The US Navy is a Dead End Job

As I look back at my 20 year career in the Navy, it took me this long to figure out that it really is a dead end job.  Here is my advancement history:

E-1 thru E-6: 8 years.
Time as E-6: 12 years.

Hmm... what's wrong here?  Quite simply, there is no room for advancement in the Navy.  For whatever reason, it is extremely difficult to make it up to the next rank.  I was very successful in the first 8 years of my career, some would call me a fast-tracker.  I took on a lot of hard jobs and volunteered a lot in the community.  Advancement was very easy for me because it was just a matter of doing well on an advancement exam.

Now from going from E-6 to E-7, you have to pass a test and get your record looked at by a board of E-9's and Officers.  Passing the test is easy and it doesn't even require studying.  For my last exam I didn't study and "Christmas Tree'd" the score sheet.  Somehow, I still managed to score in the top 93% of all E-6's that took the exam.  What kind of crap is that? 

Part two of the advancement is nothing but a popularity contest.  Navy Chiefs recommend brown nosing Master Chiefs that may have some kind of influence in the board process.  The board process is highly secretive and is held in high regard.  However, perception is that the whole process is rigged.  Somehow, people who elect themselves as "President" of the First Class Petty Officer Association (FCPOA) at a large command usually, if not always get selected for E-7.  If they don't get selected, there is something seriously wrong with them.  Another thing is Sailor of the Quarter (SOQ), this is something that recognizes people that look good on paper.  SOQ has some serious flaws because not everyone that should be nominated go up.  The chain of command is supposed to nominate, and if your chain of command doesn't give a shit, then you're pretty much screwed no matter if you deserve to go up or not.

So what did I do wrong?  Nothing.  When I couldn't be popular enough to be president of the FCPOA, I became president of another volunteer organization and led my peers in that aspect.  My chain of command never nominated me for SOQ.  My evals were written by people who didn't have a strong grasp of the English language so my evaluation write-ups were horrible.  Some say that getting promoted is mostly luck and being at the right place at the right time.

Would I have stayed in the service knowing that I was going to be stuck at E-6?  No.  Absolutely not.  Job opportunities are better paying on the outside.  If I were to know that I would be stuck at E-6, I would have been more focused on myself instead of helping people advance and surpass me.  It's extremely frustrating to see my peers become Senior Enlisted Leaders while I'm still turning wrenches.

So I am writing this just in case someone at their 10 year mark was wondering if they should stay in the Navy or get out.  The best advice that I was given was from my first LPO, "Do everything as if you were staying in, and most importantly do everything as if you were getting out."  Best advice ever...