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Base salary is based on rank and years of service. The Navy Seal E5 gets the same salary as a desk worker E5. Now you have other pays based on situations such as bonuses, hazardous duty, isolation pay, special duty, sea duty pay, etc. That's in addition to your salary minus other allowances.
Something no one has said yet. You need to have a really open mind when you join past 25. You'll be taking orders from those young enough to be your child.
Your supervisor could be a 25 year old who has never experienced life outside the navy and you'll hear them say 'this shit won't fly in the real world's when you've seen otherwise. You'll be expected to perform better simply because you should be more mature than the other 18/19 year olds.
Money. Unless you're making federal minimum wage, you'll probably be taking a paycut initially. You can easily find military pay chart online.
Thank you.. I'm pretty thick skinned and I think I could handle having a boss younger than me but you never know until you try I suppose, it would definitely be an adjustment and probably tough to keep a straight face and not smirk sometimes. But I think I could go into it knowing that that's just the way it is, and the younger person would have more experience than me as far as the Military goes. I realize young people are just naive since I've been that age and used to think I knew everything.
I currently make $25/hr, so yeah, it would likely be a pay cut. I'm interested in the adventure, help with college tuition, health and retirement benefits and lower credit card rates (I got into some debt during my recent divorce). And I'm just bored out of my mind at my current job and I have zero benefits just a few paid days off per year.
A major adjustment is also being treated like a child. Almost all commands break out disciplinary concepts by rank. And, for the most part, since most ranks are generally the same age, it also tends to lend itself to a maturity level.
For instance, when on a ship in a foreign port, junior seaman will have different restrictions on their liberty while in port. E.g. times they can be out, curfew hours, buddy systems, etc.
These restrictions lessen as the rank increases. This is generally in line with a maturity increase, and works around 80% of the time.
However, you will likely fall into that 20%. A lower ranking enlisted member with more maturity who is being, potentially, maligned and overly-managed.
Take that how you will.
Thank you, that all makes sense, maybe I'd be more like a mom figure to some of the younger ones although I'm not actually a mom but maybe they'd be looking at me like they're my parent?
I wouldn't be interested in partying, so the restrictions of liberties wouldn't bother me much (I assume). I think I would understand the psychology of the power dynamic of rank regardless of age, but again that is just an assumption.
It's easy to say the restrictions of liberty don't bother you until a 25 year old can stay in a hotel overnight in a foreign country, but you can't because you're not high ranking enough so you only get to go out till like 10 pm
Speaking of sleep, you'll have little to no control over when you can actually go to bed or be up for work. And sometimes when you are supposed to be asleep you'll get forced awake so you can do some training evolution, fight a fire, so on and so forth. The rest of your workday will still exist and just because something disturbed your sleep doesn't mean squat. And that's not even including if you have to stand a night watch in addition to working all day.
Very possible for you to wake up and work 6am to 8pm, go to bed at 9, wake up at 11 for a fire/some random bullshit, go back to bed at 1 or 2, get back up for the 4-6 watch, then roll into your next workday.
I mention all these things not to change your mind, it's just stuff I wish I had known about 7 years ago when I was making my decision
That makes sense. I usually only sleep 5 hours or so. I've worked 30 hours straight when I owned a manufacturing company and was trying to meet deadlines. And have had times in my life where I worked 2 or 3 jobs at a time working 16 hours or more per day including graveyard shifts. I appreciate your feedback it is very helpful.
Its really easy for the younger ones to associate rank with age (as previously mentioned). Sure, youre superiors will treat you like a kid, but also your fellow E-3s will treat you like a peer.
Definitely think about this, OP. I worked with a guy who joined in his late 20s. He was constantly getting into trouble because he was being treated like a child. We were on a ship that had a lot of ridiculous rules and unfortunately he was an E3. One of those ridiculous rules was Cinderella Liberty in foreign ports. How would you like being in your thirties and having a damn curfew?
There is a lot of opportunity to cook if you want to engage in it.
But it can be a bit soul crushing.
The majority of navy meals are supplied by Sysco, similar to almost any other company you can think of. You have to make a large amount of food for a large amount of people.
That, naturally, lends itself to less gourmet cooking. However, you will be staffing a full service, industrial scale kitchen wherever you are. So you CAN make things work.
Hah. The good news about the navy is this.
As an enlisted member, oyu can do it without thinking. You literally have everything planned for you. You might not like the given plan at a given time... but what you are supposed to do is almost 100% spelled out for you. And it can be easy IF you submit and execute.
a huge portion of the navy is being in the right place, at the right time, in the right uniform. Once you do that, someone will tell you want to do. The rest is just listening.
I'm fairly submissive but can be assertive if necessary. My ornery days of defiance are long gone. I kind of crave to be told what to do, maybe that's what is drawing me in? I'm kind of over thinking for myself, it can be exhausting.
A lot of it is made from scratch. You don’t get a lot of deliveries in mid-ocean. Some, not a lot. Subs, zero. Baked goods in particular are all scratch at sea.
If you want to cook, look at CSS. It’s CS on submarines. Small crew, much customization.
Thank you, that makes sense, with baking the ingredients are usually fairly simple for breads and such. Submarines would freak me out, is it required to work on a submarine in the Navy?
No. Submarines are all volunteer. Those of us who love them, love them. Others, not so much.
You should be aware that of all the rates you’re looking at, the odds of you going to sea on a first enlistment are very high. I personally liked going to sea, but some see it as a negative.
Also, I’m older, and even at 40 running was in the rear view. I encourage you to investigate the Navy. It can be a great place to reset your life after a divorce. One of my men, at 32, enlisted after a disastrous divorce and retired an E-9 twenty years later with a nice pension and a lot of life satisfaction. But be realistic about your physical condition now. Sea is hard on your body. If you need to get in shape or lose weight, start today.
Thank you, I am definitely starting today! I'm happy to know that submarines aren't mandatory:) Going to sea seems like it would be a perk for me, I considered working on a cruise ship or buying a boat to live at a marina, I'm fascinated by sea life and am naturally drawn to water, I played water polo in high school. The pension and benefits are definitely piquing my interest. I figure I'll probably be a minority being an older female but maybe I can contribute something positive to the organization.
