hello i am new to this forum. I am 23 year old who only has an AA degree in police science. I am thinking about joining the navy but was wondering if an AA degree will get me any further in rank or pay. I am also worried about being one of the oldes people in boot camp at 23. If anyone has any advice or stories please share. I wanted to form opinions before i talked to an actual recruiter because they have been very pushy in the past.

Also does anyone have any idea how they determine where you are stationed?
Can this be negotiated with a recruiter before you sign. I would love to go overseas guam or italy

anthony85, no, special school diplomas don't count. When you enlist they give you tests and they mean more than any HS diploma etc. The
tests actually determine your job. If, for example, you score very low in mechanical ability, it makes little sense to make you a jet engine mechanic; and so on. When I was active we called the 'assignment preference statement' that all servicemen get to fill out, the 'dream sheet'. The 'barracks lawyers' (those are the guys that think they know all the ropes) said if you want to be stationed in Hawaii put in for Thule Greenland, if you want to go to Germany put in for Korea. I remember that I put in for Florida but got Washington State, which was great because my sister lives there. So, what is going to happen is that the Navy will station you where they need you most. And there is nothing you can do about it. That's part of being in the Service.

The AA does make you more competitive for promotion (as Mastertanker said, it doesn't give you any initial advancement). However, civilian education is computed in your scores towards promotions as you rise in the ranks.

You're recruiter can do very little in getting you a specific place. As a matter of fact, that (most times) is not decided until you get to "A" School. In "A" School they will usually offer a choice of region (East Coast, West Coast, etc). As Mastertanker said, this is not a guarantee, but many times it does work out for you.

Overseas is actually easier to get than stateside preferences. So, you might get a break there and get exactly what you want.

anthony85.. If you go to A school or any Special training and you pass you will become designate in that field you might have to wait in a temporary Duty Station until they place you in your Duty Station.If you don't go to go to any school and go out in the Fleet they will put you any place they need you.You will be a Seaman Apprentice.

what is A school? what are some qualifications of A school , is this the better route to take in the navy?

anthony...have you talked to a Recruiter if not you need to talk to one first.A school is a specialty school such as Electrical in general and IC School many others.You can get many others by going through your Recruiter and taking exams before Boot Camp.Do not mis-enterp what Mastertanker said about the Navy deciding the job you do they will give you every chance in the world to the job you want if you qualify.

recruiters being pushy? ask yourself, why would they be sooo pushy? could it be that you are considered as a prime candidate?

Look around in here and you'll see alot of references about recruiters doing this and doing that, theres a good reason why the recruiters act the way they do. Large majority of it depends on just who they are dealing with. Guy's like you with AA degree or better, or guy's with a ton of baggage. (brush with law, convictions, drug use...so on and so on) Most of the latter are in here expecting a free ride along with a suitcase full of cash just to get them to sign up.

Just speak with the recruiter and go from there if your serious about the military. You might be pleasantly surprized at what he can and will offer you.

I will guys, Thanks so much for all of the help! I have just been weary about speaking to a recruiter because i have spoken to them before when i was younger and a lot less mature needless to say their persistence along with other peoples opinions pushed me away from the military. I always regreted it because i knew in the back of my head that i passed up a great opportunity to see the wide world we live in. Im am finally mature enough to realized that other peoples influences should not matter to me as their aspirations greatly differ from mine. So thanks for all the help

anthony85...My best advice would be do some research on your computer on the types of jobs available see what their duties are then go see a Recruiter and find out what he could get you. You don't have to except anything that you don't want.But if you get what you want then don't jack the Recruiter around because he will drop you.