Newbie 2015 Thank you. I love the feed back. I actually worked with some people who joined after watching my video. Perhaps I'll meet your son one day.
Hey bro, don’t know if you’re still active on this channel since this is my first video by you. I want to go in for IT as well and I’m currently studying for the asvab. Can you tell me what subtest I should be focusing on. And if it’s not too much, can I also know your line scores so I know what to shoot for when I’m taking practice test?
Sorry I was sent and trapped to Diego Garcia for the past two weeks and the internet there isn't worth anything. I don't remember off hand what my scores were individually but I'm pretty sure I had a 77 overall. You could Google some practice ASVABs that I'm sure you could try. If you've taken the SAT and/or ACT then those are the types of questions would be something to look at. Obviously there are more life skills question but you should be good. I didn't prepare at all so the fact that you are should mean you'll probably go further than me. Lol
I enjoy working with computers and jumped at the AFT/IT rating so quick I think the recruiter's head was spinning. I have been reading up on the rating just to get a feel for what it is like and found a lot of love and a lot of hate for the rating, your video calmed some nerves. I really enjoyed your video and I am excited to be in the Navy. Still doesn't feel real yet... I guess boot camp will change that quickly. Thank you for the video.
I am going to boot camp on January 5th. as the same rate as you, IT. At MEPS I was set on an aviation job, until one of the recruiters came by and said I had an opening lists of jobs and they mentioned IT. I didn't think I was qualified for it before, so I'm pumped now that I got the opportunity!
+Aaron Paul Ibarrola I'm doing the 4yr. I was just happy I got the contract, honestly. I hope to extend my contract towards the end of those four years, will that be enough time for me to get the promotions that are needed?
Would love to see you on an episode of “Where Are They Now” lol 8 yrs later! Update plz? What’s life like with your experience you’ve gotten over the years?
Hey Man Can You Make A Video & Explain To Us What You Do On A Typical Day & Exactly What Your Job Is As An IT? I Actually Go To MEPS On The 3rd And I'm Hoping To Get A Job As An IT But I Would Love To Get A Little More Insight About It Before I Choose It.
I'm still in C school so I don't have too much to say about what we do in the fleet other than what instructors have told me. But from what I'm understand, if you're at a shore command you wake up around 0500 and go to work maybe 0600 and come home probably around 1500 to 1700 and depending on what command and what job you're doing you probably be either picking up the phone and working as customer service or taking trouble tickets and fixing computers. Maybe some admin unlock some passwords or setting up new user accounts. If your on a ship then depending on what kind of ship (The smaller the ship the more diverse your job is. The bigger it is the more specialized.) and what kind of work there is to do and what you learned in C school if you went to C school, what certifications you have, and/or what you did at you shore command, you'll be either working with computers, fixing them or admin stuff or you'll be working with radios and antennas. Now the workshops you work at are air conditioned and there a lot more down time than other rates. Most definitely as with every rate, every now and then you'll be doing some harder labor that has nothing to do with your rate like work parties, duty, swabbing, scrubbing, painting, washing dishes, and more. But its better that that it is just extra work then that being you're full time job. lol In the end, the job training and certifications you get from this rate carry on into the civilian world. One of my instructors just got a job for dell working to make course schedules and she's getting paid like double what she was here, which is insane. Its worth it.
Man, I'm in dep and I'm contracted as an HM and I was hoping to go with the marines, but literally the only thing I'm afraid of is giving IVs to people, I'm afraid of messing up in their vein. I'm thinking about what would happen if I chose IT since I want to major in software engineering.
Roshan Abraham Sorry for the later reply. Whether or not you chose IT as your rate, you can still work on the certifications and eventually you can work on college courses for whatever degree you want. There is also nothing stopping you from going to the IT's at your command and learning from them. On ships, you're actually going to be required to learn a little bit about everyone elses job. Hope that helps.
Aaron Paul Ibarrola thanks so much for the information and actually taking the time to respond. I have a couple more questions if that's okay since there is not a lot of videos on IT. How do you like IT? What's it like and what do you do on a average day? Pros and cons? If you got the time that would be helpful to make another video on since there are few videos on youtube about this rate. Just a suggestion :) Also someone told me that IT is part of the intelligence community and that they are very picky about security clearance. They said since I was born out of the US but got my US citizenship last year they still might not let me just cuz they are picky. Do you know if that's true? It's just a normal secret clearance right? Sorry for all the questions!