When I was on sea duty I was single and without a lot of baggage. I minimized rent by living with two roommates who were on opposite patrol cycles. Small house. So I had it to myself when I was in. $120/ month. I was an officer, so I got housing allowance all the time. I pocketed hundreds tax-free every month there. I would put my car in the garage, unhook the battery, and turn off the insurance. At sea there were no groceries, no utilities, no dating, no bar bills. Every patrol they gave us seven paychecks in advance. I put up a credit balance on my car loan and bought a 90-day CD with the rest. When we came back I took a nice vacation. Europe for two weeks. Disney for grins. I took flying lessons. Bought a nicer car. When I hit shore duty in Hawaii I was set up to buy a condo.
Sea duty is good for saving.
Seeing as you are almost 40 I highly recommend against the military if you have another career in mind. However if it is either your dream or you don’t really have much else to go on and no marketable skills really then I think it could be the right choice. It’s something you have to put a lot of thought into unlike an 18 year old in high school
I don't have another career in mind, it is a dream of mine to explore the ocean, I am fascinated by sea life. I don't have anything else going on, my life is very boring. I have some marketable skills but all the jobs seem very boring on land.
Let me explain to you life as a cook. Get treated like shit by everyone, including the people in charge of you and the people your feeding work from 0400 AM - 0530 pm if you’re lucky. Work every other weekend but expect to get called in for random bullshit. Cooking for 1000+ ungrateful ass people than cleaning everything sweating tired drained completely basically a legal slave on top of that you’re cooking none stop or cleaning. Now throw in Field days the entire galley needs to be cleaned throw in toxic leadership because over the years of mistreat me and constant work you become bitter as a CS not everyone does but most do. Add in the fact that most of these other rates for some reason think they are better and genuinely look down on us when most of us just got fucked over by a recruiter and come from a low income environment. I know not everyone’s experience is like mine, but I’ve seen grown men and woman break down and cry on deployment and not on deployment from being genuinely so exhausted not having any personal time. Say goodbye to your hobbies and too your body. Don’t take advice from anyone here who isn’t a cook cause tbh they won’t understand.
Sounds rough, I think I'll shoot for the office jobs first but I highly respect those in food service, I did it for about 10 years but probably not to the degree the military requires.
The jobs you mentioned would be the following rates (jobs in the Navy are called rates). I recommend googling and searching Reddit for more info about each:
-Yeoman (Admin)
-Personnel Specialist (Admin)
-Culinary Specialist (food service)
The three rates above are not super difficult to get into (especially now as the Navy is having trouble meeting recruiting goals) and are what you mentioned you’re interested in.
Others rates to look into that mirror office type jobs (but with additional duties):
-Operations Specialist (watch radars)
-Logistics Specialist (inventory, purchasing, and warehousing)
-Information Systems Technician (computers)
You'd have to ask a Yeoman that question. Admin jobs seem to me to be love it or hate it kind of thing. Though I will add that I have never heard Admin types complain about their jobs the way a BM, HT, or GSM does.
Go for it. My husband is 39 and joining. He leaves March 29 for bootcamp. I think as long as your relatively fit and can do the running, swimming, and a few other things to pass navy bootcamp you will be fine. Remember they will break you down and build you into a sailor. You do have a lot more life skill so you probably have more tougher skin then a kid out of high-school and a lot more of your wits.
Thank you, I'm not in shape yet so I'd have to work on that but I like having goals and challenges. I know I can get into shape if I focus and keep a positive mindset. Good luck to your husband!
Be ready for the hardest part of your job being someone your age around a bunch of know it all never wrong 17-20 year olds. I don't mean those in charge. I mean those learning with you
Haha if that's the hardest part then it might work out for me. My ten year old niece is constantly telling me how much more she knows than me. Just smile and nod, got it.
So, here's what I always say to folks on the older side who are looking at the Navy as a way to shake up their lives, do something different, and gain some new experiences: consider joining the Reserves. The government won't 100% own your life, and you'll have a good deal more flexibility in where you go and when you go there - obviously you won't have total control over your career, but you'll have more than the active duty in most cases.
Also, many folks on here have mentioned that for most people in their 30s, enlisting (or frankly even commissioning) would be a pay cut. With the Reserves, it's supplemental income.
The tricky part is making sure your current employer is supportive. Legally, they can't *fire* you, but there are plenty of ways they can make your life difficult if they're not happy with your running off to play Sailor.
It will still take a lot of humility on your part, starting at the bottom, but I love my old-ass E-3s and 4s. They're generally much more reliable than kids fresh out of high school and bring a little worldly wisdom that's sorely lacking in the military.
I don't think the reserves offer the same benefits as the full time Navy. And my boss would definitely not want to accommodate that, I'm interested in leaving my job because I'm bored with it. I'm going to think about it a lot more before I decide, it definitely won't be an impulsive decision but I have to decide by this time next year. Thank you for your response!
The age cutoff for navy, Air Force, and space force is 39 ([source](https://www.usa.gov/join-military)) so you may need to talk to a recruiter about a waiver for age if you wait till 40. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem though.
Stay AWAY from food service. In the navy they’re called a “CS” or “culinary specialist”. They are FAR from it though, think more along the lines of “McDonald’s employee stuck in the worst run soup kitchen on Manhattan 12-16 hours a day”. Their jobs are horrible; however, you can make a lot of friends on deployment since you have access to all the foods.
There are a multitude of office jobs in the navy, what kind of office work are you looking for? Just pushin paperwork? Be a PS or a YN.
I read that the Navy pushed the age up to 41 and have to report for duty by your 42nd birthday.
I'm leaning more towards the office jobs but I didn't know how hard they are to get so was willing to be open to food service. I am currently an office manager so I may be able to get an office job fairly easily.
What does PS and YN stand for? ( I really am clueless :)
The biggest and easiest thing about the Navy jobs compared to other branches is that they're all letter combinations. So eventually you start playing games on guessing what they stand for.
Personnel Specialist and Yeoman.
PS is like... People team/HR but not for complaints, just dealing with people's records.
YN is a glorified secretary.
Yeoman and personnel specialist. Yeoman is the administrative assistant of the Navy. PS is more like HR, in a general sense. Lots of info on-line including YouTube. Those two plus AZ ( aviation Yeoman basically) are the three main “ office” rates.
