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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/navy entrance
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Question
Is it possible to get into the navy with only a ged? and if so what are the requirements/drawbacks?
Hi Jeff,
It's possible, but not very likely. Both the Air Force and the Navy are currently going through a "reduction in force," (ie, they are reducing in size), so they don't need as many people as they have in times past. Therefore, they've become more restrictive about who they are allowing to enlist and who they are not.
Right now, for the active duty Navy, less than three percent of enlistees have a GED. Those few (with a GED) which are accepted, either have specific civilian skills that the Navy wants, or they score extremely high (90 or above) on the ASVAB (Armed Forces Vocational Aptitutde Battery).
That's the bad news. The good news is, if you get 15 or more college credits, with your GED, you're considered on the same educational enlistment level as an applicant with a high school diploma.
In short, if you have a GED, and want to join the Navy (or any other branch), enroll in your local community college and get (at least) 15 college credits.
Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com
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Answers by Expert:
Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
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