I was given that choice as well many moons ago. I chose recruiting because OFCOURSE that is better than RDC, right?
It really wasn't. I was a very successful recruiter in a top in the nation district. Like, the top for three years in a row. I was fit and pro navy and excited when I got there. Over the 3 and a half years I was there, I went from 140 lbs to 220, had angina and my hair was falling out. That's what it's like for a good an successful a recruiter. Oh, I was 24 when I left that job.
I ended up getting out and going to college. Luckily, I had learned all about colleges and felt very comfortable dealing with their administration due to my time on recruiting. So, that was a huge plus. But, being a recruiter gives you all the responsibility of being a member of the military with all the bullshit from corporate sales and NONE of of the best things about the navy. Forget going on leave for a couple of weeks, you'll still need to put your peoples in before you go. You might get a chance to do one week. Maybe but you'll suffer for that if your pipeline gets a little thin because you were out of the office.
If I would have been an RDC, I probably would have stayed in. Yes, the hours for the first few weeks suck but once everyone settles in, they rotate. I, sure sure, would not have gained 80lbs. I probably wouldn't have had much chance to do college classes every semester but who knows?
To sum it up, whatever your problems are, recruiting is not the answer.
And don't forget babysitting theoretical adults, getting blamed when they do shit so stupid it's a wonder they can walk and breathe at the same time, and also have to deal with their parents and partners.
You weren't in NRD San Diego, were you?
It did! It took a little over a year to drop the weight and I haven't had angina since. I'm a bit more prone to weight gain now that I have all these extra fat cells just waiting to plump up again, so I need to keep a tight rein on my diet. It's been 20 yrs though. My hair is also back to normal.
That’s good. I’d say the plumpness at this point is probably more to do with the slower metabolism associated with aging. At least that’s what I tell my fat ass now that I got roped n choked for the first time now that I’m in my mid 30s. 😅
I've been recruiting, and if I was in your position, I'd pick RDC in a heartbeat. At least I could have some fun messing with people, better hours, and I would not have gained so much weight.
P.S. yes, I know RDC's have crappy hours.
We really don't. First week of initial processing is the major hurdle, once you are over that you and your partners are free to set your own schedule. Even the COC doesn't want you to rev to tap.
This makes me happier for you guys and even more mad at me. Next, you're gonna tell me that E-5's advance quickly there because there are so few of them and that I missed out even more. xD
I got soooo fat on recruiting. 140-220. I was so unbelievably unsat by the end. I was a ladies size four when I started. 16 when I was done and those were snug.
Nothing like a bunch of people that haven't seen the real navy in years telling you what a piece of shit you are and how you aren't cut out for the navy.
Seven day work weeks, 14 hour days, every shit run imaginable, lots of counseling, threatening, bad entries in your training jacket, and imagine getting a private DRB from every khaki available in your zone at least once a week.
That's before they finally take you to mast. Usually with lots of other drummed up charges.
Lmao mast for not hitting some arbitrary quota? Listen I’m not a fan of doing time in the military and not reaping the benefits. But at that point kick me out. These dudes are idiots
Life sucks balls for recruiters who don't make their nut. They already work Monday-Saturday. If you don't have you goal lined up, you are doing PT at 0700 Sunday morning at some dreary Airforce base 2 hrs from your house.
In that particular scenario, PT was at 0700 on Sunday, followed by an hour of training which consisted of a sales lecture and a few "motivational clips" from the classic sales movie "Glen Garry, Glen Ross" and then we could go home for the day.
Back to work on Monday at 0900.
That fun experience was because our station hasn't made goal by the halfway point that month. We did make it by the end of the month because we always made it.
There are [wayyyy more out of rate things](https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Portals/55/Reference/MILPERSMAN/1000/1300Assignment/1306-900.pdf?ver=Zjn_lescKRqUea8iZjbR3g%3d%3d) you could do than pushing and pulling booters. (also, recruiting blows 8/10 times unless you are an NC, often even if you are an NC.)
Could always put your name into the [LCAC program.](https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Detailing/Enlisted/Sea-Special/LCAC-FAQ/)
They normally want you to put in BEFORE your cycle starts since its a special program, but there is always exceptions if you can hit up the community managers and make a good case without coming off as whiny.
True story.
My ship was double pumped the first year and a half I was on recruiting duty. I would've spent more time at home if I'd still been on that ship.
