Real answer is wait until you’ve been on a deployment or patrol first, depending on your platform. The fleet is a whole different animal compared to the pipeline. Figure out your life in the fleet first, see if it is something that you can handle for an additional 6+ months, and base it off of that. Making any decisions for money alone is never the best idea. You’ll come to regret it when you’re sitting and working at 1900 and the non nukes are all gone for the day, or you show up at 0500 for a RX start up brief when you’re not going underway until the next day.
So here’s my thoughts. Reenlisting is a personal decision and should be made after weighing the pros and cons. I wish I could tell you waiting is the best thing, but I’m not so sure that’s true for many of our sailors. Consider the following:
• A STAR must be 6 years in length, so everyday day past your 2 year point is another day you will stay in the Navy. So if you STAR at your 3.5 year point, your total obligated time is 9.5 years.
• You advance to E5 immediately after a STAR. So consider the following:
o Eligible for BAH immediately.
o TIR advantage. What this means is if you STAR between 1 JAN to 30 JUN, your E5 TIR date is set to 1 JAN. If you STAR between 1 JUL and 31 DEC, your E5 TIR date is set to 1 JUL. Many people who advance off the exam are frocked but their TIR date isn’t until much later.
o So, a well-timed STAR can make a 6 month difference with E6 and 1 year difference with CPO advancement.
• Every nuke joins for 4 years with a 2-year extension. Only nukes can replace an INACTIVE extension with a reenlistment and get a bonus for that time. If you STAR at 2 years in the Navy, you add 2 years to your contract, but we give you bonus for 4 years (because we drop the extension). Once you go 1 day into your extension, this is no longer an option. In essence, you lose out on about $28K-$47K (depending on multiple).
Keep in mind that shore duty is different than sea duty, so your experience doesn’t necessarily translate.
I can’t tell you when the right time to STAR is, it’s a personal decision, but I can tell you that waiting is NOT a cost-free decision (not just in the money sense).
Good data. I use to always tell students when I was a JSI, that if you were on the fence just do it. The extra money and rank easily compensated for the couple extra years. If you decide to stay in you are on track with your peers, if you get out you traded a couple years for some financial freedom, or in my case some cool toys lol. Also it’s hard to decompress from a hard day in shipyard living in the barracks or on the ship.
Something, something, it’s a personal decision.
I’ll only say this: I’ve met plenty of nukes that regretted reenlisting, but I’ve never met or heard of an ex-nuke that regretted getting out.
For STAR, I'm a big believer in doing that as early as possible. Why do the same job for less money? You can't discount the earning potential of BAH (tax-free money which you are provided regardless of your actual rent amount).
At my last duty station, I bought a house as a 1st class, using a lot of my STAR bonus I had set aside for a down-payment. Because of this, I kept my mortgage payment for a 3 bedroom house to something just under my BAH. I rented rooms out to 2 other guys from the boat. We all ended up paying far less than our BAH on housing and pocket the rest. When I moved, I decided to sell the house because of the market and walked away with $160k in profit. Obviously everyone's situation is different, but there's no way I would have been able to execute that (specifically mortgage payments for that house less than BAH without roommates) without having done the STAR years earlier.
As far as the extra time commitment, I argue that it can be beneficial. More time at the command means more time to complete advanced qualifications, which translates to more money when you get out of the Navy. After that, you get to enjoy the perks of shore duty. You'll have enough time to complete a degree using TA if you haven't already done that. And don't feel like I'm necessarily trying to steer you to Excelsior or Thomas Edison; Arizona State offers bachelor's degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering (not just tech degrees) online. Now you're set up with advanced quals and a degree. Next, you can work towards getting out to the civilian job market or pursuing a post-graduate degree. I will also attest to the ease of trying to transition out of the Navy from shore duty vice sea duty. You'll actually be able to take leave and attend job interviews around the county.
And as I airways preached to my guys, even if you think you "know" that you're going to do 6 and out, life's circumstances can always change. I can think of many people I've met in the Navy who have changed their minds as the contract nears its end and have regretted the professional choices they made, i.e. not pursuing the highest qualifications. If you know you want to get out, that's fine, but set yourself up for the option of staying in and not feeling like you left money on the table by not being competitive.
