Foo - Coast Guard members?

Do we have any coasties on board?

Grown up coastie... Navy here.

(Asbestos suit on!!)

Hah!

The reason I ask, is the CG offers a nice program for IT education. I am giving this serious thought, the pay would suck, but its OK, I am single, and have no plans of getting married in the next 2 - 3 years. I also have a need to travel, and the CG would offer that as well.

I think I have all the info I want to know, now I need the info i don't want to know about the CG, or what I am getting into if i decide to enlist.

Joe,

I am not in the Coast Guard and I don't know much about it either. However, I imagine that it is a bit like the military.

My advice is to not join unless you really want to be in the Coast Guard. Be prepared to put IT second.

In addition, remember that Coast Guard needs will come first. With your skills, you could probably sell yourself a bit wherever you go. However, you could be doing great IT stuff like system admin, or boring stuff like creating user accounts all day.

Don't get suckered in for more than 4 years. If you love it, you could always reenlist. Be prepared for the unexpected. Most of all, good luck.

Be cautious, you might not get to use any of your IT training until you have have swabbed a million decks. I used to train with "puddle jumpers" and their life pretty much mirrored ours (USN). You may get training, but it might be useless if you don't get to use it.

IF you were one of my kids, I suggest joining the Navy for the travel (very little travel in the coast guard compared to the US fleet). Do your three years and use the GI bill to get current IT training.

Hope this helps,

ehenz

Joe,

Go to college, get a degree. Don't enlist.

I dropped out, and enlisted. Not a bad deal, as I was going no where, and pretty fast going there. But, if you've got the brains, and got the ability (lack of family), then, have at it.

Other wise, Coast Guard, America's 16th line of defense, right behind the reserve component of line dancers. ;)

I went to a technical school (no longer in existance) before going to collage. There were a bunch of CGs there. Near as I could tell they got super trainig in electronics back in the '60s.

The Navy has some good schools. Especially if you are into radars/fire control (fire as in guns and missiles). The enlisted run the ship. The prime requirement to be an officer is to be ADD -;). I guess I've known some good officers but too many are just "go along to get along".

My daughter is a Capt. in the marines in communications - again they get mad if she does the IT stuff - that's enlisted stuff. And she was in on the invasion of Iraq.

Don't know but I've heard that the Air Force has a technical path for officers.

I don't know your background but a field engineer for, say Raytheon, gets good pay and usually gets to travel a lot fixing equipment on ships or army bases. If you have a degree it helps a lot,but maybe not required (didn't used to be).

HTH
Joe

Other wise, Coast Guard, America's 16th line of defense, right behind the reserve component of line dancers.

I was not in the CG, Army for me. But this comment made mw think.

I'd wager that the CG is involved in far more real situations and events and sees more hazards than any enlistee in the armed forces unless you are actually sent to war. In my unit (82nd Abn.) we trained almost constantly but real life situations were not something that can be effectively duplicated in training.

My hat is off to our CG.

Well said.

I'd wager that the CG is involved in far more real situations and events and sees more hazards than any enlistee in the armed forces unless you are actually sent to war. In my unit (82nd Abn.) we trained almost constantly but real life situations were not something that can be effectively duplicated in training.

My hat is off to our CG.

I concur!

I think the CG deserves some respect. I am USNR but will not make fun of the Coastgaurd.

Do we have any coasties on board?

Navy here...4 yrs from retirement. ô¿ô

I think the CG deserves some respect. I am USNR but will not make fun of the Coastgaurd.

Its just inter-military banter, swabby :D

Its just inter-military banter, swabby :D
You know, it's getting bad when no one can take a joke any more.

I was not in the CG, Army for me. But this comment made mw think.

I'd wager that the CG is involved in far more real situations and events and sees more hazards than any enlistee in the armed forces unless you are actually sent to war. In my unit (82nd Abn.) we trained almost constantly but real life situations were not something that can be effectively duplicated in training.

My hat is off to our CG.

The Coast Guard was in Viet Nam on the front lines and showed just as much courage as the Marines. Anyone who thinks differently should be the lead when boarding a drug runner's boat.

The one difference between the Coast Guard and the Navy, in the Coast Guard, if your ship sinks, you can walk home.

:D

I was a marine in a former life - if I could go back and do it all over I'd buy a bunch of Microsoft stock and say screw military life.

Really - the CG rocks. I did a little work with the CG - next to Marines, they are the toughest - and they have brains as well.