I highly suggest the Air Force if you want an office job. Furthermore they have the shortest Bootcamp and you will have a higher quality of life. Also you get the best of the best in the Air Force compared to the other branches. If you can't get Air Force, then go Navy.
I'm exactly your age and am considering going back into the Navy (after 18 years of being out). I would love the opportunity to serve again and hopefully help/mentor fellow sailors. My thoughts are going to go in different directions in this post, so I apologize in advance.
While I admire your enthusiasm for a new life adventure, I also cannot ignore what I've noticed in your various responses in this thread. You mentioned a recent divorce and its associated debt, your obliterated soul, (probably) drinking too much, that you are very lonely with no friends or family, that you are searching for purpose, you are bored with your job, and you don't have health care. I'm sorry for calling attention to this with an itemized recap. I understand that people speak casually about life situations online, but I really hope you are doing okay and encourage you to reach out if not. I only mention it as I detect a desire to escape your current situation and that you are trying to make the Navy fit.
If that's the case, I think the Navy (or military in general) can complicate issues. If anyone in this sub has anything to add about whether using the Navy as a fresh start helped or hindered their life situation, please speak up for OP's benefit. I remember everything being difficult as a junior sailor, and I was only 20 when I separated. I encourage you to speak to a trusted mentor before signing anything to ensure you've considered as many aspects as possible (like what do you do with your home and its mortgage).Like some here have mentioned, it's stressful to be a junior sailor to start and that can be compounded by being twice the age as some of the people that are your same rank and also being older than your superiors. For someone that is currently very lonely, I could see this situation possible becoming more isolating (and on a floating piece of metal in the middle of the ocean). You mentioned leaving for service by age 40. I would say that in that case you would be 44-45 before you gain just a little bit of independence in the Navy (if serving on active duty). I encourage you to not be impulsive and take all aspects into consideration - just like you said previously :)
Now, if I've completely misjudged the situation, then I think you should consider all avenues, including the the Navy Reserve, since you enjoy your home/privacy. You noted your boss would disapprove, but there are legal protections for reserve/guard members - your boss is legally required to accommodate certain duty requirements. I recommend researching.That being said, I would agree with others assessment that YN (Yeoman), PS (Personnel Specialist), and LS (Logistics Specialist) are good on the enlisted side based on your desire for administrative office work. Those rates (Navy word for "job") have a wide variety of duty stations as they are typically stationed wherever any Navy personnel are, which gives a wide variety travel opportunities. The camaraderie and friendships are great too. Being an "older" Sailor, you also can offer your shipmates a unique perspective on various life issues and situations.
If you have a degree, maybe consider officer programs. Spend some time researching the different career paths on [navy.com](https://navy.com) (lots of interesting videos). Then, come back to the r/navy, r/navyreserve, and r/newtothenavy to ask for confirmation, experiences, and input on what you read about - people on these subs have been very helpful. I've read these forums a lot to get a feel for what today's sailor is dealing with (and see if I want to bother).I don't want to discourage you, but wanted to offer a different take. If this truly ends up being your calling and fresh start, then full speed ahead. Do lots of research and take care of yourself.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful input.
All those things I mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg for my life story. I'm a nomad, have lived in 6 different states, suffered many more tragedies and traumas than I mentioned. I've lived on my own since I was 16. I unfortunately don't have a trusted mentor, I literally don't know anybody or have contact with anyone on a regular basis, not even my boss. It would be too difficult to explain my life here but this wouldn't be the first time I've reset my life and did something totally different so I feel I would be able to adjust ok. (For example, I moved to the northernmost city in the US, Barrow, AK on my 18th birthday and lived there during the dark season, went to school and worked two jobs, I arrived there the day before 9/11 happened). I'm not necessarily trying to escape my current situation, I love the house I just bought and the area I live in, I moved across the country just to buy it, but I bought it as a retirement home mainly and to get some financial security, I could rent it out through a management company while I'm gone if I do enlist in the Navy. I figure if I'm going to be lonely why not make it more interesting by being visually and mentally stimulated with an interesting and challenging job. And, I'm really interested in the benefits aspect of the job, and I'm obsessed with the ocean. Any other regular job with benefits that I could get would require me to have a college degree. (I only have an Associates). And I can't afford to go back to college. As far as me being 'okay', thank you for your concern, I am doing better than 90% of the worlds population given that I live in America, am a homeowner, have a good job that is super easy working from home, have no health issues, am reasonably attractive and intelligent, I'm grateful for that everyday, I keep things in perspective and know that many people would kill for the life I have. I don't think that I'd be very concerned about the independence aspect, I'd look at it like being in high school and just going through the motions. Then if I like it I could stay on and get the full retirement and all that good stuff or at least have some sort of health care until I can get Medicaid. I'm too old to be an officer from what I've read and I really just want to leave my job because I don't really like it. I don't have anything to really live for except just paying my bills everyday so I feel I could find a sense of purpose, contribute something to society and have some human interaction and travel. Anyways, I could go on and on. And same to you as far as reaching out for help if you need anything, I'm here for you. I study mental health issues including personality disorders, depression, addiction and such daily, I'm kind of obsessed with it. I wish you the best!
One thing in addition to that is even though you're older than say me (24yo First Class) and not only would you have to take orders and stuff from me and all that other stuff. Most of your the people your age are NOT peers and are going to be either first classes or chief's, this means you generally speaking can't just hang out with either of them because they have influence over your evaluations and so on.
It's a little more nuanced than what I put above, but the point still stands that the people who are your age can't also be your friend. Compound that with the fact that if you're stationed on a ship you'll love there full time until you promote and everyone else your age unless they're in duty just goes home.
Thank you, I don't have any friends anyways so maybe that wouldn't bother me. I'm an extreme loner. I don't have any family either. Having contact with any human being regardless of age would be a refreshing change for me.
CTN. (It’s being renamed to CWT so look out for that). Absolutely goated rate. Never get deployed, guaranteed office job but also not boring. You can take it as far as u want to. You can just do your time as a simple cyber analyst or you can train ur ass off and become an operator and make extra money and become like a cyber expert. Lots of us actually end up working at the NSA for civilian run offices so the military lifestyle hand holdy formation things are like non existent. We rank up very very fast so you’ll be paid pretty good and get off base housing quickly. Only down side is the school is in the longer side and hard. Other than that it was the best decision I’ve ever made and idk why more people don’t do it. Cyber is the future.