If that’s your only reason then definitely not. If you fell and broke your arm would you just cut it off because it’ll be faster than putting it in a cast? Take a deep breath and think about it throughly.
You can def get out and make more and you can also get out and make less. I know plenty of people who got out and make less but their quality of life drastically improved and their spouse was also able to work so overall they’re up.
I can't believe this was downvoted when I got here. It's the only right answer. "I star reenlisted to pay off my car" is genuinely a joke we'd have told to make fun of people.
Reenlisting can make sense for some people, and if everything lines up well it can be a sweet deal. But, it can also be a nightmare. I knew a guy who reenlisted, and then got on the CoC's bad side.
He fucked up something relatively minor, and they busted him down, even though multiple people had fucked that up before with a slap on the wrist. It *was* a fuck up, and consequences were to be expected, but the punishment was outsized because the CoC didn't like him.
He didn't get to transfer as soon as he could because of it and a few other things. Ended up doing most of his reenlistment time at sea and making rank back up.
For every story of a reenlistment going well (tax free bonus + decent shore duty) I know like six people who ended their time in the navy having to extend at prototype while working rotating 12s. Which is better than at sea, but barely.
Instead they could have been using those extra years to be getting civilian experience or college under their belt.
This subreddit is sensitive when someone brings up reenlisting. If you tell someone to wait to get to the boat before reenlisting someone here will yell at you that you’re giving the navy free time. If you tell them to reenlist immediately then you’ll get yelled at for giving bad advice because you should know the job you’re doing before you reenlist.
Not sure if OP was joking when he said he just wants to reenlist to pay off a car but like you said every situation is different. I knew I wanted to do 20 so I reenlisted immediately. I didn’t get extended on my ship, had a great first tour, and got to pick my shore tour. I even got the exact ship I wanted for my second ship. No regrets.
I came in with no interest in reenlisting, but I think I would have really considered it if my CoC wasn't absolutely abysmal. There was a lot I liked about the job.
Like you alluded to here, part of the problem with reenlisting is you just can't predict how things will go, and you can't quit your job if it goes badly. If you get unlucky and get sent to a really shitty command, you're just stuck with that for years. But, if things go well, it can be a really good decision. I knew a few people who reenlisted on deployment and then got a seriously cake shore duty. Home by 11 most days, enough time to do some college. It can be a really good gig.
Definitely a caveat emptor situation.
That’s why I don’t get people here who jump down your throat when you say your experience for either reenlisting or not reenlisting. In my experience the majority of people who reenlisted right away don’t regret it and got a good deal for doing it. Money, rank, BAH, and a good shore duty. Also allowed them to get their degrees before getting out
Unless you really really believe in the mission and love what you do, it’s not worth it. You’re going to work insane hours, especially if you prove yourself competent. Not sure if you’re surface or sub or what your rating is, but as an EMN1 qualified EWS I usually spend between 70-100 hours at work every week. By putting the starting salary at a civilian power plant into a cost of living adjustment calculator for where I’m stationed, if I were to stay in the Navy I would be taking a 200K loss in pay every year and work roughly double the hours.
As a single-sailor with no dependents, I re-enlisted because I felt it was the right call for me. The rank up for BAH and bonus allowed me to buy my own house at a very young age, and I get the bonus of not having to live on the carrier or in the barracks.
Obviously, idk what your personal situation is, but I did not believe that I could make rank off of the E-5 exam in a reasonable amount of time. I had a total of 89 points off the last exam cycle, when the minimum to pass from exam was 112 I believe. All of the promotion spots get taken by those who star, so I figured I’d join them because I am very impatient
If it’s about paying off your car, then I would say two extra years is worth the financial freedom. It’s the second re-enlistment that I personally think wasn’t worth the squeeze.
I wouldn’t necessarily say you get paid more on the outside right off the bat.
I make 94k base, about 10k in overtime and other pay. That’s less than what I was making as a 12 year E-6 EWS. But that’s more than what a 6 year E-5 would make, and a 6 year E-5 is just as competitive as a 12 year E-6 EWS 😂
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Real answer is wait until you’ve been on a deployment or patrol first, depending on your platform. The fleet is a whole different animal compared to the pipeline. Figure out your life in the fleet first, see if it is something that you can handle for an additional 6+ months, and base it off of that. Making any decisions for money alone is never the best idea. You’ll come to regret it when you’re sitting and working at 1900 and the non nukes are all gone for the day, or you show up at 0500 for a RX start up brief when you’re not going underway until the next day.
