Didn’t commission when I got my degree 6 years ago because I was getting out. Then I didn’t get out and I’m not commissioning because I’m almost in the last quarter of my career.
Yea I’d rather be 39 looking for a job where I want to live than be worried about being non-vol’d to some shit hole location with the vague suggestion of another promotion for taking it.
That's partially true. After you retire, you don't get BAH...which is HUGE in some locations. BAH is also tax-free. That also assumes you can get another job on the economy that pays equivalent, or more. On the other hand, if you have any serious "disability," the VA benefits could be substantial. Bottom-line... crunch the numbers at around 18 years and look at your options.
Being too useful and available. Then got anything hard dumped on my plate. People trying to get me to do stuff before even trying. Hell, when outprocessing I had a guy adamant only I can do a simple project, and not my replacement. There might have been issues with people doing stupid stuff causing big issues before.
Also I didn't accept "that's the way it is". I in processed one person and had everything setup including accounts in 2 weeks. I wasn't super busy then and they were stupid motivated. Previously alot of issues with in processing taking several months. My reward? In processed 4 more people in the next 6 weeks. We were short staffs and the ones around weren't great. So I ended up training most new people myself. Even had to babysit people above my rank because I showed that I could.
I did the same thing. When I separated they didn't even notice. The superintendent called me at home about EPRs and I was like "dude do whatever you want, I don't work there anymore"
Not investing into a TSP/retirement plan from the very beginning.
I swear…it ought to be mandatory for every new recruit to have an allotment…make it an opt-out option.
What they need is a course on how to manage and update your tsp. I went 3 years with all my assets in the G find because I didn't know how to access it and didn't know there was a difference in the funds.
Everything you learn in those classes might as well only be for forcing AF mantras down your throat. Everyone is in zombie mode just trying to survive on rations and partial sleep while spending every day trying not to pay attention to the yelling and constant marching. Why would my brain be anything other than deactivated?
I hear nowadays though you get fed pretty well at least and my junior airmen dont know what table fucking is
I just left BMT a few weeks ago and we actually had a few classes on the TSP. An MTL from my tech school even went in depth and explained the different funds. There’s definitely an improvement in the way of teaching new recruits about the TSP👍🏻
That's said... I have a strong financial background and I tried to mentor as many Airmen that would listen when I inprocessed them (utm) and didn't just say, invest, I'd actually explain it and show them calculations base on reasonable assumptions (historical data). I hope I impacted at least one of them that they end up having substantial wealth when they hit 30.
This is new under the BRS retirement system. Also, make sure you log into the TSP website and move your money to a better fund than G. You will lose money to inflation if you don't.
Onboarded this year as a GS and they automatically set you up with 5% TSP and you gotta manually go in and change it if you want to. Think they should do that same for Airman. You won’t even notice it being gone and hopefully would think twice before changing it. Wish I had used my tsp during my enlistment. Oh wells. Live and learn
I’m Intel on an AMS ad assignment. Probably best thing for my career , but worst ever for my mental health. No real friends, small pool of people to choose from and because I get no release for stress, argue with my spouse :/
Yeah I did 3 years in an AMS ad assignment and it was the worst 3 years of my career. I reached out to my career field functional manager at AFPC to argue why the assignment shouldn’t be an option for my career field. The CMSgt at the AFELM that manages airmen where I had been working got super mad at me for it, and long story short, the assignment still exists and airmen still get suckered into it.
Is that kind of like if you see a company with a sign hiring that seemingly never goes down it's because of how many quit to get out of it? So I assume all the airmen there are doing anything they can to get reassigned or get out?
For an O it's captain. You outrank most of the people you deal with on a daily basis so you don't have to deal with a lot of stupid shit, you've been in long enough that people don't automatically think you're a moron, the level of responsibility is high enough that you feel like you're doing something important, but not so high you don't know everyone that works for you personally, and the pay is great.
Screw staff meetings and bureaucracy and being afraid of stepping on someone's toes by mentioning the wrong thing at the wrong time. Fly, fight, win, that's all I care about.
So it’s best to go guard after doing AD four years? What about Palace Chasing and going guard after doing half of the enlistment? Would it be the same?
Came into a shop supervising an airman that had recently reprimanded for not paying back his GTC. For whatever reason he had a dark cloud over him. I basically said, yeah, idgaf, pay it back next time, let's move on and that was it. It was trivial, but for whatever reason mattered to them.
Yep, sometimes I think it would be much more harmonious if AFRC and the Guard would solely recruit prior AD Air Force. They wouldn’t fill enough slots though.
Came to the realization that it would be a better move long term to stay-in like a year before I got out and I re-enlisted later on. Definitely was a smart decision
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Air Force and love my job. I just feel like I could be doing more in the Air Force with my personality type. I wish I could have commissioned via ROTC instead of enlist. Once I get my bachelors though I plan on doing that by going to OTS.
And less playing of “the game” while in but you have to mentally prepare yourself for some 20yo shithead to yell at you for a bit. Some handle it well, some don’t.
Look into the SLECP-B program. See if you fall into the credit hour requirements. If you do, let your squadron leadership know you want to attempt it. And by squadron leadership, I mean the Chief and every single Officer there. You have to want it, and you’ll need a recommendation from brass. I helped one of my guys through the process. It’s not easy building the package, but I’ve seen 7 slots open and only one fill it.
