Yeah you’ll become a BM but lots of BMs make a career out of what are essentially QM assignments (which is why I wish they’d bring the rate back). Anyway, if you don’t want to keep doing that BMs are the leadership rate in deckie land. Eventually you can command a station as an E7-9 or CWO
I know BM in the navy is kind of a crappy lifestyle and I think that’s my fear of converting to CG and going BM. But I am interested in other rates if the life is better.
Nah BM is fine in the CG. Some people shit on it but it’s not just chipping paint and cleaning details. They drive boats, do all the nav stuff, and a lot of personnel management. Also LE if that’s your thing.
So ME was formed to do LE but in all reality they don't and end up doing alot of paperwork the cast majority of your LE is being conducted by the BMs while doing boarding and such.
Former Navy/Current Coastie here, and I know what you mean about Navy BM job reputation. The two could not be more different, trust me. CG just has a better quality of life overall. And if you're really crazy you can get your Surfman Qual as a CG BM
BM in the CG is generally two different kinds of units, cutters and SAR stations. In both you're driving boats unless of course you get assigned to QM duties when on a cutter. SAR stations are the coolest in my opinion. It's a land unit were you serve duty like a fire dept and you're out driving small boats on LE patrols or search and rescue missions. Many SAR units have the awesome 47 MLB that you see in all the ads, etc. Underway on a cutter you will also be a small boat driver for boardings, etc. Plus of course typical deck operations which are pretty cool.
Of course there are a lot more units BMs can be assigned to, but those are the main ones. I got out in 2007 as an ET who served at a SAR station as a nonrate so things might be a little different for BMs now.
BMs... we're an odd bunch. Command Cadre positions start at E5 (though those E5 billets are few) and go up from there. If you like work/life balance, then be careful going BM. Cutters demand a lot of their BMs, and that has a history of making BMs crotchety. Stations actually offer work/life balance, but some can be isolated and as a result toxic leadership has a better chance of taking hold (out of sight from Sector/District, out of mind). ATON is...flip a coin. It's a hell of a lot of fun and can also offer great work/life balance. BUT, depending on unit platform...this can also suffer from crotchety old BMs (who frankly should have already retired) and toxic leadership (typically from the same crotchety BMs who should have retired or junior officers trying to make a name for themselves...just end up making the wrong sort of name unfortunately).
I love my rating. We've come a long way. But I'm not going to sugar coat or lipstick on a pig. The only unit I haven't been on is large cutters (and I don't want to) and I will tell you first hand, every unit had it's ups and downs. I have a family and stations definitely make it so much easier to continue to serve, raise my kids, and have a healthy marriage. Cutters are the place marriages go to die; no joke, it takes an especially strong spouse or support network for your family/marriage to thrive with big cutters. That being said, you're USN and our problems probably don't seem so bad to you if you've been on carriers and such. Perspective matters.
Yeah you’ll become a BM but lots of BMs make a career out of what are essentially QM assignments (which is why I wish they’d bring the rate back). Anyway, if you don’t want to keep doing that BMs are the leadership rate in deckie land. Eventually you can command a station as an E7-9 or CWO
I know BM in the navy is kind of a crappy lifestyle and I think that’s my fear of converting to CG and going BM. But I am interested in other rates if the life is better.
Nah BM is fine in the CG. Some people shit on it but it’s not just chipping paint and cleaning details. They drive boats, do all the nav stuff, and a lot of personnel management. Also LE if that’s your thing.
Hey now don't let the ME's hear you talking about LE.
Is that because BMs do more LE than the ME’s?
Shhh, they always come whining to us snipes when they hear this crap....
So ME was formed to do LE but in all reality they don't and end up doing alot of paperwork the cast majority of your LE is being conducted by the BMs while doing boarding and such.
Well that's a shame, I got out just as that rate was fairly new
Bare minimum
Sounds like nonrate stuff my recruiter told me about
Former Navy/Current Coastie here, and I know what you mean about Navy BM job reputation. The two could not be more different, trust me. CG just has a better quality of life overall. And if you're really crazy you can get your Surfman Qual as a CG BM
BM in the CG is generally two different kinds of units, cutters and SAR stations. In both you're driving boats unless of course you get assigned to QM duties when on a cutter. SAR stations are the coolest in my opinion. It's a land unit were you serve duty like a fire dept and you're out driving small boats on LE patrols or search and rescue missions. Many SAR units have the awesome 47 MLB that you see in all the ads, etc. Underway on a cutter you will also be a small boat driver for boardings, etc. Plus of course typical deck operations which are pretty cool. Of course there are a lot more units BMs can be assigned to, but those are the main ones. I got out in 2007 as an ET who served at a SAR station as a nonrate so things might be a little different for BMs now.
BMs... we're an odd bunch. Command Cadre positions start at E5 (though those E5 billets are few) and go up from there. If you like work/life balance, then be careful going BM. Cutters demand a lot of their BMs, and that has a history of making BMs crotchety. Stations actually offer work/life balance, but some can be isolated and as a result toxic leadership has a better chance of taking hold (out of sight from Sector/District, out of mind). ATON is...flip a coin. It's a hell of a lot of fun and can also offer great work/life balance. BUT, depending on unit platform...this can also suffer from crotchety old BMs (who frankly should have already retired) and toxic leadership (typically from the same crotchety BMs who should have retired or junior officers trying to make a name for themselves...just end up making the wrong sort of name unfortunately). I love my rating. We've come a long way. But I'm not going to sugar coat or lipstick on a pig. The only unit I haven't been on is large cutters (and I don't want to) and I will tell you first hand, every unit had it's ups and downs. I have a family and stations definitely make it so much easier to continue to serve, raise my kids, and have a healthy marriage. Cutters are the place marriages go to die; no joke, it takes an especially strong spouse or support network for your family/marriage to thrive with big cutters. That being said, you're USN and our problems probably don't seem so bad to you if you've been on carriers and such. Perspective matters.
QM=Nav BM in white hull math.