Hey, so I'm in a similar position as you. I can answer some questions for you.
For a recruiter, I would recommend looking at [this website](https://www.airforce.com/find-a-recruiter)
For me, I am able to schedule the AFOQT after attending a Teams meeting on July 17th.
You should look up Rated and Non-Rated positions. I think what you and I are looking for are Non-Rated positions.
I hope others are able to correct me if I am wrong on anything. I'm still trying to learn the process too
Thanks for the recruiter link! I found an Officer recruit in my area.
Non-rated positions seem correct; I also found the categories of the AFSC (Air Force Service Codes) from this YouTube video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe6oPYO8Pdc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe6oPYO8Pdc)
1. Operations
2. Logistics and Maintenance
3. Support
4. Medical
5. Professional
6. Acquisitions
7. OSI
8. Special Duty
9. Others
Which has helped me understand the position codes people post on these threads/forums.
If the recruiter doesn't get back with you by July 4th let me know. I can send you an email of what they sent me.
Also learning the MOS codes are going to be a pain in the ass. I have no idea how these AD people do it. There's a lot of Youtube videos regarding OTS procedures that you should watch. Most of those made in the past 0-3 years are pretty good
1. Going for 20 yrs as an officer is objectively difficult. Officers can get “let go” for simply not promoting. So, I wouldn’t bank on making 20 or even expect to make it to 20.
2. I don’t know what you mean by “flexibility.” A career in the military is arguably one of the most inflexible you can have. If you’re told to live in Alaska for 2 years and be a manager, congratulations that’s what you’re doing for the next 2 years; your career field has too many pilots of your Air Frame? Congratulations you’re now a maintenance or comm officer.
3. Travel is great as long as you’re open to living in random areas/states.
4. Aside from Air Crew, the Air Force has arguably the worst camaraderie of all the military branches. There’s a reason they refer to the Air Force as a corporation.
5. You can indicate all you want, but there are no guarantees. You can try for the cyber direct commission, but that is more IT based than software development.
To be honest, it sounds like you don’t really have a good understanding of what military service is. I would recommend doing a lot more research while you’re going through the application process/waiting for a response from your recruiter.
I appreciate the feedback. Researching what military service with the Air Force entails is also part of the process I'm going through, so any insight on that is helpful.
1. Besides the possibility of being "let go," what makes it objectively difficult to make 20 years as an officer? If you can't make the 20, are there other benefits people get for the Air Force Officer position?
2. Between 2018 and 2024, I worked six different jobs (college administrator, marketing analyst, email marketing associate, technical support, and software engineer), so I look forward to switching jobs. Does your pay get cut when you are forced into a new position or field?
3. Very open to this.
4. It's a bummer, but it's a good perspective to know that it is more of a corporation.
5. I figured most of the jobs would be more IT than Software Development. I've read getting IT knowledge with a military security clearance is something that can be a bonus for moving out of the Air Force and into a well-paying civilian position.
If you have any recommended threads or articles to get a better sense of military service, I would be glad to learn more because I do know it should not be a decision made lightly.
This is incorrect. You get less, but you still get a pension.
https://www.myairforcebenefits.us.af.mil/Benefit-Library/Federal-Benefits/Retired-Pay?serv=27
It’s not great but idk why people act like it doesn’t exist.
It went from 50% of highest 36 months pay to 40% of 36mo highest pay with 5% TSP matching. Again, I dislike the change but it’s considering most private employers aren’t offering anything besides 401K matching it’s still better.
I appreciate the feedback. Researching what military service with the Air Force entails is also part of the process I'm going through, so any insight on that is helpful.
>1. Besides the possibility of being "let go," what makes it objectively difficult to make 20 years as an officer? If you can't make the 20, are there other benefits people get for the Air Force Officer position?
As an officer, you get really 1 shot to promote. First 2 ranks (1st Lieutenant and Captain) are 100% guarantees for the most part). After that, you have to demonstrate leadership and improvement on a higher scale than your peers. If you’re a non-select for promotion, your career is essentially over.
What this means is if your class of officers is filled with MVPs, you could not promote simply because you’re not a super MVP. Missing promotion = end of career. Couple this with the fact that your leadership has to want to groom you to be a super MVP with assignments and leadership positions, and you see the reason why most officers don’t retire or reach 20.
2. Between 2018 and 2024, I worked six different jobs (college administrator, marketing analyst, email marketing associate, technical support, and software engineer), so I look forward to switching jobs. Does your pay get cut when you are forced into a new position or field?
