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Would I be a fool to get out of the military?
#1
I feel like I just need to vent a little, but this is a serious question of mine. This month I enter the home stretch of my 4 year enlistment in the Air Force. With 6 months to go I am scrambling each day trying to determine my options, and tossing and turning each night weighing the pros and cons. I don't see myself doing 20 years, but with over 1/3 of Americans not in the work force I need to decide what would be best for my wife and I. Luckily we don't have any children yet, so that provides a certain amount of freedom.

On one hand:
We'd love to go back to Michigan and be closer to our families, and I'd like to finish my degree at CMU.

On the other:
I love the gauranteed paycheck and the free health coverage.

It's not that I dislike my job, I'm just not a big fan of the military lifestyle. Also, I'm seeing retraining applications being canceled left and right so if I stay in I'd likely be stuck here.

I thought about Palace Fronting to Air Guard to get the best of both worlds, but that depends on if there is a job opening in Battle Creek, MI that I wouldn't mind doing. Right now there is a Finance job open that I would love! But...who knows if that will be an option in 6 months.

So the question remains: Would I be a fool to give up a guaranteed paycheck to try my chances on the outside?

Luckily my job allows a certain amount of downtime for studying, and CLEPs/DSSTs are my escape from the difficult decisions that lie ahead...
TESU BSBA in General Management
CCAF AAS in Computer Science Technology

Resources used:  CLEP, DSST,
Penn Foster, Sophia, StraighterLine, TEEX, NFA, ALEKS, The Institutes
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#2
If you can afford to live on the post 9/11 GI Bill stipend which is about $1200 per month in our local area, I would suggest getting out and going to college full time. The Air Force is entering a phase similar to the early 90's when people were being denied CJRs just because they didn't have firewall 5 EPRs. The change to civilian life is going to be scary, but the sooner you get started on a civilian career the more time you have to build a retirement. I left after 12 years in the Air Force and would have been far better off leaving after the first four.
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#3
What is the job that you do in the F? is it something you can secure a job with once you're out? you can always stay Guard Reserve, and sort of get the best of both worlds
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#4
My job is 3D0X4 Programmer, but I doubt I could get a job with the "experience" I've gotten here. I would have to lie through my teeth to make myself look good, so pretty much just memorize my EPR bullets... I don't enjoy coding, luckily I haven't had to do hardly any since tech school. Guard seems to be the only option between the 2 since there aren't any Reserve bases in MI.

Thanks for the advice UptonSinclair, depending on the job my wife gets back home I could probably live off of the housing allowance. It looks like it's around 1100 for E5 w/ dependents where I'd like to go. Right now we're just living off of my income so it wouldn't be too big of a change. I do hope to go full time and probably double major just to milk a little more out of the GI Bill.
TESU BSBA in General Management
CCAF AAS in Computer Science Technology

Resources used:  CLEP, DSST,
Penn Foster, Sophia, StraighterLine, TEEX, NFA, ALEKS, The Institutes
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#5
What does your wife think? This is the key. I was Navy nuclear power in the early 70's, and my nephew was AF Saudi Arabia mid 80's. In both our cases we were single during our military life. We both left with potential great careers ahead because we had no time for finding family. But you already have it. So if you are not adverse to your work and your wife can put up with the separation, then it would probably pay off handsomely for you. I have never met a veteran, man or woman, who at the age of 40 (Wall Street bankers excepted) who did not say: "You know I should have stayed in". The years go by so fast in hindsight. There is plenty of opportunity at 40 to begin a new civilian career. And you will have the finances to make the best choices. Good luck!
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#6
I don't know anything about the military, but I know a bit about being a wife of 20 years. This question should go to her. Having a marriage in the military requires dual-sacrifices, and any married couple has to consider the question of children- either now or not now, but you being home or away or deployed, these are all HUGE HUGE HUGE marital decisions.
I'll be frank, I wish my sons would enlist, and in that same sentence I'll confess that I couldn't be married to an enlisted man- I need my husband home. I don't think this is an employment issue as much as it is a marital one. I wish you both the best as you decide, together.
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#7
I had the same issue a couple years back(without the family), I decided to join the Reserves and move to a high BAH area to go to school, working out well. At least if you stay Guard/Reserve you get to make a little extra on the side and get very cheap health insurance for your family. And you still get to take CLEPs/DSSTs for free.
Intro to Computing - 67; Ethics in America - 53; Analyzing & Interpreting Lit - 53; Principles of Management - 58; Lifespan Dev Psyc - 51; Human Resource Management - 46; Info Sys & comp Applications - 61; Principles of Supervision - 47; Human Cultural Geography - 51; Public Speaking - 55; College Mathmatics - 55; College Comp w/essay - 53; Technical Writing - 59;
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#8
Vandalet Wrote:I had the same issue a couple years back(without the family), I decided to join the Reserves and move to a high BAH area to go to school, working out well. At least if you stay Guard/Reserve you get to make a little extra on the side and get very cheap health insurance for your family. And you still get to take CLEPs/DSSTs for free.

I like the sound of a little money on the side and I'd love my wife to have good insurance for when we have a baby later on. I believe spouses also get to CLEP for free in Reserve and Guard? My wife already has her BA in English, but I think she'd like to go back for another degree. I don't think she minds either way if I stay in and is very supportive of me and my decisions. But I know she can't wait to get back home to family. My brother has been AD AF and then Reserve since 2002, he loves it and highly encourages switching. I just need to go talk to the Guard recruiter and check out my options...
TESU BSBA in General Management
CCAF AAS in Computer Science Technology

Resources used:  CLEP, DSST,
Penn Foster, Sophia, StraighterLine, TEEX, NFA, ALEKS, The Institutes
Reply
#9
The other thing to look at, that your brother can probably help with, is that some jobs at guard/reserve Wings have more full time slots(Guard Technicians) than traditional slots. So if you find one of those jobs and already work there, then you have a good chance at getting hired full time when a position opens up(another situation that happened to myself).
Intro to Computing - 67; Ethics in America - 53; Analyzing & Interpreting Lit - 53; Principles of Management - 58; Lifespan Dev Psyc - 51; Human Resource Management - 46; Info Sys & comp Applications - 61; Principles of Supervision - 47; Human Cultural Geography - 51; Public Speaking - 55; College Mathmatics - 55; College Comp w/essay - 53; Technical Writing - 59;
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#10
I honestly wouldn't get out until you have your Bachelor's degree in hand. That way you can use your GI Bill for a Master's and a possible Doctorates...
COSC, EC and TESC make it really easy for Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and Civilians in Uniform finish up a degree on TA and later on the GI Bill when you are out.

To be honest with you I wish I had gotten out sooner (I got out after 16 years without a degree). If I had to do it all over again, I would have finished my degree while I was in and got out after my 6 year term was up...
2014 MBA Management & Strategy - WGU
2013 BS
Nuclear Energy Engineering Technology - TESC
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2013 AS
Nuclear Engineering Technology - TESC

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