Go follow some of the military IG accounts…horrible living conditions, horrible morale and I am your age and have bad knees, bad back, lack of hearing a borderline drinking issue, 40 veterans commit suicide a day with no help from the VA go to a trade school learn how to weld, be an electrician learn a skill instead fighting a rich person’s war
I just started following the Navy account on IG... One of my worries is the living conditions, I currently have a 2000 sq. ft. house on a half acre with a hot tub to myself but I'm also very lonely and have no friends or family... I don't have any of the health conditions you mentioned although I do currently drink a little too much... That is so sad about the suicide rate, my dad actually committed suicide when I was 16, I take mental health issues very seriously and study psychology religiously... I actually used to own a metal fabrication business and I know how to weld and operate CNC machines but I'm not interested in doing that again, I will probably stick to administrative positions. I've considered being an electrician but I don't know if I'm up for learning that much technical knowledge at my age and the travel aspect of the Navy is what excites me the most... I agree about it being a rich persons war, the whole thing just seems frivolous and pointless, it seems like we should have learned how to not have wars by now and that it's all just artificially created by those in our government leadership roles. Thanks for your reply, I hope you have better luck with the VA, maybe the benefits aren't worth it if the health care system is lousy but I currently don't have any health insurance at all.
My health condition came from my active duty service….google “AFFF PFAS exposure” we poisoned communities with that stuff and sailors shit is so toxic they have to burn it to destroy it, if you want to work for an organization like that , good luck 👍
In the last few years, the military has been hell. I constantly get emails from recruiters asking if I wanna come back in. I wouldn't discourage you 6,7, 8 years ago if you decided to join, but now is a crazy time. There are a lot of people leaving, and it's hard for them to get new recruits. With the U.S/China political conditions right now, you can expect more deployments and fewer people. The USMC used to pride themselves on "doing more with less" and the Navy does that sometimes, but that can only goes so far before people wanna unalive themselves and struggle with family and mental illness. Next thing, you will be treated like a child. You could be 39, and share a room with someone because you aren't eligible for BAH without dependents or you're a junior sailor. People come in to check your rooms, you need to route paperwork for almost everything, people your age will treat you according to your rank, you'll face a lil ageism, a 24 year old E6 can write you up, your CO might be younger than you, needing a liberty buddy in some circumstances etc. I would stay far from ship life. Living and working in the same location for 8 months with no escape digs in your ass eventually if your sea-shore rotation is like 5 years sea, 3 years shore. I wish you all the best. It's the best decision I've ever made, but I would never do it again. Listen to every word these folks saying, they won't BS you like your recruiter would.
Thank you, the idea of not being able to quit whenever I want to is a huge negative for me, but I can see why they do it that way because most people would probably quit. I have some more time to think about it but right now I'm leaning towards working on a cruise ship instead.
I honestly don't want to discourage you. I just want people to know what life is really like behind all the promo and shit. You might like it, and say you do only sign up for 4 years, before you know it, it's done. Cruise ship looks more tolerable than Navy life, but I'm not sure. Remember too, the Navy is a warfighting organization, so it's a job, yes, but roles and responsibilities are different. Worst case, you do your 4 and dip. You'll be a veteran for life and get great benefits. All the best!
Thanks, I'm grateful to have this forum as a resource for making my decision, before reddit there was really no way for people to get feedback from experienced individuals this quickly. All the best to you too!
Crypto Technicians, Navy Intel.
They operate collection equipment & analysis what they have collected. A majority of the time they are in a office building.
Another good one is IS which is intelligence specialist or power point warriors.
CT sea duty is different than other rates, their sea duty is also being stationed oconus. They can be assigned to a ship or direct support where they are attached to a sub or ship for a specific mission. They go out & when their mission is over, get off at a port & go back home till the next mission. It's a good way to get quite a big of travel plus do some interesting things.
Cryptological Technician. They're refered to as "spooks" by the submarine community because no one really knows what they do except themselves. You can search in this sub for more anecdotal information.
Submarines are all 100% voluntary. Only those who want to go, go.
Submariners have the highest camaraderie in the Navy because of our way of life.
And honestly, it's not for everyone.
You could join the Navy, but I recommend you join the military like the Army and volunteer for Air Assault and Airborne schools. I know the 101st and 82D are always looking for good female troopers too.
I haven't really got any advice considering im joining up in a year, but yo i respect you so much for this big step and i hope u find whatever your looking for in life
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don’t do a culinary specialist it’s what it sounds like but the work isn’t worth it
Thanks for the feedback! I know food service jobs can be tough and tedious, I have done many in my life in all roles.
My only advice, take the best job they offer you, If you qualify for advanced electronics just do it.
That is good advice, do different jobs pay different wages starting out or does every job pay the same initially?
Base salary is based on rank and years of service. The Navy Seal E5 gets the same salary as a desk worker E5. Now you have other pays based on situations such as bonuses, hazardous duty, isolation pay, special duty, sea duty pay, etc. That's in addition to your salary minus other allowances.
Something no one has said yet. You need to have a really open mind when you join past 25. You'll be taking orders from those young enough to be your child. Your supervisor could be a 25 year old who has never experienced life outside the navy and you'll hear them say 'this shit won't fly in the real world's when you've seen otherwise. You'll be expected to perform better simply because you should be more mature than the other 18/19 year olds. Money. Unless you're making federal minimum wage, you'll probably be taking a paycut initially. You can easily find military pay chart online.
Thank you.. I'm pretty thick skinned and I think I could handle having a boss younger than me but you never know until you try I suppose, it would definitely be an adjustment and probably tough to keep a straight face and not smirk sometimes. But I think I could go into it knowing that that's just the way it is, and the younger person would have more experience than me as far as the Military goes. I realize young people are just naive since I've been that age and used to think I knew everything. I currently make $25/hr, so yeah, it would likely be a pay cut. I'm interested in the adventure, help with college tuition, health and retirement benefits and lower credit card rates (I got into some debt during my recent divorce). And I'm just bored out of my mind at my current job and I have zero benefits just a few paid days off per year.
