Palace Chase?

[Ethix]

I am in AD for the air force as a f-16 crew chief, Being a crew chief I have to deal with a lot of stress and peoples immature bs. I have no time for college, and I feel I don't get paid near enough for the amount of hours I work or for the responsibility of the job I do. I will be within my window in a couple months to take the palace chase program. I have a plan ready for when/if I do palace chase so money and the economy wont be an issue. I am single, 21 years old, no kids. Lots of money saved up.

So here are some questions I have:

What would be a good valuable job to have in the reserve, that is low stress and rewarding?
If I am a senior airman with 3 years service how long will it be til I get staff sergeant in the reserve?
What are the un-obvious pros and cons of the reserve?
What do you typically do as a weekend warrior on drill weekends? During the 2 weeks?
How is the PT program ran?
What are the requirements of transferring to another base? Does it have to be the same job?
Are deployments mainly voluntary? What if your in the middle of college classes?

That is all I can think of for now. I want to do something either medical or admin. Thanks in advance for the help!

[dan5522]

Those questions would be best answered by you local In-Serivce Recruiter. All the questions are easily answered, however I have found that answering the questions create more. Best thing to do is find the recruiter and set an appointment with him/her.

[ringjamesa]

I am in AD for the air force as a f-16 crew chief, Being a crew chief I have to deal with a lot of stress and peoples immature bs. I have no time for college, and I feel I don't get paid near enough for the amount of hours I work or for the responsibility of the job I do. I will be within my window in a couple months to take the palace chase program. I have a plan ready for when/if I do palace chase so money and the economy wont be an issue. I am single, 21 years old, no kids. Lots of money saved up.
So here are some questions I have:
What would be a good valuable job to have in the reserve, that is low stress and rewarding?
If I am a senior airman with 3 years service how long will it be til I get staff sergeant in the reserve?
What are the un-obvious pros and cons of the reserve?
What do you typically do as a weekend warrior on drill weekends? During the 2 weeks?
How is the PT program ran?
What are the requirements of transferring to another base? Does it have to be the same job?
Are deployments mainly voluntary? What if your in the middle of college classes?
That is all I can think of for now. I want to do something either medical or admin. Thanks in advance for the help!

1. Job..depends on what is availible that you are qualified for.
2. You still have to meet TIS, TIG, and PME requirements
3. Don't know anything bad unless you just REALLY hate the military. One positive that you might not think of immediately is that you will still be building on your inital investment towards an eventual retirement. Most of the benifits of the Reserve are the same as AD
4. On your UTA weekends, you will do your job. You also have to fit your PHA, FTF, CBTs...etc...etc... into those weekends.
5. PT is the same as ADAF except you don't have somone holding your hand 3 days a week to make sure you do it.
6. When switching units, the manning of the gaining unit is looked at but typically if they have the AFSC, you will be able to swich. Kinda like ADAF, as an F-16 guy you can't PCS to a C-17 base without retraining...
7. Typically deployments are voluntary. You can always be voluntold. You are after all in the military but invols are relatively few. If you are in class some schools will allow you to complete your classes before you deploy, some will allow you to finish online, others will allow you to drop them without killing your GPA, and some are real bastards and say too bad so sad...

[Ethix]

Thanks! About the jobs I got an 82 on the ASVAB before joining in.. I am just not sure what I would want to do for a job.. I don't want to jump into something stupid like I did with joining as Open Mechanical when my highest score was admin and general .. recruiter kinda duped me on that one.

Here are a few more questions.

If you have to drive a good amount to your guard base do they provide on base billeting for that weekend?
Do we ever deploy to other places aside from the desert? TDY's?
How many hours are the duty weekend hours? What time do they start typically?
Do they do EPR's in the reserve?
How realistic is it to get a technician job? (I have heard its quite hard)
Do the people serving in the reserve hold strong to military standards? (I heard they go by a first name basis)
Is it true after tech school there is a 2 month OJT time where you are Active Duty training your first months?

[ringjamesa]

Thanks! About the jobs I got an 82 on the ASVAB before joining in.. I am just not sure what I would want to do for a job.. I don't want to jump into something stupid like I did with joining as Open Mechanical when my highest score was admin and general .. recruiter kinda duped me on that one.

Here are a few more questions.

If you have to drive a good amount to your guard base do they provide on base billeting for that weekend?
Do we ever deploy to other places aside from the desert? TDY's?
How many hours are the duty weekend hours? What time do they start typically?
Do they do EPR's in the reserve?
How realistic is it to get a technician job? (I have heard its quite hard)
Do the people serving in the reserve hold strong to military standards? (I heard they go by a first name basis)
Is it true after tech school there is a 2 month OJT time where you are Active Duty training your first months?

