Hello all,
I've been thinking about making the Navy my new home (with my wife and 4 children) so I've contacted a recruiter and all is looking well so far. I'm 33 years old and an experienced critical care nurse. My wife is a nurse critical care nurse as well. We've thought long and hard about this move and we're going for it. We love the idea of being able to move around from time to time, we love being by the water, and the sign on bonus, benefits and retirement are very attractive. However, we want the inside knowledge before we plunge in. What navy life is like, do you move around a lot, how frequent are postings and deployments, is it better to live on base, is childcare care readily available, do kids go to school on base, what kind of hours are you normally expected to work, is it ok to moonlight, how difficult is it to move up in rank, and whatever else you can think of!
Also, with my wife being a nurse we're trying to decide if she should join as well or just get a civy job (or Navy contract) where ever we're posted. What are the benefits of both husband and wife being in the Navy and what are the drawbacks from your points of view?
Thank you for reading and sharing,
LilBigAl.