Colorado Technical University

Advice of Air Force AFSC retraining or career path?

I am currently a 5-level SRA at luke afb, AZ. I do Tactical Aircraft Maintenance and although overall the job is alright, there are things I do like and things I don't like. *LIKES* -I like the fact that Luke AFB is a training base and deployment / reassignments are virtually non existent. We just occasionally go TDY to different places for short periods of time. This makes married life alot easier. -I like the relaxed environment between Officer and Enlisted members on the flightline. *Dislikes* - You constantly work outside 12 hours a day and in AZ it is either extremely hot or extremely cold. - There is no such thing as a lunch break, you eat when you have time or dont eat at all some days. - The job holds enormous amounts of responsibility with Quality Assurance, signing your name to everything you do, and having a T.O in your hand for daily washing of the canopy. - With such a large squadron someone is always f**king something up and instead of holding the individual responsible, its always squadron punishment. It gets very annoying when its something you have no control of preventing as well. - And most of all, there is no special hazard pay like other shops get, even though we are always the ones directly exposed to all of the hazardous chemicals/mishaps. I am looking into either going guard or reserve, using my GI Bill to go to school full time and get bah pay. The only disadvantage to this is the almost 50% reduction in pay and I dont know the differences between guard and reserve and which would be a better choice. The second option I am looking into is to retrain into another afsc that I actually enjoy doing. This is what I am looking for: - Prefer Non-Deployments / Reassignments - Prefer an indoor or partial indoor job that doesn't require me to suffer through the extreme environments all day. - Prefer a job that is non mechanical (turning wrenches) - Prefer something computer based but not a boring scheduling job. - Prefer a job that would station me in southern california ( that is where i am from ) - Prefer a job where I can work a normal 8-10 hour day, go home and hang out with my wife and not have a out of control schedule. I am interested in Los Angeles AFB - Space and Missile Systems Center. They have a Space Superiority Systems Wing that sounded like it had a exciting mission. I started looking into Space Systems Operations Apprentice but when I started reading about the job on forums everyone talks about you could get stuck in missile warning 12 hour shifts that are 6 days on 3days off or you could get command and control ofsatellitess which is more rewarding. Another thing everyone kept talking about being stationed at bases in colorado but no one every mentioned anything about being stationed in Los Angeles, CA. If anyone can comment on any of the topics discussed above, provide any AFSC that I may be interested in, or any advise to help me make a decision that would be great. Also if anyone has been stationed at Los Angeles AFB, what jobs might most fit my needs. I am really interested in the Air Force Space program though. I would enjoy exploring space through video and images, controllingsatellitess, discovering new things and more. Maybe someone can even provide a rewarding career path where i go guard or reserve and use my Gi Bill to get into something like that. Thank you for any input you give.

Public Comments

1. You need to get out. I dont think you really would be happy in any group. I did all the stuff you did as a KC-10 crewchief except I deployed ALL THE PHUCKING TIME. My PDS was lat. and long. coordinates, not a base. That part I did not like but I sucked it up because of my brothers. I am now 1 year from retirement.
2. I suggest you just get out and away from the military. 1. No base is perfect, no job is perfect. I'm sure you could get your dream job and dream base and still gripe about something. 2. You're a SRA... get over it! You will answer to your superiors and to your TO at all times, because if you mess it up, someones life is at stake! 3. Arizona.. cold? Honey, come on up here to Minot, ND. Currently a warm and fuzzy (-10), and that's warmer than the temp on the flight line! Oh, and did they mention that you could get Minot with space/missiles? 4. EVERYONE deploys. You've been blessed for these first few years, but everyone is deployable, either in your career field or as an augmentee. Even our space folk deploy as augmentees. 5. Everyone would love a normal 8-10 hour day, even your commander and your chief. And their wives would love it as well. 6. As for special duty pay... only the fuel shop guys dealing directly with the hydrazine get that measly $150 a month. And for that I sent my hubby to work every day for 6 years, praying that nothing would happen and there would be no spills, while he lived day in and day out with those fuel bladders. So... best bet... get out! Quit and go find a nice comfy job in the outside world where they can give you all of that.
3. Hello Andrew, Your wants and desires disappoints me to hear you relate them. I see you as a person who is not "flexible." You must have 3 years in on your hitch as you are a Senior Airman. By now you must understand that the NEEDS of the AIR FORCE always come before the wants of any one individual. Now, I see that you are dissatisfied with your current AFSC. OK. I give you that. But, reenlistment with retraining is only possible IF the career field the Air Force allows you to retrain into is a "shortage" career field and they would have to send you back to technical school. But, like I said, you show that you are inflexible. You don't want to go overseas, you don't want to deploy, you want to be stationed in California your home state and more. You know that to have an Air Force career a person has to be eligible for world-wide duty. And although your AF Form 392 Airman Assignment Preference sheet probably has California down as your first choice of your 8 CONUS base choices your AFSC and skill level has to be available for you to get a reassignment. But, first, if you reenlist you are going to be sent overseas to take the place of someone who is returning home. And, no matter where you go in the world, aircraft maintenance is going to be the same as you have it there at Luke AFB. If you don't have the T.O. in your hands and try to "remember" everything, a pilot may die because you "forget" something. Having the T.O. is a "check list." Even the pilot has to follow his/her check list in the cockpit no matter how many hours he/she has in the pilot's seat. Why should you be an exception? Clearly, I am going to advise you to separate when your ETS comes up. Yes you can go back to California and apply to join either the ANG or AF Reserves. The pay is the same. Your monthly drill pay would be close to $300 a month. More than likely they will keep you in your same AFSC. You would be "lucky" if they send you back to technical school for a new AFSC. Annual Guard or Reserve pay will be about $3,600 a year for weekend duty and $1,100 more for your 2 weeks active duty in the summer time. So, that's "only" added income of $4,700 a year. Remember, this, however, in the AF Reserves, being that you have not gone overseas to the Middle East, about 1/3rd of the AF Forces overseas in the combat zone are Reserve forces! Even some National Guard units have been deployed. And, I feel that the involvement in the Middle East will last for at least another 20 years. People and units may come home, but we will still maintain those bases all over the Middle East. Yes, use the G.I. Bill to go to college full time. Are you married? Then your wive needs to go to work while you go to college full time under the G.I. Bill. If you are not married go back home and live with your folks while you go to college. And, get a school part time work study job to make a few more bucks with minimum hours a week. There are lots of on-campus jobs, easy jobs. My son did one semester work taking student I.D. photos. Another semester he registered cars on the campus. Two more semesters he collected the pop cans from the dormitory for recycling from 10 - midnight each day. Colleges have all sorts of local jobs for students. But, seriously, I think that you will not be happy if you reenlist. So, just keep up doing the great job you are doing now and remember a pilot's life is in your hands! Thanks for being in the service and I am sure that in the future of your life it will be meaningful for you. You won't know it until you get old like me! Best wishes, Larry Smith Senior Master Sergeant, USAF (Ret.) First Sergeant P.S. Of course, "IF" you think that you are Officer material then sign on for ROTC for 4 years in college and get a commission. But, remember, you have to give it all to the Air Force and not ask for it to be "your way." "My Way" is only a song that Frank Sinatra sang!