Air Force Anyone?

[EmlyAnne]

This December I will be graduating with my Bachelor's in Arts Technology (web/graphic design, video production, etc.) Whereas I am happy to receive my degree, I am not sure about settling down with a career in a town. There is a lot of the world I still want to see (London, Germany, etc.)

People I have talked to at the gym and other areas around town continue to peak my interest in the Air Force. Earlier this year I took the test to be admitted into the Air Force Officer Training School - Unfortunately, thanks to my (lack of) math skills, I did not make the cut into the selective school.

Anyone around here enlist in the Air Force, or know anyone who did? What kind of experiences did you/they get in return for service? I am willing to give it my all, just would love to see the world while I'm at work. (Plus the chance to have experience in public affairs would be nice.)

[shortstuff]

Sorry to hear you didn't get in, do you get to try again?

[DCarp]

EmlyAnne - I spent 4 years on active duty (as a communications officer) and have spent the last 5 as a reservist/guardsman. My wife was also enlisted. I can honestly say that we both feel that in addition to serving our country (which is an important driver for us, and probably should be for you if you're interested in joining), our time on active duty was incredibly beneficial in preparing us for the "real world". Namely, you get to learn your trade in a relatively controlled environment, you have access to some leading edge tools and techniques and the training and force structure is such that you really get an opportunity to succeed if you work hard and pay attention.

As for benefits - continuing education (my wife got her masters for free), great medical care, a fitness focused environment, 30 days off/year, etc...There are a ton of great career opportunities inside the Air Force (and the other services for that matter) for media production -- off the top of my head, I know that the AF has broadcast journalist, still photography specialist (and combat camera), and public affairs specialists. All of these could be a good fit for your degree.

Another advantage to enlisting is that it's another avenue to becoming an officer if that's your interest. the selection rate to OTS for prior enlisted is significantly higher than for folks who come off the street.

I'm short on time right now, so sorry for the abbreviated post, but feel free to ask any questions either here or via PM.

Good Luck!

[Guest Snake McClain]

I was in the air force. though i got injured in basic training so my experience isn't a very complete one. i say go for it. if you want to do it. be firm on the job you want and don't sign unless you have it. but the AF is really good about finding what suits you.

[Rivanariko]

Husband is in the air force. He's enjoyed it well enough, though his eyesight wasn't good enough for the career that he wanted, so he ended up in maintenance instead and finds it slightly mind-numbing. He spent his first two years in Japan, which he loved. Been in Minot, North Dakota for three now, and he's getting out in February, so this is our end point. He's going to go reserve and go to school, so we're very thankful that the AF is going to pay for his tuition and such, especially since his current thought is to become a geneticist and get his PhD...

My experience with the air force hasn't been great, but I've had several people tell me that I shouldn't base it off of what I've experienced here in Minot (as a spouse, mind you, I've never been active duty). I have a few friends who recently got out and who spent their entire enlistment here. "Why I hate North Dakota" is probably the most common conversation that happens around here.

Biggest thing is to look at why you want to enlist. If you want to join the AF to travel, I'd look into other career fields that might give you that option, since almost no one that I know (besides Husband) has actually gotten to travel (unless you count North Dakota or Georgia as traveling...). If you want to serve, or like the benefits, then I'd go for it. But travel is never guaranteed.

[DCarp]

Here are my answers to your questions you sent me in PM (posting here because it might help someone else too) - as I mentioned I went through the officer ranks, but my wife was enlisted. So I asked her to help answer some of the questions.

1. Attitude - At basic - The whole idea of basic training is to mold you into a good airman, for some that's a bit of a problem considering they consider themselves independent. There are some who have a bit of a problem initially getting used to being told where to be and when to be there. Typically, that changes when people realize they're part of a team and all of them meeting an objective is more important than one of them. In the "real air force" - Generally it's pretty good. People are well trained and good at what they do. you're always going to have one or two who have attitude or performance issues, but it's the same way in the corporate world.

2. Ratio - At basic - you'll be in a flight of all women. After basic, you'll go to tech school where you will mix genders and it's hard to say what the "ratio" will be, it really depends on what Specialty Code you pursue. In comm, we were about 40/60.

3. Basic - As I mentioned in the first answer, basic is a good opportunity to learn a ton about yourself and how to work in a team. Sometimes you'll get yelled at, other times encouraged and you'll lean a lot on your flight-mates for support and encouragement. The one thing I tell people heading to basic to remember is that your drill instructor isn't yelling at you because their mad (unless you did something to make them actually mad), they're yelling at you to make you better, because at some point, you may cross paths again in the "real air force" and they may have to rely on you to protect their life. They're training you to be someone who's capable, strong under pressure, professional and who can be a teammate. If your Drill Instructor has done their job, when you finish basic, you should be all of those things.

