). The best job I ever saw was a guy I knew in Guantanamo Bay. He was the radio station DJ. I can't remember what the rating is called.
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Post by chrislydman on Jul 2, 2009 18:25:28 GMT -5
I know what the rating WASN'T called......MM ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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Post by Aaron Blevins on Jul 2, 2009 20:54:18 GMT -5
Johnny, I got admit. I really did not know much about ETs, until John broke it down on here. Sounds like a great gig.
You would not want to do my job if you think that ET type environment is what you are looking for. I'm an Airframer (AM) Aviation Structural Mechanic. HORRIBLE advancement. I just made 1st Class off March cycle @ 3.4% advancement. 1200 people took the test, 32 of us advanced. Aviation jobs are all locked up.
There is a thing called PTS (Perform To Serve) and they are kicking out everyone who is not a top sailor. MP evals will no longer get you by in aviation. Almost all aviation ratings are CREO 3. Meaning: OVERMANNED.......=poor advancement.
Shop around for sure. If you would like a similar job in aviation, with a more cush job and more oppurtunities on the outside....i would suggest....IT (Information Systems Technician)...endless oppurtunities for higher paying jobs when you get out...or maybe AT (Aviation Electronics Technician).......Avionics=LOTS & LOTS of training and high paying job oppurtunities when you get out. BOTH.....cush jobs
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Post by John Wilson on Jul 3, 2009 6:10:32 GMT -5
What Aaron said.
Man, I had no idea aviation was as locked up as that. Congratulation on making 1st Class bud. Those were not good odds. You must have smoked the test.
There are two ways to look at a cush job. I'm like Aaron. I like to work because I'm wierd like that. A job like ET would drive me to suicide. I'd rather stick a sharp object in my eye than run out of books on a Med cruise. Busting your hump makes the day go by a whole lot faster.
I was not born to be a professional watch-stander. Some people are, though.
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Post by Johnny Edwards on Jul 3, 2009 10:28:30 GMT -5
I like working too I am a physical type person, my favorite job ever was doing landscaping. But I also like the other kinda work too an the ET catches my interest alot. Thanks for letting me know about aviation being like that Aaron so that way might not be my best route to take i'll just have to see what jobs they are offering at MEPS when I go.
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Post by Bob Paradis on Jul 3, 2009 10:36:16 GMT -5
Is your girlfriend OK with you going into the service?
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Post by Johnny Edwards on Jul 3, 2009 10:39:55 GMT -5
Sorta kinda.
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Post by Bob Paradis on Jul 3, 2009 10:51:32 GMT -5
Well, if your looking at the long term, it could help you down the road with better paying jobs. Tough choice though.
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Post by Johnny Edwards on Jul 3, 2009 15:20:51 GMT -5
Tell me about it if I wanna go I need to go now rather than later though.
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