NNPTC, My Experience Failing Navy Nuke School

If there’s any information that you guys feel is incorrect feel free to comment down below.
This is all just personal opinion and experience so big navy please don’t come after me 😂

I will try and answer any questions down in the comments below.

Music:

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[nathanast]

For any current nukes on here, quit browsing YouTube and go study

[victordove]

I was one of the dumber guys in my class and I made it through. Definitely important to go into it with a decent understanding of algebra. Hope you're doing well nowadays dude!

[TheCardboardPizza]

Don't feel bad man. You did your best and this is probably the most difficult schooling to go to in the Navy. I bet it's a bit of a relief in a way!

[HEDowns]

Hey Blake... Your video was a LIFE SAVER. Your story is an inspiration to anyone struggling with the curriculum. Your message about light at the end of the tunnel is great, as well as how you discovered the best path for yourself. As the Dad of an aspiring Nuke, all I can say is Thank You. Very inspirational.

[firemaker]

Our son graduated today and now is on to prototype school. I know how stressed he was. Tough school. Nothing to hang your head at. Enjoy your time in the Navy and go see the world. Remember 20 yrs flies by. 30 yrs ago I was heading to USMC boot camp. Time has flown by.

REMEMBER ALWAYS

GO NAVY BEAT ARMY!!!!

[dennishacker]

Finished NPS in 1982. Man, the things you said brought back so many memories. I didn't personally have problems with most of the curriculum, but I had buddies that did, and you hit the nail on the head when you said some people treat it like the end of the world. I watched to the end of your video and I can't believe how good your attitude is now. I can definitely see that there's a lot of stress gone. I'm glad it didn't ruin you.

I was a submariner as well, and me and two other nucs played softball with all of the A-Gangers. Still in touch with them all through Facebook. No matter what you do, you'll make lifelong friends. Cherish them. Good Luck Blake, although I don't think you'll need it now. Your future commands will be getting a good one.

[kevinhendrix]

First, thank you for your service and posting this video. But most importantly, and I say this as someone who failed my final board at prototype and washed out, do not let this experience sour you on the Navy.

When I failed out, it felt like the end of the world. I had been on mando 25 or more through A, Power, and prototype. But I ended up getting sent to another A school. I was an ET, so we had really bizarre rules as being sent to the fleet after getting to prototype and failing. I ended up having a great 13 year career in another field before getting out. So just take it for what it was - a bad match for you and the nuclear field. Loads of other opportunities in the Navy if you just take the hit and move on whether staying in or getting out.

But it is amazing...the program is the same as it was 30 years ago. MMs just get decimated when they hit power school. ETs did much better because our attrition rate was so high in A school.

[jenniferhayward]

First, Thank you for your service! My son is currently at NNPTC in Power School. All day he is at school, and it seems all evening he is clocking hours (studying). The stress of the program is scary, he seems ok. We talk once a week. He is the bigger of the boys in my profile pic, obviously an old pic.. Keep up what you are doing, I love the positive attitude.

[bobbland]

I was in class 8207 section 7 I was an ET. Nuke school is insanely difficult and stressful. I was married trying to raise a family and doing m-25. Dropped week 24. Chemistry is something I never grasped. Physics was my favorite. Math second. 2.5 and alive. :) Nuke school although I failed taught me how to learn. Aced every school after that. Life goes on.

[hleigh]

Went to my first submarine in 1960, qualified for my dolphins, completed Navy Nuclear Power school at New London, CT in 1962 and then on to the prototype at Milton just outside of Hartford. I was assigned to the USS John C Calhoun SSBN 630 and went to Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, with several other fellow nukes, that were also part of the commissioning crew. Rode the Calhoun down the ways, helped to take her critical for the first time, and made her first patrol. This was truly an unforgettable experience that has lasted a lifetime.

[stephenvanscoyoc]

Class 7708 here, including MARF. Toughest thing I ever did and, yes, passed. You stepped up for a program that hasn't gotten any easier over the years. Well done.

[mrkeiths]

This is a candid video of your experience. I completed the pipeline in 1982 and know what you went through as I saw a lot of my friends struggle with the curriculum. I knew I had to work extra hard and spend extra hours studying to make the cut. I can tell you there were quite a few shipmates on my sub that did not complete the nuc pipeline but went on to have great careers in related rates. My best friend on the boat was a nav ET and it hurt my feelings when he called himself nuc waste. I had to remind him that ending up on a sub after all was a distinction by itself. Keep your head up and strive to be the best A Ganger on your boat.

[Hunter-zphd]

I appreciate your honesty in your video. I know it’s got to be difficult to exhibit your failure to everyone. To me it doesn’t seem like your recruiter did you any favors. You don’t sound like you were a good fit for this job. But embrace your new job and I wish you well young man!

