Would I make a good SWO??

[anddolinsky]

I am currently a junior in high school and I know I want to be a Navy Officer. My best and favorite careers are STEM/Number related. So, I was thinking CW or IP. But, I found out that you cannot receive those commissions from NROTC. I am very academically smart and a good leader. Do you think SWO is right for me, or should I hold out till OCS and go for the CW/IP?

 

[Pags]

Not sure what you mean by "STEM and number related." If you want to be a Naval Officer in a highly technical field go Nuke (either sub or surface). Doesn't get much more STEM than that. But theres plenty of opportunity for STEM type work in both SWO and Aviation.

 

[Hair Warrior]

Since you are so young, STEM-interested, and motivated to join the Navy, look into the NUPOC program and talk to a recruiter. NUPOC will pay for your college costs and then some. Although most NUPOC accessions become submariners, you can become a SWO-Nuke as well if you wish.

Undergraduate College Opportunities in the Navy | Navy.com

Pursue your undergraduate degree while you're serving in the U.S. Navy. Learn about our tuition assistance program and start earning your college degree.

www.navy.com

 

[AllAmerican75]

I am currently a junior in high school and I know I want to be a Navy Officer. My best and favorite careers are STEM/Number related. So, I was thinking CW or IP. But, I found out that you cannot receive those commissions from NROTC. I am very academically smart and a good leader. Do you think SWO is right for me, or should I hold out till OCS and go for the CW/IP?

Let me give you the advice I think you're really looking for here: Stop asking the question of what the Navy expects out of you and whether some strangers on the internet think you'll be a good fit and start figuring out what the best fit for YOU is and what YOU want to do with YOUR life. You keep bringing up "STEM/numbers-related" jobs but do you have any idea what that means? I certainly don't as you're casting the net way too wide for us to give you useful answers.

Have you looked into what it's going to take to get into college? Do you know where YOU want to go to college? Have you put any thought into what it's going to take to get a "STEM/numbers-related" degree? I can tell you from experience that engineering sounds really cool as a high school student until you find yourself doing combustion chemistry or impedance derivations at zero-dark-thirty and only get a C- on the assignment. That's when the grind kicks in and people find out whether they truly want to be engineers or not or if they even have the capacity to hack it. That's where the rubber really meets the road.

You also mention that you're a good leader, but what have you led? What does that translate into for YOU? Do YOU actually like being in charge of people? I know many "STEM/numbers-related" people who don't. Do YOU actually enjoy having to make decisions and answer up for their consequences? I know many people who don't. Do YOU actually like playing the politics and managing the personalities necessary to make an organization run? I know many people who don't. You'll be expected to do that as an officer, no matter what community you're in.

You're very young, so focus on getting into college and what YOU want to study. The Navy will work with what you've got and will take just about any "STEM/numbers-related" degree they can get. Figure out what interests YOU and will motivate YOU to get through four years. If you really are focused on IP or CW and NROTC is your only way to pay for school, then there are options: https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-...000/1200Classification/Documents/1212-050.pdf. But decide what YOU want to do and who YOU want to be in YOUR life and then take ACTION to make it a reality.

 

[anddolinsky]

Let me give you the advice I think you're really looking for here: Stop asking the question of what the Navy expects out of you and whether some strangers on the internet think you'll be a good fit and start figuring out what the best fit for YOU is and what YOU want to do with YOUR life. You keep bringing up "STEM/numbers-related" jobs but do you have any idea what that means? I certainly don't as you're casting the net way too wide for us to give you useful answers.

Have you looked into what it's going to take to get into college? Do you know where YOU want to go to college? Have you put any thought into what it's going to take to get a "STEM/numbers-related" degree? I can tell you from experience that engineering sounds really cool as a high school student until you find yourself doing combustion chemistry or impedance derivations at zero-dark-thirty and only get a C- on the assignment. That's when the grind kicks in and people find out whether they truly want to be engineers or not or if they even have the capacity to hack it. That's where the rubber really meets the road.

You also mention that you're a good leader, but what have you led? What does that translate into for YOU? Do YOU actually like being in charge of people? I know many "STEM/numbers-related" people who don't. Do YOU actually enjoy having to make decisions and answer up for their consequences? I know many people who don't. Do YOU actually like playing the politics and managing the personalities necessary to make an organization run? I know many people who don't. You'll be expected to do that as an officer, no matter what community you're in.