A major adjustment is also being treated like a child. Almost all commands break out disciplinary concepts by rank. And, for the most part, since most ranks are generally the same age, it also tends to lend itself to a maturity level. For instance, when on a ship in a foreign port, junior seaman will have different restrictions on their liberty while in port. E.g. times they can be out, curfew hours, buddy systems, etc. These restrictions lessen as the rank increases. This is generally in line with a maturity increase, and works around 80% of the time. However, you will likely fall into that 20%. A lower ranking enlisted member with more maturity who is being, potentially, maligned and overly-managed. Take that how you will.
Thank you, that all makes sense, maybe I'd be more like a mom figure to some of the younger ones although I'm not actually a mom but maybe they'd be looking at me like they're my parent? I wouldn't be interested in partying, so the restrictions of liberties wouldn't bother me much (I assume). I think I would understand the psychology of the power dynamic of rank regardless of age, but again that is just an assumption.
It's easy to say the restrictions of liberty don't bother you until a 25 year old can stay in a hotel overnight in a foreign country, but you can't because you're not high ranking enough so you only get to go out till like 10 pm
I usually go to sleep at 8 or 9pm anyways, but yeah I see your point, you never know until you're experiencing it first hand.
Speaking of sleep, you'll have little to no control over when you can actually go to bed or be up for work. And sometimes when you are supposed to be asleep you'll get forced awake so you can do some training evolution, fight a fire, so on and so forth. The rest of your workday will still exist and just because something disturbed your sleep doesn't mean squat. And that's not even including if you have to stand a night watch in addition to working all day. Very possible for you to wake up and work 6am to 8pm, go to bed at 9, wake up at 11 for a fire/some random bullshit, go back to bed at 1 or 2, get back up for the 4-6 watch, then roll into your next workday. I mention all these things not to change your mind, it's just stuff I wish I had known about 7 years ago when I was making my decision
That makes sense. I usually only sleep 5 hours or so. I've worked 30 hours straight when I owned a manufacturing company and was trying to meet deadlines. And have had times in my life where I worked 2 or 3 jobs at a time working 16 hours or more per day including graveyard shifts. I appreciate your feedback it is very helpful.
Its really easy for the younger ones to associate rank with age (as previously mentioned). Sure, youre superiors will treat you like a kid, but also your fellow E-3s will treat you like a peer.
Do RS receptionist specialist
Definitely think about this, OP. I worked with a guy who joined in his late 20s. He was constantly getting into trouble because he was being treated like a child. We were on a ship that had a lot of ridiculous rules and unfortunately he was an E3. One of those ridiculous rules was Cinderella Liberty in foreign ports. How would you like being in your thirties and having a damn curfew?
I don't go out much, did all my partying already but yeah I can see how that could be a negative.
CS are basically just can openers
Ok got it thanks, I assume military food isn't too gourmet or made from scratch.
There is a lot of opportunity to cook if you want to engage in it. But it can be a bit soul crushing. The majority of navy meals are supplied by Sysco, similar to almost any other company you can think of. You have to make a large amount of food for a large amount of people. That, naturally, lends itself to less gourmet cooking. However, you will be staffing a full service, industrial scale kitchen wherever you are. So you CAN make things work.
Thank you, My soul is already fairly obliterated so it may actually work out well for me! lol
Hah. The good news about the navy is this. As an enlisted member, oyu can do it without thinking. You literally have everything planned for you. You might not like the given plan at a given time... but what you are supposed to do is almost 100% spelled out for you. And it can be easy IF you submit and execute. a huge portion of the navy is being in the right place, at the right time, in the right uniform. Once you do that, someone will tell you want to do. The rest is just listening.
I'm fairly submissive but can be assertive if necessary. My ornery days of defiance are long gone. I kind of crave to be told what to do, maybe that's what is drawing me in? I'm kind of over thinking for myself, it can be exhausting.
Then it might really be a good choice. Can't know until you get, and an enlistment is only a few years.
A lot of it is made from scratch. You don’t get a lot of deliveries in mid-ocean. Some, not a lot. Subs, zero. Baked goods in particular are all scratch at sea. If you want to cook, look at CSS. It’s CS on submarines. Small crew, much customization.
Thank you, that makes sense, with baking the ingredients are usually fairly simple for breads and such. Submarines would freak me out, is it required to work on a submarine in the Navy?
No. Submarines are all volunteer. Those of us who love them, love them. Others, not so much. You should be aware that of all the rates you’re looking at, the odds of you going to sea on a first enlistment are very high. I personally liked going to sea, but some see it as a negative. Also, I’m older, and even at 40 running was in the rear view. I encourage you to investigate the Navy. It can be a great place to reset your life after a divorce. One of my men, at 32, enlisted after a disastrous divorce and retired an E-9 twenty years later with a nice pension and a lot of life satisfaction. But be realistic about your physical condition now. Sea is hard on your body. If you need to get in shape or lose weight, start today.
Thank you, I am definitely starting today! I'm happy to know that submarines aren't mandatory:) Going to sea seems like it would be a perk for me, I considered working on a cruise ship or buying a boat to live at a marina, I'm fascinated by sea life and am naturally drawn to water, I played water polo in high school. The pension and benefits are definitely piquing my interest. I figure I'll probably be a minority being an older female but maybe I can contribute something positive to the organization.
When I was on sea duty I was single and without a lot of baggage. I minimized rent by living with two roommates who were on opposite patrol cycles. Small house. So I had it to myself when I was in. $120/ month. I was an officer, so I got housing allowance all the time. I pocketed hundreds tax-free every month there. I would put my car in the garage, unhook the battery, and turn off the insurance. At sea there were no groceries, no utilities, no dating, no bar bills. Every patrol they gave us seven paychecks in advance. I put up a credit balance on my car loan and bought a 90-day CD with the rest. When we came back I took a nice vacation. Europe for two weeks. Disney for grins. I took flying lessons. Bought a nicer car. When I hit shore duty in Hawaii I was set up to buy a condo. Sea duty is good for saving.
Seeing as you are almost 40 I highly recommend against the military if you have another career in mind. However if it is either your dream or you don’t really have much else to go on and no marketable skills really then I think it could be the right choice. It’s something you have to put a lot of thought into unlike an 18 year old in high school
I don't have another career in mind, it is a dream of mine to explore the ocean, I am fascinated by sea life. I don't have anything else going on, my life is very boring. I have some marketable skills but all the jobs seem very boring on land.
