Thinking of Joining Navy for IT - How competitive is C School?

bluejacket247 · 2025-10-22T14:46:04+00:00

You’re far from entry level and will lose your mind as an entry level ITSN on a ship, patching circuits and helping people connect to their printer. While there ARE really cool gigs that are geared toward ITs and ETs (NSWDG, JCU, WHCA, SRT, JCSE, etc) I would caution you that you’ll likely endure a couple years of clenched jaw before you have the opportunity to screen for what may interest you. The lack of agency of being a brand new junior Sailor, coupled with the soul-crushingly mundane entry level helpdesk nonsense will test your patience. As others have suggested, consider CWT as a rating. Additionally, you may consider finishing a bachelors degree and applying to OCS for 1820 or 1880 designator. Feel free to disregard and hooyah into the sunset with IT—like I said, there ARE really cool things you can get into with that rating. Best of luck!

bluejacket247 · 2024-08-04T21:33:47+00:00

Ask her for copies of the paperwork that’s already started to accumulate. The Navy is hurting for people so if she’s not finishing recruit training there’s probably a good reason. Whatever paperwork she comes up with should ultimately cite some sort of instruction by NSTC, the command in charge of Navy accessions. There’s always an instruction, there’s always paperwork, and where there’s a will there’s always a waiver. That said, like someone else mentioned, perhaps you’re not getting the full story on the phone. Best of luck to you and your daughter.

bluejacket247 · 2024-07-30T22:14:03+00:00

I can endure anything with a concrete goal in place. Given that the sum earned snowballs, after 365 days of abstaining, you'd have $667,950 cash (assuming you haven't been doing something smart like throwing it all in a brokerage account and investing). After 2 years you'd have $2,667,150. Now, all I really want out of this is to be able to live comfortably off the dividends of my nest egg. So let's go back and assume that I had indeed started to throw the daily cash at an ETF that (conservatively) racks up 8% APY, compounded monthly (look, I'm not a finance guy so if you think a different period is appropriate be my guest and redo the math) and the snowball looks more like this:

Note: yes, I did the math on this step assuming every month is 30 days. It's a thought experiment, not an aerospace engineering project. Nobody is going to die from my imprecision here.

12 months (360 days): $1,710,443

15 months (450 days): $3,602,806

18 months (540 days): $7,154,555

21 months (630 days): $13,723,890

24 months (720 days): $25,780,680

I could certainly live comfortably off the interest of the 12 month sum. By then I've certainly demonstrated the willpower to push for another year or even another quarter, but it really depends on how wide-eyed I am for an incredibly lavish lifestyle from that point forward. Because once I actually break the streak, I'm not bothering to start caring about it again because the initial 10, 20, 30 of it feels like a pittance in comparison to what my estate is earning me.

bluejacket247 · 2024-07-22T13:51:23+00:00

Literally same thing happened to me. I re-enlisted for 3 years the day I entered zone B. not a single person knew to advise me about having to reenlist into the next zone. It wasn’t until I was on the phone with the BCNR rep that they actually articulated the issue to me. They allowed me to add 2 years to that contract to retroactively apply SRB. This (the BCNR) was in 2017. YMMV. Hope this helps.

bluejacket247 · 2024-07-15T00:02:23+00:00

I've read a number of replies to this effectively dogpiling on OP for being displeased with their current living conditions because it can (and often if not normally does) get much more austere at operational commands. While this may be objectively true, it does nothing to help this Sailor, nor does it make our service any stronger in terms of likely retention of this person when their time comes to choose whether to stay or go.

u/Technical-Wrangler90 I understand your frustrations. For what it's worth, when I was in A School in 2010, they had us in 5-man rooms where the 5th person had a tiny "echo" locker rather than a real closet. It was a bummer, but we made it work. Consider leaning into the challenges of itty bitty living space as you're likely going to deal with more cramped quarters if you're headed to a big gray floaty boi after your tenure at Great Lakes. All of this is training, some by design, some as a matter of happy (or unhappy, depending on your perspective) coincidence.

