New guy looking hard at AF Reserve

[Brady12]

Hello all,

I am new to the forum and am interested in getting some insight from Airmen who have been through, or are familiar with the process of the Air Force Reserve. I met with my recruiter yesterday for the first time and I left with some great information, yet still looking for answers.

I was told they are not accepting Officer applications in any of SC's that I am interested in (Pilot, Lawyer), and as a college graduate, I am a little hesitant to enlist because I want to capitalize on earning a degree but I want to join more for the experience than the money and rank.

The SC's that have initially caught my interest are Intelligence and Security Forces. I have yet to take the ASVAB (scheduled for next week) so I am unaware of what I will qualify at. What I am looking for most out of joining the Air Force is being able to contribute to OIF and OEF, mainly in a deployment. I've heard conflicting sides of this issue, where on internet forums I've heard that I will most certainly be deployed, while my recruiter gave me the impression that I might fulfill my contract without ever coming close.

This being said, I am having second thoughts of the Air Force and am starting to gather information on the USMC and Army. I guess the main question I am trying to get across is whether there are certain SC's that I could go into that would better my chances of getting deployed, and at the same time get the most out of my degree? I would like to thank you in advance for your responses and look forward to your valuable insight on the matter.

Best,
Brady12

[ringjamesa]

Are you SURE that is what your recruiter said? The AF Reserve is hiring both pilots and lawyers. To qual for pilot, you have to take the AFOQT and TBAS, have your civilian pilot's license, and be within the age range (younger than 27 give or take a few months). To be a lawyer you have to have passed the bar exam. If you don't meet those qualifications, you should go enlisted because unless you are specially qualified, there is very little else out there on the officer side. Secrutiy Forces? Doubt it very much. Intell? Maybe if you have special qualifications-Top Secret Security Clearance, Degree in an Intell related field, and/or experience in Intell. Doesn't mean you can't be an officer in the future (eligible until you turn 35), just not right now. If your goal is to deploy, why in the world are you trying to become an officer? You will be in training for at least a year probably two, then you have your upgrade training before you are even eligible. Enlisted you can do to BMT/Tech School and be eligible for ILO deployments almost immediately.

[Brady12]

RingJamesA,

Thanks for the reply and sorry for the confusion. I meant to write that they were not looking for Officers in any SC's that I was interested and ONLY looking for Officers as pilots and lawyers.

I have no problem going enlisted, but if I could go Officer I would because I would like to get the most of out earning a college degree. I'm now looking at more of a technical SC that would translate later on into the civilian world, rather than a SC like Security Forces where I'm hearing that a lot of their duties are being contracted out.

I guess I'll have a better picture once I get my ASVAB results back. Lastly, I was wondering how college graduates going the enlisted side are viewed in the Air Force, and the military in general? Do you think they are crazy for not going OCS, do you view them as commendable for enlisting at a lower rank than they potentially could have been, or is it mixed? I know a lot of it has to do with the individual, but I'm speaking in generalities.

Again, thanks in advance. Take care of yourselves.

Best,
Brady12

[ringjamesa]

RingJamesA,

Thanks for the reply and sorry for the confusion. I meant to write that they were not looking for Officers in any SC's that I was interested and ONLY looking for Officers as pilots and lawyers.

I have no problem going enlisted, but if I could go Officer I would because I would like to get the most of out earning a college degree. I'm now looking at more of a technical SC that would translate later on into the civilian world, rather than a SC like Security Forces where I'm hearing that a lot of their duties are being contracted out.

I guess I'll have a better picture once I get my ASVAB results back. Lastly, I was wondering how college graduates going the enlisted side are viewed in the Air Force, and the military in general? Do you think they are crazy for not going OCS, do you view them as commendable for enlisting at a lower rank than they potentially could have been, or is it mixed? I know a lot of it has to do with the individual, but I'm speaking in generalities.

Again, thanks in advance. Take care of yourselves.

Best,
Brady12

How exactly will you have a better picture when your ASVAB results come out? The ASVAB has NOTHING to do with becomiing an officer. One thing you need to keep in mind is that only 20% of our personnel are officer so there a fewer officer slots to fill. That means it is typically more competative. Even PS officers sometimes have to join as Enlisted members if they really want to join (I know of about 8).

[Brady12]

RingJames,

I guess I am not coming off clear enough. When I mentioned the ASVAB test I meant I'll know what SC's I qualify for. I never linked the ASVAB to having a bearing on whether or not I become an Officer.

I guess I'm also not clear enough on the fact that I have accepted the fact that I will not be an Officer in the Air Force, and was looking for any insight on college graduates enlisting and how they are perceived.

That being said, I'll refer back to my previous post and ask how college graduates who enlist are viewed by their peers.

Best,
Brady12

[Shrike]

RingJames,

I guess I am not coming off clear enough. When I mentioned the ASVAB test I meant I'll know what SC's I qualify for. I never linked the ASVAB to having a bearing on whether or not I become an Officer.

I guess I'm also not clear enough on the fact that I have accepted the fact that I will not be an Officer in the Air Force, and was looking for any insight on college graduates enlisting and how they are perceived.

