My husband is considering the Navy.?
He does not have a college degree but is able to test into the Nuclear program. From what I have read and what research I am able to do, it seems like a really good deal. I want to go into this with realistic expectations. And I understand that maybe not all of his schooling will be paid for, which is fine. We are not exactly sure the quickest way for him to finish school while enlisted. We do have a baby to think of as well. From what I’ve seen from the different pay charts, our basic needs will be met, but main concern is daycare. We have student loans that will need to be taken care of (I have a BS in Psychology), so I will still have to work even after he enlists. SO, any advice would be greatly appreciated. From our understanding, if he goes into the Nuclear field, he will be going to school in Charleston, SC (and I have family there and I already love it there!). We just want to be realistic about it. That’s all!
If he goes into the Nuke Field then all of his schooling will be paid for because it will be done at the base in Charleston. You would qualify for military housing there because he will be there for over 6 months, normally it is about 18 months or so of schooling.
After he is doing his schooling he will be assigned to most likely a Carrier or a Submarine. Then you need to be prepared to move to a location and have him deploy. It could be anywhere from a few days to over 6 months, even 9 months at a time. So you do have to be prepared for long periods of time apart.
You cannot use the GI Bill to pay off previous loans. He can look into seeing if there is a loan repayment program that he qualifies for but that is only for his debt, not yours. Or he can go for a Enlistment Bonus which not be fully paid out right away.
Now with the pay he will only be around E3 to begin with, then go up to E4 within a while. After that unless it is guaranteed he will need to pass the promotion exam which is twice a year. So finances can be tight if you aren’t prepared for it. Those pay charts are before taxes and monthly, so it isn’t each payday. There is also the standard deductions, along with life insurance, dental, etc… So it can drop a bit.