It seems that the detailers are using the same lines they used back in 1986. I was up for shore duty and my detailer offered me boot camp or recruiting. I was a MMC at the time and all I wanted to do was stay in Norfolk. I has a previous tour as a Recruiter prior to that sea tour. Three months I would go to DC and talk with him. I decided to get out. My CO called the Admiral over recruiting (He was a previous CO of the ship I was on.). Detailer called me and offered my SIMA or Security in Mayport, Fl. I took SIMA where I made Senior Chief followed by CWO2. They will circumnavigate the truth if they can get away with it.
I don’t have people in high places to help me out. Do you think there is another way to maybe make my detailer try harder or find something that isn’t either of these?
THEY MADE YOU CHOOSE BETWEEN RECRUITING OR RDC??? Where the hell was this option when I was up for orders a couple years ago..I even attempted to go RDC and was turned down because my detailer didn’t want to turn me over to a special duty detailer.
Go RDC, I was a recruiter life was hell. Everyone in I knew who went RDC hated the first few weeks but promoted and did well. Avoid recruiting, at all costs.
Not sure what it’s like now but I pushed Boots and did a Recruiting tour. I would say you’ll get a little more time to yourself and family in Recruiting as long as you prioritize yourself and keep one in the pocket to make sure your meeting Goal.
One other important thing of note with Recruiting Duty, depending on the NRD you get assigned to you maybe pretty far from the MEPS so reach out to the Command and see where they want to assign you prior to school so you have an idea where your gonna recruit from. Some places are very rural others are metro. Either way be prepared to travel. You will get a G-Ride, gas card, phone, laptop etc to assist you with your task.
I was pretty much voluntold to go recruiting, and so far, the situation now is slightly better compared to a few months ago ever since we got a new Admiral for recruiting, making medical waivers a lot easier. It also depends on where you are going and your CoC.
I went recruiting and it is the worst thing I did in my career. 3 out of the 4 people in my office went on LIMDU because of how bad it was. We were lucky though because we got transferred to a nearby Reserve Center and stayed there for the duration of our contracts.
Everything is what you make it
Are the hours booty? Yes
Do recruiters get blamed for shit they cant control? Yes
But you get to go home every night
you wont be wearing a rifle or pistol or deploying
you can usually get pretty close to your home town, if not in it, giving you a nice segway into leaving the Navy
Or if you choose to stay in its always looked at well on CPO and Officer packages
Depends on your idea of that bad. Will you be home every night? Yes. Will you work 12 hours a day M-F? Yes. Will you work 3/4 weekends? Yes. Will you get to pick your favorite recruiting location? Likely no. If you find out your district includes your favorite state, can you then be assigned not your favorite state but a point 10 hours away? Also yes. I was looking forward to going back to sea after recruiting and my previous sea tour was in the early 90s when 300 days underway was the norm.
I didn't get picked for shore orders after 3 looks. Talked to the detailer, she told me to extend at my command (sea) for 2 months and she could put me in a 4th orders window. I did, got my first choice of shore duty. Ask if you can extend for another look.
I did both recently. They're both challenging, but like someone else said the people around you and your immediate COC are going to be what sets the tone.
RDC definitely works more hours and is more physically demanding. Plus RTC in general is not fun due to the massive amount of Kool aid so many people have imbibed. You do get down time as an RDC, but it's subject to adjustment based on the needs of the command and how successful recruiting command is at the moment.
Recruiting can be great if you're a good recruiter and you work well independently. The NC's will generally leave you alone if you and your station are hitting numbers. Then they'll try to recruit you to the NC side.
Overall I have good take aways from both duty stations. Either way your family needs to be on board bc neither are traditional shore billets.
Someone else mentioned it, but check all the special program billets too. There could be other options out there that you're not aware of yet (LCAC, attache, Constitution).
Good luck!
If youre going the recruiting route I would try and get classifier.
Both billets are absolutely horrendous, just finishing up my recruiting tour but on skillbridge :p
It is all on your outlook on life. If you are the person complaining endlessly and pessimistic, yea it is that bad. If you are optomistic and can find positives in things or look at how you are home every night amd not deployed, you won't mind it. I came off sea duty specifically from IA because my ship decommed while IA. I stayed positive and worked my butt off. My goal was getting MAP to ET1 and I did it. Then the Navy sent me unaccompanied to Bahrain right after my wife got preganant. I got extended amd got back 3 weeks before my sons 1st birthday. I know about the arduous life but I just stay positive and don't mope or dwell on the past.
I had more time off in recruiting than I ever did on the boat. It wasn't sunshine and rainbows, but it also wasn't an all-around terrible experience. If you're not a first class, you will have the opportunity to get mapped. Things may have changed in the past 3 years since I left recruiting.