That being said, I'll refer back to my previous post and ask how college graduates who enlist are viewed by their peers.
Best,
Brady12

I've worked with three enlisted personnel who had a Bachelor's when they enlisted, one in mechanical engineering, one in communications, and one with a Vo-Ag degree that I can't remember. It was never an issue in the work center, as long as they accomplished the mission just like everyone else. Well, there were a lot of "animal husbandry" jokes directed at the Vo-Ag guy, but no more jokes than anyone else got.

[Brady12]

Shrike,

Thank you for your response. The reason I ask that question is because often when I tell people I'm going to enlist they are extremely confused as to why I wouldn't go Officer. Referring back to my previous posts, my point is that right now in the military, Officer positions are hard to come by for college graduates except for a few SC's, or if those graduates are apart of the ROTC program.

In a perfect world I would go in as an Officer, but the reality of that happening is slim to none. I don't want to wait around for a SC to open up that is accepting Officers, so I have no problem enlisting and proving myself worthy of an Officer position later on during my commitment.

I just don't want to be looked at as out of place, and more importantly, be treated as though I'm out of place. A friend of mine is also a college graduate who just recently joined the Air National Guard. While in his first unit meeting, the lecturer asked the group how many wanted to earn their college degree while enlisted. My friend raised his hand and said that he already had his Bachelor's, and the lecturer replied, "Then what are you doing here?"

It's that sort of reaction that I don't understand. We're all on the same team, fighting for the same cause so I don't understand why some people chose to judge the circumstances in how we all get there. I'm not overly concerned about it to the point where it would prevent me from enlisting, I just was curious as to how enlisted college grads are viewed.

Thanks again for your responses.

Best,
B12

[ringjamesa]

Shrike,
Thank you for your response. The reason I ask that question is because often when I tell people I'm going to enlist they are extremely confused as to why I wouldn't go Officer. Referring back to my previous posts, my point is that right now in the military, Officer positions are hard to come by for college graduates except for a few SC's, or if those graduates are apart of the ROTC program.
In a perfect world I would go in as an Officer, but the reality of that happening is slim to none. I don't want to wait around for a SC to open up that is accepting Officers, so I have no problem enlisting and proving myself worthy of an Officer position later on during my commitment.
I just don't want to be looked at as out of place, and more importantly, be treated as though I'm out of place. A friend of mine is also a college graduate who just recently joined the Air National Guard. While in his first unit meeting, the lecturer asked the group how many wanted to earn their college degree while enlisted. My friend raised his hand and said that he already had his Bachelor's, and the lecturer replied, "Then what are you doing here?"
It's that sort of reaction that I don't understand. We're all on the same team, fighting for the same cause so I don't understand why some people chose to judge the circumstances in how we all get there. I'm not overly concerned about it to the point where it would prevent me from enlisting, I just was curious as to how enlisted college grads are viewed.
Thanks again for your responses.
Best,
B12

Ahhhh now it makes sense.
People that are not in the military have no idea what goes on in the military. They think everyone in the AF flies and everyone with a degree is an officer. What they don't understand is that 80% of the AF is enlisted so not eveyone with a degree is an officer. On AD, approx 6% of AF Enlisted members have a Bachelor's degree or higher. While that doesn't seem like a lot, 6% of 260,139=15,608. I don't have the stats but I would venture to guess the percentage is even higher in the Reserve. So...in short, don't worry about it. In the Reserve, with a degree you come in as an E-3 and when you finish BMT and Tech school, your commander can immediately promote you to E-4 so anyone that says shyte is probably having a tall glass of hateraide...

[kobrien22]

RingJames,

I guess I am not coming off clear enough. When I mentioned the ASVAB test I meant I'll know what SC's I qualify for. I never linked the ASVAB to having a bearing on whether or not I become an Officer.

I guess I'm also not clear enough on the fact that I have accepted the fact that I will not be an Officer in the Air Force, and was looking for any insight on college graduates enlisting and how they are perceived.

That being said, I'll refer back to my previous post and ask how college graduates who enlist are viewed by their peers.

Best,
Brady12


There are lots of enlisted troops with degrees and most of the ones that don't are working on one. I knew an A1C at my last base working on his Ph.D (serious)

[Silver Fox]

Reserve Security Forces: You will have the chance to deploy.

Reserve Intel: I know way too many active duty intel folks that haven't deployed, so I assume your chances are much, much slimmer and probably closer to non-existant.

[Brady12]

RingJames,

Haha I'm glad we finally were able to get on the same page. I know I made some errors in my previous posts that relayed an entirely different message as the one I was trying to get across. In any event, your insight, along with KOBrien's, is exactly the reassurance I needed to know that I am making the right decision in enlisting.

I was made aware of the E-3 rank when I come out of BMT and then the promotion to E-4 by my recruiter, which may seem small to some, but another big positive to me when considering enlistment. Now all I have to do is score well on my ASVAB and find a SC that fits what I'm looking for!

Thanks again guys for your opinions. Like I said, it's exactly what I was looking for when I started the thread. Take care guys.

Best,
Brady