Roshan Abraham I'll make a more descriptive video about your all your questions this week. So you'll be the one breaking my hiatus. But as for your security clearance, I can't speak for the investigators but if you are naturalized and you don't have anything to worry about then you should be good. But don't take my word because I don't know much on the subject. I would ask the recruiter. If yours doesn't know, you could ask a different one. Hell, the other branch recruiters might know too. Like Air Force or Army. They have to go through the Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) as well. Its are called 25B in the Army. Also look up SSBI on google. It should tell you stuff too. I just glanced and it should say something about your case.
Aaron Paul Ibarrola awesome! Thank you so much for the info and taking the time to help me. I appreciate it a lot! I'll definetly take a look in that direction. Looking forward to future videos from ya! :)
Just went to MEPS yesterday and today was there for over 16 hours and man are they slow. I sat in a chair for like 10 hours just waiting it really sucked. But anyway I signed up for the IT position but im going to take the pst to get into dive school. It look like it would be a good fall back job. Any thoughts on IT?
Hey man, I'm enlisted IT and I leave for Great Lakes this Sept. Can you shed light on what I got myself into? What's your average day-to-day life? What does your job consist of? Thanks man, I appreciate it.
Its hard work. Its not easy. Sometimes you'll hate it. Other times you'll laugh more than you've ever laughed before. I do love the fact that I have a solid paycheck every two weeks. There is also a lot of pride that come along with it if you're into that. The world is a big place with many many possible places to get stationed at. Especially as an IT. You have the capability to go anywhere. But with that, its like any other job. You get places that are your cup of tea and sometimes you'll dislike it. Its mostly the people that can make or break your experiences. Some people will enjoy own task while others will say that same task was the worst experience of their life. Just make your own experiences. Take things for what they are. You'll be fine if you really want to be.
How are you liking it? I have a BS, but looking into joining the Navy in IT for the career opportunity. Looking to finish a second BS degree with tuition assistance at my old university while work IT. Going 6 year track. Hoping to get a masters or PHD with GI bill after. I was worried about online classes because of the limited bandwidth on the ships. Do you think this would be a problem? That's my number one concern and only reason for considering the army instead.
These are all basically what my instructors have been saying to me cause I asked the same thing. When you get to any command your job will be your first concern. You will have to prove yourself before you should even consider getting trying to ask for college. They'll take everything you did into consideration though. That being said, on a ship (This is case by case), you may not have free time to do online classes and ship internet is very choppy and usually very bad. As an IT you have more priority when using the internet but as I said probably not in the first few years because you need to prove yourself. Now you could also get a shore command first but same thing but you can get the best internet when your at shore. As a 6 year IT you'd be at Pensacola after the 2 month boot camp for about 10 months give or take a month. You can't do any kind of outside schooling while you're here so thats the first year. You will get your A+ certification when you pass your A school and if you get System Admin you'll get Security+. Most of my civilian IT friends don't have either so they will look good on you. I don't know much about the Army and there aren't any Army ITs here which means either their IT's go elsewhere or they don't call it IT. But I hope this helped and not too late.
Psh what do you mean no action?! I'm sure you've seen plenty lmao. Like if email ever goes down - everyone and their brother on the ship is asking you when it will be fixed XD. I'm glad I found your channel from Facebook stalking.
Yeah definitely. I feel I've now seen too much action. Lol with the crazy troublecalls like fixing flight deck lights and the knocking on the bathroom stall to ask for computer help. And then there's Timplex going down lol but it's all in a days work XD Glad you found me. :)
I want IT though my score was high and they're trying to push me nuke since my line score was 270 for it. I know little about nuke though and heard quite a few bad things.
In the end its up to you so my advice is choose what YOU want. This is the next 4 to 30 years of your life. I don't really know to much about nukes. But I like being an IT and I've got pride for it. If that's what you want too then by all means try your hardest until you get it. And if not have a second choice that you wouldn't mind doing. You can always re-rate in two years and you never know you may like it instead. But I hope I'm not too late with this response.