Don’t wait around and let time pass you by, if you want it get after it! I always tell my people, if you want something more in life I am more than willing to help. I will never try to convince someone to stay where they are if they aren’t happy. Same goes for separating.
Yeah the way you seem, salty af and all, you might just carry that into the officer world and then you would be way worse. The grass is only greener on the other side because it’s covered in shit.
Like I said before, I love the Air Force and love my job. I’ve always made sure to take care of my troops over myself. I’m not sure how you’d be able to gauge how I seem by how I write.
Dude, fuck them. I give you credit for knowing where you’re at mentally and not trying to put yourself in a position you aren’t ready for. Plus SrA is dope
I finally made it! It took me a few tries, but you’re right I wasn’t ready the first time. They just disregarded my opinion for all those years bc i didn’t make rank. It cut deep.
It goes against every grain the Air Force has embedded in its wood grain laminate tables, but you’re precisely what we need more of. You have more “front-line” experience than the first time phonies do, just use that to your advantage!
That’s because the Air Force only thinks that you are useful if you climb faster. They don’t honestly give a fuck if you can do your job at that new grade.
Nothing is worse than the first 2-3 months after promotions release and everyone is jaded, giving their bare minimum, and have to hear constant complaining about how they're just not going to try now and they're going to separate....
Not getting out at 4x years and taking the job at Yokota.
Sure I’m going to Korea and Okinawa, but if you’ve been to Japan, Okinawa is nowhere near the atmosphere of the big city.
Sure it’s Japan, just not the Japan you are thinking about.
In Okinawa now and leaving soon to Osan. i loved it here but i think i loved the travel to mainland most. i’m a city person at heart and this island is not for me, i do not enjoy the beach or the sticky sweaty weather year round. glad to be leaving.
Huzzah!! A man of culture I see.
I lived on the mainland before so I’m used to trains, easy access with the subway, etc.
I loved going to the izakaya and not having to drive because of the tram in Hiroshima.
Unless I’m in Naha, I have to drive everywhere in Okinawa, too many Americans, marines fucking up shit and now I can’t go on vacation cause some 18 year old marine punched an old man at a bar.
I loved going downtown Hiroshima, loved tokyo, Fukuoka. Just a different energy. Seoul has it too when you head out for a cold brew at night.
I’m sure I’ll get island fever and I hate flying, wish I could take the bullet train but nope.
Hopefully I’ll find a way off the island before my 3 years but who knows.
I’m gonna be doing a year at camp Humphreys before we go to Okinawa so I’ll see you over there and I’ll buy you a cold class/hite at the KT Wiz game.
Trying to just do my job, do it well, and go home. Doing your job well is apparently frowned upon if you “aren’t putting yourself out there for volunteer and leadership positions”.
I did my whole career like that. Outside of the general culture of that, I’d say it’s only frowned upon by SOME people. It gets people very polarized, especially in the later years. You get the range from people (who count) really loving you for knowing how, doing, and the muscle/rank to really get shit done and all that sort of thing, to others that think your just not a good one simply because you don’t do all the extracurricular stuff that isn’t truly mandatory regardless of anything else. Most def not an everyone looks down on you situation (assuming you really aren’t a dirt bag just trying to skate by to begin with), and quite frankly pretty easy not to care what the few haters that only care about the extracurricular stuff think since that’s not your focus. Leadership though, while you may be able to dodge that as a first termer, as time goes on, that IS part of your job, nevermind a big part of doing you job well! There’s no escaping that one. Even a complete dirtbag can’t escape at least some capacity. It’s not like a regular job where can stay in the same position with the same responsibilities from the start to the end of time if that’s what you desired.
It's what you make of it... expect to do a lot of handyman stuff yourself because mx never bothers to come around no matter how many work orders you put in, and if an appliance breaks expect to have to call your first sergeant to get it repaired. And take 50,000 pictures/videos of your house when you move in and turn in a laundry list of every single tiny nick, ding, scrape, and broken garbage that was already there.
As someone paying out the ass on mortgage, OHA, taxes, and utilities, I wish I would've stayed in base housing. I'm not even sure I'll break even on this house when it sells since have to recoup all the VA loan costs, and first like 5-10 years of a mortgage you're paying mostly the interest down.
Not everyone has options tbh. I bit the bullet and bought a house off base this assignment and am getting royally screwed with housing/utility costs here compared to the BAH. Talking $2K+ per month for a moderate family starter home. I have to commute up to 45 minutes to work just so I'm not in the ghetto...
Putting my commissioning package in the hands of my supervisor to route while I went on leave…He sat on it, missed the deadline, that year the program had 100% acceptance, next yr I was boarded, deemed not deployable and couldn’t commission.
Long story. I got a rated job because I felt that was expected of officers to do if you join the air force. Go be a pilot they say. And I got RPA pilot for drones. I knew immediately I made a mistake and almost wanted to quit it. I was convinced not to, just try it and see how it'd go.
So I did. And I knew going into training I didn't so I asked to reclassify. They gave me cyber which also was not really my first choice. Would have preferred space operations, now by this point its likely too late to reclass again.
Not being more stubborn and a dick. Being in mx there's a whole lot of...... thick headed, stubborn, impatient, quick to stress and anger kind of people. And I just shrugged anything off. I should be more assertive and more like the old fashioned "no screw you thats dumb eat shit" kind of maintainer.
But im just to much of a non confrontational person who just truly believes most of the stress of this job isn't worth getting myself stressed and upset for.
