So Ive been talking to a few recruiters..
12-02-2007, 06:40 PM
#21
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If you join the Army as an ATC good luck. Other then not doing your job while deployed (the AF controls all the air space IIRC) you should have a good job.
The Army is pretty upfront about a bunch of things. Personally I would go to military.com and read the article that deals with the things your recruiter might not tell you. Tons of info.
Also the Army has the LONGEST deployment time out of any branch. Im on my second deployment already and Ive only been in 35 months. Its pretty tiring to spend all your time in Iraq. If you are lucky and land in a unit that is on stabilization then you wont deploy for approx 3 years but you will get some time over here.
Another thing about rank, when I came in you can take a PT and intelligence test to earn a grade so you come in at an E2 regardless of contract length. Then in 6-12 months you will get your E3 and another 6-12 months you will get your E4. (not sure on the waiver times right now)
Dont sign anything longer then a 4 year contract. If you sign for a 6 you might hate it but be stuck for what seems like for ever. Plus if you sign a 4 yr you will have a better chance at getting better bonuses. Its a complicated system but trust me on that one.
Any questions feel free to PM me. Im a medic so I cant help out with the field choice but I can help you wade through the recruiters.
The Army is pretty upfront about a bunch of things. Personally I would go to military.com and read the article that deals with the things your recruiter might not tell you. Tons of info.
Also the Army has the LONGEST deployment time out of any branch. Im on my second deployment already and Ive only been in 35 months. Its pretty tiring to spend all your time in Iraq. If you are lucky and land in a unit that is on stabilization then you wont deploy for approx 3 years but you will get some time over here.
Another thing about rank, when I came in you can take a PT and intelligence test to earn a grade so you come in at an E2 regardless of contract length. Then in 6-12 months you will get your E3 and another 6-12 months you will get your E4. (not sure on the waiver times right now)
Dont sign anything longer then a 4 year contract. If you sign for a 6 you might hate it but be stuck for what seems like for ever. Plus if you sign a 4 yr you will have a better chance at getting better bonuses. Its a complicated system but trust me on that one.
Any questions feel free to PM me. Im a medic so I cant help out with the field choice but I can help you wade through the recruiters.
What do you mean by not doing my job while deployed?
I was told that if/when I get/got deployed I would be doing my job no matter what. Can someone confirm this for me?
Can I get into the AF as an ATC? They seem to only be able to sign you up to a career "area" type deal. How hard is it to get an AF recruiter to get me in as a specific job?
12-02-2007, 06:53 PM
#22
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What do you mean by not doing my job while deployed?
I was told that if/when I get/got deployed I would be doing my job no matter what. Can someone confirm this for me?
Can I get into the AF as an ATC? They seem to only be able to sign you up to a career "area" type deal. How hard is it to get an AF recruiter to get me in as a specific job?
I was told that if/when I get/got deployed I would be doing my job no matter what. Can someone confirm this for me?
Can I get into the AF as an ATC? They seem to only be able to sign you up to a career "area" type deal. How hard is it to get an AF recruiter to get me in as a specific job?
it isnt hard, u just have to put ur foot down. u will have to be patient waiting for certain jobs to open up.
12-02-2007, 07:24 PM
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What do you mean by not doing my job while deployed?
I was told that if/when I get/got deployed I would be doing my job no matter what. Can someone confirm this for me?
Can I get into the AF as an ATC? They seem to only be able to sign you up to a career "area" type deal. How hard is it to get an AF recruiter to get me in as a specific job?
I was told that if/when I get/got deployed I would be doing my job no matter what. Can someone confirm this for me?
Can I get into the AF as an ATC? They seem to only be able to sign you up to a career "area" type deal. How hard is it to get an AF recruiter to get me in as a specific job?
If you were told that by a recruiter dont listen. Find a military forum and ask about it on there.
If you really want this job in the AF just wait it out. Every job has openings, you just got to wait til they do. It might be hard right now in the AF though because they are down sizing pretty much all the way across the branch.
12-02-2007, 08:09 PM
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you sound like the awol people we have turn themselves in from the army every couple of months. I love hearing that excuse my recruitter lied to me its great. Yes some will not tell the truth but not all. This person is taking the correct first step by asking questions. My recruiter did not lie to me at all and very few people i talked to since i've been in (1 month short of a year exactly) have been lied to. You can pick your job before leaving for basic you sign a contract it can be open general etc or one saying your job. My contract said 1c3x1. I knew exactly where my job is etc. That being said i waited 5 months for a spot to come avail for my job. Open general i can go to meps pass and leave for basic the next day if all worked out. As far as being under an e-4 i had college so went in as an e-3 and very rarely am i treated any different. I get the same respect from all people. Some of the old timers will say can i speak to your other controller cause they will think that not all airmen will have the answers since we havent been in long and in some aspects they are correct. I speak with e-4's and above all day long. Most of the time its e-6's or above. Also deal with o-6's and above all day long also. I get the same respect as anyone else. just like any job you will have bad bosses here and there. I do not have to get a haircut every week, when i'm not at work i can do whatever i want. Yea once or 2x a year we get a room inspection at my dorm but thats because i'm living in there rooms thats to be expected if your living off base your landlord would probely stop by 1 or 2 times at least to make sure his house is ok. That being said they arent hard they just make sure you dont have old nasty food in your fridge, garage all over your floor etc. Downside to military is double jepordy. You mess up off base well you still fall under the ucmj so you can get jail time etc for a dui and then spend more time in jail cause of the ucmj. I have no compliants about going into the military. I went to college for 2 and a half years and said it wasnt for me wasnt sure what i wanted to do so went into the air force.