Aaron Paul Ibarrola Not late at all. Have a lot of medical to clear before I hit MEPS. I have decided on pursuing IT and am prepared to wait to get it. Thanks for the response.
I want to join the Navy also in Information Systems Technician. I recently graduated with a Bachelors in Information Systems, and wanted to join to further my skills. Want to enlist and curious to know your experience to help me make a decision.
My experience has be okay. Hard but I can't complain even if I do. Right now I'm stationed in Hawaii. If you enlist you will learn a lot about the IT world and the Navy as a whole. From computer technology from the 80's to now, you will have to try making all that work. You'll make contacts and network with people and open up opportunies for after the military if you don't go career. However, I will suggest also looking into the officer program. As an enlisted there are more times than not where your intelligence is wasted you'll have to do menial, most times nonsense tasks and work that most of the time have nothing to do with your job. Already have a BS you'll want to utilize what you already have. You'll make more money but you have different types of responsibilities. You might not even ever see your technical training be utilized. You'll lead people and many times they are not very compliant. Either way you'll see a constant income, job security, friendships built, experiences that are wonderful and unique to the navy and whether you choose to stay in or not, most of your certs if you get IT will carry over in the civilian world. On the other side of that, your path will be hard, you will lose sleep, you will get your hands dirty, sometimes your life will be in danger, you will deal with all kinds of people, many of which you may not get along with. Military life is not for everyone but if you choose you that life and make it through, whether you loved it or hated it, no one can take away from you experience you had. I've learned that you can't predict or even guess what's going to happen to you in the future so if you have the slightest doubt just muscle through. No regrets. And don't feel that there is only the Navy or civilian life. There are other branches to look into.
Thank You! I will think through the decision, although acquiring already a bachelors in IT, I don't feel that i have possessed the necessary skills and knowledge in the field as it was a switch of major during my college days as I was not exposed or did internships during my studies that I feel I lack alot. I'm just an averaged student, not honor status or anything, a little bit on the quiet reserved side but love to build my self confidence with my skills. One of my instructors recommended me to join the military so I can build confidence in my self which I do really need. On a growth do you feel that going through the military has changed yourself and made you become more disciplined?
Paul Kim The working hours vary command to command. On ships, if not out at sea, then you're most likely looking at a little more than 8 hours a day, usually from 6 :30 A.M. to 4 P.M.. However, there will always be some kind of extra work or event to be done which could extend or maybe shorten the day. I would count on the former. Sometimes we'll get out at 6 P.M. Its 5 days a week but there will be a rotation of Duty Days or Duty Weekends depending on the command. So every so often you'll be working weekends. On a ship, for duty days, you'll be staying on the ship that night. Its not always weekends. For example. We had 6 Duty sections on my ship(the number is determined by manpower and peoples qualifications). So if I was in section 3. Then every 6 days I'll have to stay on the ship that day going into the next day. You can chill after hours but you'll be on call. Honestly this is one of the best times to workout or study in port. Ships have several gyms on them and since you forced to stay on board. Workout, study, play video games, watch TV. Just be available if they need you. Food and shower rooms are available on the ship. There are meal hours which vary but they are mostly about an hour and a half long. Whether they want you to spend the fully hour and a half at lunch depends on your supervisors. On ships the meal is "free", as in they don't give you extra money for food in your pay check which means you can eat for free at your ship's galley or at the base galley. Depending on where you are, sometimes you can get delivery to your ship, like Dominos or Chinese Food. Most of the time you can leave the ship if you are not on duty and grab food else where. Or you can bring a stash of food on board in a lunch box. Some people keep a food cabinet in their shop but that depends on the culture of your peers. We had a, "Contribute, label your food, and if its open and not labeled then its free game. Otherwise don't touch whats not yours." While out at sea, the hours depends on your manpower and leadership. The more people and better shift scheduling, the shorter your hours will be. On my last ship, which was a Cruiser (CG), during deployment, we had about 20 people. Two shifts(Day and Night), 12 hours each. Honestly, we could have split it up into 3 or 4 shifts but leadership didn't want to change the rotation. This is 7 Days a week because you're on an operation out in the middle of the ocean. Most of the time, Sunday is a relaxed day. Underway is also the best time overall to study on workout or study because where are you going to go. The hours that you are not at work is your own time unless there is a special event. Food and Shower Rooms issues are generally the same as above. Obviously minus the delivery. Although there was this one time where the helicopter flew missions to land and if you were friends with someone on of the air crew, they could give you a pizza since they were getting some for themselves. At a shore command, your more than likely also looking at an 8 hour day but usually thats it. Its more like a 9-5 job at shore commands. There are still duty rotations but its different than on ships. Right now I work at a hospital so we have Duty Weeks, but all it is is that we have to check certain emails every day and we have to carry a duty phone for that week. Its for in case anything happens and they need to contact you. But every command is slightly different. Apart from the military aspect, is a normal job so working out and eating is up to you. Food is not free at most shore commands. Even at the base galley when they scan your ID they'll see that you have to pay. Showering; some commands may have a shower room. Mine does right now because its a hospital. Some don't. You'll either be living in a barracks room on base or you'll have a house or appartment somewhere. Its up to you. Same for working out. I hope this gives you perspective. If you have anymore questions I'll be happy to answer them.