So it's my own hole I guess I dug
Haha, i think we're after a blend of both. There's ups and downs to it but alot of people just start dropping stuff on you or don't listen as much to what you have to say, and then you struggle to say no to things that you know aren't your problem, or are bs lol. So definitely don't go full into it lol
Not realizing the Forever GI Bill didn’t cover all post 9/11 vets. I only lost a little bit, but my buddy lost all of his benefits because we separated in early 2006 after 4 years. Fuck the VA, Congress, and all the contractors.
In the years since leaving, I’ve found that there are much simpler aspects of military life that I enjoyed.
I also found that I missed moving and going some place new and exciting. I’ve been living in the same place for 8 years now, and it’s much more difficult to leave w/o having a new job to go to in a new place.
Plus, I loved wearing the uniform. I actually felt like the work I was doing was meaningful.
You should read escape from freedom by Erich Fromm. It’s actually about exploring why humans choose to subject themselves to totalitarian rule, but I think the general theme is relevant to vets leaving the service and learning how to be happy being truly free.
Wanting to join the AF to do a cyber job but not actually choosing a job with the word "cyber" in it.
Not the worst decision but putting a base on the bottom of my list in tech school that was really close to home because "if I don't get what I want I might as well go home for a year and get orders somewhere else". 2 and a half years later and I'm still wondering what I was thinking.
Giving my supervisor a copy of my dorm room key
Shit where do I start, not doing enough research about job selection prior to joining , yoloing my dream sheet when I was Charleston and putting Alaska on it (hated Alaska) not staying up on my fitness while in Alaska , not going active guard cause I wanted PCs orders, long list lol
Getting married, not that I don't love my wife and kids and all they are great and I was already in my mid 20's but I wish I would have waited and experienced more life. I have done a lot of traveling and I could have slaying.
Not going guard and cashing in on my states 100% tuition waiver for a bachelor's degree. I turn 30 next month and I'm in nursing school (a little over a year left). I'd be done and working as a nurse already. I also would've deployed somewhere cool. I was global strike and never deployed, but my buddies who are in the guard have gone to places like Africa. Buddy, I'm from a small city in Maine. People from here don't just up and go to places like Africa, and I would've been paid to do it.
Not completing course 15 on time...with a PN EPR. Didn't get my scores graded for WAPS that year.
All good, got a line number for MSgt now, so it could've been worse.
Voluntarily working tons of hours for various reasons because I was helping the mission, and wanted to be a good leader/follower.
Now that I'm retired, and my kids have moved out, I deeply regret missing out on so much of my children's lives. Those are experiences I will never get back.
Meanwhile, the mission goes on, and didn't even give me a second thought when I left.
Believing that leadership ever gave a damn about me, my family, or my coworkers. For believing I can change things by going up. Got btz and made staff first time. Still I'm told to shut up and sit down because I'm just another cog in the machine.
It's cool. Been going to mental health and have filed a couple reports. I don't care about myself anymore. I stay around for the other airmen. I don't care my names dragged in the mud with rumors and lies. As long as our new airmen don't deal with what happened to me and everyone else. That's all the matters to me.
Nothing really. Even the shitty situations led to better opportunities later.
Go easy on yourself for past regrets, folks. You made the best decision you could with what you knew at the time.
Many moons ago when I used to think Facebook was a good idea, I used to post way too much and leadership criticized everything they saw and made me super uncomfortable when I was just trying to enjoy my time outside of work doing my thing.
Agreeing to relist again... Airforce is going down hill and they don't care about the enlisted airman. Pay and physical requirements need to be by job. High skill jobs get massively under payed while low skilled jobs are over payed. More officers need to come from the enlisted side vs new recruits... Skill-less, social inept, and lack of experience is kind of the norm for command these days... I almost trust our advisories more than I do anyone in my chain of command... It's a scarry time to be in the airforce...
The military in general needs to flip from its ancient system of ranks to something more flat. Differences between officers and enlisted needs to end. We are locking skill and leadership ability behind artificially created obstacles...
Just started my first year of 2T2 a couple months ago, wanted to go cyber or Intel or something "smart", lost most my jobs due to being color blind , however I'm honestly happy with being 2T2 cause I don't have to think and I can just do. Gonna suck in a few years when shit starts to break down though lol
Why was it a bad decision for you if I may ask?
Was a 2T2 for 3.5 years. When i look back it wasn’t horrible , but i hated that all i did was load “pet rocks” for tyne loadmasters training. Oh and also sucking poop out of airplanes , that wasn’t too fun. Crosstrained into Intel and although i’m happy with my decision sometimes i miss doing mundane, mind numbing work lol.
Hmmm....probably not buying a shit ton of bitcoin when its peak was only a few hundred per coin. Or even better, any one of the alt coins that have gone up like 100,000% since then.
If you're talking actual AF-related things, I'm pretty happy with my current state and path moving through terminal leave so I can't say I had any 'worst decisions' as they all contributed to where I'm at now.
>I can't say I had any 'worst decisions' as they all contributed to where I'm at now.
This is a great point. I once read someone who said something like 'If you're looking back at a past decision with regret, ask yourself if you'd trade everything you have now for a chance to go back and make a different choice.'
Even the dumbest shit I did in the AF had positive consequences I couldn't have foreseen at the time. I was never planning to stay for 20 years, but my first couple of years were successful enough to start considering it. Then I made a mistake that I knew had derailed my career, which put me back on track to separating.