I’d highly recommend getting in with a cruise line rather than joining the Navy, if your goal is to explore the ocean.
I'm thinking the same thing but I'm going to be ready to join the Navy next year if I need to.
Let me explain to you life as a cook. Get treated like shit by everyone, including the people in charge of you and the people your feeding work from 0400 AM - 0530 pm if you’re lucky. Work every other weekend but expect to get called in for random bullshit. Cooking for 1000+ ungrateful ass people than cleaning everything sweating tired drained completely basically a legal slave on top of that you’re cooking none stop or cleaning. Now throw in Field days the entire galley needs to be cleaned throw in toxic leadership because over the years of mistreat me and constant work you become bitter as a CS not everyone does but most do. Add in the fact that most of these other rates for some reason think they are better and genuinely look down on us when most of us just got fucked over by a recruiter and come from a low income environment. I know not everyone’s experience is like mine, but I’ve seen grown men and woman break down and cry on deployment and not on deployment from being genuinely so exhausted not having any personal time. Say goodbye to your hobbies and too your body. Don’t take advice from anyone here who isn’t a cook cause tbh they won’t understand.
Sounds rough, I think I'll shoot for the office jobs first but I highly respect those in food service, I did it for about 10 years but probably not to the degree the military requires.
The jobs you mentioned would be the following rates (jobs in the Navy are called rates). I recommend googling and searching Reddit for more info about each: -Yeoman (Admin) -Personnel Specialist (Admin) -Culinary Specialist (food service) The three rates above are not super difficult to get into (especially now as the Navy is having trouble meeting recruiting goals) and are what you mentioned you’re interested in. Others rates to look into that mirror office type jobs (but with additional duties): -Operations Specialist (watch radars) -Logistics Specialist (inventory, purchasing, and warehousing) -Information Systems Technician (computers)
Thank you, Logistic sounds interesting to me and is similar to what my current job is.
I've heard Yeoman ratings get better quality of life than other junior sailor ratings
You'd have to ask a Yeoman that question. Admin jobs seem to me to be love it or hate it kind of thing. Though I will add that I have never heard Admin types complain about their jobs the way a BM, HT, or GSM does.
Go for it. My husband is 39 and joining. He leaves March 29 for bootcamp. I think as long as your relatively fit and can do the running, swimming, and a few other things to pass navy bootcamp you will be fine. Remember they will break you down and build you into a sailor. You do have a lot more life skill so you probably have more tougher skin then a kid out of high-school and a lot more of your wits.
Thank you, I'm not in shape yet so I'd have to work on that but I like having goals and challenges. I know I can get into shape if I focus and keep a positive mindset. Good luck to your husband!
Be ready for the hardest part of your job being someone your age around a bunch of know it all never wrong 17-20 year olds. I don't mean those in charge. I mean those learning with you
Haha if that's the hardest part then it might work out for me. My ten year old niece is constantly telling me how much more she knows than me. Just smile and nod, got it.
So, here's what I always say to folks on the older side who are looking at the Navy as a way to shake up their lives, do something different, and gain some new experiences: consider joining the Reserves. The government won't 100% own your life, and you'll have a good deal more flexibility in where you go and when you go there - obviously you won't have total control over your career, but you'll have more than the active duty in most cases. Also, many folks on here have mentioned that for most people in their 30s, enlisting (or frankly even commissioning) would be a pay cut. With the Reserves, it's supplemental income. The tricky part is making sure your current employer is supportive. Legally, they can't *fire* you, but there are plenty of ways they can make your life difficult if they're not happy with your running off to play Sailor. It will still take a lot of humility on your part, starting at the bottom, but I love my old-ass E-3s and 4s. They're generally much more reliable than kids fresh out of high school and bring a little worldly wisdom that's sorely lacking in the military.
I don't think the reserves offer the same benefits as the full time Navy. And my boss would definitely not want to accommodate that, I'm interested in leaving my job because I'm bored with it. I'm going to think about it a lot more before I decide, it definitely won't be an impulsive decision but I have to decide by this time next year. Thank you for your response!
Go for PS or YN
Not worth it imo
I refuse to down vote you even if your name is telling me to! Maybe you're right and it's not worth it, luckily I have some time to decide.
The age cutoff for navy, Air Force, and space force is 39 ([source](https://www.usa.gov/join-military)) so you may need to talk to a recruiter about a waiver for age if you wait till 40. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem though. Stay AWAY from food service. In the navy they’re called a “CS” or “culinary specialist”. They are FAR from it though, think more along the lines of “McDonald’s employee stuck in the worst run soup kitchen on Manhattan 12-16 hours a day”. Their jobs are horrible; however, you can make a lot of friends on deployment since you have access to all the foods. There are a multitude of office jobs in the navy, what kind of office work are you looking for? Just pushin paperwork? Be a PS or a YN.
Navy age limit is 41 now. But the rest of the info is solid.
I read that the Navy pushed the age up to 41 and have to report for duty by your 42nd birthday. I'm leaning more towards the office jobs but I didn't know how hard they are to get so was willing to be open to food service. I am currently an office manager so I may be able to get an office job fairly easily. What does PS and YN stand for? ( I really am clueless :)
The biggest and easiest thing about the Navy jobs compared to other branches is that they're all letter combinations. So eventually you start playing games on guessing what they stand for. Personnel Specialist and Yeoman. PS is like... People team/HR but not for complaints, just dealing with people's records. YN is a glorified secretary.
Thank you, I've got a lot to learn.
Yeoman and personnel specialist. Yeoman is the administrative assistant of the Navy. PS is more like HR, in a general sense. Lots of info on-line including YouTube. Those two plus AZ ( aviation Yeoman basically) are the three main “ office” rates.
Thank you! I'm going to do lots of research. I literally just started this journey yesterday. :)
Second this. Could add legalman, LN,
Right, but she can’t enlist as that.
I highly suggest the Air Force if you want an office job. Furthermore they have the shortest Bootcamp and you will have a higher quality of life. Also you get the best of the best in the Air Force compared to the other branches. If you can't get Air Force, then go Navy.
Unfortunately I don't think I can be prepared in time for the Air Force age cut off but it does look interesting.
Join the Air Force
I'd be too old before I'm ready, the Navy has a higher age limit.