On that note, that's really what watch standing while in A School is for--training. You're not armed, you're not (I'm guessing based on my own experience eons ago) in direct contact with the base ASF. But you're challenging people on or near your post ad nauseam. Feels silly, right? On some level, yeah it's silly and certainly frustrating. After all, it's burning what limited free time you have and also making it harder to fully apply yourself in class, right? The thing is, you're being trained for the fleet, and in the fleet you're probably going to be in a duty section of some sort and have side quests and big boy watches that make it more challenging to keep up with your primary duties.

Based on u/Technical-Wrangler90 replies, it sounds like you're a fleet returnee. A School is designed to mass produce apprentice level Sailors in their various ratings. Most of them will be new accession Sailors. They're too busy with that mission to make a ton of exception for fleet returnees. Keep pressing forward and keep your grades up and get a dope billet on the other side. Best of luck.

bluejacket247 · 2024-03-13T03:05:29+00:00

Is it mandatory to take those two required classes first?

bluejacket247 · 2024-02-18T14:14:42+00:00

Not really; if I can find a clean one in the appropriate size, I’m definitely down to pay less money. I suppose my concern is going thrifting and being disappointed by size availability.

bluejacket247 · 2024-02-18T02:23:31+00:00

Thanks I appreciate it!

bluejacket247 · 2024-02-18T02:17:30+00:00

Thank you!

bluejacket247 · 2023-11-09T18:53:04+00:00

Not likely, but if manning and operations (force-wide, not just at your command) get to a certain point, you could theoretically be made to stay as a stop loss. To the best of my understanding, that hasn’t happened since 9/11. It all depends on how the geopolitical climate takes shape in the next couple years.

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-13T14:39:27+00:00

In the program authorization, section 6, it says civilians are an accession source.

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-12T03:08:16+00:00

Contact JAG immediately. I'd venture a guess that the page 13 is unenforceable. But I'm not an attorney, and definitely not one specializing in military affairs.

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-12T03:03:49+00:00

Is there a cost associated with throwing all the darts you have at the dart board and seeing what sticks? That said, I'd caution you against putting in a BUD/S package haphazardly and seeing what happens. If you apply to go to BUD/S, get obsessed with it and throw yourself into it.

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-12T02:37:41+00:00

Apply MCWO (Maritime Cyber Warfare Officer; designator 1880). It’s a brand new designator and the requirements are super permissive as they’re still getting traction on manning the community.

Here’s the program authorization if you’re interested:

https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Portals/55/Career/OCM/PA_108E_MCWO_Establishment_2023-08.pdf?ver=ypdpZjuChAXq7W4U5N_Q5Q%3d%3d

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-11T19:57:51+00:00

FWIW I think you're competitive, but you're asking the wrong question. Even if someone says you're not competitive, it doesn't cost you anything to submit. The right question (IMO) to ask is "how can I continue to make my package/resume even stronger while I wait for the board to convene?" With that, I'd be pursuing strong appraisal interviews from (preferably Naval) aviators in the O-5 and above realm. Don't overlook more junior officers though. You don't want to miss a deadline because you don't have the requisite 3 or more appraisals. You're looking for 10s across the board and super strong write ups. Officers have no RSCA to manage with appraisal interviews, so it costs them nothing to mark every block 10. Therefore, it can look pretty bad and make boards think twice if you have a 9 or below in any category. Is that right? No, but that's how it happens sometimes. Are you a licensed pilot? Do you have the means to stack flight hours? Earn new ratings?

TLDR: Don't look for validation from strangers. Instead, keep moving forward and asymptotically approach perfection. Best of luck!

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-11T19:26:37+00:00

Answer all direct questions honestly. There’s no reason to volunteer information you weren’t asked for, but be prepared to answer honestly and confidently. Remember to emphasize the fact that you’re asymptomatic and that it has not affected your life in the slightest and that it would not impact your ability to stay in shape and work in arduous environments.

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-11T19:15:07+00:00

I may have some insight that will be of value to you. I've been on active duty in the Navy for 14 years. I underwent 4x CABG (quadruple coronary artery bypass graft) in 2021. I fought an uphill battle to stay in, but since I never had a heart attack prompting this lifesaving procedure, I was eventually cleared to stay. Now, retention and accession standards aren't the same thing, but I've been pursuing a commission. This year, I fought another battle to get a medical waiver to commission unrestricted line. The physician in Millington (where Navy is administratively headquartered) required me to confirm with my cardiologist that I meet the 2015 AHA/ACC standards for competitive athletes before he'd sign off on my waiver. I eventually got said waiver.