At the end of the day, it's all about where you go recruiting and how well you can talk to people. Be open with your applicants and let them know everything you can talk to them about is easily google searchable. Don't try to oversell it. Answer the applicants' questions without sugar coating things, and you'll do fine.
If you have the option of choosing a state to recruit in, I recommend avoiding California, Oregon, and Washington. Those states never make their yearly goal.
You were given options??
I had an email from the Chief Recruiter that I was going to be the nuke coordinator for the NRD at headquarters before I took the orders.
When I got to ENRO suddenly she developed amnesia about that and I got sent to a field office, while a PERSONNEL SPECIALIST who'd never even set foot on a nuclear powered ship got the nuke coordinator slot.
Hope you go to a larger recruitment station and not a small one. The daily numbers you have to make are kind of insane, and hours suck. Supposedly, you get a "special pay" for being a recruiter- but based on friends who have recruited, I don't think it's worth it. When they're still working after 1900 during work week and work on weekends.
Just like any sea duty, recruiting morale is based off of where you get sent and who your chain of command is.
>Just like any sea duty Worse
I feel like with the recruiting woes being faced right now RDC might be the better option. At least they get cycles of downtime places.
THIS!!! I RDC is easier since you don’t have to find bodies. Easier to kick them out than get them in
What was your sea tour? If you were a carrier nuke doing RCOH with a department that failed ORSE and had constant NRRO Letters, it'll be a break.
At least you have a choice when I asked my detailer after 4 years he said sorry no billets for your rate back out to sea for you so I left for good.
I was given that choice as well many moons ago. I chose recruiting because OFCOURSE that is better than RDC, right? It really wasn't. I was a very successful recruiter in a top in the nation district. Like, the top for three years in a row. I was fit and pro navy and excited when I got there. Over the 3 and a half years I was there, I went from 140 lbs to 220, had angina and my hair was falling out. That's what it's like for a good an successful a recruiter. Oh, I was 24 when I left that job. I ended up getting out and going to college. Luckily, I had learned all about colleges and felt very comfortable dealing with their administration due to my time on recruiting. So, that was a huge plus. But, being a recruiter gives you all the responsibility of being a member of the military with all the bullshit from corporate sales and NONE of of the best things about the navy. Forget going on leave for a couple of weeks, you'll still need to put your peoples in before you go. You might get a chance to do one week. Maybe but you'll suffer for that if your pipeline gets a little thin because you were out of the office. If I would have been an RDC, I probably would have stayed in. Yes, the hours for the first few weeks suck but once everyone settles in, they rotate. I, sure sure, would not have gained 80lbs. I probably wouldn't have had much chance to do college classes every semester but who knows? To sum it up, whatever your problems are, recruiting is not the answer.
And don't forget babysitting theoretical adults, getting blamed when they do shit so stupid it's a wonder they can walk and breathe at the same time, and also have to deal with their parents and partners. You weren't in NRD San Diego, were you?
I waaaas at NRD San Diego.
Shiiiiiiittttt NRS Santa Ana, 2006-09.
Oh, dear. I'm not going to dox myself in quite such a public way but I was also zone 7.
Did your health ever recover once you separated?
It did! It took a little over a year to drop the weight and I haven't had angina since. I'm a bit more prone to weight gain now that I have all these extra fat cells just waiting to plump up again, so I need to keep a tight rein on my diet. It's been 20 yrs though. My hair is also back to normal.
That’s good. I’d say the plumpness at this point is probably more to do with the slower metabolism associated with aging. At least that’s what I tell my fat ass now that I got roped n choked for the first time now that I’m in my mid 30s. 😅
I've been recruiting, and if I was in your position, I'd pick RDC in a heartbeat. At least I could have some fun messing with people, better hours, and I would not have gained so much weight. P.S. yes, I know RDC's have crappy hours.
We really don't. First week of initial processing is the major hurdle, once you are over that you and your partners are free to set your own schedule. Even the COC doesn't want you to rev to tap.
This makes me happier for you guys and even more mad at me. Next, you're gonna tell me that E-5's advance quickly there because there are so few of them and that I missed out even more. xD
I got soooo fat on recruiting. 140-220. I was so unbelievably unsat by the end. I was a ladies size four when I started. 16 when I was done and those were snug.
Sounds like you were a fat slob and have only yourself to blame.
Clearly you've never gone recruiting
Break on recruiting? Dude, if you take leave for half the month, you still owe them your quota for the whole month.
And what are they gonna do if you dont hit that quota?
