Thinking about joining the air force

[AKDejaVu]

There are really only two career fields to join in the AF.  Flight engineer on a helo and HVAC (Air Conditioner work).  Both are great while you are in... the HVAC can get you a great job when you get out.

Most of the rest are a mixed bag.  Avoid MP (military police) and anything to do with food service.  MP (even law enforcement side of it) is completely mind numbing and is more likely to lead to suicide than a job with any municipal police force.

Ground radio is a good job too.  Its a decent catch all for electronics and they deploy virtually anywhere.  It got me to Denmark, Panama and Colombia inside of two years... where 4 years as a weapons troop didn't get me anywhere but Idaho.

The military is the best place you can go to help get your priorities straight.  Best of luck to you!

AKDejaVu

[BigCrate]

hehehehehe
AF won't make me pilot cause I have no flight training and not schooling pat high school.. Hell I won't mind just working on the A/C.. hehehe I might go talk to a recruiter tomorrow I have nothing better to do.. I can get very competitive if there is a slight chance of me being a pilot! Hmmmm 4 years is a long time.
I'm greatful for all this input on this yall. hehehe If I do this my bronco projects goes on hold for a few months!

Cw

[Octavius]

I am not 100% clear on the schooling process after enlistment, but I do know that the all branches offer financial aid for college.  The National Guard for example (not sure if it differs from area to area) pays close to 100% of your tuition needs.  

Example:  Commit 4 years to the service after college and your tuition and other expenses are taken care of.  IMO, you've go ta good base for the rest of your life through this deal.  You can reenlist after your time is up (the Navy, I believe, offers good $$ for reenlistment) or you can go your own way with loads of experience, training, and schooling.  

This is exactly my plan after I graduate.   Have the military pay for college, commit to a few years service, and I'll be set.  I'm sure I'll love it in the service (preferably the Air Force), I'll be doing something I've always wanted to do ever since I was young (well, compared to some of the old farts around here, I still am young ).  Nothing is set in stone for me yet, but atleast I have a general idea of how I'd like my future to play out.

One thing is for sure, BigCrate, talk to a recruiter, talk to anyone in the service and ask as many questions as you can.  Whatever you decide, I hope its the right one  Good luck mate

[AKDejaVu]

BigCrate... once you take the ASFAB... your recruiter will provide you with some career field options.  Give us the list and let us shed some light on the "real" job descriptions.

AKDejaVu

[Dnil]

umm you can fly as enlisted in the Air Force, granted your not a pilot but enlisted aircrew is da toejam.  Its what I did when I was in.  Served as Comm systems on AWACS.  You get to wear the bag to work and get all the cool stuff.  I got saluted a ton on non enlisted flying bases because people saw flight suit and instantly thought pilot.  You can basically fly on anything with an E before it, hehe like the E-3, EC-130, E-8(JSTARS).  Its not too rough, gotta do survival school and such and some deployments can be long but for me, enlisted aircrew is the only way to go if your signing up.  It got me to where I am today and when I look back its only at the great times and great friends I made.


p.s. enlisted aircrew only makes up around 2% of the air force, pretty close group.

[Saurdaukar]

I see alot of guys wanting to be pilots on this board thinking about the military - thats only natural because this, after all, the Aces High board.    Yes the Army will train you as WO and you will fly some (friends pop is 50 y/o - still flying UH-1's for Uncle Sam - WO4 I think)  Anyway - if you have a college degree, or are in college now and want to be a pilot, you have no beter chance than Marine Corps OCS.  They GAURANTEE flight school if you qualify physically.  Must have 20/20 vision, good shape, etc etc - no health defects and your in.  All you have to do at that point is complete USMCOCS - hardest boot camp in the US, physically and mentally - attend TBS (The Basic School) at MCB Quantico and then your off to Pensacola, Fl.  WHAT you fly will be determined by your performance, however you WILL fly if physically qualified.  I went through OCS last summer on a ground contract and am trying DESPERATELY to change to an Air contract... no easy task - especially considering that Im breaking some of the rules to get there.  ;-)  If you want to fly, be SURE you get it in writing and go down to Q-town on an air contract.  

