The phrase ìknowledge is powerî couldn’t hold more truth in today’s ever-advancing technological world. The days of knowing a guy, who knows a guy to get a good job now holds little bearing if the person seeking employment hasn’t acquired a good educational foundation such as a bachelor’s or associate’s degree.

Luckily, paying for a college education isn’t something Sailors aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) necessarily need worry about. Navy tuition assistance programs cover 100 percent of tuition for 12 credit hours each fiscal year.

Combine that with a recent increase to the Montgomery G.I. Bill and the cost of a degree, which averages approximately $18-20,000 for a bachelor’s and roughly $10,000 for an associate’s, can be covered - a reason why many Sailors enlist.

With monetary concerns no longer an insurmountable obstacle, Sailors are still left wondering when, where and how they can pursue a degree while working full time aboard the mighty “Gold Eagle,” especially during its upcoming deployment.

Ensuring these answers were found, Sailors from Vinson’s Educational Services Office (ESO) invited 11 representatives from several two-year, four-year and technical schools, including Old Dominion University and Thomas Edison College, to the mighty warship’s aft mess decks for a command-sponsored education fair Oct. 21-22.

“I have been doing this for five years,” said Denise Ramirez, a representative from Old Dominion University. “We average about four college fairs per month, and this is the best turnout we have ever had at a military education fair. I actually ran out of information to hand out. The people we have seen seem very motivated and want to start right away.î

College officials ensured answers werenít in short supply and helped more than 1,000 Sailors streamline routes toward degrees of their choice. Sailors learned they could continue their schooling during the upcoming underway through Navy College Programs for Afloat College Education (NCPACE) classes, and finish up at any number of satellite campuses upon the ship’s scheduled July arrival to its new homeport in Norfolk.

According to Vinson Supplementing training officer, Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Jackson, the fair also served as a starting point for a new command initiative intended to provide smooth waters for crewmembers wishing to sail toward a two-year degree without time issues anchoring them down.

“My expectations are to see everyone desiring an associate’s degree the opportunity to receive one in less than two years,” said Jackson. “This can be easily done by following the course of action we have laid out.”

In January, Jackson and the ESO team will begin three-class terms lasting only eight weeks. The short terms will offer active duty students the chance to knock out all core courses during the upcoming deployment. They include all math, English, science and humanities prerequisites for two and four-year degrees.

“Sailors who take advantage of our programs can easily tie up the remaining classes once we arrive in Norfolk, and use the credits the Navy gives every Sailor for boot camp and A-school to finish their degree,” Jackson said.

For CT1 Regina Frazier of Vinson’s Operations Department, visiting the fair and learning about the commandís new fasttrack program provided the proper answers she needed to begin her trek to khakis.

“I came down to find the fastest way to an associate’s degree,” she said. “I talked to my senior chief, and he said I should check this out for promotion purposes. The fair really shows that the command is open to a person’s goals.î

The relationship between education and advancement appears to be getting stronger. With enlistment numbers at an all time high, more people are entering the military with at least some college under their belt. This, in part, has allowed force-shaping plans such as the Navy’s Perform to Serve Program the ability to comb the Navy’s ranks, placing the highest qualified personnel at the helm of nearly every job and creating a higher level of competition when it comes to Sailors reaching the next pay grade.

“When I came in about 20 years ago, earning an Enlisted Surface Warfare Pin was going above and beyond,” said Jackson. “Now you need at least one warfare pin to have a competitive chance to make chief. Having at least an associate’s may even someday become mandatory for making chief.”

The Navy’s new method of advancement, the 5 Vector Model (5VM), certainly backs Jackson’s theory. According to information from Navy Knowledge Online’s web site, the 5VM measures five major themes of Sailors’ professional attributes, which greatly emphasizes education. Most Vinson Sailors are catching wind of the change and turning to ESO representatives to set them up for success. 

During Carl Vinson’s most recent underway, the ESO team proctored more than 125 College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Dante’s Standardized Subject Tests, 25 Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) retakes, 30 Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) and hosted eight NCPACE classes—all while knee-deep in training exercises in preparation for final certification to deploy overseas.

According to ESO, roughly 15 percent of Vinson’s enlisted community has already acquired some kind of degree. In the last year alone, 20 crew members obtained an associate’s degree from Vincennes University, one of the schools represented at the fair.

With the Gold Eagle maintaining a firm grip at pulling higher learning into the life of every Vinson Sailor, Jackson said victory lies in motivating a Sailor to reach for that first textbook.

“The key to success is getting a Sailor to complete just one course,” said Jackson. “If my team and I can do that, I feel the rest will be automatic.î