Career Spotlight: What I Do As a U.S. Navy Officer
The United States Navy is the largest in the world, with ten aircraft carriers and hundreds of ships worldwide. The volume of work carried out by the 326,000 naval forces on land and at sea is enormous.
Dedicated sailors and officers fill thousands of different roles with individual backgrounds, working tirelessly to support the glorious history of the sea. To learn a little about what it’s like to manage such a large workforce, we spoke with JD Christenson, the commanding officer of the US Navy.
Tell us a little about your current job and how long you have been doing it.
My name is Jay Dee Christenson; I am a Lieutenant Commander of the United States Navy. I am 35 years old, from Franklin, Massachusetts, and have served in the navy for over 17 years. I am currently the COO of the Littoral Combat Ship Crew 203 (Sea Dogs), and have been selected to lead the DOMINANT mine action team at the USS CHAMPION starting next year.
What prompted you to choose your career path?
There really isn’t a big career path available to the late bloomer — the smart person who didn’t fully apply himself in high school. The Navy, as a technical service, is full of these smart people who, for one reason or another, have not been able to get or finish college at the level they would like. After high school, I ranked myself in this group – I have a sharp mind, but not a developed work ethic.
How did you get a job? What kind of education and experience did you need?
I originally enrolled in the navy on my 18th birthday and completed my training as a nuclear reactor operator. I entered the Navy with the somewhat naive assumption that I would naturally continue my officer training. Only later did I find out how incredible it is; the percentage of enrolled seafarers who can advance through the officer ranks is expressed in low single digits. The Navy tests capabilities and then often provides both education and experience. I am very lucky that I succeeded.
Do you need any licenses or certificates?
The Navy is exempt from most of the licensing requirements normally imposed by the FAA (for pilots) or the Coast Guard (for ship drivers). The minimum education requirement for the unrestricted line officer corps is a bachelor’s degree. There are other programs that allow individuals to rise from the ranks as technical experts without a bachelor’s degree, but most of the officers in the officer corps have bachelor’s and advanced degrees.
What are you doing besides what most people see? What do you actually spend most of your time on?
One of the great things about Surface Fleet, both officer and private, is that you are responsible for a number of different areas that you would otherwise have to spend in pursuit of a career. We spend a lot of time training to protect a ship from a terrorist threat, and to be prepared to put out a fire or respond to loss of personnel or equipment. Think of him as a part-time police officer, a part-time firefighter, and a full-time sailor. Basically, my job is to be responsible for the crew of sailors who fly and fight the ship.
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
The price paid by the military’s family is grossly underestimated. The unemployment rate for military spouses is 26% and the underemployment rate is much higher. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to succeed in a career when the rotation is only a year or eighteen months. Military spouses are the backbone that supports the soldier and fights various and often lonely battles at home.
What’s your average uptime?
Working hours can be harsh, with rotational shift work on watch to ensure the safety of the vessel at sea and in port. We compensate for this with a generous compensation package that includes 30 days of paid vacation per year. Hours of operation also vary greatly depending on where the ship is in readiness. Fridays are usually pretty bright. Although not specified, management seems to be aware that this work requires an unusual amount of people’s time, including weekends, holidays, and lengthy deployments. As a result, we deliberately make an effort to give the family time before and after deployment, and whenever the pace of work can support it.
What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?
As leaders, we spend a lot of time managing our talents to make sure our seafarers are in the best position to contribute to the mission. As I progressed within the organization, I had to expand my personal organizational systems to keep up. What has worked as a department officer may not be adequate for a department head. My last job as COO of a guided missile destroyer was roughly the equivalent of being a COO for a 300-member corporation. In positions like this, I deal with a lot of email and I find Follow Up Then very helpful.
What are you doing differently from your colleagues or colleagues in the same profession? What are they doing instead?
The Navy is, for the most part, an egalitarian organization. We are better than most organizations at providing opportunities to the most qualified candidate regardless of race, color, religion or sexual orientation. However, sometimes, even in a large organization, the number of qualified candidates is so small that for some special programs it is sufficient to simply turn up. The keen interest in my career, the knowledge of the options available to me, and the understanding of how to navigate the system have been a huge asset. The Navy has 330,000 men – half a million if you count our more evil little brother, the Marine Corps. This makes the Navy one of the largest employers in the world, and it can take years to learn how to navigate the system. Anything you can do to shorten this internal learning curve, such as finding professional mentors, will pay dividends.
What’s the worst part of a job and how do you deal with it?
It can take a high tolerance for pain to become a ground force officer. The person must have a clear goal in order to continue to stay in this area throughout their career. The sea can be beautiful, but it can also be a cold and unforgiving place to work. When deploying, we are often asked to keep delivering results, which takes a lot of time and little sleep. It is this mental and physical endurance that makes our skills in demand both in the navy and beyond, but it comes at a price. As for me, I aspire to become a captain of a warship, and keeping that in mind helps me stay prepared to continue paying my dues to get there.
What is the most enjoyable part of the job?
The US Navy is the best in the world at what we do, and it is far from it. We have not fought a competent naval adversary at sea in 70 years and for good reason – the US Navy dominates the sea. I love the dedication associated with our country’s maritime heritage. I appreciate the tremendous responsibility of leading seafarers at sea and I am almost sure I would not get the same satisfaction from working in the industry if my main goal was to increase the profits of my company.
How much money can you expect at your job?
I have a solid technical base over the years of operation of machine-building plants (including atomic ones). Through my experience as an Olmsted Fellow , I speak Mandarin Chinese and I have a bachelor’s degree from a top university in China. I count the years of study and the Navy’s significant investment in my education as part of my full compensation. I have accumulated some highly requested skills and there is no doubt that I could be paid more for what I can do outside the navy than what I am paid for inside the navy. However, the pension package is generous and the wages are decent. The details are readily available online, but the mid-level officer in my position earns six figures.
How are you “progressing” in your field?
There are no young admirals – and for good reason. A step-by-step promotion system allows officers to accumulate experience at every level – tactical, operational and strategic as they move up the career ladder. However, the military advancement system is a closed system. That is, we promote exclusively from the inside. This can mean that time can have a huge impact on who moves up in the organization. For a long time, the military advancement system was ossified, and a significant number of unusually talented officers were left unattended because they were in the wrong place at the right time. However, this is changing. The Navy recognizes that in order to maintain dynamic talent at all levels, we need to provide enhanced educational opportunities, flexible career opportunities, and a revised approach to matching skillsets to existing positions. Internal changes in the Navy are encouraging and will lead to the creation of more combat-ready forces.
What do people underestimate / overestimate in what you do?
It’s nice to have the support of the people we serve. You can hardly go anywhere in uniform without shaking hands or “thank you for your service,” but there is a growing gap in society in understanding what we really do. I hope more information, including articles like this series, can help fill this gap.
What advice would you give to those who want to become your profession?
Do it. Even if you serve four years and decide to leave, you will be better off. As President Kennedy observed:
“I cannot imagine a more successful career. And I think any person who is asked in this century what he has done to make his life worthwhile can respond with great pride and satisfaction, “I served in the United States Navy.”
The views expressed here are those of J.D. Christenson and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Navy or Department of Defense. Christenson wishes to continue this conversation by email: [email protected] . This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.