Hello and thank you in advance for any information you provide to me.

I am interested in the intelligence specialist rating. That said, does one have to volunteer for aircrew duty or is it assigned to you on the basis of Navy needs?

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, I have a wife and two year old son. Am I making a wise choice if I join the Navy or am I being selfish? More to the point: will my family resent me because I will be away so long and if so is there a different rating that might mitigate that risk? Thank you again.

First and foremost, I wish you luck in getting into the IS rating if that is what you end up trying for.

I am assuming by your post that you would like to be in an aircrew. If that is the case, then the IS rating is not likely to get you there. While there are IS’s that have probably flown in aircrews, it is not a rating that does it regularly unless someone else knows differently. There are other ratings that are much more likely to be aloft, like AW.
Most new IS will be on a ship, in a squadron(non-flying) or in a big intel center.

As for the family. That is a question and decision only you and your family can decide. There is a good chance you will be assigned to a ship out school. That means plenty of time away from home. Will your family resent you? I don’t know them and could not answer that question. It is tough and hard on many families. Will other ratings be easier for the home life? No. If you are looking for a job that will keep you with your family, none of the military services or ratings are likely to fit that bill. You belong to the government for the term of your enlistment and the first priority is their needs, not yours or your family’s.

You have some questions to ask yourself and you need to be truthful in how you answer your own questions. But determine why you are joining, what you expect to get out of it and what impact will it have on my life and is it worth it. While I feel that in general that people should serve their country in some fashion, the course of the military is not right for everyone and it is better to understand that now than later for both you and the military.

Good luck.

Jfkspook,

Thank you for the very thoughtful comments and advice. I am in a difficult spot at the moment, philosophically that is. I am a second year law student and I couldn't feel any more irrelevant than I do now. Further, though the part of the world I am in (the midatlantic) is perhaps a good place to raise a family in that it is relatively quiet, I do not know if quiet is what I want.

I guess I am a bit afflicted with wanderlust, not just for myself but for my wife and child. My wife would like to see other parts of the world and my son (who is just past two years of age) is a little explorer who loves to see new places and learn new things.

I could stay here in law school, get the degree and work in some office somewhere, hopefully helping people along the way. But I think I would just end up struggling to pay off my loans, wishing I had seen the world instead of the inside of a cubicle.

Here is what my imagination comes up with, which I know is naive: I imagine being somewhere in the Pacific region of the world with my family, in a place very different from the East Coast, where I do have to leave for 6 months at times, but then have 6 months home. My hope would be that my first assignment would allow me to go overseas with my family. As things go, I am probably quite mistaken about what will occur: I worry I'll end up in Norfolk and be a little undone by being so close to where I have spent my entire life. This is not to say that Norfolk is without charm, it's merely that I am as I said ready to see other parts of the Earth. Ah well, I am coming closer to simply taking the risk.

I qualify for the IS rating with the ASVAB score I have and I passed my physical. Now I just need to be as brave as others and make the committment.

OK, quick confirmation, you have a Bachelors and are in the 2nd year of law school? Well then I would really suggest a whole different route. Life as an officer really is better than enlisted. I may catch some heat from other enlisted but the pay is better, the living quarters are better and especially with a family those are things you might want to consider. Also after you get out at some point, whether that is 5 years or 30, it will look better on a resume.

Now my understanding is that getting into Intel School as an officer is really very hard, but there are lots of other jobs out there also. If you finish law school, the Navy needs lawyers too. Your office may be some 8x10 room on a carrier sailing the Pacific, yes they serve on ships. Plus there are quite a number of other possible jobs, not all of them great, but you won’t have to worry about serving in the mess decks or cleaning heads like you probably will as an IS.

As for the wanderlust, that is something you will have to work out. If you stay in the Navy long enough you will move around, but like you had in your response, there is a pretty decent chance of being stationed in Norfolk, either ship or shore. Is that different than what you would get by going officer, no. But there are other opportunities out there to try.

Just a quick pay scale comparison and lets say you are doing well and are an E-4 after two years as compared to a Lt JG after two years: E-4: $1786 vs. O-2: 3239. That is just base pay. Then you add in the allowances and it really starts to add up.

I am not saying that enlisting is a bad idea, but you really should drop by the officer recruiter and see what they say. Plus trying for officer once you are enlisted is a very tough endeavor.