Mazz/Mike
"Brand new Butter Bar"

[indian]

BigCrate  Army can get you flying helicopters which is much harder and more jobs for on outside. Basic is alot of fun. You will hate it while going threw it but when done you will realise who much you learned in 8 weeks. Plus once in the Army you can apply to Flight school with help of your commander and all. look into it and make your choice, I joined when I was 23 and thaught I waited to long, go in now get the money for shcool or stay in and have fun. See the world also.

[Russian]

if you are joining for school

1) 75% for classes is payed by AF, not books.
2) MG Bill can be used after...3 years:confused:  It can be combined with 75% (Thats a good thing)
3) Online /Onbase classes "might" be at your base.


 You will not be going to classes for abuot a year or so. Depends on your Tech school lenght and CDC and OJT. Sometimes you can get f#$%ed by AF. If AF put you on 12hrs shift (damn terrorists ), I don't think you going to go school.  My friend is C-5 engine mech and he has been working for about 4 month on 12 hrs shift. Ever seen a walking zobie?  


To fly aircraft you MUST be officer. ( look into ROTC, OTS ets)
To be a aircrew you have to have rank to go with it. Higher rank, more likely you will be selected. If you come in with out any collage you will be E-1 or (with couple collage credits)E-2  (about 1200/month (free food/housing/utility).  

(damn I feel like a recruiter)

[Tumor]

Originally posted by Russian
if you are joining for school

1) 75% for classes is payed by AF, not books.
2) MG Bill can be used after...3 years:confused:  It can be combined with 75% (Thats a good thing)
3) Online /Onbase classes "might" be at your base.


 You will not be going to classes for abuot a year or so. Depends on your Tech school lenght and CDC and OJT. Sometimes you can get f#$%ed by AF. If AF put you on 12hrs shift (damn terrorists ), I don't think you going to go school.  My friend is C-5 engine mech and he has been working for about 4 month on 12 hrs shift. Ever seen a walking zobie?  


To fly aircraft you MUST be officer. ( look into ROTC, OTS ets)
To be a aircrew you have to have rank to go with it. Higher rank, more likely you will be selected. If you come in with out any collage you will be E-1 or (with couple collage credits)E-2  (about 1200/month (free food/housing/utility).  

(damn I feel like a recruiter)

  Have they done away with the 6 year wonder's (A1Cs)??  I haven't checked on that in awhile.

  75% tuition is a big time help, but you also have to watch what school.  There is a yearly cap.  

...However, certificate programs, including MSCE and CISCO are covered 100% if you time it right.  They are capped too based on the fiscal year.

  Airmen (E-1 through E-4), are still getting the shaft considering pay.  Well, for allot of career fields anyway.  At E-5 things start getting a bit more comfortable.  Nobody enlists in the military to get rich, keep that in mind.   What hurts is when you get to where I am now.  Throw in BAS/BAH (housing allowance and rations) and I make about 36k a year.  Civilian who works next to me doing the same job, except far fewer hours, 0 deployment time WITH the option to say "I quit" if he wants gets about 70k a year (on top of his retirement paycheck in many cases).  Another thing, the USAF promotes folks much slower than the other services (E-1,2,3,4 is automatic based on time).  E-5's and up is a competetition in what is somehow a fine line between a really good system of competition slanted by an entirely subjective yearly rating system that can blow your next promotion.  E-8 and E-9 is tough as hell.

[BigCrate]

Hmmmm what about time to myself?? I don't mind busting my ass
if I get some free time to work on my bronco or mes with AH.. I know during basic you get 0 free time but thats fine.. But after that will i get a day or two off to mess around and go fishing and such?? If I bust my bellybutton all the time and get no time to myself. I go insane hhhheheehehe I have to a few hours off atleast to work on my bronco or to go fishing. And what about driving.. I have 2 cars one is a chevy truck and the other is my bronco bronco.. Can I keep my truck on base to use when I get leave??
hehhehe my folks are gonna toejam when I tell em this. I probab;y
won't be flying AH anymore if i do this but I don't mind that. I will be doing something I like. (hopefully)

Cw

[Russian]

During basic you get 0 free time, about 6 weeks. Tech school depends on your job, can be 1.5 years (launguist) to about 1-3 month (cook, desk jockey etc).  Tech school have about 3-4 hours to kill a day with weekend free. There are fazes/stages 1/2/3/4  1= can’t go off-base, have to be back to your squadron around 21:00, must wear uniform. 2 stage = Can go off base but have to wear blues. 3 = curfew at 22:00 and can wear civilian cloth.  4= etc, etc, etc.

