I am twenty-one and entering my fourth year at The Ohio State University. I am majoring in electrical engineering and considering getting my masters in nuclear engineering. I feel the need to serve rather than work in a cubicle forever. How useful would I be for the military? Where would I be able to do the most good? Any additional advice would be great.

The military can always use folks with a degreed engineering background. With the degree one can become an officer in a varity of interesting fields. Recommend you speak to the recruiters of all branches of service to see where you feel you would make a good fit and be able to excel.

heads up, military has cubicles too....

Electrical engineering is a great background to have. Nuclear engineering (as in the civilian world) is a much sought after expertise. DOE could use you as well, and you'd still be serving the country. Not all of them are in cubicles....

My first thought went to the Navy's Nuke program, big bonus, training 2nd to none enlisted or officer dont make a difference, except for take home pay.

Was a Army guy on Goose Creek Naval Weapons Station, SC. Check that program out, foot in the door of the nuclear industry.

SSG Dan USA RET
www.exrecruitertells.com

If you choose to go in, Negotiate for a direct commission.

quote:

Negotiate for a direct commission

Unless you're going for JAG or Medical, you'll get laughed out the door. In other words, don't be a pussy like rppearso. Do the training and get your commission, then you can continue with your career as a commissioned officer. A few months of training out of your entire career. rppearso had to really be a jackass to get the treatment he received (if he even was hazed). Just don't be a rppearso and you'll be fine. Think of it like this, women make it through, rppearso couldn't, LMAO!!@!@!11 No disrespect to my female officers out there btw.

Oh my leave it to sammy, that is about the extent of sammys knowlage (JAG and medical get direct commissions followed by 3 lines of personal attacks). Anyway do what you need to do, but understand that if you dont get a direct commission you are going to be treated like a high school graduate and not an accomplished engineer. If they laugh you out the door, go get a civilian job and you can laugh your way all the way to the bank. Most engineers will get a window office, you might start in a cube but you should not be there very long. If you are going for nuclear you should look into your nuclear PE (yep they have a PE for nuke, the hard part will be finding a nuke PE to work under for 4 years but if you master in nuclear engineering you can ask the carrer center and they can give you a list of names because PE's have to be registered with the state) and if you dont do nuke you can still get your electrical PE.

Oh and if you consider 4 to 6 months a couple of months then yes its only a "couple of months" to get your commission and all 4 to 6 months are dirt in face style training very little lagitimate class room training. I came back from basic the exact same person I was when I went in only with a very sour taste in my mouth. Except for the air force, if you go to OCS in the air force you go straight to OCS and its like 3 months but its still a quarter of a year getting dirt kicked in your face.

Ah there we go just the intellegant witty remark I expect from Sammy....which is nothing.

A picture is worth a thousand words......you're just too dumb to not see it.

quote:

Ah there we go just the intellegant witty remark I expect from Sammy....which is nothing

Did you mean "intelligent"? You f'n moron.

Intellegant: This is a combination of intelligent and elegant, which means that you are smart and have style. I find it difficult to believe that Round Ronald knows what either of these terms mean but he hit the mark in his own stumbling slaughter of the English language.

I still dont see any direct attacks of the advice I gave to the original poster.

you mean you wrote something we were expected to actually read?

Ok Ronald, your advice was wrong.

Am I to assume that direct commision means that one would not be required to go through basic?

Yes that is correct, you would not have to attend basic hazing (i mean training), but more importantly you would not have to attend the traditional OCS which is worse than basic. I never hurts to ask ("ask" with the military means elevated negotiation) if they dont need engineers they wont give you a direct commission, if they do need them they will still try to get away with not giving you one so you will have to talk to mulitple sources. If you find out they do need engineers and they wont give you the direct I would be firm with the recruiter and talk to his boss. Engineers are neck and neck with lawyers and doctors especially if you have your PE. So if they are trying to mess you around just go above them. Every pee on sgt wants there day to haze an officer candidate and you dont want them to ever have that opprotunity.

EEstudent...you listen to that ones advice at your own risk.

He is currently awol from his unit.