First off, your Recruiter had nothing to do with your job. That was MEPS.
1. If you want Guard, you need to find a guard recruiter-their rules are very different. For the Reserve yes you get billetting for the UTA weekends if you are outside the communting area.
yes
0700-1600 or 0730-1630-generally-exercises etc can make if differ..
EPRs are like every 3 years-don't quote me on that.
I thought you were going back to school? If you are an ART, that is full-time-kinda like ADAF only as a civilian. If you are retraining, you will have to wait to complete your upgrade training before you can apply to be an ART (generally).
........um......depends. Some do, some don't. They are trying to get away from the informal at work but...well ya know...
up to 90 days OJT for what is called the seasoning training program.

[Silver Fox]

I am in AD for the air force as a f-16 crew chief, Being a crew chief I have to deal with a lot of stress and peoples immature bs. I have no time for college, and I feel I don't get paid near enough for the amount of hours I work or for the responsibility of the job I do. I will be within my window in a couple months to take the palace chase program. I have a plan ready for when/if I do palace chase so money and the economy wont be an issue. I am single, 21 years old, no kids. Lots of money saved up.

So here are some questions I have:

What would be a good valuable job to have in the reserve, that is low stress and rewarding?
If I am a senior airman with 3 years service how long will it be til I get staff sergeant in the reserve?
What are the un-obvious pros and cons of the reserve?
What do you typically do as a weekend warrior on drill weekends? During the 2 weeks?
How is the PT program ran?
What are the requirements of transferring to another base? Does it have to be the same job?
Are deployments mainly voluntary? What if your in the middle of college classes?

That is all I can think of for now. I want to do something either medical or admin. Thanks in advance for the help!


Ok, so here's what bothers me. The first thing you seek is "Low stress" and yet "rewarding"... most jobs in the world, military or not, are not rewarding without said stress. So, good luck with that.
Second, you're 21 years old, and seemingly overly concerned with attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. Power hungry much? Or perhaps just trying to get the NCO stripe so you can pass the buck off on your Airmen whenever you get tasked with work? Your eagerness to promote seems to be fueled by possibly less than noble intentions.
The most obvious con that you seem to be missing is this, you stated: " Being a crew chief I have to deal with a lot of stress and peoples immature bs. " What makes you think the reserve is going to be any different?
Next, why are you concerned with the PT Program? Are you hoping that the fat reservist stereotype is true and you won't have to run anymore?

Sounds to me like you're looking into it for all the wrong reasons kid.

[ringjamesa]

Ok, so here's what bothers me. The first thing you seek is "Low stress" and yet "rewarding"... most jobs in the world, military or not, are not rewarding without said stress. So, good luck with that.
Second, you're 21 years old, and seemingly overly concerned with attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. Power hungry much? Or perhaps just trying to get the NCO stripe so you can pass the buck off on your Airmen whenever you get tasked with work? Your eagerness to promote seems to be fueled by possibly less than noble intentions.
The most obvious con that you seem to be missing is this, you stated: " Being a crew chief I have to deal with a lot of stress and peoples immature bs. " What makes you think the reserve is going to be any different?
Next, why are you concerned with the PT Program? Are you hoping that the fat reservist stereotype is true and you won't have to run anymore?

Sounds to me like you're looking into it for all the wrong reasons kid.

Excellent post. BTW, if you don't have a good FTF score, the Reserve probably isn't going to take you. In that case you might be better off in the Guard. I know for a fact that some Guard units don't follow the AFI in regards to FTF....

[Ethix]

Ok, so here's what bothers me. The first thing you seek is "Low stress" and yet "rewarding"... most jobs in the world, military or not, are not rewarding without said stress. So, good luck with that.
Second, you're 21 years old, and seemingly overly concerned with attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. Power hungry much? Or perhaps just trying to get the NCO stripe so you can pass the buck off on your Airmen whenever you get tasked with work? Your eagerness to promote seems to be fueled by possibly less than noble intentions.
The most obvious con that you seem to be missing is this, you stated: " Being a crew chief I have to deal with a lot of stress and peoples immature bs. " What makes you think the reserve is going to be any different?
Next, why are you concerned with the PT Program? Are you hoping that the fat reservist stereotype is true and you won't have to run anymore?

Sounds to me like you're looking into it for all the wrong reasons kid.

With all due respect, you must have to have a pretty big ego to make stereotypical assumptions about who I am and my intentions based on questions I ask. In no way did I mention anything about wanting to be a staff sgt, it is still beyond me how simply asking what the requirements to make a rank in the reserves condones someone as being "overly concerned and power hungry". I also really enjoy how you seem to believe you know all of my intentions solely by the questions I ask. The opinion of my job and of the air force are not one in the same which you so generously assumed. This is my life I have to live not yours, you don't know my full intentions nor do you need to give an opinion when its not even asked and completely ignorant to boot. I asked questions toward Palace Chase so I can keep an option open for consideration towards furthering my life, not so I can get out of PT. So thanks for the indirect insults and stereotyping pal, but thinking back on it...what more can you expect from a guy who sits on a military forum all day? :thumbup: