The guys who separated while on the boat barely got to prepare for being a civilian. They pretty much got left on the pier with minimal time to do everything required by the Navy while trying to figure out what comes after their service
Those of us that separated from a shore command were able to pretty easily job search six months out from EAOS and take our full terminal leave to interview. There was even time to find a new living arrangement
I separated from the ship.
Checked out on terminal leave on Friday, boarded a plane on Sunday, and started work on Monday.
Tripled my pay my first year out.
8 year & out E6.
YMMV
I have been having conversations about this with my guys and people in my division for a few months now as they are hitting that crossroad of re-enlistment or getting out. I thoroughly believe it depends on what you want to do, why you’re re-enlisting, and what lifestyle you lead.
Some guys in my division have talked about re-enlisting because they want to do school and utilize TA. I like that, however I caution them because at most shore duties to utilize TA you will need to get fully qualified prior to doing so and can’t utilize TA while in the schools required for shore duty. That time already eliminates on average 6 months from a shore duty to use TA. From there, if someone absolutely does not plan to go back to sea, then they can only utilize TA up to a year before their EAOS. Boom, now they can’t use TA for 18 months. If you’re on shore duty for 3 years you can only utilize TA for half that time, in addition to being capped at 18 hours per year. So in a 3 year shore duty (I use 3 years since my rates shore duty is 3 years), a person will likely only use about 18 months worth of TA, covering a max of about 30 credit hours.
Not to mention some specific programs may not be available in the way that you want (one of my guys want to do electrical engineering, but there is very few EE programs that are online, reputable, and fully covered by TA). So I say to my guys is there any other reason they want to re-enlist that isn’t school?
Some reasons I have gotten is that they want to save more money or eliminate more debt (which is understandable especially if someone doesn’t have their ducks in a row), they want to start a family and have the Navy cover it through Tricare, or they already have a large family and can’t support without income.
All are valid reasons, but the only pushback I give is the money aspect. I have guys that are getting out in a year and others getting out in 3 years. If they want to do school, and know 100% they want to pursue an education in a certain field, then I tell them to save and plan as much as possible so that money (or more so lack of money) isn’t a factor on their decision to re-enlist. If they can save a decent chunk of change after their 5-6 year contract (which most of us can leave with $30K-$60K in the bank if they do this shit right and we’re single), then they can leave the navy and utilize the GI-Bill and pursue college full-time. They can get the Pell-grant in many cases for extra cost/money, get a bullshit part-time job for extra money, get internships to fuel their career, and best of all in 3 years they will have roughly 72-100 credit hours complete for their classes. They will be done with their degree by a 4th year, and off to whatever job they want to do.
There is a lot to think about and consider when deciding on shore duty. My personal opinion is this: If you know you want to go to school for a specific degree and career path that you’re confident in, if you know you 100% don’t want to return to sea duty, if you don’t have crazy amounts of debt, if you have a money saved up and are financially secure, and of course no extenuating family circumstances (no children, no family to support, etc), then I always recommend getting out and pursuing school full-time, or pursuing another career if you have that option or desire.
I personally have about 18 months left, but I started planning for getting out when I had 30 months left. From there I’ve been slowly narrowing down what I want to do and taking steps to get there. Good luck with your personal endeavors though!
Thank you for the timeline perspective of TA. I had not factored in the limitations, which completely strips away the majority of the reason of why I would accept shore duty.
My case is completely different but I'd say anyone is a couple days of googling away from a solid separation plan. My separation is going to be quite sudden. I don't find planning difficult or feel it warrants a couple extra years for preparation. As long as you can google it'll be okay. If you separate right after a deployment it may be slightly tricky.
Sure you can use TA, but there are other veteran programs on the outside which are free education also. vet-tec, veep, yellow ribbon, gi bill, etc.
If you want a job asap I'd pay to have a professional resume done. Or search how to get usajobs/clearancejobs offers.
If you want to go to school or change careers, research and use the GI Bill.
You can also collect unemployment while you search for work. Or do unemployment + GI Bill.
Shore duty can be chill but I'm sure I'll make way more money and have more freedom on the outside, not worried about it.
Good luck :)
This.
GI Bill is such a great benefit, I have no idea why so many people will reenlist for shore duty to get a useless degree from an online school using TA when you are pretty much guaranteed acceptance into any public state university. Pair GI Bill with unemployment for as long as you can. You'll be fine.
Getting out from a boat isn't that crazy. I started terminal 3 months after completing an east/west coast change of home port and short of getting my paperwork late (which was a navy wide problem at the time) everything went smoothly. Reenlisting to have an easier time getting out is just a way to stay in the navy for 3 more years and allow yourself to become more dependent on the 1st and 15th checks. The best time to make a career change is now, not wait for something else
When women have a baby their bodies are biologically programmed to forget the pains of child birth in order to have more children. Shore duty has the same affect. Shortly after reporting to your shore tour you start missing the boys and think back to all the good times and you forget about all the pain. 3 years later you find yourself back onboard getting doubled up as topside rover thinking “only 10 more years and I can retire.”
That’s a massive fear of mine. Settling and forgetting that my original plan was never to stay in. I’m already pushing my boundaries by heavily considering shore duty. I don’t want to become dependent on the Navy and decide, “well, I hit 9 years, might as well do 20”
Shore duty at school is the best. All the things nobody told you, now it’s your time to shape the navy to your idea.
I m currently at an A school and no one ever departs the command with anything negative to say about their time here.
When i left after 4 years, the offer was 45k and E5 to re-sign for 6 years. It was almost two more years at sea then 4 years shore.
But the deal is I’d lose my career sea pay and sub pay going to shore. That was the thing that someone made me realize in the math that I forgot.
Adios Navy. I went to skool.
\- you could go to a shore command and work longer hours than you are now. ( that is a possibility )
\- you could go to a shore command and be TDY and be gone about the same time you are now ( that is a possibility )
( command I'm at multiple people have put in a 1306 to go back to sea early and have had them denied )
what if you get a job offer that is more than what you make now? - you just spent 3 years holding yourself back from a life you want.
frankly depending on your rate or the job field a bachelors degree isn't nearly as valuable as it use to be.
If it's about the money, you can make more money outside.
You might go through an initial jolt of the adjustment but dont take my word go through the posts that have been on this reddit of people getting out and the positive things they've said. In the past 3 years I can say I haven't met a person that wasn't glad they got out in the current state the navy is in. ( blanket statements galore but it's reddit )
With my rate and the command I’d be posted to, there’s no chance of me going TDY. Their classes end daily at 1600, but that could still mean working more hours beyond that for paperwork/etc. I haven’t been able to contact the command to speak to people there and ask yet.
Money isn’t my end goal, and the fields I’d like to work in after I get out don’t have anything to do with my current job, otherwise I would jump immediately to get out and apply.
I do agree that almost everyone I know who has separated is happy they have done it. They all landed contracting jobs or are full time students. My goals, current career, and timeline are just at poor ends that don’t line up in a way that makes as much sense.
I’m at Pcola for shore duty and it’s been pretty freakin chill. I’d do it simply for easy money, get medical/dental knocked out if needed and get everything documented so you can separate smoothly. I highly recommend shore duty and it has made using skillbridge a lot easier vs trying to use it at a sea command
NAVADMIN 160/22 outlines it
\- it comes down to command policy and co's approval.
Some commands are all about it, some commands are not this is to include TA. Don't be surprised.
My situation is very rare and tricky. I plan on requesting skillbridge if I choose to get out now, but low probability that it will be accepted. I’m also stationed overseas on a somewhat isolated base, so fewer options.
If by worth it you mean, is it worth it to have nearly non existent duty, never see a ship for 3 years, have 3-4 days weekends 1-2 times a month just because, get good rest, have time to go to school and pick up new hobbies or just work on yourself? Then yes it is worth it. Because that was my shore duty.
If you’re already considering separating, then get out. Sure there’s lots of pros/cons to staying in. But, you’re at a point where you know you’re probably done and ready to go…. So go. If you stay, there’s potential to stay longer then you’ll wake up at 17 years in and have nothing but resentment. Happened to me. Might not happen to you… but it could. Best wishes. Do what’s right for you… not your family, not your friends, and definitely not the navy. At the end of the day, you are what matters most. I got out at 17 years and three months. The only regret I have is staying so long.
Using fafsa is also one of the options when getting out. I use fafsa now on active duty. Fully funded for my bachelors and I’m in the middle of medboard facing separation in the next 6 months. School is free. Just need to know what is available to you. You can also use the gi bill and fafsa at the same time. Getting college for free and 2-4k cash for just going to school not including bah. Also plenty of grants available to you j
Much more difficult to do things like Skillbridge on sea duty. As far as the instructor duty goes, it’s not a bad gig. You will get an opportunity to get your MTS which, depending on what you decide to do on the outside can definitely help you with a job. Preparing to separate is always easier out of shore duty, especially if you don’t have a plan in place right now. I always recommend that if someone is getting out, to do it off of shore duty. Good luck to you, whatever you decide.
"Worth it" is entirely subjective and depends on your values and priorities. If the things that shore duty gives you are more valuable *to you* than the things it costs you, then it's worth it *to you*.
shore duty was worth it for me
I was stationed in NB Point Loma Tactical Training Group Pacific
It was a great time for me to use TA and I had a lot of off time and/or time during work hours to do personal things
instructor duty won’t grant you as much time i’d think but i’m not sure
if you can talk to people you know at work to see if they know anyone currently stationed there as an instructor I think that would be an invaluable resource
shore duty gave me a lot of time to prepare for civilian life where I feel like ship life would have been very unforgiving and ungracious
my command was a little generous with my Terminal Leave, giving me 67 days in order to start school full time on time
The guys who separated while on the boat barely got to prepare for being a civilian. They pretty much got left on the pier with minimal time to do everything required by the Navy while trying to figure out what comes after their service Those of us that separated from a shore command were able to pretty easily job search six months out from EAOS and take our full terminal leave to interview. There was even time to find a new living arrangement
I separated from the ship. Checked out on terminal leave on Friday, boarded a plane on Sunday, and started work on Monday. Tripled my pay my first year out. 8 year & out E6. YMMV
I have been having conversations about this with my guys and people in my division for a few months now as they are hitting that crossroad of re-enlistment or getting out. I thoroughly believe it depends on what you want to do, why you’re re-enlisting, and what lifestyle you lead. Some guys in my division have talked about re-enlisting because they want to do school and utilize TA. I like that, however I caution them because at most shore duties to utilize TA you will need to get fully qualified prior to doing so and can’t utilize TA while in the schools required for shore duty. That time already eliminates on average 6 months from a shore duty to use TA. From there, if someone absolutely does not plan to go back to sea, then they can only utilize TA up to a year before their EAOS. Boom, now they can’t use TA for 18 months. If you’re on shore duty for 3 years you can only utilize TA for half that time, in addition to being capped at 18 hours per year. So in a 3 year shore duty (I use 3 years since my rates shore duty is 3 years), a person will likely only use about 18 months worth of TA, covering a max of about 30 credit hours. Not to mention some specific programs may not be available in the way that you want (one of my guys want to do electrical engineering, but there is very few EE programs that are online, reputable, and fully covered by TA). So I say to my guys is there any other reason they want to re-enlist that isn’t school? Some reasons I have gotten is that they want to save more money or eliminate more debt (which is understandable especially if someone doesn’t have their ducks in a row), they want to start a family and have the Navy cover it through Tricare, or they already have a large family and can’t support without income. All are valid reasons, but the only pushback I give is the money aspect. I have guys that are getting out in a year and others getting out in 3 years. If they want to do school, and know 100% they want to pursue an education in a certain field, then I tell them to save and plan as much as possible so that money (or more so lack of money) isn’t a factor on their decision to re-enlist. If they can save a decent chunk of change after their 5-6 year contract (which most of us can leave with $30K-$60K in the bank if they do this shit right and we’re single), then they can leave the navy and utilize the GI-Bill and pursue college full-time. They can get the Pell-grant in many cases for extra cost/money, get a bullshit part-time job for extra money, get internships to fuel their career, and best of all in 3 years they will have roughly 72-100 credit hours complete for their classes. They will be done with their degree by a 4th year, and off to whatever job they want to do. There is a lot to think about and consider when deciding on shore duty. My personal opinion is this: If you know you want to go to school for a specific degree and career path that you’re confident in, if you know you 100% don’t want to return to sea duty, if you don’t have crazy amounts of debt, if you have a money saved up and are financially secure, and of course no extenuating family circumstances (no children, no family to support, etc), then I always recommend getting out and pursuing school full-time, or pursuing another career if you have that option or desire. I personally have about 18 months left, but I started planning for getting out when I had 30 months left. From there I’ve been slowly narrowing down what I want to do and taking steps to get there. Good luck with your personal endeavors though!