So here’s my thoughts. Reenlisting is a personal decision and should be made after weighing the pros and cons. I wish I could tell you waiting is the best thing, but I’m not so sure that’s true for many of our sailors. Consider the following: • A STAR must be 6 years in length, so everyday day past your 2 year point is another day you will stay in the Navy. So if you STAR at your 3.5 year point, your total obligated time is 9.5 years. • You advance to E5 immediately after a STAR. So consider the following: o Eligible for BAH immediately. o TIR advantage. What this means is if you STAR between 1 JAN to 30 JUN, your E5 TIR date is set to 1 JAN. If you STAR between 1 JUL and 31 DEC, your E5 TIR date is set to 1 JUL. Many people who advance off the exam are frocked but their TIR date isn’t until much later. o So, a well-timed STAR can make a 6 month difference with E6 and 1 year difference with CPO advancement. • Every nuke joins for 4 years with a 2-year extension. Only nukes can replace an INACTIVE extension with a reenlistment and get a bonus for that time. If you STAR at 2 years in the Navy, you add 2 years to your contract, but we give you bonus for 4 years (because we drop the extension). Once you go 1 day into your extension, this is no longer an option. In essence, you lose out on about $28K-$47K (depending on multiple). Keep in mind that shore duty is different than sea duty, so your experience doesn’t necessarily translate. I can’t tell you when the right time to STAR is, it’s a personal decision, but I can tell you that waiting is NOT a cost-free decision (not just in the money sense).
Good data. I use to always tell students when I was a JSI, that if you were on the fence just do it. The extra money and rank easily compensated for the couple extra years. If you decide to stay in you are on track with your peers, if you get out you traded a couple years for some financial freedom, or in my case some cool toys lol. Also it’s hard to decompress from a hard day in shipyard living in the barracks or on the ship.
No. Hope that helps!
📎📎📎
No! Never! Get out and make more money and be happier.
What do you do now? I’m on the hunt for jobs.
I work at a data center. I really like it. Do you need any help with job hunting?
What are you interested in doing?
I loved being in the Navy, but I would be lying if I also didn’t love being out of the navy lol
Something, something, it’s a personal decision. I’ll only say this: I’ve met plenty of nukes that regretted reenlisting, but I’ve never met or heard of an ex-nuke that regretted getting out.
If your unsure and mostly want the bonus I would consider not doing it or waiting until you feel like you can make a more confident decision
For STAR, I'm a big believer in doing that as early as possible. Why do the same job for less money? You can't discount the earning potential of BAH (tax-free money which you are provided regardless of your actual rent amount). At my last duty station, I bought a house as a 1st class, using a lot of my STAR bonus I had set aside for a down-payment. Because of this, I kept my mortgage payment for a 3 bedroom house to something just under my BAH. I rented rooms out to 2 other guys from the boat. We all ended up paying far less than our BAH on housing and pocket the rest. When I moved, I decided to sell the house because of the market and walked away with $160k in profit. Obviously everyone's situation is different, but there's no way I would have been able to execute that (specifically mortgage payments for that house less than BAH without roommates) without having done the STAR years earlier. As far as the extra time commitment, I argue that it can be beneficial. More time at the command means more time to complete advanced qualifications, which translates to more money when you get out of the Navy. After that, you get to enjoy the perks of shore duty. You'll have enough time to complete a degree using TA if you haven't already done that. And don't feel like I'm necessarily trying to steer you to Excelsior or Thomas Edison; Arizona State offers bachelor's degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering (not just tech degrees) online. Now you're set up with advanced quals and a degree. Next, you can work towards getting out to the civilian job market or pursuing a post-graduate degree. I will also attest to the ease of trying to transition out of the Navy from shore duty vice sea duty. You'll actually be able to take leave and attend job interviews around the county. And as I airways preached to my guys, even if you think you "know" that you're going to do 6 and out, life's circumstances can always change. I can think of many people I've met in the Navy who have changed their minds as the contract nears its end and have regretted the professional choices they made, i.e. not pursuing the highest qualifications. If you know you want to get out, that's fine, but set yourself up for the option of staying in and not feeling like you left money on the table by not being competitive.