12-02-2007, 08:29 PM
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in the AF if you sign up for a 6 year active 2 year inactive, after basic you'll be an E3/Airman 1st class. i however did not do that because i think its stupid signing up for a longer contract if you do not really know what lies ahead. and your score is alot better than mine! just make sure they'll gaurantee you the job you want.
12-02-2007, 08:35 PM
#27
If you decide to go AF find a recruiter that wants to work hard to get you in doing what you want. Some will some won't, I have met both.
Anything they tell you post on here or on a millitary forum and people can tell you if he or she is being straight with you or not. A lot of them will tell you anything just to get you in and help their quota.
12-02-2007, 09:40 PM
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I was limited because Im red/green color blind but I walked out the first time because they wanted me to be a cook. I had an asvab of 89 and said screw that so I left. Called two weeks later and offered me medic.
12-02-2007, 10:17 PM
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First of all, your biggest bargaining chip in getting a job in the Army is your GT score, not really your overall ASVAB score. You'll need at least a 110 if you want any type of "specialized" job, like an ATC. IIRC, ATC requires a 6 year active duty commitment, at least it did 10 yrs ago, when one of my friends signed up for ATC. In any event, it's been 7 years since I got out, so I may not know what the hell I'm talking about anymore. Good luck though. 
12-02-2007, 11:25 PM
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Well, I had a similar issue with talking to a Marine Corps Recruiter. I was already a civilian Firefighter/EMT and was looking into joining the Marines. When I talked with a recruiter and took my ASVAB (91/99) he told me I was able to choose from any MOS because my test scores qualified. I made it VERY CLEAR to him that I would need to have an Aircraft avation MOS , actually Avation crash rescue because I wanted to be a firefighter in the Marines. If I did not upkeep my civilian Firefighter certification within 3 years, I would be forced to go back through the academy again (which I did not want to do). The only way to have a valid civilian Firefighter certification is to work for a FD or volunteer and the marines would count. I STRESSED how important this was because what happens after my years in the military when I want to be a civilian again, no Firefighter certification !! The SSGT told me well we cant promise you that job so heres what we can promise you.. Wait until the posistion opens and you can then APPLY! Well, it was then and there I decided I needed to keep my certs and not join. I regret never going into the military even before my civilian FF/EMT job because its been in my family (Grandfather was Full Colonel USAF).
On another note, my friend went into the Marines and was planning on being a ATC and wound up being a meterologist in Japan @ Okinawa (sp) . He told me his recruiter painted him a nice picture and never delivered.
On another note, my friend went into the Marines and was planning on being a ATC and wound up being a meterologist in Japan @ Okinawa (sp) . He told me his recruiter painted him a nice picture and never delivered.
12-03-2007, 08:29 AM
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Forgot to mention i was about to go in as ATC for the Air Force, but my other choice opened up first. In the Air Force you have to sign a 6 year contract if you do ATC. They do this due to the fact its a long tech school and most people who go ATC do not reenlist because of the money they can make outside of the military doing there job. As said earlier Af is downsizing but there is a pretty high fail out rate in tech school for ATC so openings happen pretty often
12-03-2007, 04:25 PM
#32
The air force recruiter will get you the job you want - or you dont sign the contract...wait for the job you want to open up!!!! Dont settle! If you choose your secondary carrer choice like i mentioned before, yes you can change carrers or stay..up to you!!!
Blackhawk - I was in the corps i know what you mean....it gets better though....try to stay positive...
Blackhawk - I was in the corps i know what you mean....it gets better though....try to stay positive...
12-03-2007, 07:05 PM
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Other than the Corps, my life is great.
12-03-2007, 09:18 PM
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Yeah, but things shouldn't be that way, is how I feel. Why just because you have rank should you be treated better than you did before you had rank? I believe that we were all considered adults when we signed a contract at 18 or however many years old, and I feel like we should be treated like adults, not like kids. I feel all the military has done is make me feel like i'm STILL in high school. I don't even feel like an adult with the way I get treated by "higher ups", if you will. Unfortunately, my MOS has an average cutting score of the 1600s, so, I'm still a LCpl. Oh, and you would think that when you go to Iraq things might get a little more relaxed, in that context i mean by how you're treated, well, wrong, I think I got treated worse. I know a lot of other marines that feel the way I do, so, i'm not the only one.
12-04-2007, 04:17 AM
#36
Blackhawk, Man, I can see from your attitude that that you would have a problem in the military. BUT I WILL NOT blame it all on you. I know there are some serious Dirtbags in the military that wear stripes and only give a damn about themselves. Unfortunately we can't just strip the stripes and kick their *** out.
