career petty officers. The board also wants to make sure the peers of these petty officers have the same requirements. The U.S. Navy supports its members per- sonally and professionally. If a member becomes ill, the Navy provides care; if the member becomes disabled, the Navy provides help through various programs. If you seek improved professional and military skills through higher studies, the Navy will support your ambition. INCENTIVE  EDUCATIONAL SPECIAL-DUTY  PROGRAMS As we go along in this chapter, we discussing the following topics: • Planning your career • Career opportunities • Incentive programs • Educational programs • Special-duty programs PLANNING YOUR CAREER will be Many of us spend the greater part of our lives doing something that does not bring out our best qualities or give us the greatest satisfaction. We often start our careers in jobs we think we will enjoy. We then discover that job isn’t what we really want. For example, a boy builds model airplanes as a hobby. When the boy becomes an adult, his interest in airplanes influences him to become a pilot. To his shock, he may then discover that his heart isn’t in machines but in the management of people. Another example would be a woman who volunteers as a Mess Manage- ment Specialist, only because she did that type of work in her father’s restaurant. However, her main interest in life has been reading and writing; therefore, she wishes she had sought a naval career as a Journalist. These examples show that finding the right type of work is mainly a problem of search- ing, self-examination, personal decision, and opportunity. Finding the most suitable job is not a matter of How do I look to someone else? It is a matter of What do I know about myself? What kind of work do I like best? What kind of work can I do with the greatest ease? What vocational study would I like to pursue because it provides me satisfaction? What talent did I have as a child but put aside because of the pressures of current responsibilities? What job was appeal- ing, but I lacked either the chance or the courage to try my hand at it? These are clues to the types of jobs you should seek. Unlike your civilian counterpart, your daily routine  changes  periodically.  The  variety  of assignments in the Navy are ever-expanding. You may not like a job, but if you perform it faith- fully, next time you may get an assignment you like better. After enlisting in the Navy, your duty is to strive to better yourself, move ahead, grow more knowledgeable, become better qualified. You can request duty that you believe will further your advancement. If you work hard, do a good job, and are ambitious, your seniors will try to approve your  request.  In  few  other  organizations  are seniors so ready to encourage a willing junior. This opportunity to change jobs is an advan- tage belonging to all sailors in the U.S. Navy. Civilians regard a person who moves from job to job as an unstable drifter. In the Navy, the ability to adjust from job to job and duty assignment to duty assignment is a desirable trait. Your ability to adjust to new situations provides you with greater  all-around  qualifications  and  varied experiences. CAREER OPPORTUNITIES To help you develop professionally, the Navy provides you with many opportunities. Some of them are shown below: Incentive programs Educational  programs Special-duty assignments, programs, and projects Commissioned  officer  programs Naval Reserve programs Incentive Programs Why does a person reenlist in the Navy? Chances are if you asked 10 career Navy people this question, you’d get 10 different answers. You’d get similar results if you asked 10 civilians why they stayed in a career with a particular company. 4-7