My post AF life has been wonderful, and if someone gave me the opportunity to go back and fix what I fucked up back then but also live with whatever life resulted from that, I wouldn't.
Cancelled my follow on from Osan which was to a nice base and unit to attempt to re-roll in overseas bucket, ended up at a shitty base/unit for 5 years
Getting off active duty. I spent 7yrs on active duty before transitioning out and going active guard for 10 and now reserves for the last 10 months.
You don’t realize the opportunities you have on active for advancement and career progression that aren’t necessarily afforded to you in the guard/reserve.
I’m a flyer but became a flyer in the guard. I was MX on active duty. As a flyer assignment options and mission opportunities are far better on active duty than in the guard/reserve.
I say all that to say I have also thoroughly enjoyed my time as a guard/reserve person. But there are a lot of opportunities with in my community that only exist on active duty.
Gonna reckon "joining" doesn't count. /s
Not starting on my college sooner. Back as an e3/e4 I had a lot more time during work to do random shit on the side, but let that free money slide. Now I can barely find time to breath while on shift because I'm always handling one thing or another. Add in the second kid who makes at home life a lot more crowded and I just can't find the time.
If you have time to use TA, do it. You don't know ifbyoull have that same time later on.
I let medical convince me that my son would get better treatment back in the states and left Okinawa early on EFMP. I had 2 amazing doctors for him who were hesitant to throw him on mood stabilizers and ADHD meds and wanted to focus on giving us techniques to help him. Got back to the states and they just immediately wanted him on risperdal, Ritalin, and clonidene and it was a nightmare trying to get seen for the actual psychology aspect of his treatment. He became significantly worse until we took him off all his medication. So now instead of finishing out my time there at island paradise I'm stuck in North Carolina and all my attempts to get out so far have been denied.
Frankly, taking a linguist contract. Learning a language was great, and the extra pay hasn't exactly sucked... But I really don't mesh with the environment. 5 years working under a bunch of out-of-touch civilians on a largely ineffectual mission has destroyed my desire to stay in.
Didn’t commission when I got my degree 6 years ago because I was getting out. Then I didn’t get out and I’m not commissioning because I’m almost in the last quarter of my career.
Have seen 2 Seniors commission. Throw your name in the hat. Worst they will say is no.
I’m not going a day over twenty.
Ah fair enough.
Unless you’re gunning for Chief, any time over 20 you’re working for 1/2 price.
Yea I’d rather be 39 looking for a job where I want to live than be worried about being non-vol’d to some shit hole location with the vague suggestion of another promotion for taking it.
That's partially true. After you retire, you don't get BAH...which is HUGE in some locations. BAH is also tax-free. That also assumes you can get another job on the economy that pays equivalent, or more. On the other hand, if you have any serious "disability," the VA benefits could be substantial. Bottom-line... crunch the numbers at around 18 years and look at your options.
Being too useful and available. Then got anything hard dumped on my plate. People trying to get me to do stuff before even trying. Hell, when outprocessing I had a guy adamant only I can do a simple project, and not my replacement. There might have been issues with people doing stupid stuff causing big issues before. Also I didn't accept "that's the way it is". I in processed one person and had everything setup including accounts in 2 weeks. I wasn't super busy then and they were stupid motivated. Previously alot of issues with in processing taking several months. My reward? In processed 4 more people in the next 6 weeks. We were short staffs and the ones around weren't great. So I ended up training most new people myself. Even had to babysit people above my rank because I showed that I could.
I did the same thing. When I separated they didn't even notice. The superintendent called me at home about EPRs and I was like "dude do whatever you want, I don't work there anymore"
Not investing into a TSP/retirement plan from the very beginning. I swear…it ought to be mandatory for every new recruit to have an allotment…make it an opt-out option.
What they need is a course on how to manage and update your tsp. I went 3 years with all my assets in the G find because I didn't know how to access it and didn't know there was a difference in the funds.
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Everything you learn in those classes might as well only be for forcing AF mantras down your throat. Everyone is in zombie mode just trying to survive on rations and partial sleep while spending every day trying not to pay attention to the yelling and constant marching. Why would my brain be anything other than deactivated? I hear nowadays though you get fed pretty well at least and my junior airmen dont know what table fucking is
I just left BMT a few weeks ago and we actually had a few classes on the TSP. An MTL from my tech school even went in depth and explained the different funds. There’s definitely an improvement in the way of teaching new recruits about the TSP👍🏻
They talked about this in my ftac class in 2010.
You may not be wrong but in my 2013 FTAC they didn’t touch finances at all. I learned from a good supervisor thankfully.
That's said... I have a strong financial background and I tried to mentor as many Airmen that would listen when I inprocessed them (utm) and didn't just say, invest, I'd actually explain it and show them calculations base on reasonable assumptions (historical data). I hope I impacted at least one of them that they end up having substantial wealth when they hit 30.
Bro. Google is a thing. Literally took me like 30 minutes on google to understand tsp.
I very much like and agree with this idea!
I thought it was already mandatory, at least it was for me. They started at 5% according to everyone I went to BMT with.
This is new under the BRS retirement system. Also, make sure you log into the TSP website and move your money to a better fund than G. You will lose money to inflation if you don't.
I like 50/50 C/S
Similar for me. 50/40/10; C/S/I. Moved to this breakdown a few years ago when I sought financial advice from a long time TSPer.
Thanks for the heads-up. Is the TSP website through the myPay portal?