All I can say is do your time and move on and learn from it, or drive on and use your outlook and abilities to lead the way you believe a young Marine should be led. When you strive to gain rank, become the equivalent rank or surpass the ones you despise, then you can tactfully explain to them they are a total shitbag and mentor them to be a leader, OR, process them out. But don't do it the way they do. If you do it more professionally, they will always be the dirtbag.
As much as I hate stupidity and lack of common sense, I put up with more than enough everyday. But as long as any soldier I know is being taken care of, I'm doing my job as an NCO. It doesn't matter what unit, branch, whatever. Caring for soldiers more than my familiy almost cost me my marriage. ALMOST!!!
SPECIALIZED: With the score you have, Give the AF recruiter your card and tell him to call you when an ATC job opens. I will bet he'll call you within 3 days. Be the confident one. Don't be a smartass though, but they need you, you don't need them.
All I can say is do your time and move on and learn from it, or drive on and use your outlook and abilities to lead the way you believe a young Marine should be led. When you strive to gain rank, become the equivalent rank or surpass the ones you despise, then you can tactfully explain to them they are a total shitbag and mentor them to be a leader, OR, process them out. But don't do it the way they do. If you do it more professionally, they will always be the dirtbag.
As much as I hate stupidity and lack of common sense, I put up with more than enough everyday. But as long as any soldier I know is being taken care of, I'm doing my job as an NCO. It doesn't matter what unit, branch, whatever. Caring for soldiers more than my familiy almost cost me my marriage. ALMOST!!!
SPECIALIZED: With the score you have, Give the AF recruiter your card and tell him to call you when an ATC job opens. I will bet he'll call you within 3 days. Be the confident one. Don't be a smartass though, but they need you, you don't need them.
12-04-2007, 12:55 PM
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Blackhawk, Man, I can see from your attitude that that you would have a problem in the military. BUT I WILL NOT blame it all on you. I know there are some serious Dirtbags in the military that wear stripes and only give a damn about themselves. Unfortunately we can't just strip the stripes and kick their *** out.
All I can say is do your time and move on and learn from it, or drive on and use your outlook and abilities to lead the way you believe a young Marine should be led. When you strive to gain rank, become the equivalent rank or surpass the ones you despise, then you can tactfully explain to them they are a total shitbag and mentor them to be a leader, OR, process them out. But don't do it the way they do. If you do it more professionally, they will always be the dirtbag.
As much as I hate stupidity and lack of common sense, I put up with more than enough everyday. But as long as any soldier I know is being taken care of, I'm doing my job as an NCO. It doesn't matter what unit, branch, whatever. Caring for soldiers more than my familiy almost cost me my marriage. ALMOST!!!
SPECIALIZED: With the score you have, Give the AF recruiter your card and tell him to call you when an ATC job opens. I will bet he'll call you within 3 days. Be the confident one. Don't be a smartass though, but they need you, you don't need them.
All I can say is do your time and move on and learn from it, or drive on and use your outlook and abilities to lead the way you believe a young Marine should be led. When you strive to gain rank, become the equivalent rank or surpass the ones you despise, then you can tactfully explain to them they are a total shitbag and mentor them to be a leader, OR, process them out. But don't do it the way they do. If you do it more professionally, they will always be the dirtbag.
As much as I hate stupidity and lack of common sense, I put up with more than enough everyday. But as long as any soldier I know is being taken care of, I'm doing my job as an NCO. It doesn't matter what unit, branch, whatever. Caring for soldiers more than my familiy almost cost me my marriage. ALMOST!!!
SPECIALIZED: With the score you have, Give the AF recruiter your card and tell him to call you when an ATC job opens. I will bet he'll call you within 3 days. Be the confident one. Don't be a smartass though, but they need you, you don't need them.
12-04-2007, 01:27 PM
#39
I believe the Navy might only be a 4 or 5 year commitment. If you can wait it out a little bit and not settle for anything else, I do believe you'll be getting a good deal. We have a pretty nice deployment setup in the Navy that lets you see a hell of a lot of foreign countries. Join the AF right now and you're going to Al Udeid. Join the Army and you're going to Iraq or Afghanistan. Join the marines and you'll be going the same places. Join the Navy and you could go anywhere.
Plus you will make rank pretty quickly in the Navy. Even certain rates that have very low advancement rates can usually make E5 in around 4 years. All branches have their perks, I enjoyed the Navy for what it is although I am getting out next year after 7.5 years. The deployment schedule just takes it's toll after a while if you have a family (wife and 2 year old daughter). This is my fifth deployment in just over 6 years if that gives you any indication.
Marty
12-04-2007, 06:13 PM
#40
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I totally feel you Blackhawk. This my second deployment in the army and I havent even hit the 3 year mark yet. All in all I would be deployed for 27 out of the 48 months of my contract. Plus Im in the most deployed unit in the whole Army out of OIF/OEF. Its too much of a burden on my family and future wife. Yea I really do like my job but its just too much for me anymore.