New Guy... What if question...

[JFL12]

This is my first post on this site, so I figured I would give a small introduction. My name is Jeff Linton, I am 23, and I live in Meridian, MS/ Starkville, MS. Anyway long story short I have always wanted to be a fighter pilot, but since my junior year in high school I have made up excuses not to pursue it. After a few years of puttering around with "just getting by" grades I finally realized I had no idea what I wanted to do, and I guess you could say I got lucky. An air traffic controller for the Navy base here in Meridian started working part time at the O'reilly auto parts store I work at. He just basically eased alot of my worries about being in the military in general, and gave me some helpful insight on the bonuses of becoming an officer in general (I know he is not an officer, but he still had good information on the subject). I also stumbled along Ed Rush's book, and various other things happened all at the right time for me to finally convince myself to go for it. I currently have a 2.5ish GPA in Electrical Engineering and I will be going into my junior semester this summer. My biggest problem at the moment is that I am having a horrible time deciding which service is best for me, so here is the question...

If I get a commision, and if I can get a flight slot, and if I make it through OCS, and then washout of flight school for medical or whatever other reasons, what jobs will most likely end up available to me?

Any information will help, and I know there is probably thread after thread on this subject already, but I don't have internet access at home so I only check once in a while (Hotels with wifi are handy, but laptop batteries dont last long). I havent contacted a recruiter yet, and this seemed like a subject that they would sugar coat. I just wanted a non-biased opinion possibly from people that have been there.

Thanks for any help.

 

[scoober78]

If I get a commision, and if I can get a flight slot, and if I make it through OCS, and then washout of flight school for medical or whatever other reasons, what jobs will most likely end up available to me?

There is absolutely no way to answer this question. It is entirely dependent on waaay too many factors outside our knowledge and or control that it is really not useful to speculate. It would depend on needs of the service at the time (IA's are not uncommon now), the reason that you wash out (medical washout may disqualify you from many other communities as well), your attitude (board members much more likely to help you get what you want if you are hard working and motivated and your attrite is due to something eles), your desires to a limited degree and your potential for success somewhere else. (Don't count on being a Nuclear Propulsion Officer if you failed out of flight school etc...) I have known people who have attrited and then gone on to do almost every other conceivable type of job in the military...Metro officers, Oceanography, Intel, Surface Warfare, Supply....on and on. I have also known some who went to Civlantflt...aka...out o' the military.

Getting an idea why this is unanswerable??

You stated earlier in your post that you weren't sure what branch you were looking to join. That may be a good place to start. Best of luck.

 

[P3 F0]

... After a few years of puttering around with "just getting by" grades...I will be going into my junior semester this summer.

Out of curiosity, did you write that wrong, or did you fail a bunch of classes?

As for your question, I totally agree with scoober. This is why whichever branch you choose, you need to want to be an officer in that branch just as much if not more so than you want to be a pilot/NFO/whatever. Because at some point, you're going to have to commit and have some faith in yourself that a) you'll get what you want and get qual'd, and b) if you don't, you'll be happy wherever you wind up in the Navy or AF.

And keep in mind, if you decide to get out after your inital commitment, most employers will look favorably at your service.

 

[JFL12]

Out of curiosity, did you write that wrong, or did you fail a bunch of classes?

I did not write it wrong, but I havent failed any classes either. For a guy that graduated highschool with a 4.1 GPA and made a 28 on the ACT a 2.3-2.5 GPA doesnt take much effort... it takes doing "just enough to get by."


I guess in retrospect I asked that question wrong... what I am really asking is where can I go to find out SPECIFIC information on jobs offered to officers in the Navy, Air Force, and Marines. I can find job descriptions, but I don't have a clue what most of it means nor does it actually say what you actually do. I.E. my job description at O'reilly's would be something like "You are responsible for understanding and correctly retrieving various automotive parts for the individual customer" I need to know where to go to find out real world information on the various jobs... the site... preferably the books... that would explain my job as "your gonna answer the phone alot, drug addicts that cant afford the parts are gonna yell at you alot, and your gonna go get parts and sell them." I have found enough information on the Air Force at books a million to have a good idea, and alot of enlisted stuff about the Marines, but BAM has no love for the Navy haha, and no love for Marine Officer's. Plenty of love for the Air Force though. It's actually kind of irritating.

