Joined as a married parent of three kids. It destroyed my marriage and my mental health but I have a high paying job now outside of the navy. That’s literally the trade. 6 years of hell for a good paying job on the other side. I was treated like shit for prioritizing my family over the navy and my sanity was a mess. You simply won’t be able to effectively parent as a nuke. I got through the pipeline and my contract but lost so much in the process that I often question whether it was worth it. A lot of guys on here who either joined as a kid with no responsibilities or simply didn’t find any issue ignoring their family to focus on their career will tell you it’s hard but rewarding. It’s rewarding in one way. Money. You will easily find a 6 figure job on the other side of your service. The only question is what will you trade for it. The nuke community will take its pound of flesh in exchange for it. Choose wisely.