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Help?! I want to enlist in the navy for search and rescue and need advice!?

Let me start with this, I am wanting to join the Navy because I am tired of life. The thing is I'm too young to be this tired with life.I am 18 years old, and I waitress full time. I am currently in college, but feel like its the same as highschool. My biggest fear would be to get my engineering degree ( I do excellent at my school work) and then end up being an engineer with a boring job for the rest of my life. Its how my dad, an industrial engineering manager making around 100k a year, has lived the last 30 years.. BORED AND TIRED! and I dont want to just do that. I have been bored and tired my entire life and I want to do something out of the ordinary. I can more than afford school, but like I said I want this for me. I want the challenge, experience, and I want to be around the ocean. I need the navy for a transitional period, and mabye to help me meet some new people. THE NAVY IS WHAT I WANT! BUT IM NOT SURE WHICH PART OR HOW TO OBTAIN IT! Right now im not in the worlds best shape. I am not overweight or anything like that though. Do I have to be in the best phsycial condition while entering the navy to join Search and Rescue, or will they get me that way? I know the physical aspect (bootcamp) is like 3 months after signing up, and is that when I will be judged for rescue swimming, or will I have time after that to get my body where it should be? Furthermore, what branch of search and rescue would allow me to fly from state to state weekly and get out and do things. ( Specific Job abbreviation would be great) I want to be challenged mentally and phsycially. I also would like to make decent money. Right now, I am working on 4 college credits, but I am going to drop out of college to join the navy.. I know I would have to go to aviation school for 2 years first, but does that really help with the pay? I want these next four years to count for something. I do plan in 5-10 years to go back to college for engineering but for right now.. I feel like that is a death sentence. I just want to have some time feeling alive before i go back to being bored .. Maybe after the navy, I will enjoy the ease of everyday college life. Like I said specific examples of job would be great.. If you dont know what I mean by job abbreviation here is the list of them. ( all are listed at the bottom of page) http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq78-2.htm Finally, Some guy I knew graduated from aviation school, and works with Sar (search and rescue) claiming to make 45k a year with sign on bonus. He just graduated this year, and spent yesterday at work on a trip to texas and back. HOW?! I have asked him how! I dont know his specific job abbreviation, and neither does he, but I do not think this guy is an officer! I didnt think "aircrew" could make this kind of money, and I wont be able to talk to him again for a few weeks, does anyone have an idea of which route he might have taken? He also helps load carriers etc. Ive been told "aircrew" is the lowest form of life at the Navy by others, and Is there a way with education you can work up to a higher position that would let you jump out of planes, and see the world without being seen as dirt? I think this is rescue swimming, but I might be talking about the coast guard! Is the Coast Guard more reputable than the "aircrew" I am very confused! I would kill for recommendations, but please know I want to be in planes and based around water! Please help me! I talk to the recruting officer Wednesday.. I dont want to sound misguided. Here is a youtube video of what I want to do. I know this isnt everyday work for them, but it is part of the training I want to be part of. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sc2NQ-hxJc&feature=related I am talking about ocean search and rescue not combat..

Public Comments

1. If you are talking about combat search and rescue, I am 99.9% positive it is a closed career field to females. I know for a fact that it is in the Air Force. I would make sure on this first. Also, search and rescue is one of the most physically demanding jobs out there. It is always the fat ass colonel that gets shot down for some reason....
2. First off I just want to say going into the military with all these hopes is probably not the best mind set for somebody who has barely started the process. Now you have already made a appointment with the navy recruiter. This is good! Now I want you to go and call the other three branches and make an appointment with their recruiters. This is very important because they all have similar things to offer. If you were in the market for a car are you just going to go look at one car. No you might want to shop around a bit. Don't loose track of who you really are. I am guessing by suttle hints in your question you are a female. You should find out what its like to be a female in the field you work in. I am not trying to be sexist ass. Sometime while I was in the military curtain members sometime male sometime female would be trained for a job doing something maybe like SAR, but when it really came down to it they ended working 3 1/2 years in the galley. Physicaly if you need to be overprepared. You betetr be a damn good swimmer! Question yourself could you right now jump in the water and save somebody. What is it going to take to get you to that point. When dealing with the recruiters play a little hard to get. If you are smart you will try to gain some rank some bonus money and maybe a college fund. Then again you stay in college pull a degree join the navy as an officer you can fly that search and rescue helicopter and call more of the shots. You needs to be in great mental and physical shape for that as well. Maybe you should change up your major. Look into everything! Don't get tunnel vision because you woke up yesterday and thought it would be cool to be in the navy. It is going to be atleast a 4 to 5 year committment. Are you ready?
3. just like he said it might be closed for females.....but in the navy with any kind of special operations job you have to sign on in a Traditional rating (i.e. gunners mate, culinary specialist, etc.) then pass the physical standards test for your job then you get re classed as a SAR diver or whatever spec ops job you chose.
4. Well, Search and Rescue is a Primary Mission of the United States Coast Guard, so I'd say before you commit, at least check it out. All jobs in the Coast Guard are open to men and women, we do not restrict any rating based on gender. If you qualify and can do it, you can be it. Have you seen the movie The Guardian? That is about Coast Guard AST (Aviation Survival Technician). http://www.gocoastguard.com/find-your-fit/enlisted-opportunities/enlisted-ratings-descriptions/aviation-survival-technician-(ast) www.gocoastguard.com www.myspace.com/cg_ro_little_rock_ar To talk to your nearest recruiter, call 1 877 NOW-USCG.
5. Being a rescue swimmer in the Navy is open to females, but the physical standards are the same as for the males. That means a minimum of 55 push-ups. Start working on that now. You don't have to be some super swimmer, but if you're uncomfortable in the deep end or can't tread water for 20 minutes, find a different line of work. You need to be fairly decent. Start swimming laps now. Be able to demonstrate these strokes: Front crawl, Breaststroke, sidestroke, and elementary backstroke. 20 kids in my division went down to take the 2nd class swim qual in boot (which you'll need to pass before you leave if you're aircrew) and only 3 of us made it on the first try, which is funny because it's relatively easy. You don't want to be based on planes near water? What do you think the Navy does? It's a moot point anyways, because if you sign up to be a rescue swimmer, you're going to be assigned to a helicopter squadron. That squadron will spend a lot of time around water so as to not waste your rescuing skills. Yes, boot camp will get you in to shape, but you need to be in fairly decent shape before you ship. Find out what the physical requirements just for the basic physical readiness test are, and make sure you meet those before you ship out. Then, find out what the rescue swimmer physical standards are and use those as something to shoot for while you're in boot camp. Remember, you're going to have to do the same amount of push-ups/sit-ups/running/swimming time as the males. Boot will get you on a good fitness regimen, aircrew school will continue that, and rescue swimmer school is going to make you wish you were dead at points. The more ready you are the better. Also, if you sign up to be a SAR swimmer and you wash out of rescue swimmer school, they'll take away aircrew too, so if you dream is to fly on fixed wing aircraft, tell your recruiter you want to be aircrew without rescue swimmer. You can't fail out of SAR school and ask them to get you into P-3s or C-130s. I know because this happened to me. If you want to do this, get cracking now on the physical stuff. Good luck!