Negativity towards Nuclear Engineering?

[abh99]

Hi all, I'm brand new and have done a lot of reading on this site. I've recently begun thinking about becoming a Navy Officer and have noticed a lot of 'anti-N.E.' talk. And I was just curious why?

Is it b/c this site is kinda geared towards aviation? Is it b/c it can be kinda dry and boring if Physics and Math aren't really your thing? Or is there something about the program itself?

Engineering, in general, is a very well-payed position as a civ, so it seems like if you had what it takes to be a NE and liked all that Physics and Math stuff, that it would be a sought after position. But, from all the reading I've done, I hear mostly dissent.

I've begun speaking with a recruiter about going into Intel and he immediately started talking NE, which obviously leads me to believe that he's being influenced to push that b/c spots need to be filled. I had considered doing Engineering rather than Biology in my undergrad, cuz I do like it, but did Biology cuz it's more up my alley. However, the job outlook for a Biologist is shite whereas the job outlook for NE is pretty stellar, so it seems. I'm still leaning heavily towards Intel, but NE is on the radar now and I'd like to get as much info about it as possible.

Any and all comments would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[a_m]

I know quite a few guys who went nuc (either subs or swo). It can be rewarding, but it is very, very tough and very, very anal. If you like it, then by all means go for it. Just expect to meet some weird people.

 

[statesman]

For what ever reason we have a large number of Nukes at our unit here in New Mexico. All of them are nice guys and gals, and I can't think of any one that I don't like.

That being said I don't think I could see myself working in their field. As Alabama Matt said it seems to be a fairly anal community, probably for good reason. From my experience the aviators that I have met seem to be less anal and are of the class clown variety (kind of an anti-nuke personality), but at the same time are extremely professional. On any community specific forum there is going to be a natural bias towards the other communities, but there may be even more of a bias against Nukes here because of the stark contrasts between the two communities.

 

[The Chief]

First of all you need to separate NE from submarines a.k.a. sewer pipes. Having the freedom to fly around at 30,000 feet in a pointy nosed vehicle, where you are the boss is a far different lifestyle from being submerged in a sewer pipe. Gets pretty lonesome down there, day after day, same people, same food, constant drills constantly alert because of the constant danger.

This site is about pointy nosed airplanes. Of course most have no interest in the bubble heads. Yes, we have a few former bubble heads that are now airdales.

Having said all that, yes submarines, all of which are nuclear powered, are a great adventure. Many would not trade that lifestyle for anything. Training, knowledge, skills and abilities of those folks are in great demand. I know one former LT that keeps changing jobs, between two companies. Each company after losing him to the other raising the ante to lure him back.

According to NRC the nuclear power boom is just begining. Will have to wait on that.

Lots of books out there on the subject. Highly recommend Blind Mans Bluff, my bias is that i was somewhat involved.

 

[CAMike]

I've only known a couple of SWO Nukes and they were very competent gents. That said, a couple of previous posts mentioned "Anal", "Tough" both of which together cojure up truly disturbing thoughts, they should be seperate, jk. But seriously, The Nuke SWO program as I understand it from the outside (being that I'm a regular Surface SWO) is structured in a way that is very different from an aviation upbringing. Not that accidents or brainfarts or in anyway acceptable, but in aviation but you have one and I mean just ONE of those and you're in serious trouble. As a nuke- you have a serious brain fart and you won't be worring about a bad fitrep or hurting others around you, you might just hurt a whole lot of real estate around you, get the drift? Let me make a comparison a civilian might understand. Say you (Surface SWO) and a couple of SWO Nukes go to the O'Club at MCAS El Toro CA circa 1988 and meet a couple of Newport Beach hotties at the MCAS El Toro Air Show. Oh never mind, you get the idea. In the end, the SWO Nukes never make "feet wet" so to speak. I suppose what I'm trying to say is whatever your warfare specialty is -it kind of permeates all aspects of your life. Warfare Specialties do in fact have associated Karma.

Be cafeful in choosing. Sorry for the rambling.

 

[red_ryder]

Yeah, steer clear of subs if you don't like the tough anal types (I keed, I keed )

But no, other than a little bit of good-natured ribbing on here, which everyone gets, I don't notice a bias against bubs. Anyone who hates on a community like that seriously is probably considered a d-bag anyway.

 

[abh99]

Thanks for the responses so far guys. I guess I just wanted to find out if there was anything 'bad' about it that my recruiter would hold back, besides the fact that it's just a very tough program that takes a 'special' person to accel at. When a recrutier immediately starts throwing a certain job in my face, especially when it's unrelated to what I told him I was interested in (Intel), then I get weary. I don't like being sold on a life-changing decision ya know?