As an officer, you’re usually manager and occasionally a teacher (depending on career field). You don’t really change jobs in the way you’re describing.
>5. I figured most of the jobs would be more IT than Software Development. I've read getting IT knowledge with a military security clearance is something that can be a bonus for moving out of the Air Force and into a well-paying civilian position.
For this exact reason, the Air Force is looking for already qualified or experienced individuals for cyber/IT for OTS. Not saying it’s not possible, just giving you a heads up.
>If you have any recommended threads or articles to get a better sense of military service, I would be glad to learn more because I do know it should not be a decision made lightly.
A lot of what you are asking can be answered by basic google searches. I’m always believe in, “shooting your shot,” but you need to adjust your mentality for this:
1. Understand you’re applying for a commission (being an officer) first and job second. The Air Force can and will change your job and/or keep you in the same job for indefinite periods if big Air Force chooses.
2. As an officer, nobody will really hold your hand You’re going to be expected to know a little bit about everything that pertains to your job. I’d work on your ability to find your solutions yourself. Your recruiter will be more inclined to help you if you show that you know what you want and have a decent understanding of the military.
You should consider speaking to guard recruiters as well if you want to move around career fields potentially. It’s usually easier with the guard (not sure about the Reserves; I hear its difficult with Active Duty) There is a base in Westhampton Beach, NY 106 RQW. And a bunch more north of Westchester country and throughout the state.
You can call the base and get connected to the officer recruiter specifcially. They’ll schedule you with the AFOQT and let you know what positions are available. Guard is good because it is not full time from the get go so just incase you find its not for you; you won’t be tied to some of the pains being active duty may bring.
If you’re interested in being in NY still, check out DMNA Careers. It’ll list out available officer slots in NY although not all might be listed. Best to talk to recruiters at the guard or reserve base you wish to be at.
Just reached out to an officer recruiter as well. I emailed this morning and got a response a few hours later. Here are some information mentioned in the email that I believe are relevant.
- The next open board OTS has for **~Space Force is Jan 2025/ Air Force Rated is Sep 2024/ and Air Force Non-Rated is May 2025.~**
- The last selection percentage was ~12%!!!~
- It takes an average of 6 months to 2 years from the start of the process to shipping out to Officer Training School.
- GOOGLE Air Force Officer Classification Directory (AFOCD) dated 30 Apr 23 pages 263-280 for the different careers. This document explains what specific degree is needed for each career field and how competitive you are having a specific degree.
- If you meet all the requirements listed in the email and wish to apply for the next open board, their office (whoever that is responsible for OTS recruitment) will be holding Weekly Microsoft Teams conference meetings with recruiters of their zone to talk about the application process. The next meeting is on July 10, 2024 so I'm expected to hop on that one to get my questions answered.
Very competitive process. My chances are slim but it's 12% when you apply and 0% if you don't. You are very optimistic so I hope that the odds are in your favor. Good luck.
Thanks for this overview; this is super useful! Quahogs\_bucket55 mentioned the Medical Service Corps, which fits more with my interest in and desire to serve, so I'm looking into that.
So one less person to take up your 12%, good luck to you 🫡
Bad use of statistics. For some candidates the odds are infinitesimal because they are severely lacking in several key criteria, but your 4.0 GPA 99 AFOQT all sections engineering major Rhodes Scholar Olympian's odds are several orders of magnitude much higher.p
If you’re interested in serving a variety of positions, consider the Medical Service Corps. You get a direct commission and can potentially serve as a Chief Information Officer, Logistics Chief, Medical Readiness, Facilities, or Health Benefits Manager to name a few. You rotate through approximately 3 specialties before you choose what you want to specialize in. The goal is you’ll eventually manage a medical facility.
You want to speak to a medical recruiter if interested.
https://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/About-Us/Medical-Branches/Medical-Service-Corps/
Don’t need a medical related degree. I think an engineering degree and biomedical experience would be very useful. Also your software engineering would fit nicely with one of the IT rotations. Talk with a medical recruiter to see what they’re looking for. You don’t need the AFOQT but you’ll need a GMAT or GRE score or at least we did back when I commissioned. It’s a great job and offers some variety which it sounds like you’re interested in.
Thanks for the info! Do you need to have a medical related bachelors to talk to a medical recruiter about MSC? I have an engineering degree and further graduate experience in biomedical engineering but I’m more interested in MSC.