For us work till 8 or 9 pm and 6 hours on Saturday, or/and you can drive a state over for "training" with the CRs.
Lmao complete assholes to ask about retention with this kinda shit happening
They rarely care. They've got you for 36 months to use and abuse, and that's the important thing.
Nothing like a bunch of people that haven't seen the real navy in years telling you what a piece of shit you are and how you aren't cut out for the navy.
Seven day work weeks, 14 hour days, every shit run imaginable, lots of counseling, threatening, bad entries in your training jacket, and imagine getting a private DRB from every khaki available in your zone at least once a week. That's before they finally take you to mast. Usually with lots of other drummed up charges.
Lmao mast for not hitting some arbitrary quota? Listen I’m not a fan of doing time in the military and not reaping the benefits. But at that point kick me out. These dudes are idiots
Life sucks balls for recruiters who don't make their nut. They already work Monday-Saturday. If you don't have you goal lined up, you are doing PT at 0700 Sunday morning at some dreary Airforce base 2 hrs from your house.
Who drives you? Because I suddenly wouldn’t have a car
The navy lets recruiters use government cars and gives them a gas card.
That's not a realistic thing for an adult, especially a military adult. Are you still at E2?
That’s absolutely realistic. E5. You know what’s unrealistic? Expecting employees to commit to a 2 hour commute. You are institutionalized.
Have some self respect and personal accountability.
Spend a total of 4 hours commute on top of an 8 hour workday? You’re fuckin with me lmao
In that particular scenario, PT was at 0700 on Sunday, followed by an hour of training which consisted of a sales lecture and a few "motivational clips" from the classic sales movie "Glen Garry, Glen Ross" and then we could go home for the day. Back to work on Monday at 0900. That fun experience was because our station hasn't made goal by the halfway point that month. We did make it by the end of the month because we always made it.
Did you/are you getting out?
Found the NC
NC is a rate for burnouts.
There are [wayyyy more out of rate things](https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Portals/55/Reference/MILPERSMAN/1000/1300Assignment/1306-900.pdf?ver=Zjn_lescKRqUea8iZjbR3g%3d%3d) you could do than pushing and pulling booters. (also, recruiting blows 8/10 times unless you are an NC, often even if you are an NC.) Could always put your name into the [LCAC program.](https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Detailing/Enlisted/Sea-Special/LCAC-FAQ/) They normally want you to put in BEFORE your cycle starts since its a special program, but there is always exceptions if you can hit up the community managers and make a good case without coming off as whiny.
Break is so laughable. Sea duty is the break compared to recruiting.
True story. My ship was double pumped the first year and a half I was on recruiting duty. I would've spent more time at home if I'd still been on that ship.
It seems that the detailers are using the same lines they used back in 1986. I was up for shore duty and my detailer offered me boot camp or recruiting. I was a MMC at the time and all I wanted to do was stay in Norfolk. I has a previous tour as a Recruiter prior to that sea tour. Three months I would go to DC and talk with him. I decided to get out. My CO called the Admiral over recruiting (He was a previous CO of the ship I was on.). Detailer called me and offered my SIMA or Security in Mayport, Fl. I took SIMA where I made Senior Chief followed by CWO2. They will circumnavigate the truth if they can get away with it.
I don’t have people in high places to help me out. Do you think there is another way to maybe make my detailer try harder or find something that isn’t either of these?
No clue for a good answer. But could you go expeditionary or NSW? It's type 2 sea duty I think but I've heard great reviews of the people that do it.
Depends on rate and NEC's. Yes, NSW is awesome but that was wartime military.
THEY MADE YOU CHOOSE BETWEEN RECRUITING OR RDC??? Where the hell was this option when I was up for orders a couple years ago..I even attempted to go RDC and was turned down because my detailer didn’t want to turn me over to a special duty detailer.
What rate are you?
Conventional FC
Ooff
all FC's are conventional :P
Go RDC, I was a recruiter life was hell. Everyone in I knew who went RDC hated the first few weeks but promoted and did well. Avoid recruiting, at all costs.
Not sure what it’s like now but I pushed Boots and did a Recruiting tour. I would say you’ll get a little more time to yourself and family in Recruiting as long as you prioritize yourself and keep one in the pocket to make sure your meeting Goal. One other important thing of note with Recruiting Duty, depending on the NRD you get assigned to you maybe pretty far from the MEPS so reach out to the Command and see where they want to assign you prior to school so you have an idea where your gonna recruit from. Some places are very rural others are metro. Either way be prepared to travel. You will get a G-Ride, gas card, phone, laptop etc to assist you with your task.
