Aviation or NUPOC?

[bingsu78]

I am currently in my junior year of college, studying chemical engineering with a 3.82 GPA.

I've recently passed a pre-screening process for NUPOC with interest in SWO, SUBs, and Naval Reactors Engineer (not interested in instructor positions). However, I have also become interested in aviation, both rotary and fixed, but I can't start my application process until May 2025 for OCS. I saw a very similar post posted here in 2010, but I assume 14 years is a long time for changes to have happened. As cool as being on a submarine sounds, I've been interested in aviation for a while and think that it'd have a better lifestyle balance, especially with my long-term relationship.

I wanted to ask if anyone knows if I can take the ASTB early, even though I am 20 months out from graduation, so I can gauge my competitiveness for a Naval Aviation spot at OCS. I also want to know if it is possible to apply to both programs at once and if I should delay my application for the NUPOC program. NUPOC has great pay during college, but in the grand scheme of things, I think I can miss out on 1 year of pay if it means I'm more satisfied with the next 5 to 10 years of my life.

I wanted to ask if anyone had insight into overall lifestyle differences between the two designators, what deployment looks like for pilots, a comparison of post-navy employment opportunities, and the competitiveness/difficulty of getting into aviation programs. I'm in decent shape, but have a slightly worse vision than 20/20. Will this be a detriment to selection if it's correctable?

I'm aware the nuke programs have extremely long hours and high stress throughout, but how is it compared to aviation?

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I am currently in my junior year of college, studying chemical engineering with a 3.82 GPA.

I've recently passed a pre-screening process for NUPOC with interest in SWO, SUBs, and Naval Reactors Engineer (not interested in instructor positions). However, I have also become interested in aviation, both rotary and fixed, but I can't start my application process until May 2025 for OCS. I saw a very similar post posted here in 2010, but I assume 14 years is a long time for changes to have happened. As cool as being on a submarine sounds, I've been interested in aviation for a while and think that it'd have a better lifestyle balance, especially with my long-term relationship.

I wanted to ask if anyone knows if I can take the ASTB early, even though I am 20 months out from graduation, so I can gauge my competitiveness for a Naval Aviation spot at OCS. I also want to know if it is possible to apply to both programs at once and if I should delay my application for the NUPOC program.

I wanted to ask if anyone had insight into overall lifestyle differences between the two designators, what deployment looks like for pilots, a comparison of post-navy employment opportunities, and the competitiveness/difficulty of getting into aviation programs. I also have a slightly worse vision than 20/20. Will this be a detriment to selection if it's correctable?

I'm aware the nuke programs have extremely long hours and high stress throughout, but how is it compared to aviation?

Welcome to the forum. The "new guy/gal" posts are a bit discouraged here and there's plenty of information on here to find your answers: Whether it's the naval aviation OCS process, OCS as a whole, and of course Naval Aviation training/careers, etc. - there's a ton of material at your disposal.

In terms of NUPOC, being that this is an aviation-centric forum your answers are going to be few and far in between. Reddit has a "navynukes" subreddit that seems to have a ton of information on NUPOC, submarine life, etc.

Between those resources, that should help dictate your answer. Similarly, if you have follow on questions or have something else on your mind, do the research first. Odds are it's been asked and answered repeatedly.

Good luck!

 

[bingsu78]

Welcome to the forum. The "new guy/gal" posts are a bit discouraged here and there's plenty of information on here to find your answers: Whether it's the naval aviation OCS process, OCS as a whole, and of course Naval Aviation training/careers, etc. - there's a ton of material at your disposal.

In terms of NUPOC, being that this is an aviation-centric forum your answers are going to be few and far in between. Reddit has a "navynukes" subreddit that seems to have a ton of information on NUPOC, submarine life, etc.

Between those resources, that should help dictate your answer. Similarly, if you have follow on questions or have something else on your mind, do the research first. Odds are it's been asked and answered repeatedly.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply! I will definitely take a look at all the existing forums. If you don't mind I just want to ask how soon I can take the ASTB, if I am 20 months from graduation. I've been searching for this answer for a while and can't seem to find it anywhere.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Thanks for the reply! I will definitely take a look at all the existing forums. If you don't mind I just want to ask how soon I can take the ASTB, if I am 20 months from graduation. I've been searching for this answer for a while and can't seem to find it anywhere.

You can take the ASTB whenever. Have you discussed options with your NUPOC recruiter and possibly an OCS recruiter?

 

[bingsu78]

You can take the ASTB whenever. Have you discussed options with your NUPOC recruiter and possibly an OCS recruiter?

Thanks for the information! I have only discussed Nuke options with a NUPOC recruiter and have not brought up my interests in aviation to them yet. I am calling them soon to discuss my interest in other designators as well.

The last time I tried to get in contact with another, more general recruiter, I was told that I could not begin my OCS application process until next May and was told to call back in May to start the process.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Thanks for the information! I have only discussed Nuke options with a NUPOC recruiter and have not brought up my interests in aviation to them yet. I am calling them soon to discuss my interest in other designators as well.

The last time I tried to get in contact with another, more general recruiter, I was told that I could not begin my OCS application process until next May and was told to call back in May to start the process.

You may be eligible for BDCP but there also may not be quotas / spots available. BDCP you can apply up to 24 months prior to graduation.

 

[bingsu78]

I didn't know about this option, thank you! I'll definitely reach out to my recruiter and ask about this option.