<p>Hello, this is my first thread in the parents forum. I just received a scholarship opportunity from the navy. Unfortunately, my parents don’t support this stipend because I would have to eventually serve in the navy. Have any of you parents had a similar experience and what can you advise me to do?</p>
<p>Both my stepsons are in the Navy. My H and I feel it’s the best thing that could have happened to them. They were not going anywhere after high school and now are both serving in the intelligence field, both have been promoted, both have reenlisted, both are married. They have both been to many different countries, and both served during the Iraq War. They have settled down and are turning into fine young men. </p>
<p>Perhaps you can have your parents talk to someone in the Navy who can make them feel better about your opportunities. Ask your Navy contacts for help. </p>
<p>Is this an ROTC scholarship for undergrads? If so, you will be an officer when you serve and you will also have opportunity for more schooling.</p>
<p>Listen to your parents, they love you and don’t want you to make a mistake. If you take the money you are agreeing to show up and do anything they ask of you. The US Navy has done some wonderful things but there is a reason the recruiters cant fill their quotas anymore…T
here is a reason this rule has lasted so long:</p>
<p>Honor thy father and mother…</p>
<p>Young Buddhist, </p>
<p>I suggest that you migrate over to the Service Academies portion of this site you are truly seeking more information and not just uninformed military bashing. There is a great deal of information and a number of well-informed people there who can be supportive of either decision you decide to make without interjecting their personal biases. My husband and son are both willing to share their perspectives, as one is retired Navy and the other a Naval Academy Youngster.</p>
<p>There are pros and cons to the military way of life, and perhaps if there are specific questions you or your parents have they can be answered in that forum. </p>
<p>Isn’t it ironic that those who are so tolerant of every fringe group are so intolerant of those who choose to serve? Also, so many parents on this forum say they will not make choices for their young adults, they will drop them off and let them find their own way, etc., since the student is obviously intelligent and mature EXCEPT if that intelligent young person makes a decision to make the military a career. Go Figure.</p>
<p>BTW, congratulations on earning an ROTC scholarship. They are very competitive and you must be a great student to have earned one. Whether you decide to take it or not, you can still be very proud of your accomplishment.</p>
<p>Actually, the Navy met its requirements for both this year and the last. But that’s beside the point. The more important question is whether or not you want to serve in the Navy. And secondly, whether or not this is your only option when it comes to paying for college. If it is, and you are interested in serving your country in a relatively safe manner (let’s face it, Al-Qaeda isn’t fielding much of a Navy these days) then the Navy is a fairly attractive service option. I don’t think mayn employers would look down upon it in any way and it would undoubtably serve you well in the future. However, it is ultimately your future and your decision, not your parent’s.</p>
<p>I knew a young man who went to an Ivy on a Navy ROTC scholarship. He graduated summa cum laude, then went into the navy for six years. He served on a submarine. Some of his time on the sub was spent during a time of tension with North Korea. Afterwards, he went to law school. He is now working on Wall Street. Although his Navy service delayed grad school, he enjoyed most of it (except for the last part on the submarine) and it was a good way to finance his undergraduate education.</p>
<p>One of guys that I work with was Navy ROTC. He went on to serve his commitment in an area that he truly loved (subs) and has been in the Naval Reserves since then. He is now a captain (one step shy of admiral) with great retirement benefits as well as a full time employee in the civillian world with typical civilian retirement benefits. He has the best of both worlds financially and at the same time gets an annual break from the civillian sector to “see the world”. Not a bad life at all and one that he very much enjoys.</p>
<p>The Navy paid for H’s 4 years of medical school. And while he was in med school, he earned the munificent sum of $11K a year (in 1971). He also received a books and uniform allowance. He finished med school with NO DEBT. (This scholarship was so generous, the Navy eliminated it shortly after H graduated.) Now the Navy will pay for med school, but doesn’t pay a salary. </p>
<p>During his quarters off school, he was able to do medical clerkships at naval hospitals around the country. After he graduated, he did a 3 year residency at a Naval Hospital and THEN he owed them 4 years, which we spent in war-torn Long Beach, California. He did not have to do his residency in the Navy, it was his choice.</p>
<p>The military is a great way to pay for your education. And the Navy is one of the “safer” armed services. Navy postings are in fairly nice places (San Diego), unlike the Army (middle of nowhere, Midwest or Southern boonies).</p>
<p>We enjoyed our ten years in the Navy. As a college graduate, you will be an officer, which is very different from enlisted life. You may also have a chance for rapid advancement at a younger age than in civilian life. </p>
<p>He had a college friend who majored in engineering and spent some time on a nuclear sub. He also enjoyed his stint.</p>
<p>The Navy must see your potential if you have been offered a NROTC scholarship. Congratulations! I say go for it.</p>
<p>A background of service in the military will set you apart in a very good way from every other job applicant without military service. Employers recognize that if you are strong enough to handle military service, you won’t have much problem with a civilian job.</p>
<p>I’m the wife of a retired naval officer who currently works for the navy as a civilian scientist. My husband believes that his time in the navy gave him skills, experiences, and maturity that he never would have had otherwise. In fact, if it weren’t for the navy, he never would have met me. 
</p>
<p>Are you planning on going into surface line (i.e., serving on a ship) or naval aviation or the marines? That will make a huge difference in how your time in the navy will affect your life. Surface line is probably the safest branch of the military to be in, even in times of war, if that is a concern of your parents. </p>
<p>I think it is also important that your parents understand that going in through NROTC you will be starting as an officer (although an ensign at first) which is an entirely different ball of wax than enlisting in the navy. Officers have more comfortable accomodations, better pay, and even separate mess quarters than enlisted personnel. Additionally, even as an ensign, you will be handed a level of responsibility that few folks in their early 20’s are ever allowed. If you decide to make the navy your career, or to spend time in the reserves after you are off of active duty, the retirement benefits can be wonderful. You will also, obviously, benefit in terms of college expenses through NROTC.</p>
<p>The downsides? Depending on which part of the navy you end up in, you may very well spend long periods away from home at sea. While it can be exciting to visit foreign ports, port calls are few and far between - make sure you have a high tolerance for tedium. Even though officers have nicer quarters than enlisted personnel, they are far from luxurious and there is little privacy or free time aboard ship. However, the navy has recently changed its ship crew rotation schedule so that it is unlikely you will spend as much time at sea as previous generations did (my husband and I actually slept in the same bed for a total of 3 weeks during our first two years of marriage as he was constantly at sea!) Even when you are home ported, expect to spend every 3rd or 4th night having to stand watch, which basically means being on the ship. (This is different for naval aviators and marines). In terms of your billets (where you will be stationed), the navy has been working hard to give both enlisted and officers more say in where they are stationed, but you should know up front that it is not always possible to get the billet you would prefer and moving frequently is inevitable.</p>
<p>Finally, I will give you the advice my husband always gives young people who approach him for advice about going into the navy: carefully read and consider your NROTC contract. Make sure you understand all of the implications and if anything is confusing to you, ask questions. I get tired of hearing people complain that they didn’t know they could be re-called or have to serve in certain situations when this information is clearly spelled out, so make sure you understand both the short and LONG term obligations. </p>
<p>All in all, The navy can be a wonderful adventure if you know what you are going into — if you feel it would help your parents or you to speak with someone who has naval experience and still has strong navy connections but is not a recruiter, please feel free to PM me and I will put you in contact with my husband.</p>