Its not that difficult to learn but just know that in being an IT there are two sides of the house. ADP which is your computers, programming, hardware, software, networking. Then there is Communications which is your radio, frequencies, antennas, satellites. That being said, regardless of how you learn, you will most defiantly learn it. You use it so often. And the fact that you are here on my page means you can navigate the internet to get to something you seek. You may take that for granted but the internet specifically google is one of the most basic tool in an IT's tool belt. You'll be okay.
+FuzzyStayGold96 I got like a 75. Some got more and some got less. Its whatever they need at the time. If you really want IT and they don't have it come back again later or keep asking.
MEPS wouldn't be half bad if they gave good food the day of, and if at the hotel the night before they didn't make you share a room with some loud fucker that wont let you sleep. I went through MEPS 3 weeks ago and It was agonizing. Half because you're tired and starving, and half because they don't tell you shit until the end.
shishiromura I feel like you're a victim of circumstance with your roommate. My roommate was pretty chill. From what I remember we liked the same music. There was also a woman's birthday going on at the hotel. Or a bachelorette party. Wasn't too sure. But like 6 of us crashed it. I ate their food but I didn't drink; others did. The next morning was rough regardless though. Glad your through that part.
Some of it was. The first class, A+, is challenging if you've never really touched that kind of stuff. But once you pass and get the certification, then the other classes start getting easy but are also still pretty important. Don't worry, if you study then you'll pass.
Lol ok im just curios man, ive got alot more questions, just want to know what doing before i do it because once i get in it no turning back in A school what you did ? Just fix computers ?
Mills758 It's like college class. There were some instances of handling computers, fixing them and all. But most of the learning is lectures, Power Points, and computer programs.
48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours of college credits will get you to be E3. Although I suggest finishing with a degree. At least an Associates but a Bachelors is even better. Either will get you far in the Navy as an Enlisted down the line and save you a bunch of multitasking in the future if you wanna make a career out of it.
Aaron Paul Ibarrola thanks for the insight bro one more question for you what did you get on your asvab to get in this rate of course getting the highest score possible would be the answer but what's the avarage range you've heard (worst case)
Thank you for your service. My son is in IT at A school in Pensacola. You did a great video. Thank you. I wish you the best! 💙⚓️
Newbie 2015 Thank you. I love the feed back. I actually worked with some people who joined after watching my video. Perhaps I'll meet your son one day.
Hey bro, don’t know if you’re still active on this channel since this is my first video by you. I want to go in for IT as well and I’m currently studying for the asvab. Can you tell me what subtest I should be focusing on. And if it’s not too much, can I also know your line scores so I know what to shoot for when I’m taking practice test?
Sorry I was sent and trapped to Diego Garcia for the past two weeks and the internet there isn't worth anything. I don't remember off hand what my scores were individually but I'm pretty sure I had a 77 overall. You could Google some practice ASVABs that I'm sure you could try. If you've taken the SAT and/or ACT then those are the types of questions would be something to look at. Obviously there are more life skills question but you should be good. I didn't prepare at all so the fact that you are should mean you'll probably go further than me. Lol
I enjoy working with computers and jumped at the AFT/IT rating so quick I think the recruiter's head was spinning. I have been reading up on the rating just to get a feel for what it is like and found a lot of love and a lot of hate for the rating, your video calmed some nerves. I really enjoyed your video and I am excited to be in the Navy. Still doesn't feel real yet... I guess boot camp will change that quickly. Thank you for the video.