4. Promotion - on the enlisted side, promotion happens at designated intervals, provided you've completed all of the appropriate training. When you get to Sr. Airman and are preparing to promote to Staff Sergeant, you'll take a test (in addition to the other required training). On the officer side, for the first few promotions, it's pretty standard timing (2lt - 2 years, 1lt, 2 years, captain...then you start to meet a board who selects for promotion beyond captain). It's pretty standardized.

5. here's a link to the air force website that talks about the duties of a Public Affairs Specialist. http://www.airforce.com/careers/detail/public-affairs-specialist/ The school is pretty good, I know a few people who have been to it and they learned a ton.

6. Education - continuing your education is incredibly easy on base. Typically, there's a base education office with resources to distance learning schools and at most bases, there are actual colleges on site for classes. At my last active duty base there were 4 schools on site from Oklahoma University to Webster University and University of Phoenix. The Education benefit is free and is coordinated by the education office, with approval of your commander (which is easy to get).

On the family front, it's important for you to have an open conversation with them about why you think joining the service is important and also for you to understand what their concerns are. Most of the time it's "my baby's going off to war and I've seen on TV what happens there". Many of their concerns can be calmed by a discussion with a recruiter. Which brings me to another important point. When/If you decide to join, make sure you're signing a contract that explicitly calls out what career field you're going into -- a general enlistment, you may not end up in a career field that interests you and like any job that you're not interested in, you'll start to hate it.

Any other prior service folks think I missed anything? feel free to post up.

[SusieBlu]

Hello,

I am an active duty Logistic Readiness Officer. I am still early in my career but that may be something you are interested in knowing about: the first four years. I am on my second assignment and I am stationed in Germany. I cannot say much on enlisted basic training other than what I have learned from the men and women I work with and from enlisted friends in other military branches. I went through ROTC and I know I bit about OTS as I work with several prior enlisted officers and we swap stories. If you have anything you want to ask me about being a female in the Air Force just ask. If I don’t know the answer I will find it for you.

Good Luck in whatever you do.

SusieBlu

[EmlyAnne]

Thank you everyone for your feedback. shortstuff - Someone is only allowed to take the AFOQT twice, and as of current, I don't think I would have any better of a shot then last time.

I have made an appointment with the local recruiter for Monday to talk about this more. Parents still don't seem to understand my desire to serve and scoff if it comes up - Maybe one day they'll see it.

[Jcannon98188]

Well you literally have a board full of nerds here that would be more than willing to assist you with any math related questions you might have. Let us know if we can help you out in any way.

[SusieBlu]

Thank you everyone for your feedback. shortstuff - Someone is only allowed to take the AFOQT twice, and as of current, I don't think I would have any better of a shot then last time.

I have made an appointment with the local recruiter for Monday to talk about this more. Parents still don't seem to understand my desire to serve and scoff if it comes up - Maybe one day they'll see it.

Concerning the AFOQT- have you looked into getting a study guide. They're out just like for the ACT or SAT. There are also ASVAB (may not be the correct acronym) study guides. The guides do help with the math and logic parts. If anything they will help getting you familiar with the type of questions. And if you are not interested in becoming a rated officer skip studying the pilot/navigator sections.

Concerning parents- For the first part of college going through ROTC my dad did not get my desire to serve and made plenty of arguments against it. Now he fully supports me. This is your life and your decision. Do not let someone else pressure you into doing something you do not want to do especially with somethig as important and life changing as joining the military. I have met people that let that happen and IMO it did not end well for them. This also includes the recuiter. You know what you want. Ask for it, if yout recuiter is not willing to help make that happen and/or is not giving you good answers find someone else to talk to. Recruiterss jobs are to get you to join. If you go in there with knowledge and specific questions you will have a different conversation than the normal guy walking in off the street. Good Luck.

[ICB]

My close friend is an officer in the army, and I think it's been a great move for him. As to the travel, he has so far taken vacations to New York, DC, Prague, London and Paris. As someone else said, you won't get to travel much in your actual duty. Depending on your assignment and personal situation, though, you'll have decent money and a lot of time off to do all the traveling you want.

Good luck!

[DCarp]

Concerning parents- For the first part of college going through ROTC my dad did not get my desire to serve and made plenty of arguments against it. Now he fully supports me.

I had the same obstacle with my parents initially. In fact, when I mentioned joining the military out of high school, they were totally against it. A couple of years down the road, I could better articulate my desire/interest, and joined ROTC. After seeing me go through training and get commissioned, my parents became absolutely supportive.

[shortstuff]

Thank you everyone for your feedback. shortstuff - Someone is only allowed to take the AFOQT twice, and as of current, I don't think I would have any better of a shot then last time.

I have made an appointment with the local recruiter for Monday to talk about this more. Parents still don't seem to understand my desire to serve and scoff if it comes up - Maybe one day they'll see it.

