I was watching a video on the topic of God and making decisions a few days after visiting the Navy recruitment offices in order to schedule my appointment for MEPS. The video was on the topic of over thinking decisions and the problems that it can lead to. For instance thoughts of relying on the self can begin to take hold of your life when weighing decisions for extended periods of time. The recommendation in the video was to make a decision, and then rely on God to for strength and help through the decision. After hearing that, I decided that I would enlist in the Navy and not debate with myself any longer. With that being said over the last month and half after making this decision I have still had thoughts about whether or not I am making the right decision, when I have these thoughts I remember that Jesus will support me through this and if it is not the right thing to do than He will not let me enlist.
What I hope to gain and become through this decision
The following is a list of some of the things I wish to gain from the Navy. In my current position in life I have none of these things.
- Freedom & Independence
- A College Degree
- Set Finances
- Self Respect
- Mentorship
- Learn to Lead
Freedom & Independence
I have been relying on those around me for help when it comes to having a place stay, which prevents me from having freedom and independence. I will technically have less liberty while in the Navy, but at least it will be of my own choosing, and I have a goal of having investments and the ability to purchase my own home by the time I exit my Navy career.
In order to be able to be set up as best as possible for this plan to succeed I think getting a bachelors degree will be an important step. I will have to study quite a bit of topics having to do with electronics, and I already have finished all of the calculus and physics required to get an associates degree in engineering. It follows that I will not have too much more studying to do in order to earn a degree in some engineering field, the most logical being electrical engineering. I may have to retake some of the calculus and physics courses, but I will have enough time to do so while enlisted. I would prefer to use my free time in the Navy to extend my qualifications as an engineer than spend it having a good time. I do not even know what I could besides studying at this point anyways. I am too old to want to go out partying, I won’t have the liberty to spend my time out on my bicycle, and video games are boring to me. Before deciding to enlist, I was spending all of my free time outside of work studying for certificates that related around the topic of DevOps engineering. I will keep up that spirit of wanting to gain more knowledge to get a degree in some STEM field.
All of the time I spend working my Navy job and using my free time to study will leave me with very little time to spend money frivolously. After a certain point in time of being enlisted, the Navy will pay for my schooling. If I have enough free time to take courses before that point, I will take any necessary prerequisites at a college that offers online courses and pay for it out of pocket my self. In that case my only bills will be cell phone, car insurance, and the cost of the courses. This means I can invest the rest of my money into a ROTH IRA, blue chips, as well as 10% into some other more risky ventures that may pay off well in the future. If I can get a 7% return on my investments while enlisted for 6 years I can build up a nice nest for me to start with. There is always the possibility that I decide to reenlist, creating an even larger nest for my future civilian life.
Self Respect
I am not currently in the position I would like to be at my age, and that is ok, but I want to start to change that now. I do not want to do it for egotistical reasons or to change the way people view me, but I want to do it as a way to feel fulfilled. For too long have I put off taking on responsibilities, and now that I have finally started to do so I want to take on more. I need to start this journey by taking on more arbitrary responsibilities while in basic training. While most people say to not take on these roles of responsibility while in basic training because they do not amount to anything, I think it will be a good learning experience for myself as well as an indicator to any possible future mentor that I am worth their time.
In civilian life I have never had anyone to guide me. Until I found Jesus, I had no one to look up to except myself, which kept me out of trouble, but only got me so far. I hope to find a mentor in the Navy. I will not be above being mentored by anyone younger than me, because I know that many people in the Navy will be younger than me with more experience in being a leader or being a leadership role. Almost everyone in the Navy who is in the fleet will have more knowledge than me, especially when I first hit the fleet. I want to take that opportunity to learn from my fellow sailors, and hopefully find a mentor in a chief that is in the same rate as me. I know that it may be too much to expect out of the Navy, as many people who are your superior want to keep you as their minion handling their annoying tasks, but I will pray that God helps bring me the right person. As I gain experience and skills I would like to help others grow as I hopefully will be helped by a fellow sailor.
One of the skills I would like to acquire during my time enlisted in the Navy is to learn how to be a good leader who helps a team grow and succeed. I think one of the best ways to learn how to do this is to be part of a team with a great leadership. If I am not placed on a team with great leadership that will give me two opportunities.
- To be able to pinpoint what makes bad leadership.
- To help lead my team to success despite bad leadership without disobeying or undermining leadership.
Everything I learn about leadership will help me to be able to help others and gain respect for myself. I think one of the most important skills in a leader is making a team believe in themself and then turning that belief into measurable success, and I hope to have a chance in the future to test this belief.
Conclusion
I have 11 days left until I leave for the hotel I will be staying at the night before I ship off for basic training in Chicago. I am getting nervous, but writing down the reasons I decided to make this change has helped quell some of my nerves. I am excited to begin taking action on these changes I desire for myself. Enlisting in the United States Navy will be challenging, but the challenges presented to me while in the service will help me become the person I desire to be.