Hey guys,
I spoke with an Air Force recruiter today. Took the practice asvab and got a 62, which he said qualified me for 90% of the jobs available. He said mechanics jobs are in demand right now, but i dont want to be a mechanic or have something forced on me. Can anyone give me some advice or anything to look out for?
>>30223119
Study more, 62 is not that great and it is not worth hating your life for the next 4 years being stuck on an MOS you hate.
Here's something to look out for; Recruiter Suggestions.
>>30223119
Take the ASVAB again and agian. It is rare that they would waste someone with a 93+ by putting them in a mechanic shop.
>>30223119
You have to be pretty dumb to get a 62.
>go in
>be overweight
>be denied
>come back
>lose 30 lbs
>take asvab
>get escorted back to recruiters office
>find out i got 99
>find out they are denying me because i had 400 usd that went to collections
>no waivers for anything
>get referred to Navy
>try Nuke
>get placeholder rate for when age waivers clear
>get a better placeholder rate "just in case"
>chief of recruiting office takes emergency leave
>don't get it
>find out age waivers didn't clear
>stuck with original placeholder rate
It was just the sample test, got caught off guard by the math section especially since no calculators were allowed, and i havent taken a math class since 2013.. Im taking the asvab formally next week. Any job recommendations?
>>30223291
Nuclear is supposedly interesting. Something in the IT sector will do wonders for when you get out and need a job too. Good luck man. Was denied my chance because of medical problems.
>>30223320
Thanks. I have a Ba in criminal justice but i dont want to do security forces. I was thinking geospatial intelligence or fire protection.
>>30223291
Study electronics, you don't need to know anything more than what is in this guide (http://www.instructables.com/id/Basic-Electronics/?ALLSTEPS) to pass with a 80% on electronics (and you will qualify for every electronics job).
Put open electronics at the top of your list. You will be very likely to get it. When you get to basic, your job list will be narrowed down to just 5 jobs, all electronics related.
Put Cyber Transport Systems at the top of it (if you can pass and maintain a top secret clearance), its probably the best enlisted job because you work way less than other people (like maintainers, who work 70 hours a week), while still getting paid exactly the same. The civilian equivalent of the job pays handsomely (like $100,000/year), if you are good at it and get a lot of certifications. Oh yeah, and cyber transport can go to pretty much any base you want. If you go nuclear like that other guy suggested, you will be limited to like 4 bases.
Don't go into maintenance or security forces if you want to stay sane and/or reasonably happy.
>>30223472
Thank you
Recruiters are not to be trusted, make sure to ask around a little bit. You can alway retrain later, but try testing again and getting another job that would serve you well on the outside in the first place.
Firedogs and intel go to the same school, Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, TX. Intel is good to go. GS-9 technician spot as an A1C with 1 year experience, looking at ~$70,000 in the civilian sector with ~2 years experience.
Technology is also a good route (don't be comm, nobody likes comm)
>>30223119
As a member of security forces living with a maintainer, let me tell you to not go Security Forces or maintenance. It takes what would have otherwise been the full intent of a 20 year career and turns it into a volley of medical issues both physical and mental that more then likely wont be covered despite them happening as part of the job (I can still see that kids face at night) when you get out as well as a general disdain for the simple act of being alive.
Full 18 hour workdays, no days for low manned units, no holidays off for fully staffed units, no days off for the injuries you rack up on the job (and if you do slow down due to those injuries you are automatically labeled the Squadron shitbag). Best of all (if for some reason despite my warnings you do go SF) no pay during budget recessions despite being expected to be the first line of defense ( IE you die first) as well as not being applicable for use one the outside (that's right, that fancy shiny badge you get, doesn't give you any accreditation should you decide to get out and want to continue the shitty career choice in an even more dangerous (stateside anyway) setting.
Please for the love of whatever you hold dear OP don't go SF or maintenance, get literally any other job ( but most preferably as was said earlier something in electronics. Let the Air Force pay for your education and give you a skill-set that you can use on the outside to actually make some money / not live a life hating the fact that you actually wake up in the morning.
Don't be like me (us) OP, don't live every day looking back and regretting your life.
>>30223334
I'd rather be in combat with a supply clerk over those security forces clowns
>>30225278
The first mistake people make about security forces being in combat is not assuming that we want to die.
>>30225297
I loled.
OP what exactly draws you to the Air Force over the other branches?
I'm also in the same boat but I scored 50 because piss poor on math got it raised up to 60 by studing, have my test next week. tho my recruiter already gave me a list of position I could go into and only two interested me. Space Systems and Elec. Power Produciton tho not my top choices but if anyone has experience with metals tech, environmental engineering, or engineering let me know how they are.