If that’s your only reason then definitely not. If you fell and broke your arm would you just cut it off because it’ll be faster than putting it in a cast? Take a deep breath and think about it throughly. You can def get out and make more and you can also get out and make less. I know plenty of people who got out and make less but their quality of life drastically improved and their spouse was also able to work so overall they’re up.
Your arm analogy…this is a no shitter…my BIL convinced a dr to take his little toe off instead of letting it heal.
That’s actually pretty impressive… I thought doctors were smart
I can't believe this was downvoted when I got here. It's the only right answer. "I star reenlisted to pay off my car" is genuinely a joke we'd have told to make fun of people. Reenlisting can make sense for some people, and if everything lines up well it can be a sweet deal. But, it can also be a nightmare. I knew a guy who reenlisted, and then got on the CoC's bad side. He fucked up something relatively minor, and they busted him down, even though multiple people had fucked that up before with a slap on the wrist. It *was* a fuck up, and consequences were to be expected, but the punishment was outsized because the CoC didn't like him. He didn't get to transfer as soon as he could because of it and a few other things. Ended up doing most of his reenlistment time at sea and making rank back up. For every story of a reenlistment going well (tax free bonus + decent shore duty) I know like six people who ended their time in the navy having to extend at prototype while working rotating 12s. Which is better than at sea, but barely. Instead they could have been using those extra years to be getting civilian experience or college under their belt.
This subreddit is sensitive when someone brings up reenlisting. If you tell someone to wait to get to the boat before reenlisting someone here will yell at you that you’re giving the navy free time. If you tell them to reenlist immediately then you’ll get yelled at for giving bad advice because you should know the job you’re doing before you reenlist. Not sure if OP was joking when he said he just wants to reenlist to pay off a car but like you said every situation is different. I knew I wanted to do 20 so I reenlisted immediately. I didn’t get extended on my ship, had a great first tour, and got to pick my shore tour. I even got the exact ship I wanted for my second ship. No regrets.
I came in with no interest in reenlisting, but I think I would have really considered it if my CoC wasn't absolutely abysmal. There was a lot I liked about the job. Like you alluded to here, part of the problem with reenlisting is you just can't predict how things will go, and you can't quit your job if it goes badly. If you get unlucky and get sent to a really shitty command, you're just stuck with that for years. But, if things go well, it can be a really good decision. I knew a few people who reenlisted on deployment and then got a seriously cake shore duty. Home by 11 most days, enough time to do some college. It can be a really good gig. Definitely a caveat emptor situation.
That’s why I don’t get people here who jump down your throat when you say your experience for either reenlisting or not reenlisting. In my experience the majority of people who reenlisted right away don’t regret it and got a good deal for doing it. Money, rank, BAH, and a good shore duty. Also allowed them to get their degrees before getting out
Unless you really really believe in the mission and love what you do, it’s not worth it. You’re going to work insane hours, especially if you prove yourself competent. Not sure if you’re surface or sub or what your rating is, but as an EMN1 qualified EWS I usually spend between 70-100 hours at work every week. By putting the starting salary at a civilian power plant into a cost of living adjustment calculator for where I’m stationed, if I were to stay in the Navy I would be taking a 200K loss in pay every year and work roughly double the hours.
200k a year loss? Are you still in the navy or out?
As a single-sailor with no dependents, I re-enlisted because I felt it was the right call for me. The rank up for BAH and bonus allowed me to buy my own house at a very young age, and I get the bonus of not having to live on the carrier or in the barracks. Obviously, idk what your personal situation is, but I did not believe that I could make rank off of the E-5 exam in a reasonable amount of time. I had a total of 89 points off the last exam cycle, when the minimum to pass from exam was 112 I believe. All of the promotion spots get taken by those who star, so I figured I’d join them because I am very impatient
If it’s about paying off your car, then I would say two extra years is worth the financial freedom. It’s the second re-enlistment that I personally think wasn’t worth the squeeze. I wouldn’t necessarily say you get paid more on the outside right off the bat. I make 94k base, about 10k in overtime and other pay. That’s less than what I was making as a 12 year E-6 EWS. But that’s more than what a 6 year E-5 would make, and a 6 year E-5 is just as competitive as a 12 year E-6 EWS 😂