Catherine, he went through the Navy's online education program and has been taking classes at Norwich University in Vermont. His degree is in Strategic Studies (a very military-oriented degree program) which was suggested by his advisor. If your son has already started an engineering degree, I'd encourage him to continue. It will clearly help him once he retires from the Navy! My son just never had an interest in engineering and quite frankly does not possess the math skills required. The NSW OCS process has a lot of moving parts and is a longer process for SWCC's than SEAL's. First step is to get a recommendation from your CO and then be accepted by the NSW review board. Next, the SWCC's have to go back to Coronado for SOAS (mini BUD/s : 2-week course). If they are selected by the cadre, the next stop is Newport, RI for big Navy OCS.  Once they are commissioned as an officer, the SWCC's have to go back to Coronado AGAIN for BUD/s (SEAL's do not have to go through BUD/s a 2nd time since they already have their Trident).  Of course, not all SWCC's want to go back into NSW after OCS, so they will be assigned to the fleet. It really is just personal preference.  I hope this helps!

Hi David. Within a month he received two offers from J&J and the one he accepted from Boston Scientific as a medical implant device account executive, he’s targeted career. Like many other SWCC’s he’s receiving 90% disability. It was a long process.

David King said:

Great news Tom and welcome David!!  My son is at the 7 1/2 year mark and has just finished his Bachelor's Degree. He plans to put in an OCS package this winter and return to NSW as an officer.  He likes the community and wants to make it a career. Tom, does your son have a job opportunity in hand, or is he still exploring options? David, feel free to reach out to us as your son moves through the pipeline. We know you will have a lot of questions and we will do our best to answer them within the confines of OPSEC.

Sorry to hear about the disability, but those guys do take a beating! Please tell him I wish him well and keep me posted on his progress.