Future IW Office in search of answers......

[yoant79]

Hello all....

My apologies if this is a bit long but I have so many questions (many of which may be stupid); thank you in advance for your feedback and patience.

I've received my final select letter for Information Warfare and next month I begin OCS. With that said I'm super excited about this great opportunity but quite frankly I'm also very nervous because I am a non-prior and I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing on a daily basis as an IW Ensign. I hope I don't sound too stupid but I just really want to take an honest and humble approach in hopes that you all could supply me with your knowledge.

Also I do have a family (wife and preschool son) and the biggest question we have is where will I be stationed? From what I've heard most likely it'll be either Hawaii, Maryland, Georgia or Texas. Our preference would be Hawaii but my wife is worried about her job opportunities there. Right now we live in the DC area and my wife loves her job so if I was stationed in Maryland then she'd be able to keep her job, but again our preference is Hawaii. So I was wondering if there are job opportunities for Navy wives in Hawaii and generally speaking are wives able to get jobs in the areas their husbands are stationed in? Please note that we are fully committed to the Navy and will happily go to wherever they ultimately decide to send me; however these are questions that we are very curious about.

Overall I just want to be the absolute best IW Officer that I can be and maximize my potential while serving my country in the Navy. Also I want the full Navy experience and I'm happy to do whatever assignment that I'm given. What I want is to become an IW expert (an thoroughly know my field), be "Real Navy" and earn my keep whether its on a ship, in a sub, in the air or wherever I'm sent. So given this information eventually when I'm asked what are my preferences then what would you all advise?

Thank you for help and if I sound naive in anyway then please excuse my ignorance because I'm just really eager to learn.

[Pwlk]

Congrats on a Final Select! Good feeling, yeah?

I relate completely with all your questions and anxiousness coming into the unknown. For your first tour you'll talk to the new accessions detailer once you get close to finishing OCS (believe last three weeks, CandiO phase). You'll fill out a dream sheet for your first tour and based on your preferences and open billets, will get orders. My experience was "You'll get one of your top two choices" and I got #2. Has worked out great, though! Great and different opportunities at each of the big four, but you are mostly there to get exposure, training, and qualify

[COMEVIL]

Congrats on your selection! If you have more specific, career-related questions feel free to PM me and we'll start a dialogue.

v/r

Comevil

[yoant79]

Thank you both for the feedback! Much appreciated.

[Sum1]

I've been stationed in Hawaii in various capacities since 2004, so if you have questions about the area or opportunities on the island, let me know. Out of curiosity, what does your wife do? Her field will determine what kind of jobs she'll likely score (or not score) here.

[arvizo]

Just a quick comment on spouse jobs. The 4 sites you mentioned are very large with tons of civilian jobs, but it really depends on what your spouse does. If she has a clearance, then finding a job probably isn't too difficult. My wife is an accountant with no clearance, but jobs were abundant in the Ft. Meade area. Bahrain was a totally different story. Dependent jobs are almost non-existent and, from what I recall, they are not authorized to work off-base due to the type of visa they receive.

[ga10]

How are job opportunities for nurses in Hawaii?

[Sum1]

There are quite a few large hospitals in Hawaii, including Tripler Army Hospital. I think employ-ability will depend on what type of nursing experience she has.

[yoant79]

Thanks for the replies all....

My wife has an extensive background in Communications. She's worked as a both a reporter and spokeswoman and would probably be looking for work in PR, editing or related field.