From Civilian to Sailor

There are, from what I've gathered, a few things that factor in when choosing your first duty station.

Part of it is all on you. If you go through "A" school and do the best you can do,(which shouldn't be hard, just apply yourself. School work and duties first, play time later) and graduate #1 in your class that gives you first pick from the billets(a billet is basically a slot available for your rating, or job, on a particular base or ship). If you rank #2 you get to pick second, from whatever is left over after the #1 ranked student picks, and so on and so forth with the 3rd, 4th, and on.

A second and more important factor in selecting a billet(and one you have no control over) is the "Needs of the Navy". Sure you can do your best to get first pick from that list of billets, but if there isn't a billet available in the place you want, then it wont be on that list. Plain and simple. If the Navy doesn't need an MC at Pearl Harbor then it will not be on the list, regardless of how well you do in "A" School.


I imagine that down the road seniority also plays a great deal, although I haven't talked much with people about this one, as I'm just worried about making through RTC and "A" School still.

Of course I could be completely wrong about this, this is just what I have heard from all the people I have talked to about it. So if someone reading this knows better, feel free to let me know.

12 days.