>>30225348
I think the worst part is you think I'm joking, the amount of borderline suicidal cops is frightening. We are second only to Air Traffic Controllers and have already surpassed our record setting high numbers for force wide suicides in just under a half a year.
>>30223152
>It is rare that they would waste someone with a 93+ by putting them in a mechanic shop.
Nope. A lot of the folks in my section (3D now) were flightline and had decent ASVAB scores. My scores were in the 90s except for mechanical (84) and I started out on the flightline as well. Flightline maintenance sucks ass.
>>30223472
>Put Cyber Transport Systems at the top of it
Agreed. I've had 5 different AFSCs and 2E2 (now 3D1X2) is my favorite. It's easy as fuck.
>>30223152
>It is rare that they would waste someone with a 93+ by putting them in a mechanic shop.
It's actually not. There are plenty of guys who score really high on the test but then end up being a maintainer for whatever reason.
>>30225232
What state you in?
I live near missiles
>>30225417
The more cops or mp's that kill themselves the better.
>>30225445
Found the ACABfag from the last thread.
>>30223119
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/airforceenlistedjobs/a/1w0x2.htm
Literally re-take the test to gather 4 more points and you can be speshul forces.
>>30225434
Lots of humidity where I'm at, you missile guys have it even worse.
>>30225445
^ You also get to deal with this mentality OP, while I will say that dark humor is something you learn to pick up, consider all the hate any police (military or "civilian") seem to get these days and use that as more fuel to drive further away from the career field.
>>30223472
This is excellent advice that I could have used 15 years ago. Good on ya for helping out your fellow anons.
>>30225232
Any stories you care to share?
I've always wanted to do security related jobs in the military/private contracting.
>>30225495
Ah, Na I'm just a civi that was in the Army when I was younger. I always see those guys going to check the sites in their convoys and get a chuckle when there is never any weapons or gunner in the turret
>>30225417
What makes USAF cops an hero? You don't hear about it with civilian or other MP's. Is the AF just cunts to their MP's?
>>30225524
Play a day in the life (you need one weekend for this)
Wake up 2 hours before the sun comes up to drive to work / "gear up"
Get a chair, the hottest set of clothes you have must be some form of pants and long sleeves and your most uncomfortable pair of shoes. ( a rifle, pistol, vest, etc if you want to play European Extreme)
Setup a High value item somewhere in your yard, living room, etc. (preferably the yard if you want the full experience of the elements).
Place chair 10-15 paces away, unless you have a big yard in which case 30-50, that's your wingman (partner), stand on the other side facing away from the chair and your high value item and put an equal amount of space between the high value item and yourself
stand there for 12 hours, don't talk, you get to use the bathroom once ( and only if its a shit) you get 15 minutes for lunch because its your first day and your supervisor is being nice
at the end of this 12 hours go "turn in" IE wait outside for no less than 1 hour and 15 minutes.
"Drive home" stand outside for maybe 45 minutes (lets say traffic was light)
This ends day one, set your alarm for 4 hours of rest and wake up tomorrow,
"gear up"
this is your life now, assuming you get put at a normal base and not the awe inspiring freezing landscapes of a missile base or a mind numbing "first in" base.
>>30223119
>got a 62
>eligible for 90% of jobs
Jesus Christ that explains so much. I got a 98 overall and it took me like 30 minutes. I asked the guy "that's it?" when I was done. Just holy crap I can't even begin to imagine how dumb you are to get a 62. Go join the marines, stay out of the air force.
>>30224501
Oy, 1N0 here, guard but I've been on active orders since I shipped to BMT. Where are you working as a GS9? Title 10 guardsman is comfy ad fuck but 70k sounds pretty good.
>>30225705
When I was at my AF recruiter, there was a kid across the hall in the Army recruiters office. Heard the recruiter tell him "well you scored a 12 on the asvab, but I might be able to talk to some people and get you in"
I didnt know whether I should be impressed that the kid managed to fuck up that badly, or be afraid that the recruiter was still attempting to let him in.
>>30225751
Holy fucking shit. That explains so much.
A fucking 12. I don't even know how that is posdible.
>>30225548
sounds like the E-4 mafia doing the usual shenanigans. ( cant explain the lack of a gun in turret though, as the missile folk do stuff weird)
>>30225581
The general lack of give a fuck by anyone, whether it be your own superiors or the people you are trying to protect. Its the proverbial "machine" you always see anti war movies illiterate to. To cite one suicide story we had a new kid off himself and get found in the woods by some of his best friends ( I'm talking that nightly drinking buddy level of connection) days before we were set to go do a field exercise. His friends get a goodbye text from him and eventually manage to track down the body, get it recovered, etc. Barely a day later we ( the entire squadron) gets a nice big sit down chat from our leadership about how its not their fault and how we all need to stop thinking about it and get ready for the exercise. No time to mourn, no time to get emotions straight, just straight back to the mission. Now while i can understand the mentality behind not dwelling on something bad, there is a certain line and space you have to give people to internalize what has happened.