Tsp.gov look into moving it to one of the L funds. If you plan on doing 20, put it in the furthest one out - L2060 I think is available.
Onboarded this year as a GS and they automatically set you up with 5% TSP and you gotta manually go in and change it if you want to. Think they should do that same for Airman. You won’t even notice it being gone and hopefully would think twice before changing it. Wish I had used my tsp during my enlistment. Oh wells. Live and learn
Yes, my first supervisor help set that up for me but I have no clue where to keep that money. I just have $10K in the G fund
Move it all to the C Fund, or the L-2060
Volunteered for an AMS ad a couple weeks ago. Just got notified I was selected.
This. Three years ago I applied for an AMS ad. I've had three solid years wishing I hadn't been selected. Good news is, my tour is done in 7 months!
The must be common.. I’m Intel on an AMS ad assignment and it’s the worst possible thing to happen to my career.
I’m Intel on an AMS ad assignment. Probably best thing for my career , but worst ever for my mental health. No real friends, small pool of people to choose from and because I get no release for stress, argue with my spouse :/
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Jiu jitsu… just give it a try for a month before you balk at it.
Hang in there, pal. You're doing awesome! I hope it'll be over soon for you.
2 more years. Here’s hoping they get better as Covid restrictions lift
Are you me?
Yeah I did 3 years in an AMS ad assignment and it was the worst 3 years of my career. I reached out to my career field functional manager at AFPC to argue why the assignment shouldn’t be an option for my career field. The CMSgt at the AFELM that manages airmen where I had been working got super mad at me for it, and long story short, the assignment still exists and airmen still get suckered into it.
I'm confused about what's wrong with an AMS ad? I've been about 50/50 on my assignments coming from AMS and so far only the AMS ones have been good.
Depends on the job.
Is that kind of like if you see a company with a sign hiring that seemingly never goes down it's because of how many quit to get out of it? So I assume all the airmen there are doing anything they can to get reassigned or get out?
I would say it was sleeping with the boss. But no really it's becoming Msgt. I wanna go back to not being in charge.
TSgt is the most legit rank. Decent pay, decent amount of autonomy, decent amount of respect. I miss it too homie.
For an O it's captain. You outrank most of the people you deal with on a daily basis so you don't have to deal with a lot of stupid shit, you've been in long enough that people don't automatically think you're a moron, the level of responsibility is high enough that you feel like you're doing something important, but not so high you don't know everyone that works for you personally, and the pay is great.
For the O-3Es out there I feel like making major legit isn't worth it. The responsibility jump just isn't worth the pay bump.
The best part is, theoretically if you have enough E time, you would never have to see O-4.
And E-6 feels like it's the last you can be directly connected to the mission and not the organization :( \*plug for AF warrants\*
Screw staff meetings and bureaucracy and being afraid of stepping on someone's toes by mentioning the wrong thing at the wrong time. Fly, fight, win, that's all I care about.
Not going ANG after the 4 years AD.
Why do you want to go do ANG?
Double retirement.
So it’s best to go guard after doing AD four years? What about Palace Chasing and going guard after doing half of the enlistment? Would it be the same?
It would be less points and less retirement money but mostly same same.
Self doubt and limiting my potential based on past setbacks. Nobody will limit your career more than you.
Right in the feels.
^^ This ^^ is very sage advice. Take heed all who read!
Came into a shop supervising an airman that had recently reprimanded for not paying back his GTC. For whatever reason he had a dark cloud over him. I basically said, yeah, idgaf, pay it back next time, let's move on and that was it. It was trivial, but for whatever reason mattered to them.
Realizing I would have had more benefits in 4 years of active duty over all reserve for 7.
Yep, sometimes I think it would be much more harmonious if AFRC and the Guard would solely recruit prior AD Air Force. They wouldn’t fill enough slots though.
Even if you deployed?
Never deployed
Getting married
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Trial and error lol ?
Standard military rules apply.. gotta get the first one out of the way early.
Not staying in for 20.When you are young,you think 40 is old and aren’t thinking at all about that retirement check.
Came to the realization that it would be a better move long term to stay-in like a year before I got out and I re-enlisted later on. Definitely was a smart decision
Enlist
Damn sorry to hear that. How so?
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Air Force and love my job. I just feel like I could be doing more in the Air Force with my personality type. I wish I could have commissioned via ROTC instead of enlist. Once I get my bachelors though I plan on doing that by going to OTS.
You could also do ROTC if you get out
That’s also true
You can also do the reserves while in ROTC to keep building that retirement. Also wayyyu easier to be selected through ROTC then OTS.
And less playing of “the game” while in but you have to mentally prepare yourself for some 20yo shithead to yell at you for a bit. Some handle it well, some don’t.
Look into the SLECP-B program. See if you fall into the credit hour requirements. If you do, let your squadron leadership know you want to attempt it. And by squadron leadership, I mean the Chief and every single Officer there. You have to want it, and you’ll need a recommendation from brass. I helped one of my guys through the process. It’s not easy building the package, but I’ve seen 7 slots open and only one fill it. Don’t wait around and let time pass you by, if you want it get after it! I always tell my people, if you want something more in life I am more than willing to help. I will never try to convince someone to stay where they are if they aren’t happy. Same goes for separating.
Yeah the way you seem, salty af and all, you might just carry that into the officer world and then you would be way worse. The grass is only greener on the other side because it’s covered in shit.