You're very young, so focus on getting into college and what YOU want to study. The Navy will work with what you've got and will take just about any "STEM/numbers-related" degree they can get. Figure out what interests YOU and will motivate YOU to get through four years. If you really are focused on IP or CW and NROTC is your only way to pay for school, then there are options: https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-...000/1200Classification/Documents/1212-050.pdf. But decide what YOU want to do and who YOU want to be in YOUR life and then take ACTION to make it a reality.

This response is so true and helpful. Thank you for taking the time our of your day to write to a young kid like myself. Honestly, I thought I wanted to be an accountant. But, I'm currently taking a college accounting class at my high school and I will be honest, it sucks. I hope this doesn't sound bad but I really have not been challenged in my high school life and I want to be. That's why I think the Navy is perfect. I was thinking of going to college for Computer Engineering or Systems Engineering, because its what I like, science and math, with a lot of numbers. My parents are not the wealthiest so when I found out about NROTC, it was an opportunity I could not pass up, especially while I still have time. People have told me Supply Corps or NUPOC, but I think my calling is to something else. Cyber is the future of warfare and I want to be involved in something changing like this. I like that being a SWO-CW with that option is perfect for me, as long as I can get it. I still have to contact my guidance counselor and recruiter, but I think that this is a good place to start. Truthfully, I always wanted a job to be rich, but the more I learn, you can be rich in so many different ways, like rich with honor and pride.

 

[anddolinsky]

Just one quick question. Say once I graduate NROTC and I have a SWO-CW commission. And after doing SWO I really like it and I want to stay one, is that something I can do, or do I have to become a CW? My instincts tell me now that I think that CW is more of my calling, but you never know.

 

[HAL Pilot]

Just worry about finishing high school, finishing college and then getting a commission. One step at a time.

You have a long way to go just doing those things before you need to worry about the rest of this stuff.

Further, anything you’re told now will most likely have changed by the time you are at the point you need to worry about it. Garbage in, garbage out.

 

[anddolinsky]

Just worry about finishing high school, finishing college and then getting a commission. One step at a time.

You have a long way to go just doing those things before you need to worry about the rest of this stuff.

Further, anything you’re told now will most likely have changed by the time you are at the point you need to worry about it. Garbage in, garbage out.

You are totally right. As long as I can make sure I could have the option to go to CW than that is all that matters. Focus on high school and getting into NROTC and go from there. Thank you

 

[AllAmerican75]

This response is so true and helpful. Thank you for taking the time our of your day to write to a young kid like myself. Honestly, I thought I wanted to be an accountant. But, I'm currently taking a college accounting class at my high school and I will be honest, it sucks. I hope this doesn't sound bad but I really have not been challenged in my high school life and I want to be. That's why I think the Navy is perfect. I was thinking of going to college for Computer Engineering or Systems Engineering, because its what I like, science and math, with a lot of numbers. My parents are not the wealthiest so when I found out about NROTC, it was an opportunity I could not pass up, especially while I still have time. People have told me Supply Corps or NUPOC, but I think my calling is to something else. Cyber is the future of warfare and I want to be involved in something changing like this. I like that being a SWO-CW with that option is perfect for me, as long as I can get it. I still have to contact my guidance counselor and recruiter, but I think that this is a good place to start. Truthfully, I always wanted a job to be rich, but the more I learn, you can be rich in so many different ways, like rich with honor and pride.

I didn't find high school very challenging either, and spent most of my time worrying about football, but college was a wake up call. As HAL said, you need to focus on getting out of HS, getting into college, and getting graduated from college. As an engineer myself, I would advise against pursuing an undergraduate Systems Engineering degree if your desire is to be a professional engineer. Many of the topics covered in Systems Engineering are interdisciplinary and it is very difficult without having the background in engineering principles provided by a traditional engineering degree. This is why it's considered to be a graduate degree and why there aren't many undergraduate Systems Engineering programs.

Furthermore, be wary of recruiters at the moment. Enlisted recruiters and Officer recruiters are different. If you are going to college through NROTC, you need to be focusing on getting into college and getting an NROTC scholarship. https://www.netc.navy.mil/Commands/Naval-Service-Training-Command/NROTC/Apply/

Just one quick question. Say once I graduate NROTC and I have a SWO-CW commission. And after doing SWO I really like it and I want to stay one, is that something I can do, or do I have to become a CW? My instincts tell me now that I think that CW is more of my calling, but you never know.

Yes, there is a way, but cross that bridge when you get there. You have a long way to go before you ever even have to worry about this possibility.

Just worry about finishing high school, finishing college and then getting a commission. One step at a time.

You have a long way to go just doing those things before you need to worry about the rest of this stuff.

Further, anything you’re told now will most likely have changed by the time you are at the point you need to worry about it. Garbage in, garbage out.

Sage advice right here.