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Can anyone tell me about this? I’m ready to leave town and forever fix my home life and my situation. I want to serve and protect too but this is my main reasoning.

ya know? My home life right now is toxic..just not a good environment and I need to create a way for myself. I need to go on my own, conquer fears and blossom into the man I’m going to be...I’ll be 24 at the end of March and this feeling, this lifestyle, this situation...it can’t be my reality forever. I would rather work with tech, ATC, radar, ect. (I truly don’t know the nuances of the AF) I do not want to go airborne. But tech is very interesting to me. All of that stuff is.

If anyone here has been in the Air Force, please give me your honest opinions on it and maybe a little bit of advice and direction.

much love,

PK.

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  • 5 weeks later...

@Patriot Killa The Air Force is like being "Corporate Military", great housing, they treat their people very well, it is NOT like the Big Green Machine or the Corps. 

 

That being said, JOINING the Air Force can be a titanic pain in the ass. They are VERY selective. The recruiter's WILL bullsh*t you and string you along. They will bait and switch you with possible MOS choices, but at the last minute they will tell you there are NO SLOTS for desired MOS, but you can go be an SP!! Security Police, AF grunts/MPs. A friend I Powerlifted with was initially promised OCS, then was offered E-4 in a Cybersecurity job. Long Story short, he wound up going in as an E-3 "Battlefield Weatherman" slot. Hes currently in the box with the 10th Mountain Division (Ft. Drum, NY) as a TAC-P (Think Junior Combat Controller). But he likes it, and as a disciplined, smart guy who could DL 500+, he said Basic was a joke. LOL.

 

Anyway, I was Army, and loved it, but wouldn't recommend it to someone who's heart wasn't into it. I WANTED to be a grunt. When I joined, I was given options for Intel or CID (Yeah, true story. Idiot...), but I demanded Light Infantry (my Knees and Liver are still pissed at me). 

 

Anyway, the service CAN get you away, help you start over, learn a trade, travel, do rewarding sh*t with some cool, crazy MF'ers, but it demands a full buy in. 

 

If I was going to do it nowadays, and maybe make a career of it, instead of dealing with the AF bullsh*t, the Army Grind, the weaponized Autism of the Corps or the....lameness of the Navy, I'd go Coast Guard. War or Peace, always on duty, have GREAT duty stations (Cali, Florida,  Hawaii, etc), and is really a tight knit family service. 

 

Good luck, whatever you decide to do. 

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On 1/27/2020 at 8:16 PM, Patriot Killa said:

Can anyone tell me about this? I’m ready to leave town and forever fix my home life and my situation. I want to serve and protect too but this is my main reasoning.

ya know? My home life right now is toxic..just not a good environment and I need to create a way for myself. I need to go on my own, conquer fears and blossom into the man I’m going to be...I’ll be 24 at the end of March and this feeling, this lifestyle, this situation...it can’t be my reality forever. I would rather work with tech, ATC, radar, ect. (I truly don’t know the nuances of the AF) I do not want to go airborne. But tech is very interesting to me. All of that stuff is.

If anyone here has been in the Air Force, please give me your honest opinions on it and maybe a little bit of advice and direction.

much love,

PK.

You know how much I like you buddy, and you just got some great advice from @Jet_Engine1.

I listen when you talk about your life, not just about the Jets. I hear a young man whose life hasn't been easy, but who is bright, and willing to work hard. The fact that you're smart enough to want more from your life can also be frustrating and confusing for you, I'd imagine.

Joining the service is a good option. It would probably give you a sense of family, and support. From a financial perspective, you put in the time, can retire young and hopefully come out with a trade. You'd also have the benefits a veteran receives with education, things like a mortgage and medically through the VA.

That said, the military isn't your only option. I'm sure @Jet_Engine1 and others would tell you civil service careers such as the Fire or police departments are also good paying and rewarding options.

Do yourself a favor though, you're still very young, but the years go by fast. Make a decision and go with it. It's great to follow your heart, but sometimes it's also simply about getting your life in order and getting on a path that will make your life better. I know it sounds trite, but a nice pay check and some good benefits will improve your outlook in a lot more ways then just financially.

Make your decision, and go with it. But whatever you do, don't become a stranger. There are a lot of people here rooting for you.

EDIT

I just saw your OP was from a month ago, yet you never received a reply until tonight. Have you come to any type of decision, PK?

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@14 in Green, @Patriot Killa  Being a Firefighter or Police Officer are great careers, but it takes time AND money most places to be trained. Here in Florida and in many other places, Departments don't give you your initial training (Standards). You apply for, get backgrounded, and attend Initial Law Enforcement or Fire Academy on your own dime. For the FD down here, you also need to be a Paramedic (12+ months). Being an EMT (prerequisite for Paramedic, 4 months) is a minimum cert for most Departments.  

So, back to a great benefit of being a Veteran,  I actually utilized my GI Bill and Army College Fund to attend EMT, Fire Academy, and some Paramedic prior to being hired. I also received Vet Preference in the hiring process.  

 

So yeah, those jobs are great, but can be tough to get into and pay for for many people.  The military can be a pathway to later jobs that are GREAT. 

 

Good luck 

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Joined the Air Force at 19 to get away and see the world. Grew up on Long Island and ended up stationed in Jersey much to my disappointment. Never got the chance to go anywhere else (long story) anyway I did work in an Airline type job and lo and behold gave me my thirst to work in that field and as of today i have a 35 year career with NY Air/Continental/United so there’s that.     Was never really cut out to be a Military guy so be sure you are. Good luck on what you decide. Oh as for basic training. 6 weeks. A breeze compared to the other branches of service.

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Be careful.  If you're depressed get counseling.  The military isn't going to solve your problems.  It may make them worse.  Suicide rates are off the charts in the military.  

If you have it together and it's something you really want to do, do it.  If you're looking to solve your problems it won't solve them.

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On 1/27/2020 at 8:16 PM, Patriot Killa said:

Can anyone tell me about this? I’m ready to leave town and forever fix my home life and my situation. I want to serve and protect too but this is my main reasoning.

ya know? My home life right now is toxic..just not a good environment and I need to create a way for myself. I need to go on my own, conquer fears and blossom into the man I’m going to be...I’ll be 24 at the end of March and this feeling, this lifestyle, this situation...it can’t be my reality forever. I would rather work with tech, ATC, radar, ect. (I truly don’t know the nuances of the AF) I do not want to go airborne. But tech is very interesting to me. All of that stuff is.

If anyone here has been in the Air Force, please give me your honest opinions on it and maybe a little bit of advice and direction.

much love,

PK.

Hey I just saw this. You have Glenn's email, you should reach out to him for thoughts. He just retired within the last year of so from the Air Force. So I am sure he can answer any questions that you may have.  Good luck!

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Former Army here and current Police Officer of 19 years now. I enjoyed my time as a Field Artillery officer in the Army but there were times where we all joked about joining the Air Force. Usually it was after two weeks in the box where the smell of your own body was such that you didn't know a human could smell like that while still alive. 

Air Force is a great way to go but take heed in the earlier advice. DO NOT let the recruiters push you around to fill their MOS needs. If they play games walk right out the door, Air Force is selective so not saying you don't have the skills, but everything is more competitive with their selectivity. 

Police Officer / Firefighter are options but with those you need to be prepared to put yourself though the academy and schools, unless it's a larger department. Used to love being a cop - now not so much. If you go the civil service route, give fire fighting a serious look. They make the same money as us with 75% less B.S.

 

Good Luck, 

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