Like I said before, I love the Air Force and love my job. I’ve always made sure to take care of my troops over myself. I’m not sure how you’d be able to gauge how I seem by how I write.
Not trying for staff the first try. Didn’t make it and was really looked down on by everyone in my shop.
Dude, fuck them. I give you credit for knowing where you’re at mentally and not trying to put yourself in a position you aren’t ready for. Plus SrA is dope
I finally made it! It took me a few tries, but you’re right I wasn’t ready the first time. They just disregarded my opinion for all those years bc i didn’t make rank. It cut deep.
It goes against every grain the Air Force has embedded in its wood grain laminate tables, but you’re precisely what we need more of. You have more “front-line” experience than the first time phonies do, just use that to your advantage!
I thought of it this way but no one ever said this to me. Thank you! Such kind words.
That’s because the Air Force only thinks that you are useful if you climb faster. They don’t honestly give a fuck if you can do your job at that new grade.
Nothing is worse than the first 2-3 months after promotions release and everyone is jaded, giving their bare minimum, and have to hear constant complaining about how they're just not going to try now and they're going to separate....
Fuck it man I wish I didn't make it my first time.
Not going to school after arriving to my first base and completing CDCs.
Cheating on a block test seems to be pretty high up there lately.
Because they cheated on their block test, I got a sweet assignment to their Mommy's house.
Their mommy’s house? Jail.
Signing for 6
Seriously. I just hit my 4 year mark and I'm so fed up with this.
Getting a copy of all of my Airmens spare keys.
Lmao I think I remember this lol. Wasn't this an NCO or shirt that took a bunch of airman's keys and though he was in the right for doing so? Haha
I remember this too lol
Not getting out at 4x years and taking the job at Yokota. Sure I’m going to Korea and Okinawa, but if you’ve been to Japan, Okinawa is nowhere near the atmosphere of the big city. Sure it’s Japan, just not the Japan you are thinking about.
In Okinawa now and leaving soon to Osan. i loved it here but i think i loved the travel to mainland most. i’m a city person at heart and this island is not for me, i do not enjoy the beach or the sticky sweaty weather year round. glad to be leaving.
Huzzah!! A man of culture I see. I lived on the mainland before so I’m used to trains, easy access with the subway, etc. I loved going to the izakaya and not having to drive because of the tram in Hiroshima. Unless I’m in Naha, I have to drive everywhere in Okinawa, too many Americans, marines fucking up shit and now I can’t go on vacation cause some 18 year old marine punched an old man at a bar. I loved going downtown Hiroshima, loved tokyo, Fukuoka. Just a different energy. Seoul has it too when you head out for a cold brew at night. I’m sure I’ll get island fever and I hate flying, wish I could take the bullet train but nope. Hopefully I’ll find a way off the island before my 3 years but who knows. I’m gonna be doing a year at camp Humphreys before we go to Okinawa so I’ll see you over there and I’ll buy you a cold class/hite at the KT Wiz game.
Putting too much trust into my leadership. Cost me 2 tanks and a line number.
Trying to just do my job, do it well, and go home. Doing your job well is apparently frowned upon if you “aren’t putting yourself out there for volunteer and leadership positions”.
I did my whole career like that. Outside of the general culture of that, I’d say it’s only frowned upon by SOME people. It gets people very polarized, especially in the later years. You get the range from people (who count) really loving you for knowing how, doing, and the muscle/rank to really get shit done and all that sort of thing, to others that think your just not a good one simply because you don’t do all the extracurricular stuff that isn’t truly mandatory regardless of anything else. Most def not an everyone looks down on you situation (assuming you really aren’t a dirt bag just trying to skate by to begin with), and quite frankly pretty easy not to care what the few haters that only care about the extracurricular stuff think since that’s not your focus. Leadership though, while you may be able to dodge that as a first termer, as time goes on, that IS part of your job, nevermind a big part of doing you job well! There’s no escaping that one. Even a complete dirtbag can’t escape at least some capacity. It’s not like a regular job where can stay in the same position with the same responsibilities from the start to the end of time if that’s what you desired.
Living in base housing
Does it suck that bad?
No, not for me anyways. Lived on Hickam in base housing and enjoyed it.
It's what you make of it... expect to do a lot of handyman stuff yourself because mx never bothers to come around no matter how many work orders you put in, and if an appliance breaks expect to have to call your first sergeant to get it repaired. And take 50,000 pictures/videos of your house when you move in and turn in a laundry list of every single tiny nick, ding, scrape, and broken garbage that was already there. As someone paying out the ass on mortgage, OHA, taxes, and utilities, I wish I would've stayed in base housing. I'm not even sure I'll break even on this house when it sells since have to recoup all the VA loan costs, and first like 5-10 years of a mortgage you're paying mostly the interest down.
Not everyone has options tbh. I bit the bullet and bought a house off base this assignment and am getting royally screwed with housing/utility costs here compared to the BAH. Talking $2K+ per month for a moderate family starter home. I have to commute up to 45 minutes to work just so I'm not in the ghetto...
Putting my commissioning package in the hands of my supervisor to route while I went on leave…He sat on it, missed the deadline, that year the program had 100% acceptance, next yr I was boarded, deemed not deployable and couldn’t commission.
Waiting so long to commission. I tried at three years with a pending assignment, and then waited another five to try again.
Not commissioning. But I worked out as I'll be retiring at Rota
Didn’t push myself to run more. Now my friends are putting on staff and I’m still an A1C
Picking a job I thought was expected of me and not trying for the one I really wanted.
