enlisting while in college? good or bad?

[Hootie9750]

I am twenty two year old CFII and I have about 1 and a half years left (maybe 2) of college. right now I freelance flight instruct very infrequently and I am totally set on a military flying career. I would like some opinions on enlisting in the ang (either boom operator or loadmaster) . I really could use the free or almost free tuition (depending on state) and the extra drill cash. For job experience on a resume I would think it looks alot better than my part time server job at ihop. plus I assume you get some face time with the officers and pilots. And on top of that I love the idea of being in the military and the commraderie that I hear comes from the AF and guard especially. And I also would feel better about myself later on if I get a slot that I wasn't just handed something without working a little for it. Other than pissing someone off, are there any pitfalls in enlisting in the guard for one of these careers. Also if I enlist can I start applying for pilot slots as soon as I get my degree? thanks for your help.

 

[Bloud]

Great choice

Enisting in the guard is a great choice. I did it and it paid off for me. I know a lot of other guys who did the same and worked out great for them too.

The money is great for a college kid. Plus being Air Crew is a great way to make extra money, (pick up extra flts in the summer) and pretty much garuntee yourself a pilot slot once you get your degree. guard units like to hire their own enlisted people and even more like to hire their own enlisted air crew as pilots.

I would have to say it would be a choice you would not regret. Don't let any recruiter feed you any crap either. Tell them the only way you will enlist is as a load or boom. I know loadmaster slots are easier to get, but Booms have a great enlisted job.

Good luck..

 

[Flaco]

Best Decision I've Ever Made

Dude,

Enlisting in the Guard during college is a great decision, imo. I enlisted when I was a sophomore and now I'm at ENJJPT. Just network with the pilots as much as possible, do a good job at whatever you do, do your best on the tests (AFOQT and BAT) and you'll be setting yourself up perfectly to be selected for a UPT slot. To answer your question, you can apply a semester or two before you finish your degree at some units. If not, you can apply right after you get your degree. If you've got other questions, PM me.

Flaco

 

[Hootie9750]

Thanks, I really appreciate the great input from you both. I have started emailing some of the c130 and kc135 units around my midwest area. I would prefer to get a state that has some pretty decent education benifits. My other questions are do I have some sort of lengthy enlistment contract that I have to fufill before I can upgrade to be an officer and a pilot? And how much more than the "one weekend a month" am I allowed to work?

 

[FamilyMan]

Enlisting in College is a great idea. As for lengthy contracts, I had a six-year commitment but was released after only 2.5 years to become an Officer.

You should understand your commitment will continue, but you’ll be an Officer. You can even transfer to another branch; your commitment will just follow you. If you don’t get picked up to be an Officer, you will obviously have to fulfill your original commitment.

Once you’ve completed your degree and initial job training, start applying for pilot jobs. Your enlisted record will be highly scrutinized by pilot selection boards. Work hard, be on time, have a sharp uniform, volunteer for extra stuff around the squadron and you will go a long way.

Good Luck,
FamilyMan

 

[Hootie9750]

thanks family man, so if I have to enlist for 6 years does that mean I can get the G.I. bill? or would that totally screw me out of moving up to an officer position?

 

[FamilyMan]

Hootie,
If you enlist in the Air National Guard or Reserves you can get the GI Bill from day one. That’s what I did. The GI Bill is administered by the VA and has no effect on your commitment or ability to become an Officer. I actually had left over GI Bill benefits from my enlisted days that I applied towards my Masters degree.

On a separate note, I have many fond memories of my enlisted time. Turning wrenches and getting dirty while fixing F-15s was a blast. Now I’m a section chief about to meet the Major’s promotion board. How time has changed…..

Good Luck,
FamilyMan

 

[Big Duke Six]

Great Idea!

Hootie,

Just to piggyback here, I'd say go for it! I did it just before the summer I transferred schools, so my job selections in the Guard were limited to those where I could go to Basic AND Tech school over the summer and be back in time for the Fall semester to begin at my new school. I felt this was absolutely critical for me, as I could not waste any time. The age limit for UPT (26 1/2) was a factor then, but I think it has been relaxed now. In my case, I started applying for a UPT slot in my sophomore year just to get the practice and to get to know the people I would need to be impressing. I knew I did not have a chance while I was a soph or junior, because there were a bunch of guys ahead of me who were bumping the age limit. But the interview pratice was worth it, and they all knew who I was by the time I finally got accepted 3 years later . BTW, I made it to UPT with only 6 months to spare!

As far as the job you do in the Guard, I'm not sure it really matters. Flying would be great, but realize that while in school it may make your life difficult. Those airplanes tend to leave and not come back for awhile (as in days or weeks later). I'm not an expert, but look into it. I ended up refueling airplanes out on the flight line (it was either that or be the Base Bus Driver), but as it turned out, I don't think I could have had a more ideal job while in college. At my unit, I was able to get hired full time in my field after Tech school, which was awesome because it gave me tons of down-time to study when I needed it and the pay was great. I still got to mingle with the pilots on the line, and it is a simple enough job that you will still be able to excel at it while preoccupied with school and flying. And, driving fuel trucks all over the world (ie while on deployments) was fun. It kept me outside, and near the airplanes (not just our own, but everything that flew in and out as well). The other full-time guys there ( a mix of Civil Service and mil types like me) were great and were usually willing to help me out with changing my work schedule as my school schedule demanded. My point on the job selection subject is, set yourself up to succeed. I knew MANY guys in my unit, headed in the same direction I was, who were great guys and who were Crew Chiefs or mechanics in the squadron. They were going to school full-time too, and I have to believe their jobs were much more distracting than mine was. As a result, it was harder for them to be a "star" in their field, and that's what counts. When it came time, in my third (and last) interview for a pilot slot, they hired me over them even though the other guys had way more contact with the pilots than I did. I had enough to get selected, whereas some of the guys I was competing against may have had too much, IMO.