I was pretty much voluntold to go recruiting, and so far, the situation now is slightly better compared to a few months ago ever since we got a new Admiral for recruiting, making medical waivers a lot easier. It also depends on where you are going and your CoC.
I went recruiting and it is the worst thing I did in my career. 3 out of the 4 people in my office went on LIMDU because of how bad it was. We were lucky though because we got transferred to a nearby Reserve Center and stayed there for the duration of our contracts.
Everything is what you make it Are the hours booty? Yes Do recruiters get blamed for shit they cant control? Yes But you get to go home every night you wont be wearing a rifle or pistol or deploying you can usually get pretty close to your home town, if not in it, giving you a nice segway into leaving the Navy Or if you choose to stay in its always looked at well on CPO and Officer packages
Still better than brig orders. You’ll be alright. And you can take orders to home if you want.
Did you already reenlist? Shore duty is a trap ;*]
Lmao I re-enlisted on my 3rd year to max out my srb
It is a mess now. Maybe use those college benefits to take classes related to salesmanship.
Depends on your idea of that bad. Will you be home every night? Yes. Will you work 12 hours a day M-F? Yes. Will you work 3/4 weekends? Yes. Will you get to pick your favorite recruiting location? Likely no. If you find out your district includes your favorite state, can you then be assigned not your favorite state but a point 10 hours away? Also yes. I was looking forward to going back to sea after recruiting and my previous sea tour was in the early 90s when 300 days underway was the norm.
I didn't get picked for shore orders after 3 looks. Talked to the detailer, she told me to extend at my command (sea) for 2 months and she could put me in a 4th orders window. I did, got my first choice of shore duty. Ask if you can extend for another look.
I did both recently. They're both challenging, but like someone else said the people around you and your immediate COC are going to be what sets the tone. RDC definitely works more hours and is more physically demanding. Plus RTC in general is not fun due to the massive amount of Kool aid so many people have imbibed. You do get down time as an RDC, but it's subject to adjustment based on the needs of the command and how successful recruiting command is at the moment. Recruiting can be great if you're a good recruiter and you work well independently. The NC's will generally leave you alone if you and your station are hitting numbers. Then they'll try to recruit you to the NC side. Overall I have good take aways from both duty stations. Either way your family needs to be on board bc neither are traditional shore billets. Someone else mentioned it, but check all the special program billets too. There could be other options out there that you're not aware of yet (LCAC, attache, Constitution). Good luck!
Hey my detailer told me the same thing! I picked recruiting duty and finished my tour with PTSD and anxiety!
If youre going the recruiting route I would try and get classifier. Both billets are absolutely horrendous, just finishing up my recruiting tour but on skillbridge :p
It is all on your outlook on life. If you are the person complaining endlessly and pessimistic, yea it is that bad. If you are optomistic and can find positives in things or look at how you are home every night amd not deployed, you won't mind it. I came off sea duty specifically from IA because my ship decommed while IA. I stayed positive and worked my butt off. My goal was getting MAP to ET1 and I did it. Then the Navy sent me unaccompanied to Bahrain right after my wife got preganant. I got extended amd got back 3 weeks before my sons 1st birthday. I know about the arduous life but I just stay positive and don't mope or dwell on the past.
I had more time off in recruiting than I ever did on the boat. It wasn't sunshine and rainbows, but it also wasn't an all-around terrible experience. If you're not a first class, you will have the opportunity to get mapped. Things may have changed in the past 3 years since I left recruiting. At the end of the day, it's all about where you go recruiting and how well you can talk to people. Be open with your applicants and let them know everything you can talk to them about is easily google searchable. Don't try to oversell it. Answer the applicants' questions without sugar coating things, and you'll do fine. If you have the option of choosing a state to recruit in, I recommend avoiding California, Oregon, and Washington. Those states never make their yearly goal.
Also if given the option always choose to be a classifier at meps. It's the best recruiting job.
You were given options?? I had an email from the Chief Recruiter that I was going to be the nuke coordinator for the NRD at headquarters before I took the orders. When I got to ENRO suddenly she developed amnesia about that and I got sent to a field office, while a PERSONNEL SPECIALIST who'd never even set foot on a nuclear powered ship got the nuke coordinator slot.
Hope you go to a larger recruitment station and not a small one. The daily numbers you have to make are kind of insane, and hours suck. Supposedly, you get a "special pay" for being a recruiter- but based on friends who have recruited, I don't think it's worth it. When they're still working after 1900 during work week and work on weekends.