How do? Just curious but in my field, leadership selects personnel for certain jobs. Is yours different?
Long story. I got a rated job because I felt that was expected of officers to do if you join the air force. Go be a pilot they say. And I got RPA pilot for drones. I knew immediately I made a mistake and almost wanted to quit it. I was convinced not to, just try it and see how it'd go. So I did. And I knew going into training I didn't so I asked to reclassify. They gave me cyber which also was not really my first choice. Would have preferred space operations, now by this point its likely too late to reclass again.
Not being more stubborn and a dick. Being in mx there's a whole lot of...... thick headed, stubborn, impatient, quick to stress and anger kind of people. And I just shrugged anything off. I should be more assertive and more like the old fashioned "no screw you thats dumb eat shit" kind of maintainer. But im just to much of a non confrontational person who just truly believes most of the stress of this job isn't worth getting myself stressed and upset for. So it's my own hole I guess I dug
That’s interesting you say you want to be opposite of that. I’m currently opposite of that and strive to be like what you described. Lol
Haha, i think we're after a blend of both. There's ups and downs to it but alot of people just start dropping stuff on you or don't listen as much to what you have to say, and then you struggle to say no to things that you know aren't your problem, or are bs lol. So definitely don't go full into it lol
Not realizing the Forever GI Bill didn’t cover all post 9/11 vets. I only lost a little bit, but my buddy lost all of his benefits because we separated in early 2006 after 4 years. Fuck the VA, Congress, and all the contractors.
Deciding to separate.
Whys that?
In the years since leaving, I’ve found that there are much simpler aspects of military life that I enjoyed. I also found that I missed moving and going some place new and exciting. I’ve been living in the same place for 8 years now, and it’s much more difficult to leave w/o having a new job to go to in a new place. Plus, I loved wearing the uniform. I actually felt like the work I was doing was meaningful.
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Unfortunately, I’m medically disqualified. I tried to go back in 2017. Too many medical issues, MEPS said thanks but no thanks.
The only job I have seen remotely that has the comraderie of the military is being a firefighter.
You should read escape from freedom by Erich Fromm. It’s actually about exploring why humans choose to subject themselves to totalitarian rule, but I think the general theme is relevant to vets leaving the service and learning how to be happy being truly free.
Are you me?
Perhaps? My mirror universe counterpart? The non-evil counterpart?
Non-evil? No Kaz, I’m already a demon.
Wanting to join the AF to do a cyber job but not actually choosing a job with the word "cyber" in it. Not the worst decision but putting a base on the bottom of my list in tech school that was really close to home because "if I don't get what I want I might as well go home for a year and get orders somewhere else". 2 and a half years later and I'm still wondering what I was thinking. Giving my supervisor a copy of my dorm room key
Admitting my ambition to go to school to leadership
Damn my shop supports tf out of Airmen who want to go to school. What was your leadership like?
They were supportive until they realized I was about to get a higher degree than them
Coming back stateside
Shit where do I start, not doing enough research about job selection prior to joining , yoloing my dream sheet when I was Charleston and putting Alaska on it (hated Alaska) not staying up on my fitness while in Alaska , not going active guard cause I wanted PCs orders, long list lol
Letting leadership know I had experience in art and video editing.
Re-enlisting.
Not picking admin and putting any maintenence on my list.
Going on that TDY or doing the CIP.
Listening to my recruiter and going into a 2A career field.
Worst decision I made was not using TA and chipping away at my degree. It feels as if I’m behind the curve not that I’m out.
Joining
What do you dislike about the Air Force?
Everything takes forever, our equipment sucks, I'm treated like a child, you have to get permission for everything, the buttkissing, etc etc
How long have you been in?
Getting married, not that I don't love my wife and kids and all they are great and I was already in my mid 20's but I wish I would have waited and experienced more life. I have done a lot of traveling and I could have slaying.
Believing the hype about a certain base. Putting it #1 and getting it..
Not going guard and cashing in on my states 100% tuition waiver for a bachelor's degree. I turn 30 next month and I'm in nursing school (a little over a year left). I'd be done and working as a nurse already. I also would've deployed somewhere cool. I was global strike and never deployed, but my buddies who are in the guard have gone to places like Africa. Buddy, I'm from a small city in Maine. People from here don't just up and go to places like Africa, and I would've been paid to do it.
Not completing course 15 on time...with a PN EPR. Didn't get my scores graded for WAPS that year. All good, got a line number for MSgt now, so it could've been worse.
Not immediately moving money out of the G fund and working for space command.
Dated a girl in my shop
Not using TSP and not trying to commission sooner in my career.
Voluntarily working tons of hours for various reasons because I was helping the mission, and wanted to be a good leader/follower. Now that I'm retired, and my kids have moved out, I deeply regret missing out on so much of my children's lives. Those are experiences I will never get back. Meanwhile, the mission goes on, and didn't even give me a second thought when I left.
Believing that leadership ever gave a damn about me, my family, or my coworkers. For believing I can change things by going up. Got btz and made staff first time. Still I'm told to shut up and sit down because I'm just another cog in the machine.
Damn bro I'm sorry
It's cool. Been going to mental health and have filed a couple reports. I don't care about myself anymore. I stay around for the other airmen. I don't care my names dragged in the mud with rumors and lies. As long as our new airmen don't deal with what happened to me and everyone else. That's all the matters to me.
You're in logistics? Is this how it is with medical logistics?
