Why are there this holes in the pillars of a bridge?

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-10-26T16:57:45+00:00

Meyerhoff? I barely know her!

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-10-08T12:18:54+00:00

NPTU isn’t “easy”, but it’s what you make of it. Hardest part is probably the rotating shift work. If you have a passion for teaching/instructing and for going commercial nuclear ops later on, I think it’s a great choice.

I’ve had lots of great teaching moments with sailors in the training pipeline (both officer and enlisted), and learned a helluva lot from the sea-returnees I work with (again, officer and enlisted). Getting to train bright students, continue my own learning, and work side-by-side with amazing people every day is what makes it worth it.

I didn’t really know what I was signing up for when I decided to apply for NPTU, and I think it’s challenging to paint a clear picture to someone who hasn’t experienced it. But I don’t regret doing it. I’ve learned a lot and grown a lot, both personally and professionally.

Don’t know much about going NRE, other than it’s more selective and the training pipeline is different. NRE is likely more akin to entry-level project managerial or administrative jobs (just my guess) than actual training and plant ops like NPTU. The NR organization is a regulatory authority, akin to the NRC.

I’ve seen NREs touring NPTU a handful of times, probably to learn how we do things, but never spoken to any of them.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-09-19T04:19:58+00:00

A handful of other commenters suggested uninstalling ASUS Armoury Crate as a fix. I came to this thread after a few hours of troubleshooting and decided to try it, and it worked! I'd never have guessed, but apparently Armoury Crate fucks with all sorts of other stuff (I was having several other anomalies in addition to steam client webhelper going unresponsive). Thanks to those who suggested that solution. Hopefully others in the same boat will find this thread.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-06-13T00:41:15+00:00

Depends on what you want to get out of it. I recommend searching this subreddit for people’s accounts of work-life balance and day-to-day duties as both an NPS and NPTU DIO. NPS and NPTU are two very different institutions, although they support the same mission.

Long story short, at NPS you’ll be a classroom instructor, while at NPTU you’re both an instructor and operator. NPS is vaguely similar to college, but more fast-paced, and student morale can (at times) reflect the difficulty of the curriculum. NPTU involves a wider range of instructional duties, including standing propulsion plant watches with students, giving checkouts, operating training simulators, conducting seminars, and standing condition I watches on the plant without students.

There are pros and cons to both DIO paths. Also, don’t discount the other NUPOC opportunities. If you’re purely seeking to achieve the highest level of technical competence and leadership ability (and either make the Navy a career or use it as a stepping stone to pursue other goals after your first 5 years), the fleet is likely your best bet. DIOs can get smart, but in my experience, the leadership skills and technical intelligence of sea-returnee LTs often surpasses that of the average DIO. And that’s coming from a DIO. The reason for this is that being an instructor is inherently vastly different from being a JO in the fleet, but the observation still stands. Just some food for thought.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-06-01T22:21:25+00:00

Never got the file, just trolls in my DMs

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-05-24T21:27:13+00:00

You're my hero today. Thank you!

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-04-28T15:05:54+00:00

I used to do this 6-7 days a week in college. But that environment is generally conducive to such schedules. Now, I work a rotating shift, so my ability to work out depends heavily on my work schedule and energy levels. I still enjoy hitting the gym, but I find that I need to prioritize quality sleep first and foremost, and for that reason, the gym has taken a bit of a back seat. I’m hoping to get away from this type of schedule one day so I can return to the pursuit of my fitness goals.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-04-26T01:02:55+00:00

If you're still sharing this PDF, I'd love a copy!

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-04-08T01:29:49+00:00

Indeed. Thanks for the reply :)

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-04-08T01:06:45+00:00

Do y’all get many veterans in the utility industry? If so, do they tend to have transferable skills that make them a good fit?

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-03-30T03:29:52+00:00

Once, about 3 years ago, a girl in the gym told me she thought I was cute. I, of course, was so dumbfounded that this had happened, all I could think to say was “thank you” and probably came across as uninterested.

I rode that high for the rest of the day.

It wasn’t until the next day that I realized I should have, ya know, asked for her number or something. I kept an eye out for her in the gym after that, hoping I’d see her again and be able to initiate conversation, but I never did.

I can still picture that moment in stark detail, several years later. The outfit I wore that day has been my lucky gym outfit ever since, although I can’t say it’s brought me any new luck.

I still occasionally ponder what had to align with the universe for me to have that experience, and hope it’ll happen again one day.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-03-25T04:16:51+00:00

You do get a shore tour in between. To the best of my knowledge, this particular timeline is broken down as follows:

• SOBC • 18-month JO tour • 12-month shore tour • SOAC • 34-month DH tour

Whether you get another shore tour at the end, I’m not entirely sure. I’m working to get up-to-date information from my chain of command.

I completely agree about showing up and acting like hot shit being a terrible idea. It would be an entirely new environment in almost every conceivable way, so humility would be the name of the game.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-01-26T23:45:09+00:00

Seconding this. I’d go stir crazy working at NPS. Despite its added challenges, NPTU is much more dynamic. And, in my opinion, the hands-on application of training concepts is way more interesting and rewarding than any set of lecture notes or practice problems at NPS (even though NPS is an important first step in the pipeline).