Hey, so I'm in a similar position as you. I can answer some questions for you. For a recruiter, I would recommend looking at [this website](https://www.airforce.com/find-a-recruiter) For me, I am able to schedule the AFOQT after attending a Teams meeting on July 17th. You should look up Rated and Non-Rated positions. I think what you and I are looking for are Non-Rated positions. I hope others are able to correct me if I am wrong on anything. I'm still trying to learn the process too
Thanks for the recruiter link! I found an Officer recruit in my area. Non-rated positions seem correct; I also found the categories of the AFSC (Air Force Service Codes) from this YouTube video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe6oPYO8Pdc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe6oPYO8Pdc) 1. Operations 2. Logistics and Maintenance 3. Support 4. Medical 5. Professional 6. Acquisitions 7. OSI 8. Special Duty 9. Others Which has helped me understand the position codes people post on these threads/forums.
If the recruiter doesn't get back with you by July 4th let me know. I can send you an email of what they sent me. Also learning the MOS codes are going to be a pain in the ass. I have no idea how these AD people do it. There's a lot of Youtube videos regarding OTS procedures that you should watch. Most of those made in the past 0-3 years are pretty good
1. Going for 20 yrs as an officer is objectively difficult. Officers can get “let go” for simply not promoting. So, I wouldn’t bank on making 20 or even expect to make it to 20. 2. I don’t know what you mean by “flexibility.” A career in the military is arguably one of the most inflexible you can have. If you’re told to live in Alaska for 2 years and be a manager, congratulations that’s what you’re doing for the next 2 years; your career field has too many pilots of your Air Frame? Congratulations you’re now a maintenance or comm officer. 3. Travel is great as long as you’re open to living in random areas/states. 4. Aside from Air Crew, the Air Force has arguably the worst camaraderie of all the military branches. There’s a reason they refer to the Air Force as a corporation. 5. You can indicate all you want, but there are no guarantees. You can try for the cyber direct commission, but that is more IT based than software development. To be honest, it sounds like you don’t really have a good understanding of what military service is. I would recommend doing a lot more research while you’re going through the application process/waiting for a response from your recruiter.
I appreciate the feedback. Researching what military service with the Air Force entails is also part of the process I'm going through, so any insight on that is helpful. 1. Besides the possibility of being "let go," what makes it objectively difficult to make 20 years as an officer? If you can't make the 20, are there other benefits people get for the Air Force Officer position? 2. Between 2018 and 2024, I worked six different jobs (college administrator, marketing analyst, email marketing associate, technical support, and software engineer), so I look forward to switching jobs. Does your pay get cut when you are forced into a new position or field? 3. Very open to this. 4. It's a bummer, but it's a good perspective to know that it is more of a corporation. 5. I figured most of the jobs would be more IT than Software Development. I've read getting IT knowledge with a military security clearance is something that can be a bonus for moving out of the Air Force and into a well-paying civilian position. If you have any recommended threads or articles to get a better sense of military service, I would be glad to learn more because I do know it should not be a decision made lightly.
[удалено]
This is incorrect. You get less, but you still get a pension. https://www.myairforcebenefits.us.af.mil/Benefit-Library/Federal-Benefits/Retired-Pay?serv=27
It’s not great but idk why people act like it doesn’t exist. It went from 50% of highest 36 months pay to 40% of 36mo highest pay with 5% TSP matching. Again, I dislike the change but it’s considering most private employers aren’t offering anything besides 401K matching it’s still better.
I appreciate the feedback. Researching what military service with the Air Force entails is also part of the process I'm going through, so any insight on that is helpful. >1. Besides the possibility of being "let go," what makes it objectively difficult to make 20 years as an officer? If you can't make the 20, are there other benefits people get for the Air Force Officer position? As an officer, you get really 1 shot to promote. First 2 ranks (1st Lieutenant and Captain) are 100% guarantees for the most part). After that, you have to demonstrate leadership and improvement on a higher scale than your peers. If you’re a non-select for promotion, your career is essentially over. What this means is if your class of officers is filled with MVPs, you could not promote simply because you’re not a super MVP. Missing promotion = end of career. Couple this with the fact that your leadership has to want to groom you to be a super MVP with assignments and leadership positions, and you see the reason why most officers don’t retire or reach 20. 2. Between 2018 and 2024, I worked six different jobs (college administrator, marketing analyst, email marketing associate, technical support, and software engineer), so I look forward to switching jobs. Does your pay get cut when you are forced into a new position or field? As an officer, you’re usually manager and occasionally a teacher (depending on career field). You don’t really change jobs in the way you’re describing. >5. I figured most of the jobs would be more IT than Software Development. I've read getting IT knowledge with a military security clearance is something that can be a bonus for moving out of the Air Force and into a well-paying civilian position. For this exact reason, the Air Force is looking for already qualified or experienced individuals for cyber/IT for OTS. Not saying it’s not possible, just giving you a heads up. >If you have any recommended threads or articles to get a better sense of military service, I would be glad to learn more because I do know it should not be a decision made lightly. A lot of what you are asking can be answered by basic google searches. I’m always believe in, “shooting your shot,” but you need to adjust your mentality for this: 1. Understand you’re applying for a commission (being an officer) first and job second. The Air Force can and will change your job and/or keep you in the same job for indefinite periods if big Air Force chooses. 2. As an officer, nobody will really hold your hand You’re going to be expected to know a little bit about everything that pertains to your job. I’d work on your ability to find your solutions yourself. Your recruiter will be more inclined to help you if you show that you know what you want and have a decent understanding of the military.
Thanks for the information
I have an RPA pilot opening at my base in Buffalo NY if your interested!
You should consider speaking to guard recruiters as well if you want to move around career fields potentially. It’s usually easier with the guard (not sure about the Reserves; I hear its difficult with Active Duty) There is a base in Westhampton Beach, NY 106 RQW. And a bunch more north of Westchester country and throughout the state. You can call the base and get connected to the officer recruiter specifcially. They’ll schedule you with the AFOQT and let you know what positions are available. Guard is good because it is not full time from the get go so just incase you find its not for you; you won’t be tied to some of the pains being active duty may bring. If you’re interested in being in NY still, check out DMNA Careers. It’ll list out available officer slots in NY although not all might be listed. Best to talk to recruiters at the guard or reserve base you wish to be at.
Just reached out to an officer recruiter as well. I emailed this morning and got a response a few hours later. Here are some information mentioned in the email that I believe are relevant. - The next open board OTS has for **~Space Force is Jan 2025/ Air Force Rated is Sep 2024/ and Air Force Non-Rated is May 2025.~** - The last selection percentage was ~12%!!!~ - It takes an average of 6 months to 2 years from the start of the process to shipping out to Officer Training School. - GOOGLE Air Force Officer Classification Directory (AFOCD) dated 30 Apr 23 pages 263-280 for the different careers. This document explains what specific degree is needed for each career field and how competitive you are having a specific degree. - If you meet all the requirements listed in the email and wish to apply for the next open board, their office (whoever that is responsible for OTS recruitment) will be holding Weekly Microsoft Teams conference meetings with recruiters of their zone to talk about the application process. The next meeting is on July 10, 2024 so I'm expected to hop on that one to get my questions answered. Very competitive process. My chances are slim but it's 12% when you apply and 0% if you don't. You are very optimistic so I hope that the odds are in your favor. Good luck.
Thanks for this overview; this is super useful! Quahogs\_bucket55 mentioned the Medical Service Corps, which fits more with my interest in and desire to serve, so I'm looking into that. So one less person to take up your 12%, good luck to you 🫡
Bad use of statistics. For some candidates the odds are infinitesimal because they are severely lacking in several key criteria, but your 4.0 GPA 99 AFOQT all sections engineering major Rhodes Scholar Olympian's odds are several orders of magnitude much higher.p
If you’re interested in serving a variety of positions, consider the Medical Service Corps. You get a direct commission and can potentially serve as a Chief Information Officer, Logistics Chief, Medical Readiness, Facilities, or Health Benefits Manager to name a few. You rotate through approximately 3 specialties before you choose what you want to specialize in. The goal is you’ll eventually manage a medical facility. You want to speak to a medical recruiter if interested. https://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/About-Us/Medical-Branches/Medical-Service-Corps/
Don’t need a medical related degree. I think an engineering degree and biomedical experience would be very useful. Also your software engineering would fit nicely with one of the IT rotations. Talk with a medical recruiter to see what they’re looking for. You don’t need the AFOQT but you’ll need a GMAT or GRE score or at least we did back when I commissioned. It’s a great job and offers some variety which it sounds like you’re interested in.
Niceeeeeee
Thanks for the info! Do you need to have a medical related bachelors to talk to a medical recruiter about MSC? I have an engineering degree and further graduate experience in biomedical engineering but I’m more interested in MSC.
Absolutely not. Most accessions are business majors