CHAPTER 4 CAREER INFORMATION The U.S. Navy is a highly complex organization. It is  complex  not  only  because  of  its  ships  and sophisticated equipment but also because of its Sailors and their many occupational fields. As a Sailor and a future petty officer, your leadership will help to keep our Navy the greatest Navy in the world. Nowhere in society today can you advance as fast and as far as you can in the Navy. The opportunities for you to have a successful naval career are limited only by your abilities and efforts. This chapter is designed to get you started on the path to a rewarding naval career. The first section of this chapter deals with the Navy enlisted  classification  structure.  This  system  is covered because it provides the framework for your career  development.  The  next  sections  contain information on duty assignments to special programs and  projects  and  the  enlisted  warfare  specialist program.  The  last  section  provides  information  on enlisted service records. You might be asking yourself, why do I need to know this information? The answer is simple—many Sailors know little about the administrative details that affect their careers. The information contained in this chapter is vital to a successful naval career. It deals with the factors used, in part, to determine where you will  be  assigned,  when  you  will  advance,  and  what special programs you are qualified to enter. If  you  have  any  questions,  contact  your  leading petty officer, division or department career counselor, command  career  counselor,  or  educational  services officer  (ESO).  Because  of  frequent  changes  to personnel  policies  by  both  the  Navy  and  the Department  of  Defense,  some  of  the  information provided  here  may  have  changed  by  the  time  you receive this course. THE NAVY ENLISTED CLASSIFICATION STRUCTURE Learning Objective: Recall the function and use of the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) system. The  Navy  Enlisted  Occupational  Classification System  (NEOCS)  is  presented  in  Basic  Military Requirements, NAVEDTRA 14277. NEOCS consists of three major subsystems: 1.   Enlisted rating structure 2.   Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) structure 3.   Special qualifications In this chapter, the NEC structure is presented. The NEC structure supplements the enlisted rating structure.  It  identifies  special  knowledge  and  skills requiring specific recognition not provided by rates and rating—skills  that  are  not  rating-wide  requirements. Those special skills and knowledge required in specific billets or manpower authorizations are categorized by special NEC codes. These codes are identified by the Chief of Naval Personnel (CHNAVPERS). When   the   rating   structure   alone   provides insufficient  information  for  manpower  management purposes,  the  NEC  coding  system  more  precisely identifies  personnel  and  manpower  requirements. Management  continually  compares  the  number  of billets requiring special NEC codes with the number of personnel   who   have   the   skills   and   knowledge designated by those codes. It then uses that comparison to plan and control the input of people into the formal courses that prepare them for vacant NEC billets. The official reference for NECs is the Manual of N a v y    E n l i s t e d    M a n p o w e r    a n d    Pe rs o n n e l Classifications   and   Occupational   Standards, NAVPERS  18068,  Section  II.  For  more  information about   NECs,   you   may   contact   your   division, department, or command career counselor. Your career counselor or your Personnel Support Detachment can provide you with the latest information. 4-1 Q1. Which of the following does the NEC NOT identify? 1. Skills that are not rating-wide 2. Special knowledge and skills not provided by rate and rating 3. Special skills and knowledge required for a specific billet 4. Special skills obtained through OJT REVIEW QUESTION