As a fellow AV DEPr leaving for boot on 20150512 all I can tell you is what I've learned. I can tell you that you won't know for sure what rate you will have until around the final week of Bootcamp and even then it's not a garauntee. Following Bootcamp, you will report to Pensacola,FL for a basic computers and electronics course that lasts six weeks but is set for "at your own pace" learning. Told it's essentially Virtual School behind a computer. I've heard of people finishing it in around 3 weeks. After completing that and depending on your rate as an AE, AT-O level or AT-I level, will determine wether you spend a few weeks or the better part of almost half a year in Pensacola. That may or may not include the time it takes for your A School to class up. AT-I level guys have a little more intensive training when it comes to actually fixing broken modules/components but in a workshop/workbench setting. That being said, AE's and AT-O's work in the hangars/flight lines ashore and hangar bays/flight decks when at sea; so they can be the initial troubleshooters/ problem solvers when something electrical or avionics wise breaks; or when they can't, they take said broken module to the AT-I shop. As far as how hard training is, I-level stuff takes longer to learn and can be a little difficult to pick up on, but so long as you stay out of trouble and study when you know you need to, you should be fine. AEs have a little bit of a different focus than ATs and there training lasts a little longer as well, but hear it's a fun rate to get into. Depending on what platform(aircraft) you get is another factor that'll determine your quality of life ashore and possibly at sea. F/A-18s,E-2s, and C-2s can land you on detachments aboard carriers while Helos(mainly SH-60s)can get you almost anywhere, including small boys(DDGs/CGs); that is depending on the squadrons role or if you get orders to a HSM which are SH-53s. P-3s which are being phased out for P-8s and are strictly shore based. Bottom line, my advice is to imagine where you see yourself while being in and make sure whatever you can control, I.e. Aceing your tests and quals, you make sure to succeed. As im sure you know, the needs of the navy will always be above you, but your time in will be what you make of it. So if it's SWCC you want, I truly wish you the best; fast boats, automatic weapons, and parachuting sounds like a good time to me, so again make sure to do whatever it is you need to on your end to get where you want. Sorry if it's shitty info and advice, you can also use the search bar to help get info as I see AV related stuff asked almost weekly. Good luck OP.