- Joined
- Sep 22, 2007
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I was in both the Air Force and the Army. I did the same job in both except I did move into more interesting things after making E-5 with the Army. In the Air Force I was a Tactical Air Command and Control Specialist. I was assigned to various Army and allied units and provided call for fire and close air support for the grunts. I was enlisted but your decision to be an officer should be based on what you want to get out of the military. As an NCO, I was much more educated than most of the officers around me but I chose to be enlisted because of certain career choices only available to enlisted as well as certain career choices in the Army with limited officer selection. Furthermore, I've never had a problem with getting my hands dirty or humpin' in the field with a hundred pounds on my back. I wasn't there to make the big bucks. My sole purpose was to be a soldier and serve my country. And to tell the truth I had one hell of a time, saw some great...and..well not so great places, and did things that civilians could never experience. I was paid to be a Barny Badass. They paid me to shoot guns and watch bombs explode. Because I could go to both Air Force and Army training, my uniform looked like a frickin' Mexican general. You get a lot of looks from AF pilots when they see Army aviation wings on your blue uniform. The one thing I miss the most is the camaraderie. It is a bond you will NEVER experience in the corporate world.
My advice is to look at the things which interest you. See how the military can accommodate those interests and make your selections based on that. The Air Force used to ship you around about every four years but now they try to keep you where you are because of budgetary constraints. If you are specialized such as engineering you might find yourself at one of the military or national laboratories or even at a defense contractor your whole career. If you are in a more traditional job you get moved when the needs of the military require it. Always remember, just like anything, you get out of it what you put into it. You can do some really wild things in the military. You also need to decide if you just want a job or you want to take what the military has to offer to the extreme. Are you high speed, low drag?
My advice is to look at the things which interest you. See how the military can accommodate those interests and make your selections based on that. The Air Force used to ship you around about every four years but now they try to keep you where you are because of budgetary constraints. If you are specialized such as engineering you might find yourself at one of the military or national laboratories or even at a defense contractor your whole career. If you are in a more traditional job you get moved when the needs of the military require it. Always remember, just like anything, you get out of it what you put into it. You can do some really wild things in the military. You also need to decide if you just want a job or you want to take what the military has to offer to the extreme. Are you high speed, low drag?