Dancing Kirby hey man! How is everything going, how do you like the IT rate?
I am going to boot camp on January 5th. as the same rate as you, IT. At MEPS I was set on an aviation job, until one of the recruiters came by and said I had an opening lists of jobs and they mentioned IT. I didn't think I was qualified for it before, so I'm pumped now that I got the opportunity!
Thats great dude. Keep at it!
+Aaron Paul Ibarrola thanks man! did you do the 4 or 6 yr contract?
I did the 6 year contract.
+Aaron Paul Ibarrola I'm doing the 4yr. I was just happy I got the contract, honestly. I hope to extend my contract towards the end of those four years, will that be enough time for me to get the promotions that are needed?
Yeah dude 4 years, with the right opportunities, studying, and chain of command you'll rank up quick enough.
Would love to see you on an episode of “Where Are They Now” lol 8 yrs later! Update plz? What’s life like with your experience you’ve gotten over the years?
Hey Man Can You Make A Video & Explain To Us What You Do On A Typical Day & Exactly What Your Job Is As An IT? I Actually Go To MEPS On The 3rd And I'm Hoping To Get A Job As An IT But I Would Love To Get A Little More Insight About It Before I Choose It.
I'm still in C school so I don't have too much to say about what we do in the fleet other than what instructors have told me. But from what I'm understand, if you're at a shore command you wake up around 0500 and go to work maybe 0600 and come home probably around 1500 to 1700 and depending on what command and what job you're doing you probably be either picking up the phone and working as customer service or taking trouble tickets and fixing computers. Maybe some admin unlock some passwords or setting up new user accounts. If your on a ship then depending on what kind of ship (The smaller the ship the more diverse your job is. The bigger it is the more specialized.) and what kind of work there is to do and what you learned in C school if you went to C school, what certifications you have, and/or what you did at you shore command, you'll be either working with computers, fixing them or admin stuff or you'll be working with radios and antennas. Now the workshops you work at are air conditioned and there a lot more down time than other rates. Most definitely as with every rate, every now and then you'll be doing some harder labor that has nothing to do with your rate like work parties, duty, swabbing, scrubbing, painting, washing dishes, and more. But its better that that it is just extra work then that being you're full time job. lol In the end, the job training and certifications you get from this rate carry on into the civilian world. One of my instructors just got a job for dell working to make course schedules and she's getting paid like double what she was here, which is insane. Its worth it.
I just got an orders list to see what jobs I qualified for and since I got a really good asvab score so I chose IT, swearing in tomorrow for it!
Jon Hampton That's what's up, dude. Congrats.
Jon Hampton what did you score or what’s a good score to get IT?
Jullius. I got a 73 and was qualifying but my buddy got a 63 and qualified as well
You should make more videos. I've run out.
I will. :) Soon.
Man, I'm in dep and I'm contracted as an HM and I was hoping to go with the marines, but literally the only thing I'm afraid of is giving IVs to people, I'm afraid of messing up in their vein. I'm thinking about what would happen if I chose IT since I want to major in software engineering.
Roshan Abraham Sorry for the later reply. Whether or not you chose IT as your rate, you can still work on the certifications and eventually you can work on college courses for whatever degree you want. There is also nothing stopping you from going to the IT's at your command and learning from them. On ships, you're actually going to be required to learn a little bit about everyone elses job. Hope that helps.
Aaron Paul Ibarrola thanks so much for the information and actually taking the time to respond. I have a couple more questions if that's okay since there is not a lot of videos on IT. How do you like IT? What's it like and what do you do on a average day? Pros and cons? If you got the time that would be helpful to make another video on since there are few videos on youtube about this rate. Just a suggestion :) Also someone told me that IT is part of the intelligence community and that they are very picky about security clearance. They said since I was born out of the US but got my US citizenship last year they still might not let me just cuz they are picky. Do you know if that's true? It's just a normal secret clearance right? Sorry for all the questions!