Maybe that will be easier to answer, and also my skin is plenty thick. So if you see something that is unanswerable, wrong, or that seems to be asked because of a lack of knowledge tell me. I would rather look stupid on this website than look stupid in front of a recruiter. Like for instance I occasionally type like a teenager due to sending to many text messages and growing up on AOL instant messenger, I am working myself out of that trend.

 

[JFL12]

Just noticed the section I probably should have put this under. Is there a Moderator that can move this thread to the "Military Aviation in General" section, or should I start another thread?

 

[milky-f18]

This is the right category for this question.

 

[JBM]

Search on this site, it has a lot of good descriptions of many of the communities available, specifically line officers, in the Navy. I'm sure you can find another forum that will be just as informative about AF jobs.

 

[Spekkio]

I guess in retrospect I asked that question wrong... what I am really asking is where can I go to find out SPECIFIC information on jobs offered to officers in the Navy, Air Force, and Marines. I can find job descriptions, but I don't have a clue what most of it means nor does it actually say what you actually do. I.E. my job description at O'reilly's would be something like "You are responsible for understanding and correctly retrieving various automotive parts for the individual customer" I need to know where to go to find out real world information on the various jobs... the site... preferably the books... that would explain my job as "your gonna answer the phone alot, drug addicts that cant afford the parts are gonna yell at you alot, and your gonna go get parts and sell them." I have found enough information on the Air Force at books a million to have a good idea, and alot of enlisted stuff about the Marines, but BAM has no love for the Navy haha, and no love for Marine Officer's. Plenty of love for the Air Force though. It's actually kind of irritating.

Ever try calling officer recruiters for the respective branches? They should be able to A) answer your questions in more detail and B) put you in touch with anyone with the specific designations you are seeking. However, it will make both their and your job easier if you can narrow down your interests.

 

[JFL12]

it will make both their and your job easier if you can narrow down your interests.

Bingo... I am trying to narrow it down, but when you have no clue what anyone other than pilots do its hard. And when you dont have hours a day to sift through the good and bad websites and threads its even harder. I need books or specific websites. I am trying the search but coming up short on specifics.

 

[scoober78]

Honestly, it sounds like your best bet would be to contact an Officer Recruiter your area. (ie...not the enlisted recruiter) There are many here who could probably give you the "job description" of many different communities but as they say...until you've walked a mile in someone's shoes you ain't gonna know... Most of us here know aviation...a couple know SWO etc...

Ultimately though, P3 is right. Anything is possible...you could be struck dead tomorrow...you could join and be the next Chuck Yeager. For my .02 you are looking too far down the pipe. Don't worry about the job you may have to choose if plan A doesn't work out...do your damndest to make plan A work! It is just a committment to yourself. Choose the Navy cause you think flying off the boat would be best...Choose the Air Force if you get seasick and want to fly all the latest and greatest toys etc...Your choice now won't effect whether you enjoy yourself so much as your attitude once you get there. Don't plan to fail in either case.

BTW...the biggest differences, and IMHO the most important ones between the services are not what they do, strange as it sounds, but HOW they do it. Culture is everything. The AF prides itself on having a Corporate culture...good benefits, lots of buzzwords like "synergy" ....blah, blah blah...The Marine Corps on doing more with less...sea going heritage...etc, etc..etc... This, ultimately will have the biggest impact on your life. Recruiters will give you a taste of what to expect here as well. Don't just listen to them, watch...

 

[Spekkio]

Bingo... I am trying to narrow it down, but when you have no clue what anyone other than pilots do its hard. And when you dont have hours a day to sift through the good and bad websites and threads its even harder. I need books or specific websites. I am trying the search but coming up short on specifics.

You can find basic description of various jobs at each of the military branch's websites. While it's not going to give you a "personal account" of what the field is like, it will give you the general job description. Write down the ones that interest you from there, and go ask the recruiter(s) about them for further information.

For example, I didn't have to talk to an Army officer to know that I didn't want to be an armor officer. It just doesn't interest me.

Oh, and work on bringing that GPA up.

 

[bunk22]

I would also consider the Air National Gaurd. It's pretty much Air Force and most units typically consider two new students a year. Like all the services, very competitive. If you apply to an ANG unit that fly's F-16's, are accepted and make the grade in flight training, you will fly F-16's with that unit. There is no gaurantee in the Navy or Marine Corps to fly fighters. The needs of the service and timing are often more of a player than performance. Coming in to just be a fighter pilot in the Navy or Marine Corps might leave you wanting.