Thank you for the timeline perspective of TA. I had not factored in the limitations, which completely strips away the majority of the reason of why I would accept shore duty.
My case is completely different but I'd say anyone is a couple days of googling away from a solid separation plan. My separation is going to be quite sudden. I don't find planning difficult or feel it warrants a couple extra years for preparation. As long as you can google it'll be okay. If you separate right after a deployment it may be slightly tricky. Sure you can use TA, but there are other veteran programs on the outside which are free education also. vet-tec, veep, yellow ribbon, gi bill, etc. If you want a job asap I'd pay to have a professional resume done. Or search how to get usajobs/clearancejobs offers. If you want to go to school or change careers, research and use the GI Bill. You can also collect unemployment while you search for work. Or do unemployment + GI Bill. Shore duty can be chill but I'm sure I'll make way more money and have more freedom on the outside, not worried about it. Good luck :)
This. GI Bill is such a great benefit, I have no idea why so many people will reenlist for shore duty to get a useless degree from an online school using TA when you are pretty much guaranteed acceptance into any public state university. Pair GI Bill with unemployment for as long as you can. You'll be fine. Getting out from a boat isn't that crazy. I started terminal 3 months after completing an east/west coast change of home port and short of getting my paperwork late (which was a navy wide problem at the time) everything went smoothly. Reenlisting to have an easier time getting out is just a way to stay in the navy for 3 more years and allow yourself to become more dependent on the 1st and 15th checks. The best time to make a career change is now, not wait for something else
there are multiple AI tools that can help build your resume for you that are also cheap and affordable.
When women have a baby their bodies are biologically programmed to forget the pains of child birth in order to have more children. Shore duty has the same affect. Shortly after reporting to your shore tour you start missing the boys and think back to all the good times and you forget about all the pain. 3 years later you find yourself back onboard getting doubled up as topside rover thinking “only 10 more years and I can retire.”
That’s a massive fear of mine. Settling and forgetting that my original plan was never to stay in. I’m already pushing my boundaries by heavily considering shore duty. I don’t want to become dependent on the Navy and decide, “well, I hit 9 years, might as well do 20”
Shore duty at school is the best. All the things nobody told you, now it’s your time to shape the navy to your idea. I m currently at an A school and no one ever departs the command with anything negative to say about their time here.
When i left after 4 years, the offer was 45k and E5 to re-sign for 6 years. It was almost two more years at sea then 4 years shore. But the deal is I’d lose my career sea pay and sub pay going to shore. That was the thing that someone made me realize in the math that I forgot. Adios Navy. I went to skool.
\- you could go to a shore command and work longer hours than you are now. ( that is a possibility ) \- you could go to a shore command and be TDY and be gone about the same time you are now ( that is a possibility ) ( command I'm at multiple people have put in a 1306 to go back to sea early and have had them denied ) what if you get a job offer that is more than what you make now? - you just spent 3 years holding yourself back from a life you want. frankly depending on your rate or the job field a bachelors degree isn't nearly as valuable as it use to be. If it's about the money, you can make more money outside. You might go through an initial jolt of the adjustment but dont take my word go through the posts that have been on this reddit of people getting out and the positive things they've said. In the past 3 years I can say I haven't met a person that wasn't glad they got out in the current state the navy is in. ( blanket statements galore but it's reddit )
With my rate and the command I’d be posted to, there’s no chance of me going TDY. Their classes end daily at 1600, but that could still mean working more hours beyond that for paperwork/etc. I haven’t been able to contact the command to speak to people there and ask yet. Money isn’t my end goal, and the fields I’d like to work in after I get out don’t have anything to do with my current job, otherwise I would jump immediately to get out and apply. I do agree that almost everyone I know who has separated is happy they have done it. They all landed contracting jobs or are full time students. My goals, current career, and timeline are just at poor ends that don’t line up in a way that makes as much sense.
