Joining the Air Force Reserve?Joining the Air Force Reserve?

willanderson1111

I am 27 with a B.S in I.T. I have a full time job in I.T, not married, and have no real obligations. Do you guys think is a good idea to join the Reserve?

*Sorry for duplicates in the title. I copied it from another forum and cannot edit the title.

hypnotoad

There are much more interesting ways of ruining your life for the next few years.

mikej412

The military makes sense for someone who wants training AND experience. Since you have a degree and already are working in IT, I guess a clearance could be a reason for going Air Force Reserves -- if you're thinking of working for a government contractor.

Was there any specific training/job in the Air Force Reserve you were looking at to help advance your career or move it along faster?

willanderson1111

I also have a secret clearance and currently working as a contractor. I was talking with an Air Force guy today and he was telling me of all these perks that the military provides. Such as medical benefits, school reimbursement, extra income while I can still keep my full time position, etc. It sounds really great but as you can see I am still trying to gain more insights (pros & cons) in joining the military.

MrAgent

hypnotoad wrote: »

There are much more interesting ways of ruining your life for the next few years.

How would this ruin his life?

jtoast

I spent 4 years active duty USMC, 2 years Active Duty Army(Desert Storm), and about 6 months in the Air National Guard.

If there is one thing I would tell you its "Don't go into the military for the perks as they aren't worth it."

You go into the military to serve your country, because its the only way out of a dead end town, or because of famiily tradition. Those are vaild causes that might be worth dying for...but don't do it for the perks. There is no perk worth dying for.

Chris:/*

Most reservist I know are GS employees when they are not doing their military time.

brad-

Well...thats only a question you can answer. Most people, including myself, joined the military because they couldnt pay for college. Your college is behind you. Unless you needed military to pay off student loans, you dont need it for that. At your age, the only real reason to join the ANG would be if you were having trouble getting employment and you wanted a solid check for a few months and something else to pad the resume.

If thats the case, i say do active duty. Air guard, im sorry to say, will probably not fullfil your need of service - if that is a motive of yours. I was in the army guard for 4 years and at first it was great, but it didnt take long to realize i wasnt really doing anything useful or interesting. Guard was good for me while i was young and going to school and trying to figure out my life, but then i went to active duty and it was more what i wanted from the beginning.

Being that you're not married - and im just going on what i know of you in your first post - go active duty.

SteveLord

brad- wrote: »

Most people, including myself, joined the military because they couldnt pay for college.

That's quite an exaggeration.

Chris:/*

Do NOT NOT go active duty! You will either be underutilized with your degree as an Enlisted man for your first 3 years or be a Col whipping boy until you make Capt if you go Officer. Stay Reserves and get a great matching GS or contractor job in the same location.

Balantine

I considered this as well. I sort of had a quarter-life crisis around 24 and still haven't made a decision about it. My reasoning was that if you go AFR the chance of getting to work with some really sweet tech would be high. Living expense is low, nice structured environment. Two of my heroes, Laura Chappelle and Richard Bejtlich, were also Air Force Captains. I've had family in the armed forces, grandpa was an officer and great-grandpa was a Major.

I'm fit enough to actually qualify for Pararescue. That would be an interesting career path too. Maybe even turn into general practitioner. It's nice to dream.

As I recall from research the cut-off for AF active enlisted is 27. Have to be in before you turn 27. It is 35 for officer in AFR and AF. Check your own work though. Another limiting factor for me was eye sight. I'd have to pay for and get PRK before signing up. The whole structured environment thing has drawbacks too... might be overly restrictive. Not so good for student-centered learning. Which, if you are here on this forum, you already know plenty about and may prefer. All in all the military route is very bureaucratic, though it does produce some excellent leaders.

A decision matrix may help you here, did for me. [FONT=&quot]The thinker's toolkit: fourteen ... - Google Books[/FONT]

brad-

SteveLord wrote: »

That's quite an exaggeration.

I shouldnt say most...but a high % compared to other reasons.

Whatever you decide to do though, NG or active, the single most important decision you can make is choosing your job. You'll take the ASFAB and they'll tell you you qualify for this job or that. Dont settle. Get what you want in your contract or you'll regret it. If you go NG, you'll be limited to what your unit has slots for. If you go active, pretty much anything is open.

One other benefit of active and i'll shut up, is the ability to save money. Your bills are pretty much whatever you want them to be. Food and housing paid for. I moved 1/2 my paycheck to savings every month on active duty and lived off the other half. When I got out, I was able to support the family while I finished college - which the GI bill paid for.