[jerrybandy]

I graduated class of 7908 and was always studying. Barely passed but made it to prototype and then the fleet. At one point at prototype after I had already qualified, they put me on watch and I remember telling one of the civilian contactors that I didn't feel qualified. He reassured me that after getting that far, I was qualified. Then it starts again in the fleet. Seemed like we were always qualifying for something. We didn't get a bonus for joining the program other than the advancement in rate. And the reenlistment bonus was only $20, 000 back then.

[aroundy]

Thank you so much for sharing this! My son is in basic with plans to go to nuke school. I will keep this in mind. And share with him if he happens to need you. Brave of you to share this. Good luck in all you do!! 💙

[JBueno]

Honestly don’t sweat it man. I just qualified at prototype, and I can honestly say I feel the exact same way about all of this as you did. A lot of my buddies that aren’t in the program anymore are happier now. You made rank already, so you’re definitely winning 👍👍

[secreterlandr]

Hey, it's your indoc suitemate here. Sucks you got to go, but I'm glad your not gonna be stuck in limbo for the next year here. Hope you have a better time out in the fleet with the normal people.

[wilsonle]

Hey, don't beat yourself up. People have tried and failed at far easier things in life. It's what you do from here on out that counts. No experience is ever wasted, all the trials, the glorious victories, and the glorious defeats make us who we will ultimately be. My failures made me tough and resilient, they gave me depth and I never allowed them to define me. You sound like you will push on and do just fine!

[tnguy]

As a former NPTU Ballston Spa instructor, don't sweat it. Enjoy the rest of your Navy time. The thing that in interesting is that you are "God-awful at math" and went into the Nuke program. Sounds more like your recruiter was a POS. I was very good at math in high school and had one year of college Calculus and still struggled with the math due to the pace at NPS. Eventually I was good to go. I had a recruiter that was very straight forward with me. He had decent knowledge of the program for a surface aviation guy(air traffic controller type).

I served with some great nuke drops in my Navy time. Nothing to be ashamed of.

[Jamesthemerciless]

First off, I'd love to know what you're up to now. After failing out, all I ever heard was how I was lucky to have gotten out of being a Nuke. I'm approaching 40 and I still think of it as the darkest time of my life. Out of high school, I had a full time job in construction. Hot, cold, dirty, hard work. When I decided to join, I scored high on the ASVAB and qualified for Nuke school. The recruiter was really excited. I started with two educational waivers which should have been a red flag. I began NNPTC on 25-4 study plan right out of the gate. I was so damned tired all of the time. Super depressed. I couldn't keep up with any of the material. I got berated when I was supposed to be getting tutored afterhours. The junior instructors or whatever would yell at me saying "you should already know all of this!" Mandatory fun would interrupt my study hours so I would have to make up those hours on the weekend. I'd spend all day Saturday and Sunday and at least 4 hours every weeknight trying to learn the material. So I am getting processed out and I am having to report every day and sit in a chair next to my Chief's desk. This went on for a month or two until one day another khaki came in and asked why I was still there and asked my Chief if he had filled out some forms. It turns out he hadn't and I was processed out the next day. I go to the Directorate of Transitional Personnel (DTP). The fact that there's a whole command set-up just for people getting kicked out of Nuke school should serve as a warning to anyone interested. During my five months there, I stood watch at a door for no reason, cleaned up trash, shredded documents, pressure washed, and cut grass. Basically whatever b*tch work the base needed. At the time, they'd help you get assigned a new "A" school. I got to pick from a dozen jobs. I chose one. Got denied after a few weeks. Got to choose from four. Weeks go by. Got to choose from a new list of two: AW or MR. I chose AW. Weeks go by and I got denied. Then they tell me no "A" schools were available so I got to choose between Undesignated Seaman or Subs. I am tall, so I reluctantly chose Deck and was demoted to Seaman Recruit. I get to my ship. The work was pretty hard but I met a lot of cool people and got to see and do a lot I would have never as a nuke. Getting another "A" school or cross-rating isn't as easy as it is made out to be, at least not then, or for me, so after I got back to E-3, I took the BM3 exam and got it. During my time on-board, we ended up getting like 10 nuke wastes in the Deck Department. I guess they overcorrected when they lowered the standards for nuke school in an effort to raise the attrition rate. Anyway, I like to think I helped to make it a bit better on the folks who had recently been kicked out of Nuke school. If I could do it all over again, I would have never even tried Nuke School. I would have been far better off as a BM out of Boot Camp. So that's the Nuke-to-Boats pipeline.