The Navy is a popular career for many young people. If you’re healthy, reasonably fit, a high school graduate, don’t have a criminal record, and can pass the ASVAB test, the chances are pretty high that you’ll be offered a job (if only all jobs were that easy to come by). Before you can start a career sailing the seas, you have to make it through boot camp. Boot camp can be fairly stressful, but there are ways to get ready for Navy boot camp in order to have an easier time as a recruit.
Physical Fitness
One of the best ways to get ready for Navy boot camp is to become physically fit. You’ll do a lot of exercising at boot camp, but if you’re fit when you arrive, it will be easier for you. Before you leave, you will be required to pass a physical readiness test (PRT). This test requires you to do push-ups, sit-ups, and a run. To find out how well you will need to do by the end of boot camp, check out the chart on page A-1 of OPNAVINST 6110.1H. Males age 17-19 years old will need to be able to run 1.5 miles in less than 12 minutes 15 seconds, and will need to do at least 54 sit-ups, and 46 push-ups. Females in that age group will need to run 1.5 miles in at least 14:45, and will need to be able to do 54 sit-ups and 46 push-ups. While you don’t need to be able to do that when you get to boot camp, the closer you are to meeting that minimum standard when you arrive, the easier it will be to survive boot camp.
At boot camp, you’ll be asked to learn a lot of Navy information, such as the General Orders, Navy ranks and insignia, and shipboard terms. The more you know before you get to boot camp, the easier it will be when you get there. About.com has a good article that gives the basics of the US military. The more you know before you go, the easier it will be once you get there. You will have time to learn these things after you arrive, but if you know a lot about the military before you get to boot camp, you’ll have less to worry about once you get to boot camp.
Know What to Expect
At boot camp, you’re going to get yelled at. Don’t let the yelling kill your self-esteem; the company commanders yell at everyone. You’ll have to wake up early in the morning, and probably will suffer from a lack of sleep. Remember, it’s temporary. Boot camp is a shock to everyone, and most find it stressful. Listen to what the company commanders tell you to do, do what they say (exactly how they say to do it), and stay out of trouble, and you’ll manage. After boot camp, the rest of the Navy is easy.