Like what SusieBlu said look in to getting a guide or something that will help you to get a better result. Just because you think you won't have a better shot of passing now doesn't mean you can't pass it latter on. If this is what you really want to do than you will can do it so long as you are willing to put in the hard yards. You can do it, we all know you can do it, we believe in you.

[Kristen]

I'm only interjecting this because you mentioned you wanted to travel--have you considered the Navy? You won't likely see much of the world in the Air Force.

I decided to enlist after college, and after looking into officer programs. I didn't even make it so far as applying, I just decided (for many, many reasons) that a commission wasn't for me at this point in my life. I'm going to reconsider that decision near the end of my first enlistment.

On the flip side, the quality of life on the enlisted side is way, way, WAY higher in the Air Force. As an officer, it's about the same, other than your time at sea. Going underway is tough for everyone, but it's slightly more comfortable for officers. Worth it? Depends who you ask. Most people say yes.

That said, part of my motivation for choosing the Navy was travel, and I'm on shore duty for my first 2 years. Kind of a bummer, but I have another set of orders before my first enlistment is up. Every job has a sea/shore rotation, so you won't be on only sea or only shore for your entire enlistment/commission.

Be careful with the idea that enlisting is like a fast track to a commission. Sure, the prior enlisted selection rates are generally higher, but it's a lot more complicated than that. I've done a lot of research and talked to a lot of people, both from the enlisted and officer sides, about it. If you have any questions about the enlisted to officer process, I'd be glad to tell you what I know, but my information is about the Navy, I don't know how much of it applies to the Air Force. I'm not saying don't do it, but definitely don't expect to go straight from boot camp to OCS. It happens, but rarely.

[Khep]

7 years ago, I joined the USAF and it has been the best desicion of my life. Fist congratulations on your bachelor's! I had originally decided to attend college and complete a degree in Arts Technology, but alas I didnt have a scholarship (my own laziness) and I didn't want student debt so I elected the Forces. I signed up as a Instrumentation and Flight Controls Technician, and I've never looked back. Aircraft maintenance gets a bad rap (some of it is deserved) but if you want to travel nothing besides aircrew will take you further.

Don't be to concerned about not passing the AFQT, there are many many avenues once you join to go officer. As long as you stay motivated you can make the jump. The main thing you want to consider is what job you go for. Don't let the recruiter dictate your choices! DON'T LET THE RECRUITER DICTATE YOUR CHOICES! (its important) I've met way to many people swayed into a job they weren't suited for just because the recruiter made it sound dreamy.

There is a plethora of jobs available, each with its own pro's and con's. If you'd like I have many contacts around the AF community that could break down the pro's and con's of a certain job.

Even if you end up in the wrong carreer field and you want to change you can! You'll be what's called a First Term Airman and have the luxury of cross training into another carreer field that has spaces open. All you have to do is wait the specified time and then apply (with a clean record). Don't let others tell you it's based on how bad your old carreer field needs you. It doesn't!.

I know I've thrown a lot of information at you, but I truly believe in letting people make the best desicion for themselves. Don't be swayed by just what the recruiter says. If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them for you.

It is a great oppurtunity, and I highly recommend it. Just remember to ask as many questions as you can.

Thanks for reading!

-Mike

[Kyrian]

I'm in the Marines, not the Air Force, but I agree, from what I've seen it's been beneficial to everyone that joins. You likely won't get to travel as much as you think you will - it all depends on the job, and especially if you're enlisted, you don't get much say on where you go - but the benefits are awesome, the pay isn't bad, and if you make that jump from enlisted to officer, you get a lot more respect from the people under you. Just be smart about it - like everyone else said, DON'T GET PRESSURED INTO A JOB. Don't let them tell you you have to pick it, or anything like that. Find one that suits you. And find out as much as possible in advance. Also, the first half year or so of service in any branch sucks - boot camp and then your job school. They'll treat you like babies for a little while, and then things will get better.

About the parents - they'll be hesitant until you graduate from boot camp, then they'll be bragging to anyone that will listen about how you joined the military and how awesome you are. So don't let that sway you if it's something you really want to do.

[Scorpion1674]

Army representing here, especially since the other services have already. 15 years in working Human Resources, and loving it. What the rest have said here is good advice. Now, I'm not gonna go full-on recruiter mode even if it IS my job (my work day ended 4 hours ago. ) but I will tell you the same thing I tell everyone who shows an interest: check us all out. Check all the options.

As far as travel, I know Sailors that have seen Japan, Bahrain, and Australia; and Airmen that have seen Spain, Italy, and Japan. Don't know many Marines, so I can't speak on that. Me, I've only been to Ireland, Germany, Kuwait and Iraq, but I'm crossing my fingers for an Italy assignment next. Within the US, I've been to KY, SC, VA, WA, CA, and now MO for assignments. All services frequently see Germany and Korea. So the travel opportunities are many.