The NE field is booming and the job market is great but I'm not sure if I necessarily fit the 'mold' of a nuke. While I took all the req'd Physics and Math classes, I took them as part of a curriculum leading to a Biology degree, not a technical degree. So while I might be able to do well in it, I'm not sure if it's for me. That bonus is nice and so is the pay in civ life.

And for the record, sitting in a sub doesn't sound terribly appealing either, I'd have to go SWO.

 

[Bugsmasher]

Plenty of people go nuke without engineering degrees. We just had a few sub officers give a presentation here in Madison, one was a history major. Another guy on these very forums just passed his NUPOC interviews with a biology degree.

 

[HH-60H]

This site is about pointy nosed airplanes.

And round nosed airplanes and helicopters....

 

[statesman]

@ OPer while you can get great advice here on the Navy in general (and quite obviously the Aviation community specifically) you might find more answers to the questions you are looking for by talking to a Nuke O (SWO or Sub). Its kinda the nature of the beast, the aviation community is going to have its impressions about the Nuke Community, but isn't going to have the inside story.

Also heed what The Chief says. There is a difference between a Nuke Engineer (who earned a 4yr degree in nuclear engineering) and a Nuke (someone who has been through the Navy's Nuclear Power Program). A NE can be an aviator, Nuke, SWO, SpecWar guy, or potentially whatever he wants. A Nuke is a guy / gal who is in / has been through, the Navy's Nuclear Power Program. As Bugsmasher said, several guys who dont have NE degrees have been through the Nuke pipeline. BS mentions a history major that he knows, we had one at my unit as well. Its not unheard of.

 

[Spekkio]

Hi all, I'm brand new and have done a lot of reading on this site. I've recently begun thinking about becoming a Navy Officer and have noticed a lot of 'anti-N.E.' talk. And I was just curious why?

Is it b/c this site is kinda geared towards aviation? Is it b/c it can be kinda dry and boring if Physics and Math aren't really your thing? Or is there something about the program itself?

Exactly.

Look, one of my friends is on his way to earning his CPA. Now, I'd rather gouge my eyes out than learn accounting, but that's his thing. Likewise, you won't get a bunch of guys who like to spend their workday flying something to enjoy being submerged for up to 6 months with no daylight.

I found this site and continue to visit it because it has a lot of useful information on the application process, OCS, and Navy life beyond. However, I ultimately chose to apply for Nuke because of the engineering stuff involved in the career path. I chose subs for multiple reasons: 1. the career path isn't split up as much between nuke/non-nuke duties 2. I like the submarine mission, or what little they told me of it, better than surface 3. I liked the fact that as one of 15 officers on board a sub rather than one of a few hundred on a carrier, I would be given more opportunity to shine earlier on in my career 4. there seemed to be a comoradorie among the sub guys not found among the surface guys and 5. The space on a submarine isn't THAT much smaller than a conventional surface ship. The biggest issue I foresee is not being able to see daylight, not the slightly tighter quarters. I'm aware of how challenging it can be, or at least as aware of it as I can be without doing it yet, but worst case scenario is I hate it and get out after 5 years a better person. Best case scenario is I like it and make a career of it. But while it would be "cool" for me to take a flight in a F/A-18, I don't get that huge "turn on" from the thought of flying aircraft.

Almost all the sub guys I encountered on the VIP trip and interviews loved their jobs. Of the two that didn't, one seemed to have an issue with responsibility, which made me think "wtf did you become an officer in the first place?" The other was an academy guy who hadn't made up his mind whether or not he was going to stay beyond his first 5 year contract. Some of the guys looked like they were dorky paper-pushers; most didn't. And these guys weren't recruiters -- the recruiter was a SWO/N -- so they had no vested interest on whether or not I applied to the program. But even if you don't like subs, you could always apply for surface.

There are also slots for instructor and for reactor engineer, which are restricted line. Those slots require a technical degree and a damn near 4.0 average, but you end up working either in DC or at NPS rather than going on deployment.

EDIT: PS, I have a B.S. in biology, and so did the SWO/N recruiter. There were two other biology majors who interviewed in our group -- one passed, and one failed. For some reason, it's not considered "technical," but you can still get accepted into the program with it so long as you have 2 semesters of calc and 2 semesters of calc-based physics with over a 3.0 gpa.

 

[Mumbles]

I think it's kind of Rickover's legacy in the sub community that still greatly emphasizes engineering vice learning how to fight your boat. Where are the Eugene Fluckeys out there??