I graduated high school back in 2011 and I knew I wasn’t
ready for college. I was going stir crazy I wanted excitement and adventure, I
didn’t want to sit in more classrooms day after day. So, I joined the US Navy.
I know that might sound totally out of left field, but I am 4th generation
Navy, so I had a good idea of what I was getting into…
I signed my contract the summer of junior year, and it was
oddly liberating. I never experience that mad college enrollment scramble; I never
had faced the anxiety of opening that letter to see if I was accepted. I was
already in I knew where I was going. I was a cocky kid at 18, but aren’t we all,
I asked them for the most academically difficult program they had. I was going
to be a Nuclear Engineer.
The funny thing about Nuclear Engineer is that it takes 2
years of school to become one…. Remember when I said I wasn’t ready for
college? I still wasn’t. The Navy’s Nuclear School is a bit like going to college
in prison. Imagine going to school for 8 hours straight in one room with no
windows and if you had homework it had to be done in the same room. No
information could leave the secured building, so if you needed to study before
an exam you would have to do it there. This was pretty much my nightmare. I
wanted out; I had joined for adventure not this. After a bit of struggling and
a lot of paperwork I was able to transfer to a new job outside of nuclear
engineering. My first real duty station was Japan, I was finally starting the
adventure I had envisioned! I loved Japan and I loved my new job aboard the USS
George Washington.
I had my excitement and adventure, but I knew I still wanted
to attend college. So, after almost 8 years I left the Navy and came to OU. Honestly
it was rough at first, I had seen the world and worked in the Navy this whole
time. Coming to college at 25 isn’t too extreme, but it was definitely a shift
from what I was used to. Even now, a few years later I feel like I am still
finding myself both outside of the Navy and student in college. Each semester
is now like a small adventure I learn and grow from.
Howdy Thomas! Funny enough, I come from a Navy family as well. My grandpa was actually stationed in Japan for a while too. While I never joined the Navy myself (courtesy of a catastrophic neck injury my senior year wrestling season), I did go to Japan, and it really is a lovely country. I don't know where you were stationed or how much you were allowed venture around, but I'd love to hear what your favorite places there are! Mine are definitely Yokohama and Central Fukushima.
ReplyDeleteHi Thomas! Like Lewis, it seems we have a lot in common! Well, kind of. I graduated high school in 2013, but waited to go to college until I turned 21. Also, my brother is really interested in the Japanese language & culture, and he's currently trying to enlist in the Navy in part because our dad is a Navy vet. I'll have to be checking your blog throughout the semester to see if you end up writing about any sea-lore!
ReplyDeleteThomas, thank you for your service. My roommate is a cadet here in NROTC and it does not seem like something you can just get by in. I have been fascinated by the US’s aircraft carriers since I was little and find it amazing how they are supported by so many other ships at sea. Could you even tell you were at sea while on the Washington?
ReplyDeleteHi Thomas, That is so cool that you were able to go back to college after a couple years in the Navy. I know a lot of people say that is a bit difficult to get back into school after you've been out for a few years so props to you on that one! You've definitely experienced a lot and now you get to go on a different adventure which can also be fun and exciting. I hope this semester goes well for you and hope to read some of your work moving forward!
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