Any CTM's out there that can help me better understand what my actually job duties will consist of for CTM. I have been able to find very little information about CTM rating except that it was going away then they brought it back. I heard this rating was better than CTN which was my first choice, CTM was my second choice.

Here are the Questions.

1) What will job duties consist of like do i just repair PCs, do I also set up and install networks, is it mostly have to do with electronic engineering? Dont need gory details just brief description of knowing what i am getting myself into.

2) The other questions I have is what would be some good areas to study up on. Would this be A+, NET+, CCNA, CCISP, (do we do any security), electronic engineering. Seems like this job is very broad which I like because I always need a Challenge.

3) also should I put in for CTN I tested 100 percent for CTM job but really wanted CTN which is better. For education purposes and Civilian related jobs.

All in all i just like to be prepared and know what i am going into. The Recruiter telling me i work on top secret stuff is just not helping me understand what my job duties will be.


Thank you in advance.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 19467274,

Really it all depends on where you're stationed. The CTM's on my boat (USS Enterprise CVN-65) did maintenance. That's it. They did all of the OS div 3-M and PMS and assigned the rest of us (CTT, CTR, CTA, CTN) the secondary maintenance (air filters, doors and hatches etc.) I do know on other ships they were the EDP guys working the secret and TS LANs, so really CTM is a broad rate. Basically "Jack of all trades, Master of None."

As stated before, there is a wide variety of things you could be doing.

I've done DIRSUP in Japan on DDGs for 2 years and now I'm PCS afloat on a CG until 2010. I can't speak of shore side CTM work, but I have a fair grasp of the afloat work. My NEC is 9225, SSEE INC E tech. What that means is I am trained to do maintenance on the SSEE INC E system. However I also deal with voice comms, antennas, cabling, and some IT work.

With the loss of CTOs, you should be able to patch HF/UHF/SATCOM voice circuits. You should be able to make cable connectors, most commonly BNC and N-type, but also TNC.

Our IT work is pretty basic. You will need to troubleshoot some things like e-mail, IP comms with shore, create user accounts, but this will not occupy the majority of your time. Our software systems have preconfigured baselines approved by ONI or SPAWAR which you will not alter unless specifically told. A+ certs will help in the event you have bigger issues, but its not a requirement.

If you can, go to http://npc.navy.mil and read the description for CTM and CTN. I dont know if you can access the community manager area, but read their briefs for CTM and CTN.

Long story short: If you are interested in NET+, CCNA, CISSP, go CTN.

Good Luck,
CTM1(SW) Banning

thank you for the replies.
I am not comprehending the broad description i looked up some of the systems you mentioned. but i guess i am just trying to find out how you maintence the equipment. do you repair the broken parts. is the training and knowledge better than CTN. the recruiters told me this was a better rate because there is more schooling involved. i would also like to know what to study. or know what i will be studying for this job so i get a better idea of what i am doing. sorry replying on my phone.

Let me tell you, CTM is a awesome rating. Thank god they brought it back from the dead.

One good thing about CTM is that you can be a true Sailor. None of this just shore station crap. You can go PCS or Direct Support to many ships, even foreign governments. You just need to get the correct NEC to go. If you like working with your hands, on a wide range of equipment, then CTM is the way to go.

For my son, he was a computer geek, so I knew he would excel in the CTN field. So he's a CTN. It's a great field too. Lots of money is to be made in either the CTM or CTN field once you complete your 5/6 years of service. CTN will actually earn more.

Maybe what you need to do is read up on the CTM rating in the NEC manual. So go to this link, and search for CTM (NEC CTM-92xx). You will see what they work on. Remember, this manual was published in January 2004, so there isn't anything for CTN.
'http://www.combatindex.com/mil_docs/pdf/navpers/NAVPERS%2018068F_02.pdf'

Thank you, for your reply. I am a computer geek just like your son. but I like to get out and interact instead of sitting at a desk all day.

One of my goals is to complete my CCNA and go further in that area but i am not afraid to take on something new and challenging.

I guess the final question I have is there any books you recomend or any subject areas that I could study. I would love to get a head start so I can be more sucessful in my training.

thanks again, please feel free to keep replying people i know i cant be the only one with this queation.

If you like hands-on down in the dirty type work with electronic/electromechanical equipment, then CTM is a good rate.

As has been mentioned, one of the upsides to the rate is that there are a B-R-O-A-D variety of job tasks and specialties involved, and depending on the size of your command, there is a good chance you will have to learn at least some of the tasks of your co-workers - for example I could work the "O" and "R" brancher's gear as well as they could because if you can't use it, you sure can't fix it

Be prepared to learn everything from basic electronics all the way up to the newest computer networks and systems out there, as well as radio/telecommunications equipment.
The "A" school crams the equivalent of an Associates of Applied Science degree into just a few months, so lots of studying is involved, not just during class hours either. Most of the folks who didn't study outside of class time washed out fairly quickly.
One downside though (at least from my experience) was that there wasn't a lot of component-level troubleshooting involved - we troubleshot down to board level (i.e. find out which circuit card in the unit was malfunctioning, replace it, and send the bad one out to depot level repair at Crane's Mill) - which will hurt if you go back into the civilian field in electronics.

I loved the rating.

If you don't mind and old sea dogs advice I'd say you made a wise decision. I was an M brancher and went to A school at Treasure Island, Ca in 1964. School was nearly a year long but loved every moment of it. C school was in Portsmouth Naval Ship Yard for KWR-37 and lasted 6 weeks.

Dream sheet sent me to USS Belmont AGTR-4 for 26 months at sea. Four South American cruises, one African cruise, circumnavigated both South America & Africa. Saw the French explode therir first A-bomb near Tahaiti. Loved every minute of it and would go again but the old ticker won't let me. Gosh, I envy you guys!

I was a CTM for 8 years during Vietnam. I learned enough about electronics and computers to not only retire from a large computer company, but also spent time as a broadcast chief engineer. i now work as a computer program test engineer, checking other peoples program for functionality. I had a Top Secret clearance and still caryy it. The CTM rating was the most valuable and enjoyable rating the Navy has. My major CTM job was working with computers that now are so old and arcaic like 16k ram and tty I/O channels with a drum for storage and paper tape input devices. Nothing like to PC's we have now days. Feel free to contact me for more info.

To 19467274; as an added note, look at google for a AYK-7 to see the computer I specialized on in the navy as a CTM2

To 19467274; Also check the UYK-3 for the first computer I learned and worked on.