 

[TBone]

Scoober78 is right, consider the culture. I'll be glad to answer any specific questions you have about the Marine side of the house. We pride ourselves on doing more with less and "toughing things out". It can be frustrating, but there is a lot of pride and you get to experience the air and ground side of things (assuming you go air) with a ground job in your squadron and then a FAC (forward air controller) tour with the grunts if you desire. Many instructors have told me along the way "you'll be happy no matter what platform you end up with" and I find that to be very true. I ended up flying Harriers and I love them. My buddies flying all different types of helos and fixed wing aircraft love their platforms too.

I'll look for some specific websites, but you may want to search YouTube for making of a Marine officer or Making of a Naval Officer. I think Discovery Channel did some programs where they followed them around.

Also, I'd be careful going and talking to a recruiter (no offense if there are recruiters out there) they have numbers they have to meet and may try to persuade you to apply for something that isn't a good fit (my officer selection officer was great and I still talk with him all the time). Find out what you want and then talk to them with specific questions.

 

[JFL12]

Many instructors have told me along the way "you'll be happy no matter what platform you end up with" and I find that to be very true. I ended up flying Harriers and I love them. My buddies flying all different types of helos and fixed wing aircraft love their platforms too.

I don't mean what I am fixing to say sarcastically at all, I am really wondering what anyone else who's sole desire was to fly fighters thought when they were in my shoes. I have heard or read what you said above alot, but its just not the most comforting thing to hear. I just don't know if I am being hard headed or if everyone has the same feelings when they know what they want but have years of wondering ahead of them. I know flying rubber dog s*** out of hong kong would be a much better job than anything else I could ever get a job doing (damn sure better than O'reilly auto parts), but I am just wondering if everyone else has had a sort of "I wish you had another answer" thought in their head when hearing that. I get up and work out every morning, and then run 3 miles after I get off work, and at night basically hope for the best. Its even more frustrating because if I had just had my life together when I graduated high school I could be living in meridian flying T-45s right now instead of living in Meridian and watching them fly over my head.

I very much appreciate the help and thoughts. Its incedibly nice to talk to people that don't think you have completely lost you mind haha, and don't worry this IS NOT leading up to me asking what my chances of getting jets are. I just needed to see if some worrying and nervousness was uncommon.

 

[bunk22]

I don't mean what I am fixing to say sarcastically at all, I am really wondering what anyone else who's sole desire was to fly fighters thought when they were in my shoes. I have heard or read what you said above alot, but its just not the most comforting thing to hear. I just don't know if I am being hard headed or if everyone has the same feelings when they know what they want but have years of wondering ahead of them. I know flying rubber dog s*** out of hong kong would be a much better job than anything else I could ever get a job doing (damn sure better than O'reilly auto parts), but I am just wondering if everyone else has had a sort of "I wish you had another answer" thought in their head when hearing that. I get up and work out every morning, and then run 3 miles after I get off work, and at night basically hope for the best. Its even more frustrating because if I had just had my life together when I graduated high school I could be living in meridian flying T-45s right now instead of living in Meridian and watching them fly over my head.

You only know what you know and right now, it's jack shit. I don't mean that in a mean way either. You have to take our word for it, you will either like what you fly or like the life of what you fly. I am a prime example. I wanted jets and fighters badly when I was a kid through college and flight school. Made the cut and got E2/C2. I was bummed, very bummed. I kept that drive though, I thought I would switch platforms or at the very least, fly T-45's as an IP. Neither of which happened. Flying COD's was never really fun. If round is funny then flying straight and level is fun. Flying a COD is flying rubber dogshit out of Hong Kong btw. The good part of that is the life in Hong Kong, or in Singapore, or Bahrain or Australia, etc. Once you start heading back to your hotel room or flat, open the fridge to a beer or go to the local bar with local or out of town girls, life becomes good. By the end of my second deployment, had no desire to switch over to any other platform. Wanted to IP in T-45's but ended up going to the FRS but thats another story. Just remember, success isn't always doing what you want to do but what you have to do.

Quality of life my just be more important as well. I had a chance to go to the wing in Meridian, fly T-45's. Took the job down here in P-cola flying the T-34 becaue of the job, the quality of life vs Meridian. Point is, attitude's can change. You just aren't at that point yet. If it comes to the point where you still are unhappy, there is always the ability to change platforms. Small chance but still a chance. I know of a few guys from my community who switched over, one to Prowlers, one to Hornets.