During regular job once you are done with tech school it just like another job. 7:00-16:00 w/ 1 hour launch.  


Tumor, Are you talking about if anyone joins for 6 years, they become automatically A1C (E-3)? If so, it true

[Sikboy]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this yet, but damn son, Join the Navy! You want time to yourself? Hell, we'll give you 6 whole hours in a 5.5x2.5 rack for sleep and masturbation. Can't beat that (well actually that's the whole point!)

Honestly, I spent 8 Years in the Navy (5 Active, 3 Reserve) as a Russian Linguist, and it really helped me sort things out. Like many have already said here, I joined the service not really knowing what to do. I wanted to go to School, but I didn't have the Grades or the money. The Navy sent me to Monterey, California where I Spent a year learning Russian.

If you deceided not to fly, you might look into  Intel. In the Airforce and Navy, you can ride in the RC-135/EP-3 (And if you're lucky, get rammed by a Chinese dweeb). I mean, you won't be flying the plane, but you will be riding.

If you do try to get some sort of pilot status, be very carefull. I've met several people who let the recruiters tell them all about flight opportunities only to ask themselve WTF Happened when they ended up washing Airplanes.

Unless you are a complete popsicle you should be able to get through Basic. Hell, you might take a nap on the plane down to San Antonio and wake up 6 weeks later without noticing. (This is only Applicable to the Airforce and Navy, I'm not sure about the Army, and the Jarheads scare the toejam out of me) It's mostly just  a head game. Remind yourself that it's over in 6 weeks, and things could be a lot worse and more humiliating if you were a POW or a convict or hell, a greeter at Wall Mart.

Anyhow, the Navy was a good time, Partied WAY too much, but have great stories to tell. It gave me the time I needed to grow up, and when I got out, I was ready to go back to school and start over. That was 5 years ago, and I've since graduated from the University of California, Riverside, and I'm getting ready to apply to Law school in the Fall.

-Sikboy

[Kratzer]

I wish I'd joined at 18.  Unfortunately, I didn't figure out that that it was something I was going to wish I had done with my life till I was 25, had a good paying job, a wife, and lots of expenses - things that weren't an issue 7 years before.  I talked to recruiters, and ended up deciding it just wasn't in the cards, but I think I'll probably regret that I didn't do it when I was fresh out of high school (and in good shape) for the rest of my life.

[miko2d]

The era of manned aircraft is rapidly drawing to a close. Don't you watch news or Simpsons cartoon?

 "The actuall fighting will be done by small robots and your task will be to build and maintain those robots!" - from the episode where Bart and Lisa enroll into military school.

 So becoming a pilot now would be like training if horse cavalry before WWII - it had some uses but most damage was done by artillery specialists raining death from covered positions.
 Even now a pilot is just a guy delivering ordnance in the approximate vicinity of the target.
 The target recognition is performed by a techie with a computer analysing data patterns.
 The actual hitting is done by a techie who inputs GPS coordinates of a target into the ordnance.

 miko

[fd ski]

I was in your situation about 10 years ago.
I did 4 years in the navy, and if i had to do it again, i'd think twice about it.

Don't get me wrong, i liked it. It tought me few things, about live and education, especially. But 4 years is a long time.

Here is my suggestion to you:

a) sign up for 2 or 3 years. Discipline and self evaluation will be there in that time, no point waiting for 4 years.

b) get a job and bust your bellybutton though college, any college. Get a degree in ANYTHING, then apply for OCS.
If you gonna do military, then be an officer, not a deckhand.
Degree in Liberal Arts will suffice, trust me.

Also, there is a mistaken notion that once you pull your 4, things will get easier. They won't.
Even with help as far as paying for school goes, i still have to work full time, and i'm going to school full time. I have no time left for anything else, unfortunatelly.
The only differences between now and 10 years ago are that:
- i'm smarter
- i have way better job. But that's due to my own learning, not Navy.

If you have self discipline, start busting your ass. That's the way its going to be from now on.
If you don't, then join the military, they will teach you.

Also, if you are able to get any "assiciate" position with a serious company those days, they will pay for your college in full.
Just something to consider.