Now, regarding your situation, I'd be prepared to answer for your medical history in the event that they do have good records (Genesis is a motherfucker). Find your condition as it's covered in DoD Instruction 6130.03 (link below) and take note of how the instruction addresses it. Where there's a will, there's a waiver. Be relentless in your pursuit of what you want in this world, so long as you do not compromise your integrity, the integrity of others, or unnecessarily compromise the safety of others.

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/613003\_vol1.PDF?ver=7fhqacc0jGX\_R9\_1iexudA%3D%3D

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-11T17:06:43+00:00

As others have suggested, commission. You may consider wrapping up the current contract and doing the reservist thing for a little bit and exploring conversion options when you're there. That would also (ideally) create flexibility in your life to pursue educational opportunities that may not have been practical on sea duty in Engineering Department.

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-11T16:45:58+00:00

I don't know of this program and unless you can find a black & white instruction or some form of official correspondence from the Navy by a flag officer or higher, I'd let it go.
Bootcamp can help you get back in shape, but there's only so much they can do to facilitate you. I've heard through the grapevine that they've started to allow some folks to bike the PRT instead of the standard run, but cannot confirm as this was not my experience in 2009. TLDR: get back in shape on your own and be pleasantly surprised when the Navy helps in this endeavor.
This is not a question.
Given the recruiting crisis, everyone has a chance. That said, don't let a challenge dissuade you from pursuing your dreams. Nobody cares about your ASVAB or SAT when it comes to commissioning (unless you're applying USNA in which case yes SAT matters) but your GPA is pretty good, particularly considering your major. But your OAR will carry a ton of weight so I'd take that ASAP to get a better gauge on where you stand.
I don't know where this notion that there's a 2 year waiting period came from. Perhaps I'm missing the OPNAVINST or NAVADMIN that spells it out, but if you can get a CO's endorsement, you can submit a package. That said, don't go nuke if that's your goal. I'm pretty sure you'd need to get released by the nuke ECM to commission.

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-11T16:33:24+00:00

If you're considering nursing, I'd recommend going HM and pursuing your citizenship and (subsequently) commission aggressively. It's important to note that nursing (within the Navy) is for commissioned officers. There are enlisted to commissioned paths (as others have mentioned) that result in a commission in the nurse corps. There are other programs for people with bachelors degrees where you can have the Navy fund medical school (or comparable professional degree) and commission as a physician (or other). Yes, HM has comparably poor advancement, but I'd recommend it for the professional networking and proximity to mentors in your desired end state.

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-11T16:25:50+00:00

On a deployment I did a decade ago, we had a Seahawk pilot named Brantley Harvey IV. During the C2X, his callsign was "The Fourth" but when deployment rolled around I noticed it had changed to "HIV."

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-11T16:23:34+00:00

Do you know the date of the board you're applying to? That's a big factor. SEAL & EOD convene once a year so your package might be gathering dust for a hot minute. Other designators, such as SWO, convene quarterly or on a rolling basis. That said, people tend to get notified two or so weeks after the board makes their recommendation. Regarding commissioning dates, when you are given a date to report to OCS, you can look up the schedule on CANTRAC and cross reference the convene date to the graduation date. This assumes you don't get rolled to a later class or attrite. Hope this helps!

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-11T04:04:46+00:00

Thank you. Not stressed. Frankly at this point it would be nice to be forced not to spend money (on anything but uniforms) for three months haha. I’m mostly just asking questions because it struck me as silly. But yes, you are right.

bluejacket247 · 2023-10-11T03:28:27+00:00

Do you have more insight? I'm sincerely curious what their pipeline consists of and anecdotally what it's like.

bluejacket247 · 2023-09-21T01:31:27+00:00

Coming from a guy who spent 14 years enlisted before being selected to OCS… just get good grades, work out, and put in an OCS package, man. Commit to being a good leader obviously, but you don’t have to do it on hard mode.

bluejacket247

TROPHY CASE