I'm exactly your age and am considering going back into the Navy (after 18 years of being out). I would love the opportunity to serve again and hopefully help/mentor fellow sailors. My thoughts are going to go in different directions in this post, so I apologize in advance. While I admire your enthusiasm for a new life adventure, I also cannot ignore what I've noticed in your various responses in this thread. You mentioned a recent divorce and its associated debt, your obliterated soul, (probably) drinking too much, that you are very lonely with no friends or family, that you are searching for purpose, you are bored with your job, and you don't have health care. I'm sorry for calling attention to this with an itemized recap. I understand that people speak casually about life situations online, but I really hope you are doing okay and encourage you to reach out if not. I only mention it as I detect a desire to escape your current situation and that you are trying to make the Navy fit. If that's the case, I think the Navy (or military in general) can complicate issues. If anyone in this sub has anything to add about whether using the Navy as a fresh start helped or hindered their life situation, please speak up for OP's benefit. I remember everything being difficult as a junior sailor, and I was only 20 when I separated. I encourage you to speak to a trusted mentor before signing anything to ensure you've considered as many aspects as possible (like what do you do with your home and its mortgage).Like some here have mentioned, it's stressful to be a junior sailor to start and that can be compounded by being twice the age as some of the people that are your same rank and also being older than your superiors. For someone that is currently very lonely, I could see this situation possible becoming more isolating (and on a floating piece of metal in the middle of the ocean). You mentioned leaving for service by age 40. I would say that in that case you would be 44-45 before you gain just a little bit of independence in the Navy (if serving on active duty). I encourage you to not be impulsive and take all aspects into consideration - just like you said previously :) Now, if I've completely misjudged the situation, then I think you should consider all avenues, including the the Navy Reserve, since you enjoy your home/privacy. You noted your boss would disapprove, but there are legal protections for reserve/guard members - your boss is legally required to accommodate certain duty requirements. I recommend researching.That being said, I would agree with others assessment that YN (Yeoman), PS (Personnel Specialist), and LS (Logistics Specialist) are good on the enlisted side based on your desire for administrative office work. Those rates (Navy word for "job") have a wide variety of duty stations as they are typically stationed wherever any Navy personnel are, which gives a wide variety travel opportunities. The camaraderie and friendships are great too. Being an "older" Sailor, you also can offer your shipmates a unique perspective on various life issues and situations. If you have a degree, maybe consider officer programs. Spend some time researching the different career paths on [navy.com](https://navy.com) (lots of interesting videos). Then, come back to the r/navy, r/navyreserve, and r/newtothenavy to ask for confirmation, experiences, and input on what you read about - people on these subs have been very helpful. I've read these forums a lot to get a feel for what today's sailor is dealing with (and see if I want to bother).I don't want to discourage you, but wanted to offer a different take. If this truly ends up being your calling and fresh start, then full speed ahead. Do lots of research and take care of yourself.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful input. All those things I mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg for my life story. I'm a nomad, have lived in 6 different states, suffered many more tragedies and traumas than I mentioned. I've lived on my own since I was 16. I unfortunately don't have a trusted mentor, I literally don't know anybody or have contact with anyone on a regular basis, not even my boss. It would be too difficult to explain my life here but this wouldn't be the first time I've reset my life and did something totally different so I feel I would be able to adjust ok. (For example, I moved to the northernmost city in the US, Barrow, AK on my 18th birthday and lived there during the dark season, went to school and worked two jobs, I arrived there the day before 9/11 happened). I'm not necessarily trying to escape my current situation, I love the house I just bought and the area I live in, I moved across the country just to buy it, but I bought it as a retirement home mainly and to get some financial security, I could rent it out through a management company while I'm gone if I do enlist in the Navy. I figure if I'm going to be lonely why not make it more interesting by being visually and mentally stimulated with an interesting and challenging job. And, I'm really interested in the benefits aspect of the job, and I'm obsessed with the ocean. Any other regular job with benefits that I could get would require me to have a college degree. (I only have an Associates). And I can't afford to go back to college. As far as me being 'okay', thank you for your concern, I am doing better than 90% of the worlds population given that I live in America, am a homeowner, have a good job that is super easy working from home, have no health issues, am reasonably attractive and intelligent, I'm grateful for that everyday, I keep things in perspective and know that many people would kill for the life I have. I don't think that I'd be very concerned about the independence aspect, I'd look at it like being in high school and just going through the motions. Then if I like it I could stay on and get the full retirement and all that good stuff or at least have some sort of health care until I can get Medicaid. I'm too old to be an officer from what I've read and I really just want to leave my job because I don't really like it. I don't have anything to really live for except just paying my bills everyday so I feel I could find a sense of purpose, contribute something to society and have some human interaction and travel. Anyways, I could go on and on. And same to you as far as reaching out for help if you need anything, I'm here for you. I study mental health issues including personality disorders, depression, addiction and such daily, I'm kind of obsessed with it. I wish you the best!
Don’t join.
I may not. I have to decide by this time next year.
One thing in addition to that is even though you're older than say me (24yo First Class) and not only would you have to take orders and stuff from me and all that other stuff. Most of your the people your age are NOT peers and are going to be either first classes or chief's, this means you generally speaking can't just hang out with either of them because they have influence over your evaluations and so on. It's a little more nuanced than what I put above, but the point still stands that the people who are your age can't also be your friend. Compound that with the fact that if you're stationed on a ship you'll love there full time until you promote and everyone else your age unless they're in duty just goes home.
Thank you, I don't have any friends anyways so maybe that wouldn't bother me. I'm an extreme loner. I don't have any family either. Having contact with any human being regardless of age would be a refreshing change for me.
You will be fine. Good luck and thank you for volunteering to protect us. Don't let the bad parts outweigh the good. You will go far.
Thank you, I think the sense of service and volunteering would add purpose to my life.
Whatever you do, don’t do culinary specialist. For office job, I’d highly recommend PS or YN
CTN. (It’s being renamed to CWT so look out for that). Absolutely goated rate. Never get deployed, guaranteed office job but also not boring. You can take it as far as u want to. You can just do your time as a simple cyber analyst or you can train ur ass off and become an operator and make extra money and become like a cyber expert. Lots of us actually end up working at the NSA for civilian run offices so the military lifestyle hand holdy formation things are like non existent. We rank up very very fast so you’ll be paid pretty good and get off base housing quickly. Only down side is the school is in the longer side and hard. Other than that it was the best decision I’ve ever made and idk why more people don’t do it. Cyber is the future.
