Hey, so like I said above I'm thinking of a career in one of these two fields but I cannot decide on which. My plan from the start was a 4 year college and that would give me 2 more years (senior about to finish HS) to decide. However I just recently learned of the Nuclear program the navy offers. ( For those of you not associated with the navy it is a program where they pay for all my college classes to earn my Nuclear degree WHILE being paid an annual salary for being enlisted). After two years I am deployed on an air craft carrier where I will continue two more years of study and hands on training on the ship. After which I will have obtained my BS in Nuclear engineering and have had almost 3 years of hands on training. I will then be put on navy reserve for the next 4 years and can start my career. Keep in my mind this whole time all classes, housing, etc was paid for PLUS my E-4 salary.My question is would you do this or take the traditional route and be an electrical engineer?
2007-03-15 12:25:50 · 3 answers · asked by jmat2407 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
Well, I would consider the EE route because how often do you really see job openings for Nuclear engineers? On the other hand jobs for EE open everyday and also receive pretty darn good pay.
2007-03-15 13:23:20 · update #1
Trevor, how long do you think it will in reality take to obtain a BS degree from the initial point of enlistment. I have to keep this in mind because yes the "hands on" training and getting paid will be great but I have to way this against the fact I could attend a 4 year university and earn my BS in 4 years. However I will also have to be holding a job during the time but I will at least be home and not have to be away from everyone for so long.
2007-03-15 13:28:18 · update #2
Having been in the NAVY I can tell you this is not completely accurate.
Nuclear classroom training is around 2 years. After that you will go to either a carrier or submarine to work. Formal training once you get stationed on the ship is very limited, and you will NOT have a BS after two more years. Generally enlistments are set up over 8 years with 2 -6 years active duty, and the remainder on inactive duty. When I was on inactive duty I was not obligated for weekends or anything. In the hierarchy of things they will call you back from inactive reserves before the establish a draft so you are basically out at this point. You do start out as an E-4, and have food and board provided. Don't be fooled into think the food is good, especially on the ship. Don't be fooled into thinking you are going to live in a nice apartment, especially on the ship. Also, the pay is crap especially considering the number of hours you will work.
With that being said, there are a lot of benefits once you get out of the NAVY. I personally have always been glad I went into the NAVY, and that I got out as soon as I could.
If this is something you are seriously considering start asking some people around you. You will be surprised how many people were in the military and want to reminisce.
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I don't know for sure how many credits will directly transfer from the NAVY nuclear engineering program to a University. I would assume that you would have most of the basic nuclear engineering classes complete, and would need to take a few upper level courses. However, you probably won't have any of the other basic studies classes that all universities require (like English). I think it would be hard to get a BS degree in less than two years after you finish the NAVY training program.
If you take university courses once you get to your ship this will help reduce the time it takes to get your BS. Though you should remember though that most universities will want you to complete at least 60 (this is 4 full time semesters) credit hours locally in order to get a degree.
If you want to talk off line a little more my email address is trevorbrightwell@yahoo.com
2007-03-15 12:56:06 · answer #1 · answered by Trevor B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Although nuclear engineering seems to pay more and has ready openings because it's in high demand, electrical engineering is more flexible both upwardly (moving to higher positions) and laterally (going to other fields). Also there is a limit in the number of places you can live and work with nuclear engineering. So my choice would be EE.
2007-03-17 19:29:08 · answer #2 · answered by Will 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you want to be a Nuclear Engineer, and have a route, why settle for Electrical Engineering?
2007-03-15 19:57:21 · answer #3 · answered by Helmut 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