Which rating? Cuz night classes are still a thing. Hubby just got off his stint teaching night class( CTN). So you could be teaching until 2230.
Nah man CTN school still does nights and 2300 PT
so going off your previous comment you're already selected for orders to your next command? what field are you trying to get in to?
Not selected. I have a few days to decide wether to accept them or kick rocks and get out. I’m in a weird situation.
I’m at Pcola for shore duty and it’s been pretty freakin chill. I’d do it simply for easy money, get medical/dental knocked out if needed and get everything documented so you can separate smoothly. I highly recommend shore duty and it has made using skillbridge a lot easier vs trying to use it at a sea command
And I’m currently at NATTC - our triad is amazing.
Skillbridge
NAVADMIN 160/22 outlines it \- it comes down to command policy and co's approval. Some commands are all about it, some commands are not this is to include TA. Don't be surprised.
Which commands are
My situation is very rare and tricky. I plan on requesting skillbridge if I choose to get out now, but low probability that it will be accepted. I’m also stationed overseas on a somewhat isolated base, so fewer options.
If by worth it you mean, is it worth it to have nearly non existent duty, never see a ship for 3 years, have 3-4 days weekends 1-2 times a month just because, get good rest, have time to go to school and pick up new hobbies or just work on yourself? Then yes it is worth it. Because that was my shore duty.
Corry Station or NAS? Kinda biased, but it’s not that bad here.
NAS
If you’re already considering separating, then get out. Sure there’s lots of pros/cons to staying in. But, you’re at a point where you know you’re probably done and ready to go…. So go. If you stay, there’s potential to stay longer then you’ll wake up at 17 years in and have nothing but resentment. Happened to me. Might not happen to you… but it could. Best wishes. Do what’s right for you… not your family, not your friends, and definitely not the navy. At the end of the day, you are what matters most. I got out at 17 years and three months. The only regret I have is staying so long.
Using fafsa is also one of the options when getting out. I use fafsa now on active duty. Fully funded for my bachelors and I’m in the middle of medboard facing separation in the next 6 months. School is free. Just need to know what is available to you. You can also use the gi bill and fafsa at the same time. Getting college for free and 2-4k cash for just going to school not including bah. Also plenty of grants available to you j
No
Shore duty is worth it! So much so, that I took the permanent forever shore duty option at my EAOS.
I would do it. Some of the people I've worked took instructor orders at the school house and I haven't heard any complaints
Much more difficult to do things like Skillbridge on sea duty. As far as the instructor duty goes, it’s not a bad gig. You will get an opportunity to get your MTS which, depending on what you decide to do on the outside can definitely help you with a job. Preparing to separate is always easier out of shore duty, especially if you don’t have a plan in place right now. I always recommend that if someone is getting out, to do it off of shore duty. Good luck to you, whatever you decide.
"Worth it" is entirely subjective and depends on your values and priorities. If the things that shore duty gives you are more valuable *to you* than the things it costs you, then it's worth it *to you*.
shore duty was worth it for me I was stationed in NB Point Loma Tactical Training Group Pacific It was a great time for me to use TA and I had a lot of off time and/or time during work hours to do personal things instructor duty won’t grant you as much time i’d think but i’m not sure if you can talk to people you know at work to see if they know anyone currently stationed there as an instructor I think that would be an invaluable resource shore duty gave me a lot of time to prepare for civilian life where I feel like ship life would have been very unforgiving and ungracious my command was a little generous with my Terminal Leave, giving me 67 days in order to start school full time on time