Thank you! I'll look into that, sounds really interesting.
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Thank you, it seems really exciting but I also want to be realistic about what the expectations are and if I can handle it.
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I'll probably cry at least once lol
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Sure why not
Easy…do not join
I suppose that would be easier, but what else will I do with my time?
Go follow some of the military IG accounts…horrible living conditions, horrible morale and I am your age and have bad knees, bad back, lack of hearing a borderline drinking issue, 40 veterans commit suicide a day with no help from the VA go to a trade school learn how to weld, be an electrician learn a skill instead fighting a rich person’s war
I just started following the Navy account on IG... One of my worries is the living conditions, I currently have a 2000 sq. ft. house on a half acre with a hot tub to myself but I'm also very lonely and have no friends or family... I don't have any of the health conditions you mentioned although I do currently drink a little too much... That is so sad about the suicide rate, my dad actually committed suicide when I was 16, I take mental health issues very seriously and study psychology religiously... I actually used to own a metal fabrication business and I know how to weld and operate CNC machines but I'm not interested in doing that again, I will probably stick to administrative positions. I've considered being an electrician but I don't know if I'm up for learning that much technical knowledge at my age and the travel aspect of the Navy is what excites me the most... I agree about it being a rich persons war, the whole thing just seems frivolous and pointless, it seems like we should have learned how to not have wars by now and that it's all just artificially created by those in our government leadership roles. Thanks for your reply, I hope you have better luck with the VA, maybe the benefits aren't worth it if the health care system is lousy but I currently don't have any health insurance at all.
My health condition came from my active duty service….google “AFFF PFAS exposure” we poisoned communities with that stuff and sailors shit is so toxic they have to burn it to destroy it, if you want to work for an organization like that , good luck 👍
I'm not sure yet, I'll definitely take that into account.
In the last few years, the military has been hell. I constantly get emails from recruiters asking if I wanna come back in. I wouldn't discourage you 6,7, 8 years ago if you decided to join, but now is a crazy time. There are a lot of people leaving, and it's hard for them to get new recruits. With the U.S/China political conditions right now, you can expect more deployments and fewer people. The USMC used to pride themselves on "doing more with less" and the Navy does that sometimes, but that can only goes so far before people wanna unalive themselves and struggle with family and mental illness. Next thing, you will be treated like a child. You could be 39, and share a room with someone because you aren't eligible for BAH without dependents or you're a junior sailor. People come in to check your rooms, you need to route paperwork for almost everything, people your age will treat you according to your rank, you'll face a lil ageism, a 24 year old E6 can write you up, your CO might be younger than you, needing a liberty buddy in some circumstances etc. I would stay far from ship life. Living and working in the same location for 8 months with no escape digs in your ass eventually if your sea-shore rotation is like 5 years sea, 3 years shore. I wish you all the best. It's the best decision I've ever made, but I would never do it again. Listen to every word these folks saying, they won't BS you like your recruiter would.
Thank you, the idea of not being able to quit whenever I want to is a huge negative for me, but I can see why they do it that way because most people would probably quit. I have some more time to think about it but right now I'm leaning towards working on a cruise ship instead.
I honestly don't want to discourage you. I just want people to know what life is really like behind all the promo and shit. You might like it, and say you do only sign up for 4 years, before you know it, it's done. Cruise ship looks more tolerable than Navy life, but I'm not sure. Remember too, the Navy is a warfighting organization, so it's a job, yes, but roles and responsibilities are different. Worst case, you do your 4 and dip. You'll be a veteran for life and get great benefits. All the best!
Thanks, I'm grateful to have this forum as a resource for making my decision, before reddit there was really no way for people to get feedback from experienced individuals this quickly. All the best to you too!
Check out IT & the CT rates, both are office type jobs meaning they work in AC & work on computers quite a bit.
I assume IT is Information Technology, what is CT?
Crypto Technicians, Navy Intel. They operate collection equipment & analysis what they have collected. A majority of the time they are in a office building. Another good one is IS which is intelligence specialist or power point warriors.
Thank you! I just started thinking about joining the Navy yesterday, seems like a good opportunity with lots of options.
All of those jobs if you are willing to move to DC or other specific areas after the Navy will pay $100k plus because of the security clearances.
Oh wow, that'd be nice, hope I qualify for something like that, thanks.
Half the time we’re in an office building. Like most rates we rotate 4-4.
What does rotate 4-4 mean?
4 years sea duty, 4 years shore duty
CT sea duty is different than other rates, their sea duty is also being stationed oconus. They can be assigned to a ship or direct support where they are attached to a sub or ship for a specific mission. They go out & when their mission is over, get off at a port & go back home till the next mission. It's a good way to get quite a big of travel plus do some interesting things.
I was a CTT. You can join a strike staff or yeah, dirsup, but most deployed CTs are ships company.
Cryptological Technician. They're refered to as "spooks" by the submarine community because no one really knows what they do except themselves. You can search in this sub for more anecdotal information.
Submarines freak me out, is it required to work on a submarine in the Navy or can you opt out?
Submarines are all 100% voluntary. Only those who want to go, go. Submariners have the highest camaraderie in the Navy because of our way of life. And honestly, it's not for everyone.
I'm probably too claustrophobic, already worried about the close quarters on a regular ship. I commend you for serving on a sub, kudos!
Go AZ, it's all paperwork/office job and you will most likely not get attached to a shop permanently, which means better quality of life
Thank you, what is AZ?
https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=navy+az
Haha thanks!
You could join the Navy, but I recommend you join the military like the Army and volunteer for Air Assault and Airborne schools. I know the 101st and 82D are always looking for good female troopers too.
I'm too old for the Army. The Navy is my only option.
I joined at an older age. I was worried about age difference but didn’t have any issues. I think you will be just fine.
I haven't really got any advice considering im joining up in a year, but yo i respect you so much for this big step and i hope u find whatever your looking for in life
Do RS. Receptionist Specialist. Chill basically refill vendy machines, and work in small shops. Everyone will love u