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Old 06-23-2011, 03:56 AM
 
8 posts, read 37,712 times
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Hello all. Thanks for all the great information you've shared on this forum. I apologize if this question has already been answered.

I'm a female, 23, just finished a BS at MIT with a 3.4 GPA, and I am thinking about submitting a package for Navy OCS for one of the cryptology or IT rates. I've always wanted to be in the Navy, and it seems like a good way to jumpstart an intelligence career at a time when nobody wants to hire new college grads in the civilian world. I haven't taken the ASVAB, but from what I saw on a practice test the content is laughable and i expect to have a very high score (perfect or near-perfect).

I've been poking around the internet trying to learn more about crypto folks in today's navy and career placements after the navy with federal intelligence agencies or elsewhere, but in the course of that research I've seen a lot of mentions about IA placements in Iraq.

I know we're all on the same team, but I have no interest whatsoever in serving as an Army-style grunt, and my awareness of this possibility has seriously dampened my enthusiasm for the Navy. I've read that women aren't supposed to be placed in "active combat roles", but it seems the somewhat arbitrary distinction between combat/non-combat means a lot of women are coming home in body bags. See http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/wo...ghanistan.html

I guess my question is this: Ignoring possible changes in the policies regarding women in combat roles, as a FEMALE in the Navy am I likely to be involuntarily IA deployed into a dangerous land-combat "support" situation, or are these assignments going primarily to men? Is gender considered at all when making IA assignments?
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Old 06-23-2011, 08:00 AM
 
12,074 posts, read 23,165,704 times
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You want to join the military but you don't want to be deployed to a combat zone, correct? Isn't that what the military does?
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Old 06-23-2011, 09:06 AM
 
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If you join the Navy you will be deployed to a ship or overseas. It is no big deal so just accept it. The Intel community always seemed to have it pretty good, very good equipment, never worked too hard. The crypto people are pretty much the same. It would be a good place to start your working career so just sign up and give it a shot.
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Old 06-23-2011, 09:27 AM
 
Location: Terra
188 posts, read 936,991 times
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Have you went to the Navy OCS website and researched the information or have you already spoke with a recruiter? Just passing a test will not make you a good Naval Officer, there's a lot more involved than passing tests or giving orders you will have to fit their profile to be accepted. I think you also have to be at least an E-5 to apply for OCS school but I could be mistaken since it's be a while. Also remember the Navy means going to sea, you can be deployed at times up to 6 months or longer, I was once deployed for 10 months in the Middle East with only 1 port of call in Bahrain just prior to our return to the U.S. all food and fuel replenishment was done underway at sea.

Cryptology or IT rates are enlisted rates and most of the ones I knew in a support role were deployed to aircraft carriers, communication or flag ships. Also do you speak a second language fluently? If you do not I would recommend start learning now because the ones that do used to be in high demand in the intell community. Chinese or Arabic are currently the ones that are in very high demand, they could care less what your GPA is.

Line 1 of the Code of Conduct, OCS:
I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

As far as women in combat, my own personal option is that our military should be reformed to be more like the military of Israel or other countries that require everyone to registered for military service, it should be a requirement for everyone to serve.

Good luck to you.

Last edited by Peperosso; 06-23-2011 at 09:44 AM..
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Old 06-23-2011, 09:47 AM
 
12,074 posts, read 23,165,704 times
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You might want to give this a read.

Confessions of a Navy OCS Dropout
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Old 06-23-2011, 10:16 AM
 
8 posts, read 37,712 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joe from dayton View Post
You want to join the military but you don't want to be deployed to a combat zone, correct? Isn't that what the military does?
I don't want to be stuck in some hell-hole in Iraq -- if I wanted that I'd be researching the Army. I love the ocean, ships, naval history, and technology -- hence Navy over the other branches. I would serve ON A SHIP in a combat role in a heartbeat, and fully accept that I could die in the process.

Quote:
Have you went to the Navy OCS website and researched the information or have you already spoke with a recruiter? Just passing a test will not make you a good Naval Officer, there's a lot more involved than passing tests or giving orders you will have to fit their profile to be accepted. I think you also have to be at least an E-5 to apply for OCS school but I could be mistaken since it's be a while. Also remember the Navy means going to sea, you can be deployed at times up to 6 months or longer, I was once deployed for 10 months in the Middle East with only 1 port of call in Bahrain just prior to our return to the U.S. all food and fuel replenishment was done underway at sea.

Cryptology or IT rates are enlisted rates and most of the ones I knew in a support role were deployed to aircraft carriers, communication or flag ships. Also do you speak a second language fluently? If you do not I would recommend start learning now because the ones that do used to be in high demand in the intell community. Chinese or Arabic are currently the ones that are in very high demand, they could care less what your GPA is.
I made an appointment with a recruiter, but I haven't really talked with them yet. As for cryptology/IT being enlisted -- sorry I'm not fully up on the lingo, but in my defense navy.com doesn't do a very good job of differentiating between officer/enlisted roles for those not-in-the-know (at least compared to airforce.com which puts a giant ENLISTED or OFFICER label on each job type.)

Re: language: I speak spanish decently, but my impression is that they will train you in languages as long as you do well on the DLAB. Is that not correct? I can't imagine there are huge numbers of fluent Arabic speakers joining up, but maybe I'm wrong.

Quote:
You might want to give this a read.
Thanks, I'll do that.
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Old 06-23-2011, 10:24 AM
 
8 posts, read 37,712 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peperosso View Post
they could care less what your GPA is.

That's in direct conflict with what I've heard elsewhere for getting selected for OCS. I've read (not officially, mind you) that it's one of the things they consider when evaluating your overall application, and consequently I've heard that if you had below 3.0 in college you shouldn't bother applying because it is too competitive in this economy. I wasn't including it to brag -- only to show that I met that criteria for applying.
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Old 06-23-2011, 10:33 AM
 
Location: Terra
188 posts, read 936,991 times
Reputation: 134
Give the Navy OCS website a visit there's useful information on it also there's a Navy OCS forum on another website you can google for it. Just make sure when you visit the recruiter you get everything you want written and signed. If it's not written down and signed you won't get it.

As far as for the languages they use to target people that already spoke those languages first but somethimes they use to train them if you did well on the DLAB it use to depend on the demand on the language, I don't know what the policy is these days. Prior to the first Gulf war there was active heavy recruitment for Russian and Chinese speakers it saves them a ton of time and money not having to train someone.

What I meant about the GPA is that they would prefer someone that speaks a particular foreign language over someone with a higher GPA, as long as both of you meet the pre qualifying requirements.
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