Lastly, most Guard units get only one UPT slot per year, so it's highly competitive. I knew this going in of course, but it still looked better at the time than competing against 250 cadets in my ROTC Det for 4 pilot slots. Things obviously change, so try to get a good feel for the current conditions. They really like you to live in their state too, because believe me they have enough of the people who are just there to use them. My last piece of advice is to never give them the reason to feel you are using them in any way. Don't hide your aspirations, in fact they'll appreciate that you have them, but be careful about how you present them. I'd try to stay in your home state if at all possible.

PM me if you have any other Q's OK? And DON'T GIVE UP!! It will happen if you want it to!

 

[Slim]

Hootie,

Been there and almost done that....

I enlisted in the Guard in 1981, and am now retired. I ran into some medical problems and was grounded after beginning UPT. I continued in a non-rated career and retired as an O-4.

Ohio has an incredible tuition program for its Guard members and there is a KC-135 unit at Rickenbacker ANGB (?) in Columbus. The tuition payment is good at most, if not all, state universities. It started with Wright State University in Dayton. You have to be in ROTC and enlisted in the Ohio NG to participate.

Good luck...Fly safe!

 

[bssthound]

Don't rule out FE

Hootie,
If you're looking at a 130 unit, look at becoming a flight engineer. You're right there on the flight deck, responsible for the acft's systems, and you're gaining the best possible pre-UPT insight. After the boot-camp/fe course/unit seasoning you'll be able to go to school and fly weekends/nights/no-school days. Plus, if you're not taking summer courses you'll be able to head out on TDYs. Excellent part-time income and there is no camaraderie like you'll find in the military.

Whatever you do, best of luck!!

 

[*42*]

If I were you I would enlist now. There is a wait between the time you sign the papers and when you actually get your basic/tech school training dates. Flight engineer sounds like a great job and you get more benefits, such a $5000 bonus or $20,000 in loan repayments ($2,500/year) in addition to state and other GI bill benefits. I am under the impression that if you enlist, and they send you to a long tech school, you may not get selected right away because you're valuable to them as an engineer. Tell the recruiter what your goals are, and they should be able to work with you to find something that's right.

Here is some useful information before you enlist:

- You can transfer out of the unit by filling out a DoD form 368.

-USERRA and some new laws passed since 9/11 protect you from getting fired, kicked out of school, or harassed by your creditors if you are called to active duty. In fact, if you are called up while you are in school, they are supposed to give you all your tuition money back. Though I can't say for sure whether it would work in your situation, it's something you could fall back on.

-My tax accountant told me today that your commuting expenses are not a tax deduction unless you itemize, and the sum of what you itemize exceeds the amount of a standard deduction ($4,550). So, unless you give a couple thousand to charities every year, you won't be able to write off the commuting expenses.

-In addition to educational benefits, with the GI bill can help you finance your first home loan with no down payment. You get your GI bill certificate when you finish basic training and tech school.

 

[Hootie9750]

Big thanks to everyone who responded with their input. After talking to as many people who would talk to me I have changed my mind from wanting to enlist as a loadmaster or boom operator and having to either move or commute 5-6 hours from where I am now, to where I am going to enlist as either a crew chief or an intelligence job in my local f-16 unit that is under 2 hours away.
I am leaning towards intelligence because I am not a mechanical genius. Also I have been told not to enlist because I have less than 2 years to graduate, and that enlisting will obviously push me back another semester or two. A couple people also mentioned FE, but that is not a job that can be enlisted in right off the bat. Again if anyone else has anything to the topic of enlisting I would love to hear it.

 

[Big Duke Six]

Can't go wrong there...

Hootie,

I think you'll enjoy life as a crew chief - you will be right there in the thick of things and will have a ball on deployments with the fighters. Do you need to go to maintenance school for that specialty? I thought crew chiefs were mechanics first...

Anyway, I know going to basic and tech school while in college is a problem, but it will really help your efforts. That was the beauty of POL - a short tech school after basic and I was back home for Fall semester. Did you look into that as an option? There is plenty of potential to get "exposure" there - on deployments or exercises there is real close coordination between the POL (fuels) people, maintenance, supply and ops. I volunteered to work on the planning of several exercises and ended up being on the ADVON teams and dispatching for the POL section on some ORI's because of it. Believe me, that is as much exposure under stress as you could want, but you could do it well and get several LOR's from several O-5's and above that will have seen or heard about you in action. In my unit anyway, no one was volunteering for those things so it was greatly appreciated and really went a long way for me, I think. It may be different at your unit though - those are just my experiences. Anyway, just more to think about.

OK, I'll stop now.....
Duke

 

[bssthound]

BD6 said:

I volunteered to work on the planning of several exercises and ended up being on the ADVON teams and dispatching for the POL section on some ORI's because of it.

In my unit anyway, no one was volunteering for those things so it was greatly appreciated and really went a long way for me, I think.

That pretty much sums it up. Dive into whatever you're doing, don't come up for air until it's done right, then look for something else to do and you'll go a long way. I don't care if your dad plays golf with the Wing Commander or your uncle fishes with the DO, if you show yourself to be head and shoulders above the rest of the pack you'll get a lot more consideration than those who're running with the rest of the pack.

Best of luck, you've the potential for a great future.