Something to consider, though. The Army has a study site specifically to assist HS students with ACT/SAT/ASVAB improvement, but it's free to use by anyone with no commitment at all. My station commander might kill me if he knew I was giving this info to an AF recruit (j/k) but I believe in helping in any way I can.

The site is march2success.com and again, no commitment to use. Focus on math subjects and I think you'll be fine on your second attempt.

We recruiters are seeking the next contract and many will pressure you into a decision. Be patient. Jobs open up all the time. I pride myself in that I'm one of the honest ones. I'll tell the good and the bad, plus I have nothing to gain. I can't earn any award based on who I enlist and I don't get paid any more, so if I can be of any assistance, please ask. As I promised, I didn't give the sales speech.

Good luck!

(Oh, and how did your appointment go? It was yesterday, right?)

[EmlyAnne]

Met with the Air Force recruiter yesterday - He remembered me from when I had come in for information on the AFOQT (I did buy a book, and studied off of other sites. I believe I passed, my results just weren't considered competitive.) Overall the recruiter seemed to be nice - not too pushy. He had me take a practice ASVAB (everything there went well.. except for math. Surprise.) I am going to take the actual test next Thursday and see what kind of score I get.

I was told by the recruiter I need to come up with a list from 5-7 jobs I want to have, and we would work from there. Is it true that you can only get a specific job through contract if it is electric or maintenance?

@ Scorpion: Thanks for sharin that link with the AF recruit. Promise I won't tell.

[Kristen]

A tip: most people end up scoring much higher on the actual ASVAB than on the practice test. If you passed the OQT, you'll probably dominate the ASVAB. It's testing on a high school level rather than a college level.

I just wrote a long response, realized the only answers I had were related to AF weather (I went to an AF school, even though I'm in the Navy) then hit the googles to check my facts, and found an article that does a much better job explaining it. So here's a link instead of my rambling.

http://voices.yahoo.com/choosing-job-air-force-224859.html

and this one helped me a lot when I was trying to decide. It's more general, not specific to a particular branch. It may help answer any questions you have (or haven't yet thought to ask) about enlistment in general.

http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup/a/recruiter.htm

And of course, I believe I speak for the rest of us military nerds, we're here to help.

[Kristen]

I'm in the Marines, not the Air Force, but I agree, from what I've seen it's been beneficial to everyone that joins. You likely won't get to travel as much as you think you will - it all depends on the job, and especially if you're enlisted, you don't get much say on where you go - but the benefits are awesome, the pay isn't bad, and if you make that jump from enlisted to officer, you get a lot more respect from the people under you. Just be smart about it - like everyone else said, DON'T GET PRESSURED INTO A JOB. Don't let them tell you you have to pick it, or anything like that. Find one that suits you. And find out as much as possible in advance. Also, the first half year or so of service in any branch sucks - boot camp and then your job school. They'll treat you like babies for a little while, and then things will get better.

About the parents - they'll be hesitant until you graduate from boot camp, then they'll be bragging to anyone that will listen about how you joined the military and how awesome you are. So don't let that sway you if it's something you really want to do.

+1 to all of this. My parents were a little worried (especially mom) but now they're constantly boasting, "my daughter's in the Naaaavy!" and mom cried at my graduation.

And yes, the first year sucks. Living in barracks sucks. The food sucks. (well, AF chow is awesome compared to what sailors and Marines are forced to eat!) Being treated like a kid sucks. And, speaking from experience here, this is relevant to your situation particularly--being older, more life experienced and more educated than most of your peers can suck. It's incredibly frustrating at times. It can also be great, but you really have to keep a positive attitude, find other old people to hang out with (socializing with teenagers isn't exactly my thing), and above all, be humble. I'm still in that difficult first year, and I wouldn't change my mind about enlisting for anything. I'm still glad I did.

[Scorpion1674]

Ok EmlyAnne, I checked with my Air Force buddy and it's like I suspected. All jobs in the Air Force are entry level, no experience necessary, just like us. Although the list of jobs is true. That's how they select what you'll do and try to match it with something you want. Sometimes what you want simply isn't available, even if you qualify. We're a bit different in that we pull up everything you qualify for that's available and let you pick. But no, no contract for electric/maintenance. Just qualify and let him know that's what you want. If it's available, he'll get it for you.

[SusieBlu]

This is another reason why I love this site.

[EmlyAnne]

Just a quick throw out to everyone - You guys are amazing. Thanks for all of the helpful links and advice.

Already feeling more confident about my next meeting with the recruiter on Monday, and the test on Thursday. I pretty much have come up with a list of FOUR jobs I would like to pursue in the Air Force if I decide this is what I want to do... Need a fifth one however. A little interested in Diet Therapy. Anyone know anyone who has taken on that role? How do they feel about it?