My brother enlisted last year for a SEAL contract and recently washed out of BUD/S, he says the available ratings offered were very limited so he opted to go Undesignated (Airman). How much is his life going to suck in that limbo rating? and.. What should he be doing now and for the next year to ensure that when he decides the rating he wants to pursue he actually has a real shot at getting in?

It's going to suck a lot. He should have taken literally any job over going undes. He could always crossrate later. As to what he should do going forward, figure out what job he wants and start shadowing the sailors in that rate.

Seor Chang said:

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He should have taken literally any job over going undes.

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That was my thought as well when he told me, seems like the result would've been the same either way (crossrate to something you want at end of yr), he might as well have chosen to be trained in SOMETHING and at least be eligible for promotion. I can't speak for him though and I gotta think he's in a bit of a haze and still coming to terms with his decisions.

Ouch. Not sure of UND designation exactly but it sounds like an MOS open option contract for the USMC. The catch-22 of the guaranteed special schools contract if you wash out.

Nothing to add except T&Ps for your brother.

Poor choice! Can't think of any reason trying to strike would be better than choosing a rate, but to each his own.

Find mentors in the job he wants to strike for and learn as much as possible.

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The catch-22 of the guaranteed special schools contract if you wash out

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This. It's nuts to think that there is a 70% (washout rate in BUD/S) probability that if you accept a SEAL contract you're actually signing up for a few years in a TBD rate you likely have no interest in. Then again, the whole reason anyone signs on that dotted line is because they believe they're in that 30%.

My son enlisted in the Navy for the Advanced Electronics Career Field and successfully completed 9 weeks of electronics training, followed by the A school for his Fire Controlman rating and then his weapon system C school. It was a pretty demanding set of schools academically--especially the initial electronics course.

Throughout the entire process, everyone in his cohort knew that failure to continuously meet standards would result in washout--and being sent out undesignated--assigned to a permanent station/unit, "needs of the Navy". It was a pretty powerful motivational tool, lol. Nobody wanted to end up undesignated--chipping paint with the deck division, or handling garbage with ship services.

Don't get me wrong, every job on a ship is important in one way or another. Some are just more appealing than others?

I was a former Deck officer on small and large ships. Being UNDES is what you make it. I've seen E1-E-6 in 5 years and some guys making BMC in less than 10. It's not easy but it can be done. I have great respect for my former UNDES sailors, they're made fun of for the perception, that they aren't smart and only good to chip rust, and paint in haze gray. I'll take a division of UNDES sailors over any seagoing rate.

Poor choice. Recommend he finds a rating soon.