Roshan Abraham I'll make a more descriptive video about your all your questions this week. So you'll be the one breaking my hiatus. But as for your security clearance, I can't speak for the investigators but if you are naturalized and you don't have anything to worry about then you should be good. But don't take my word because I don't know much on the subject. I would ask the recruiter. If yours doesn't know, you could ask a different one. Hell, the other branch recruiters might know too. Like Air Force or Army. They have to go through the Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) as well. Its are called 25B in the Army. Also look up SSBI on google. It should tell you stuff too. I just glanced and it should say something about your case.
Aaron Paul Ibarrola awesome! Thank you so much for the info and taking the time to help me. I appreciate it a lot! I'll definetly take a look in that direction. Looking forward to future videos from ya! :)
Just got the IT job at MEPS tell me about what kinds of things to expect to learn about.
I'll remember your words bro thanks for the advice
hoping you're doing great. Another re-enlistment?
Hunter the Director Thanks I'm doing well. I am most likely going to.
Hey!
How are you liking the IT rate so far?
What is your basic day like as an IT?
Also, do you get to travel?
Stell4R I made you a video.
Just went to MEPS yesterday and today was there for over 16 hours and man are they slow. I sat in a chair for like 10 hours just waiting it really sucked. But anyway I signed up for the IT position but im going to take the pst to get into dive school. It look like it would be a good fall back job. Any thoughts on IT?
I'm sorry this is late. I've been at sea for 7 months. I hope everything worked out well for you. Hope to see you in the fleet.
Hey man, I'm enlisted IT and I leave for Great Lakes this Sept. Can you shed light on what I got myself into? What's your average day-to-day life? What does your job consist of? Thanks man, I appreciate it.
Its hard work. Its not easy. Sometimes you'll hate it. Other times you'll laugh more than you've ever laughed before. I do love the fact that I have a solid paycheck every two weeks. There is also a lot of pride that come along with it if you're into that. The world is a big place with many many possible places to get stationed at. Especially as an IT. You have the capability to go anywhere. But with that, its like any other job. You get places that are your cup of tea and sometimes you'll dislike it. Its mostly the people that can make or break your experiences. Some people will enjoy own task while others will say that same task was the worst experience of their life. Just make your own experiences. Take things for what they are. You'll be fine if you really want to be.
Hey man what day in sept I leave the 19th
IT is a great career.
Yes, it is.
Did you report to IP officers? What do they do ?
How are you liking it? I have a BS, but looking into joining the Navy in IT for the career opportunity. Looking to finish a second BS degree with tuition assistance at my old university while work IT. Going 6 year track. Hoping to get a masters or PHD with GI bill after. I was worried about online classes because of the limited bandwidth on the ships. Do you think this would be a problem? That's my number one concern and only reason for considering the army instead.
These are all basically what my instructors have been saying to me cause I asked the same thing. When you get to any command your job will be your first concern. You will have to prove yourself before you should even consider getting trying to ask for college. They'll take everything you did into consideration though. That being said, on a ship (This is case by case), you may not have free time to do online classes and ship internet is very choppy and usually very bad. As an IT you have more priority when using the internet but as I said probably not in the first few years because you need to prove yourself. Now you could also get a shore command first but same thing but you can get the best internet when your at shore. As a 6 year IT you'd be at Pensacola after the 2 month boot camp for about 10 months give or take a month. You can't do any kind of outside schooling while you're here so thats the first year. You will get your A+ certification when you pass your A school and if you get System Admin you'll get Security+. Most of my civilian IT friends don't have either so they will look good on you. I don't know much about the Army and there aren't any Army ITs here which means either their IT's go elsewhere or they don't call it IT. But I hope this helped and not too late.
Aaron Paul Ibarrola Thanks for the great information man. That's stuff I suspected but didn't know for sure. It sounds like a good route for me.
Psh what do you mean no action?! I'm sure you've seen plenty lmao. Like if email ever goes down - everyone and their brother on the ship is asking you when it will be fixed XD. I'm glad I found your channel from Facebook stalking.
Yeah definitely. I feel I've now seen too much action. Lol with the crazy troublecalls like fixing flight deck lights and the knocking on the bathroom stall to ask for computer help. And then there's Timplex going down lol but it's all in a days work XD Glad you found me. :)
I want IT though my score was high and they're trying to push me nuke since my line score was 270 for it. I know little about nuke though and heard quite a few bad things.
