The Chicken of the Sea

[Lissa]

Navy Program: Advanced Electronics (Computer) Field. I'll likely be a Electronics Tech or performing Fire Control.

However, within a month or two, a waiver will be submitted and processed and if it is accepted, I may be going into the Nuclear Program and its training pipeline. Depends on their bureacracy's security screening and desire for skilled Nuke techs (usually high, since the turnover is so high due to private industry grabbing potential re-enlisters). Don't know whether I'll get in or not though.

That's because Nuclear Engineering programs are dying all over the country at various Universities. Just to give you an idea, when at the start of my senior year in High School, almost 20 years ago, the Pac 10 had 7 Nuclear Engineering programs. At the end of my senior year, there were only 3, the UW program, UCLA program, ASU program, and the WSU program all closed down. As of just under 10 years ago, only two undergraduate programs still existed in the Pac 10, Oregon and Cal, Arizona closed their program, around 2002, Arizona closed their Masters program, and the Board of Regents has ordered the closing of the Doctoral program this year.

There are still some schools out there that have Nuclear Engineering programs, but they are dwindling.

Still lots of fitness to do, but the majority of the pain is over. The 'mass'? security interview is somewhat intimidating, as I usually expect interrogation, but mostly this is out of my control, so my concern is limited.

I would prefer the Nuclear training pipeline, but either way (as a nuke tech below deck, or surface ET) I'll be finishing my engineering degree sooner or later, and trying to get as much education possible during and after. I might even find:wub:along the... nah. I'll try not worry or hope for anything frivolous.

I am a US sailor! Hooray!

Here's something you may see once you get on ship and become a nuke tech. Something that is routinely done in the reactor room is called "sweeping". What is done is the reactor crew run brooms down the length of pipes using the bristles. What they're doing is looking for pinhole leaks. The pressure of the steam coming through those leaks (you can't see the steam because the jet is so small) can cut through flesh with ease.