All that to say, you don't hear about it (from us or other branches) because no-one talks about it (would you have known it if i wasn't here to preach about it?), we are seen as an expendable resource at the end of the day, that is how we are viewed and how we are treated, the mentally strong survive until they are killed or retire, the "weak" take the messy way out and leave behind others to carry on their memories [joker_AllAccordingToPlan.jpg]
>>30225655
Well I guess I should've specified I want to do security on tankers and ships and such.
Maritime security.
(i'm not expecting it to be super high intensity crazy operator shit, I know exactly what you described it as. However I would like to not get shot in the back of the head when we stop at port or something.
>>30225836
what you want is a double edged sword.
I would recommend coast guard as from what little interactions i have had with them they receive slightly better training for maritime operations. You might (big might) be able to just go straight into contracting, however the market is generally "reserved" for people with prior military experience so they don't have to waste more money giving you any training you might need.
On the flip side, you're a guard, the likelihood of getting shot in the back of the head at port doubles by that one fact alone, triples at the fact that if someone attacks the thing you are protecting you have to defend it while the other non guards simply fall back and "let you do your job"
>>30225906
True. I accept the risks and I know I can defend myself properly in certain situations. I'm enlisting in the CG coming this August. I already do a lot of USPSA/IDPA shooting so I have a decent shooting background but I need to talk to more coasties to know what I should really except.
I've always wanted to do maritime security, seems high paying (equaled out by long ass trips and general boredom).
After that I might consider merchant marine.
>>30223119
>have something forced on me
Welcome to a real job.
>>30225581
It's all the general BS that they have to put up with. Long 16+ hour duty shifts on top of all the shit that is required of you as Airman. Deployments are much more frequent for cops than any other AFSC that isn't some specialized combat role like TACP. Being a supervisor is also an added stressor since it's not uncommon to have supervisors with 20 underlings that they're responsible for like writing their performance reports and making sure they complete their training on time and having to deal with the mess when they get in trouble.
I was a maintainer at a nuke base and I was convinced that the threepios that worked as security behind the fence with us were the only guys that had it shittier than we did.
>>30225774
He was dumb enough to want to join the army. Success was never an option.
>>30226013
Protips before i go to bed
1. Keep shooting, knowing how to do it well will keep you alive however, don't confuse USPA/IDPA with the real world, its always easier to perform when the battlefield is one direction.
2. Try and squeeze in some college work for when you get old and realize that this isn't what you want to do for the rest of your life, If nothing more then getting the core classes ( your associates degree ) out of the way ( you will thank me later.)
3. Start writing and speaking more (sing songs to yourself, read books out loud, etc) as talking is going to be a BIG part of your life now.
4. Those situations that you don't think you can defend yourself, WORK ON IT. You wont ever win every fight 100% of the time but any training you can do to prepare for the real fight will help you stay alive when the time comes.
5. Don't fear death,( but you have to respect him)
6. Don't get married (until you are done and can be in one place) Marriages require an uncanny amount of maintenance.
7. [DontLoseYourWay.mp3]
>>30226094
Thanks based anon, gnight m80
>>30226058
funny, I was SF at a nuke base and we felt bad for you maintainers, you were the only ones with more suicide attempts than us.
>>30223152
>mfw I got a 93 but didn't know shit about military and went ANG and am now a fucking crew chief
I wish I did something stimulating. Now I'm stuck in a contract
>>30223119
I scored a 89 last time I took it, but ended up getting 99 for the electronics and technical stuff on there.
Would AirForce be a good route?
>>30226790
Yeah. Intel would be cool, having a TS/SCI is cool and can help get cool jobs afterwards. Working intel is kinda crappy sometimes, long hours in a windowless building looking at a screen.
It's cool to know whats going on in the world.
Or go sensor operator, you could get put on a manned aircraft which is operator as fuck. Or be put on a reaper and hate your life at Creech. Kek.
>>30226391
I once got SF augmentee while I was in England. Got to sit in the rain on a humvee turret for 12 hours a day. I was glad as fuck and my maintainer coworkers were jealous.
It's not normally that bad, though. MH-53Js are just garbage.
>>30225427
>Flightline maintenance sucks ass.
This so fucking much. There is no one that gets fucked on the flightline as much as you MX guys, and I say this as a 2T2 aerial porter. At least our officers leave us alone if we're doing what we're supposed to do.
>>30225417
>tfw want to become ATC
any atc anons here?