In the end its up to you so my advice is choose what YOU want. This is the next 4 to 30 years of your life. I don't really know to much about nukes. But I like being an IT and I've got pride for it. If that's what you want too then by all means try your hardest until you get it. And if not have a second choice that you wouldn't mind doing. You can always re-rate in two years and you never know you may like it instead. But I hope I'm not too late with this response.
Aaron Paul Ibarrola Not late at all. Have a lot of medical to clear before I hit MEPS. I have decided on pursuing IT and am prepared to wait to get it. Thanks for the response.
I want to join the Navy also in Information Systems Technician. I recently graduated with a Bachelors in Information Systems, and wanted to join to further my skills. Want to enlist and curious to know your experience to help me make a decision.
My experience has be okay. Hard but I can't complain even if I do. Right now I'm stationed in Hawaii. If you enlist you will learn a lot about the IT world and the Navy as a whole. From computer technology from the 80's to now, you will have to try making all that work. You'll make contacts and network with people and open up opportunies for after the military if you don't go career. However, I will suggest also looking into the officer program. As an enlisted there are more times than not where your intelligence is wasted you'll have to do menial, most times nonsense tasks and work that most of the time have nothing to do with your job. Already have a BS you'll want to utilize what you already have. You'll make more money but you have different types of responsibilities. You might not even ever see your technical training be utilized. You'll lead people and many times they are not very compliant. Either way you'll see a constant income, job security, friendships built, experiences that are wonderful and unique to the navy and whether you choose to stay in or not, most of your certs if you get IT will carry over in the civilian world. On the other side of that, your path will be hard, you will lose sleep, you will get your hands dirty, sometimes your life will be in danger, you will deal with all kinds of people, many of which you may not get along with. Military life is not for everyone but if you choose you that life and make it through, whether you loved it or hated it, no one can take away from you experience you had. I've learned that you can't predict or even guess what's going to happen to you in the future so if you have the slightest doubt just muscle through. No regrets. And don't feel that there is only the Navy or civilian life. There are other branches to look into.
Thank You! I will think through the decision, although acquiring already a bachelors in IT, I don't feel that i have possessed the necessary skills and knowledge in the field as it was a switch of major during my college days as I was not exposed or did internships during my studies that I feel I lack alot.
I'm just an averaged student, not honor status or anything, a little bit on the quiet reserved side but love to build my self confidence with my skills. One of my instructors recommended me to join the military so I can build confidence in my self which I do really need.
On a growth do you feel that going through the military has changed yourself and made you become more disciplined?
What's up man, one quick question for you... what was your asvab score?
77
How long are the work hours for IT? Will I have some free-time to get a good workout in while showering, and eating?
Paul Kim The working hours vary command to command. On ships, if not out at sea, then you're most likely looking at a little more than 8 hours a day, usually from 6 :30 A.M. to 4 P.M.. However, there will always be some kind of extra work or event to be done which could extend or maybe shorten the day. I would count on the former. Sometimes we'll get out at 6 P.M. Its 5 days a week but there will be a rotation of Duty Days or Duty Weekends depending on the command. So every so often you'll be working weekends. On a ship, for duty days, you'll be staying on the ship that night. Its not always weekends. For example. We had 6 Duty sections on my ship(the number is determined by manpower and peoples qualifications). So if I was in section 3. Then every 6 days I'll have to stay on the ship that day going into the next day. You can chill after hours but you'll be on call.
Honestly this is one of the best times to workout or study in port. Ships have several gyms on them and since you forced to stay on board. Workout, study, play video games, watch TV. Just be available if they need you. Food and shower rooms are available on the ship. There are meal hours which vary but they are mostly about an hour and a half long. Whether they want you to spend the fully hour and a half at lunch depends on your supervisors. On ships the meal is "free", as in they don't give you extra money for food in your pay check which means you can eat for free at your ship's galley or at the base galley. Depending on where you are, sometimes you can get delivery to your ship, like Dominos or Chinese Food. Most of the time you can leave the ship if you are not on duty and grab food else where. Or you can bring a stash of food on board in a lunch box. Some people keep a food cabinet in their shop but that depends on the culture of your peers. We had a, "Contribute, label your food, and if its open and not labeled then its free game. Otherwise don't touch whats not yours."
