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So, a bit of background. I'm in the tail end of my application process. I'm going intel, I've done my OAR, had my interviews, and my application is looking pretty good. Fingers crossed and all that.
My issue is this. I live in San Diego, my wife goes to school there and I have two kids. There is no way that she can move for the next 3-4 years. If I get in, I know that life will become harder on her...but this is a life time dream of mine, its good for my career, and I'm not getting any younger.
What are the chances that I'll be stationed in San Diego? Is there anything I can do to increase those chances? It's only the first 3-4 years that matter to me. After that her degree is mobile enough that she can move with me if need be. But if I ended up in...DC or something like that, and neither of us could move for these years, then it'd wreck havoc on our relationship.
So, what are my chances of keeping the family together? Is there anything I can do to increase my chances? If I get stationed elsewhere, can I transfer? And finally...are there any bases near enough to San Diego that things could still work out?
Sorry for all the questions. It's just hard to sleep when I have a job on one hand that I truly want, but at the same time and worried about my family.
Well, the first step is getting into OCS and graduating. The last board had something like 900 applicants. Intel is one of the hardest communities to get into straight out of OCS. The ones I met at OCS were Ivy league grads so you now you have an idea of the level of competition (no idea if you have something comparable).
What did you get on the OAR?
The good news is that the Navy has a pretty big presence in San Diego. The bad news is there are hardly any Intel spots for a first tour JO. The detailer may try and work with you depending on your situation, but the biggest thing working against you is that your wife isn't in the military. Dual mil marriages get preference and A TON of JO's want to go to San Diego because a lot of their spouses end up here. So the odds are slim that you'll get it.
You're over thinking it right now. First you need to get selected by the board which has a terribly low selection rate right now. Then Meps, and then OCS. I've seen multiple people fail out of. Then 6 months of Intel school before you ever worry about where you're going. You have more than a year before it becomes a issue.
If you can deal with the west coast, you stand a pretty good chance of getting stationed somewhere in California as an Intel O.
Are they not billeted for intel? If I recall correctly, I think a person is already billeted for intel before they even get to OCS, as part of the package. Intel has a higher age ceiling, 42 I think (last update); I could not imagine someone not having a designatation going into it.
I only think this ebcause I at one time was going to go back into the navy as an intel officer and talked to some commander at the recruiting office about it. That was years ago though, but it sounded like I would be slated for intel if because anything, I was above the age for anything else.
A JO intel most likely is going to be sea duty, attached to a carrier or some task force.
So, a bit of background. I'm in the tail end of my application process. I'm going intel, I've done my OAR, had my interviews, and my application is looking pretty good. Fingers crossed and all that.
My issue is this. I live in San Diego, my wife goes to school there and I have two kids. There is no way that she can move for the next 3-4 years. If I get in, I know that life will become harder on her...but this is a life time dream of mine, its good for my career, and I'm not getting any younger.
What are the chances that I'll be stationed in San Diego? Is there anything I can do to increase those chances? It's only the first 3-4 years that matter to me. After that her degree is mobile enough that she can move with me if need be. But if I ended up in...DC or something like that, and neither of us could move for these years, then it'd wreck havoc on our relationship.
So, what are my chances of keeping the family together? Is there anything I can do to increase my chances? If I get stationed elsewhere, can I transfer? And finally...are there any bases near enough to San Diego that things could still work out?
Sorry for all the questions. It's just hard to sleep when I have a job on one hand that I truly want, but at the same time and worried about my family.
Best to reconsider some other options first. The last thing the military needs are people who have situations such as yours and can't sleep at night.
I'm not in the military, but I grew up around family and friends who did serve/are serving in different branches, and I also live within 20 minutes of one military installation and about 1.5 hours away from another. From everything I've seen... you're just going to have to get used to frequently being away from your family.
Keep in mind also that you may be moving every 4-ish years once you join, which can significantly impact your wife's future career.
I know women who were married to military men (officers and enlisted) who didn't want to give up their careers or education opportunities, and they also wanted a more "stable" life for their children..... so what they did was the woman and the kids chose a location to live (bought a house, rented, or lived with family members) and just stayed put. Their husbands were stationed all over the world and went through deployments. They usually had some sort of visiting plan where either the wife and kids would fly/drive to see the husband, or the husband would fly/drive to see the family about once a month for their entire time in the military.
I think in this situation it's best to prepare for the worst case scenario and not waste too much time counting on staying in San Diego because you don't know what could happen, you may be stationed in Norfolk, VA.
I also think you should follow your dreams if this is really it. Just make sure your wife and everyone else in your family is realistic about it.
Are they not billeted for intel? If I recall correctly, I think a person is already billeted for intel before they even get to OCS, as part of the package. Intel has a higher age ceiling, 42 I think (last update); I could not imagine someone not having a designatation going into it.
I only think this ebcause I at one time was going to go back into the navy as an intel officer and talked to some commander at the recruiting office about it. That was years ago though, but it sounded like I would be slated for intel if because anything, I was above the age for anything else.
A JO intel most likely is going to be sea duty, attached to a carrier or some task force.
You go to OCS with an Intel contract. Intel is by far the hardest community to get into in the Navy. It's very small and you can't come from the regular commissioning sources.
Talk to some Navy people about how much time they have spent in home port since they joined. I have no idea what it's like today, since my experience dates from the 60s and 70s, but in those days if you were on a combatant ship, it was under 25% of the time, unless you went into a shipyard to get an overhaul.
Personally, i preferred to operate instead of being tied up in home port.
It's not for everyone and if this is a big concern, you need to do some more research in a hurry.
I recently retired after 26 years of active duty in the Navy and can tell you that you're expectations are totally out of whack and you need to look at something else for a career. You'll move a lot in the Navy and your wife's plans or aspirations are given zero weight in determining where you will be stationed. NO you can not transfer if you get stationed elsewhere, you go where the Navy sends you and you stay there until your orders tell you to go someplace else. At some point in your career you may be able to have some influence where you'll be stationed but certainly not as a new junior officer.
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