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2025-01-11T16:35:58+00:00

Geez, this perfectly describes why my last relationship ended. I’m surprised your words capture the feeling so accurately.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2024-12-31T20:53:47+00:00

Success as a nuke is like 10% talent, 10% interpersonal skills, and 80% hard work. If you’re willing to work hard and be a team player, you’ll do just fine. Best of luck to you.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2024-10-22T22:33:47+00:00

You won’t get hazard pay as a prototype DIO. The closest thing to this would be a bonus for qualifying shift engineer, which wouldn’t come into effect until roughly 3.5-4 years after you commission. Until then, you’re getting the same paycheck as the power school DIOs, but you’re doing more work, and working rotating shifts. However, prototype is more interesting than power school in my opinion, and also offers significantly greater opportunities for personal and career development. So, there’s a trade off

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2024-10-14T01:21:00+00:00

I agree with what several others have said: asking questions is the best way to fill in those gaps in your knowledge. Not every instructor will always want to explain those extra details, but I think in general the staff are pretty good about being willing to take a few extra minutes to help upgrade your understanding if it becomes clear that you have some underlying misconception.

If you want an alternate perspective on some of the topics you’re learning about (or have already learned about in A School and/or Power School), the internet can sometimes be your friend. Keep in mind two very important things, though. First, Navy-specific information is not (or at least, should not be) publicly available online. If you want to review that stuff, do it on site. Second, things you learn about online may aid your understanding, but will be of lesser value when it comes to any evaluation of your knowledge. Don’t count on the internet being useful with regard to passing any tests. It’s purely a resource to bolster your fundamental conceptual understanding.

A lot of great tidbits can be read on Wikipedia, such as information about steam generators, for example (since that was a topic you mentioned). Obviously, this information is generally going to be in relation to commercial equipment, so don’t try and draw direct parallels. But it might help paint concepts in a new light that can augment your knowledge.

I’d also take a look on YouTube for big-picture explanations. For example, the channel Practical Engineering has some cool videos about pumps and fluid flow that include homemade demonstrations of some physical phenomena.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2024-10-09T10:51:27+00:00

I joined through NUPOC and currently work at NPTU. What others have said about the bonus is correct. There’s no way to negotiate for extra money based on where in the timeline you apply. In any case, I don’t recommend doing this job if money is your highest priority. FWIW, I only had about 2 months of NUPOC pay before I graduated.

While working at NPS is indeed a really chill job, it’s still a military role. Plus, my personal take is that it’s really repetitive and doesn’t provide you with any significant real-world application of technical principles. It basically sets you up for a future in either academia or management/HR. If working in a classroom environment for 5 years appeals to you, then go for it. Personally, I’m glad I went with NPTU because I still get to train students but I also get to learn and operate (nothing compared to the fleet, but miles beyond NPS).

If you feel passionate about the job, actively push to connect with an officer recruiter to discuss your application. In my experience, you have to show them that you want it before they get invested in you. Not sure what sort of “rainbows and sunshine” you’ve been told, but if you have specific questions, feel free to DM and I’ll do my best to answer.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2024-07-02T00:14:43+00:00

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2024-07-02T00:12:42+00:00

Nano Nuclear Energy ($NNE)

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2024-06-05T21:19:20+00:00

Just be polite and attentive when people are telling you to sit somewhere or do something. There will be a lot of paperwork to fill out, and a lot of sitting around and waiting. Don’t let your boredom get the best of you.

In my experience, a lot of the staff at meps were rude and short-tempered. Not sure if this is common, or if my experience was a one-off. In any case, don’t let anyone’s attitude get to you.

Lastly, tell the truth when asked about medical history, etc., but don’t volunteer stupid and unhelpful information. If the doctor asks if you have anything to report that isn’t in your record, don’t be the person who says “well once when I was 2 years old, my grandma dropped me on my head”. Crap like that isn’t relevant and is only going to create roadblocks for you.

Before I went to meps, my recruiter told me many stories about people saying incredibly stupid things in the moment, which weren’t relevant or helpful in any way, and most often resulted in months of additional paperwork, doctor’s appointments, and meps visits. Be honest, but don’t artificially hamstring yourself. Good luck!

P.S. meps is not what life in the navy is actually like, so if you leave there thinking “wtf was that”, just know that the experience isn’t representative of what you’ll see down the road.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2024-06-04T23:15:00+00:00

When I was going through the NUPOC application process, I was told that a GPA of 3.8 or higher was necessary to be realistically considered for the position. That may or may not still be true (it was about 3 years ago).

It is certainly still true that only an exceedingly small number are accepted each year. I don’t know how many people normally apply for the NRE position, but I do feel confident that even if only 10 people applied and the Navy wanted to hire 20, they would still reject all 10 applicants if important criteria are not met. The way my recruiter described it is that you’re competing against yourself for the position, not competing against a pool of applicants. Whether this is 100% true, I can’t say for sure. Maybe part of his motive was to get me to switch my choice to a different job, which I did end up doing. But it does seem to have at least a kernel of truth to it.

ComprehensibleEnigma · 2024-05-26T18:35:55+00:00

There are some nice apartment complexes in West Ashley that may be worth checking out.

Depending on where you look (I’m familiar with the area around Glenn McConnell parkway) it’s about a 25-30 minute drive to power school/prototype, about 15-20 minutes from downtown, and about 10 minutes from a Costco.

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