While out at sea, the hours depends on your manpower and leadership. The more people and better shift scheduling, the shorter your hours will be. On my last ship, which was a Cruiser (CG), during deployment, we had about 20 people. Two shifts(Day and Night), 12 hours each. Honestly, we could have split it up into 3 or 4 shifts but leadership didn't want to change the rotation. This is 7 Days a week because you're on an operation out in the middle of the ocean. Most of the time, Sunday is a relaxed day. Underway is also the best time overall to study on workout or study because where are you going to go. The hours that you are not at work is your own time unless there is a special event. Food and Shower Rooms issues are generally the same as above. Obviously minus the delivery. Although there was this one time where the helicopter flew missions to land and if you were friends with someone on of the air crew, they could give you a pizza since they were getting some for themselves.
At a shore command, your more than likely also looking at an 8 hour day but usually thats it. Its more like a 9-5 job at shore commands. There are still duty rotations but its different than on ships. Right now I work at a hospital so we have Duty Weeks, but all it is is that we have to check certain emails every day and we have to carry a duty phone for that week. Its for in case anything happens and they need to contact you. But every command is slightly different. Apart from the military aspect, is a normal job so working out and eating is up to you. Food is not free at most shore commands. Even at the base galley when they scan your ID they'll see that you have to pay. Showering; some commands may have a shower room. Mine does right now because its a hospital. Some don't. You'll either be living in a barracks room on base or you'll have a house or appartment somewhere. Its up to you. Same for working out.
I hope this gives you perspective. If you have anymore questions I'll be happy to answer them.
wow thank you for replying in such detail! You cleared up a lot of my concerns. I live like 25 min from Lyndhurst btw haha!
Im interested in Navy IT, I'm also new to anything IT or programming, is it difficult to learn this?
Its not that difficult to learn but just know that in being an IT there are two sides of the house. ADP which is your computers, programming, hardware, software, networking. Then there is Communications which is your radio, frequencies, antennas, satellites. That being said, regardless of how you learn, you will most defiantly learn it. You use it so often. And the fact that you are here on my page means you can navigate the internet to get to something you seek. You may take that for granted but the internet specifically google is one of the most basic tool in an IT's tool belt. You'll be okay.
Hey bro im interested in joining the navy what score do u need on the asvab to become an it?
+FuzzyStayGold96 I got like a 75. Some got more and some got less. Its whatever they need at the time. If you really want IT and they don't have it come back again later or keep asking.
+Aaron Paul Ibarrola okay thanks for the reply i appreciate it!
MEPS wouldn't be half bad if they gave good food the day of, and if at the hotel the night before they didn't make you share a room with some loud fucker that wont let you sleep. I went through MEPS 3 weeks ago and It was agonizing. Half because you're tired and starving, and half because they don't tell you shit until the end.
shishiromura I feel like you're a victim of circumstance with your roommate. My roommate was pretty chill. From what I remember we liked the same music. There was also a woman's birthday going on at the hotel. Or a bachelorette party. Wasn't too sure. But like 6 of us crashed it. I ate their food but I didn't drink; others did. The next morning was rough regardless though. Glad your through that part.
What state did you go to IT school?
Florida
Aaron Paul Ibarrola thanks
How long was A school for IT
About 5 to 6 months depending on holidays.
Was A school difficult?
Some of it was. The first class, A+, is challenging if you've never really touched that kind of stuff. But once you pass and get the certification, then the other classes start getting easy but are also still pretty important. Don't worry, if you study then you'll pass.
Lol ok im just curios man, ive got alot more questions, just want to know what doing before i do it because once i get in it no turning back in A school what you did ? Just fix computers ?
Mills758 It's like college class. There were some instances of handling computers, fixing them and all. But most of the learning is lectures, Power Points, and computer programs.
How many Hours do i need to have to be an E3 i haven't finished college yet.
48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours of college credits will get you to be E3. Although I suggest finishing with a degree. At least an Associates but a Bachelors is even better. Either will get you far in the Navy as an Enlisted down the line and save you a bunch of multitasking in the future if you wanna make a career out of it.
Aaron Paul Ibarrola thanks for the insight bro one more question for you what did you get on your asvab to get in this rate of course getting the highest score possible would be the answer but what's the avarage range you've heard (worst case)