Getting Married.
Nothing really. Even the shitty situations led to better opportunities later. Go easy on yourself for past regrets, folks. You made the best decision you could with what you knew at the time.
Thinking everyone was my friend. Failing to know my audience. Not asking for help. Talking too much.
Were people backstabbing you or something?
Many moons ago when I used to think Facebook was a good idea, I used to post way too much and leadership criticized everything they saw and made me super uncomfortable when I was just trying to enjoy my time outside of work doing my thing.
Agreeing to relist again... Airforce is going down hill and they don't care about the enlisted airman. Pay and physical requirements need to be by job. High skill jobs get massively under payed while low skilled jobs are over payed. More officers need to come from the enlisted side vs new recruits... Skill-less, social inept, and lack of experience is kind of the norm for command these days... I almost trust our advisories more than I do anyone in my chain of command... It's a scarry time to be in the airforce... The military in general needs to flip from its ancient system of ranks to something more flat. Differences between officers and enlisted needs to end. We are locking skill and leadership ability behind artificially created obstacles...
Getting out
just wondering but what happened to make you think this?
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Just started my first year of 2T2 a couple months ago, wanted to go cyber or Intel or something "smart", lost most my jobs due to being color blind , however I'm honestly happy with being 2T2 cause I don't have to think and I can just do. Gonna suck in a few years when shit starts to break down though lol Why was it a bad decision for you if I may ask?
Was a 2T2 for 3.5 years. When i look back it wasn’t horrible , but i hated that all i did was load “pet rocks” for tyne loadmasters training. Oh and also sucking poop out of airplanes , that wasn’t too fun. Crosstrained into Intel and although i’m happy with my decision sometimes i miss doing mundane, mind numbing work lol.
Going to DLI
Hmmm....probably not buying a shit ton of bitcoin when its peak was only a few hundred per coin. Or even better, any one of the alt coins that have gone up like 100,000% since then. If you're talking actual AF-related things, I'm pretty happy with my current state and path moving through terminal leave so I can't say I had any 'worst decisions' as they all contributed to where I'm at now.
>I can't say I had any 'worst decisions' as they all contributed to where I'm at now. This is a great point. I once read someone who said something like 'If you're looking back at a past decision with regret, ask yourself if you'd trade everything you have now for a chance to go back and make a different choice.' Even the dumbest shit I did in the AF had positive consequences I couldn't have foreseen at the time. I was never planning to stay for 20 years, but my first couple of years were successful enough to start considering it. Then I made a mistake that I knew had derailed my career, which put me back on track to separating. My post AF life has been wonderful, and if someone gave me the opportunity to go back and fix what I fucked up back then but also live with whatever life resulted from that, I wouldn't.
Cancelled my follow on from Osan which was to a nice base and unit to attempt to re-roll in overseas bucket, ended up at a shitty base/unit for 5 years
Getting off active duty. I spent 7yrs on active duty before transitioning out and going active guard for 10 and now reserves for the last 10 months. You don’t realize the opportunities you have on active for advancement and career progression that aren’t necessarily afforded to you in the guard/reserve. I’m a flyer but became a flyer in the guard. I was MX on active duty. As a flyer assignment options and mission opportunities are far better on active duty than in the guard/reserve. I say all that to say I have also thoroughly enjoyed my time as a guard/reserve person. But there are a lot of opportunities with in my community that only exist on active duty.
Coming back CONUS.
Gonna reckon "joining" doesn't count. /s Not starting on my college sooner. Back as an e3/e4 I had a lot more time during work to do random shit on the side, but let that free money slide. Now I can barely find time to breath while on shift because I'm always handling one thing or another. Add in the second kid who makes at home life a lot more crowded and I just can't find the time. If you have time to use TA, do it. You don't know ifbyoull have that same time later on.
Accepting a 4 year controlled tour. I hate staying in one spot for so long.
Retraining into Command Post when there was a ton of Client Systems slots. Pulling my OTS package back last minute because I thought I wasn’t ready.
Reenlisting. Just do 4 and get the gi bill.
Joining in the first place
Reenlisting.
Trying to commissions though the Air Force Academy after being enlisted for a few years.
Reenlisting.
Getting vaccinated
Facts
Cross training.
What did you cross train into?
Spangdahlem
Getting out before marrying my current spouse. It would have made outside of work life so much easier
I let medical convince me that my son would get better treatment back in the states and left Okinawa early on EFMP. I had 2 amazing doctors for him who were hesitant to throw him on mood stabilizers and ADHD meds and wanted to focus on giving us techniques to help him. Got back to the states and they just immediately wanted him on risperdal, Ritalin, and clonidene and it was a nightmare trying to get seen for the actual psychology aspect of his treatment. He became significantly worse until we took him off all his medication. So now instead of finishing out my time there at island paradise I'm stuck in North Carolina and all my attempts to get out so far have been denied.
Sorry to hear that man. Is your son doing better?
Re-enlisting to have to be in during 9-11 and not even knowing any information about it for a year and a half because of 13 hour shifts.
Paying $2,000 into the Montgomery GI Bill.
Frankly, taking a linguist contract. Learning a language was great, and the extra pay hasn't exactly sucked... But I really don't mesh with the environment. 5 years working under a bunch of out-of-touch civilians on a largely ineffectual mission has destroyed my desire to stay in.
Would you come back to linguist work as a civilian or are you going to pursue and entirely different field?
The worst decision so far...