I'm stuck at a crossroad

[malloynx]

I have the huge problem and it's been driving me nuts. I'm 24 and i have been in the air force almost 7yrs. i will be 25 this yr. I'm due to get out in 3 months or i can reenlist. since i was 18 the air force is all i have known. I'm really scared to face the cilivan world. right now i have total job security and medical benifts.

I havve a huge desire to go school,and i have my G.I BILL to cover it. I'm soo scared of not making it and being poor. it's funny, i can go to iraq and not really care, but i'm afraid to get out.

the air force has been good to me, at times it sucks leaving all the time, but that is part of the job. i'm soo torn on gettting out or staying in. i'm at the point where i want to buy a house and start looking towards the future. i really don't have a savings and for the oast 5 yrs i have had the work hard; play hard attuide.

any advice..

also if i do get out, i will be attenting the "school of automotive machinsts" samracing.com

and i will be building some kick-ass motors. i would love to open my own shop.

any advice..

 

[CTsupra]

My opinion. If you're not a fly boy get out. It would be hard for me to get out if I was a fly boy. I would want to stay and blow shit up! Plus, I would kill to fly the F-22. The amount of technology in that jet is fucking serious. Then there's the new F-35 (I think thats he name) single turbine bombers/fighters that are as small as migs!

You need to be very smart to even get into the Air-Force, so I think you'll do fine if you go back to school. Correct me if I'm wrong about being very smart to get in.

 

[GrimJack]

Everyone I know who was in the service tells me that this is the hardest single decision they have ever faced in their lives.

The key to most was whether they were going to make a career out of the service or not. If you want a career as a civilian, it's likely time to give it a shot. Keep in mind you want to get a solid career started, which will take a few years, then see about settling down with a lady / house / kids / etc... and there is a deadline on this, most girls aren't too hot on the idea of starting a family at age 35.

Whichever way you choose, best of luck to you.

 

[Ckanderson]

Join the civilian life... although i have never been in your situation... I belive it to be a better choice.

 

[drunk_medic]

Malloy, I am in the same boat, but I've decided to stay in. As a 4-year enlistee originally, I re-enlisted just after my 3-year mark. I was an E-4 at the time and LOVED my job. I re-enlisted for 6 years. Now, I am 26 and the end of my enlistment is November '06. I came in just months after turning 18, and it's just about all I've known.
The way I figure it, I will have over 9 years in at that point. It's just about touching the 1/2-way mark to a retirement check. At the 20-year mark I should be a Master Sergeant [I've had Staff on since Oct '02] maybe with Senior in line. That means I can have a decent retirement check coming in every month at the age of 38, and I can do just about anything I want.

I know what you mean about seeing it as a tough choice - my wife doesn't like me being in the military, and we've discussed the possibility of getting out, but she realizes that if I got out just over my 9-year mark, it would be very tough for me and it would be flushing alot of retirement time down the toilet.

My only advice to you is, if you are getting out, make sure you have money saved up and all of your debt paid off.

 

[americanjebus]

all the guys i know that have left military service to start normal lives didnt make it rich, but they sure as hell enjoyed every little thing they have and stayed married, cant say the same for rest of society.

all of the guys be old or young have enjoyed their civilian lives and still have that 4:30 am attitude of getting started with the day.

you worked hard so far man, now see what it is you are fighting for and get your career, if you worked so hard over there now you can use your brain to get what you want.

its your choice if you want the life of adventure or if you want that house with the golden retreiver in the back yard.

 

[91T breezen']

Americanjebus speaks words of wisdom beyond his age! I can tell you that if you are scared to get out at 25, you'd be really scared to retire at 38! unless however, you prepare well for that eventuality. The big plus about the retirement, is you will have time to look for something you really want to do, and in the meantime, the check comes to your mailbox every month! I guess I'm trying to say, I'd stay in if I were you. But there is your wife and future family to consider also. It takes an enormously strong woman to handle the rigors and stress of being married to a service man, I'm speaking from experience. Mine cut and ran after just 2 years of the Army. She also left me our son, which made it very diffacult for me to stay in. I eventually got out with 12 years service (long story). I made a decent transition to civilian life, but I'm not going to say it was easy or smooth! The best thing is, your still very young, and can start anew. Perserverance, determination and hard work pays off in the civilian world, just like it has done for you (already) in the service.

Good luck with your decision.
Thankyou for your service to our great nation.
God bless;
Tom

 

[malloynx]

thanks everyone for the advice. yea p5150 i'm always gone too. i'm actually in germany right now. if i were to reenlist, i would get a house and start getting things in order. i'm still undecided. i think i'm going to speak with a military consoulor.

 

[americanjebus]

whatever you do just dont look back or you'll spend the rest of your life just doing that,

thnx for the props guys, makes me feel a bit more confident about my own decisions.

 

[Mid-WestSupras]

I am at the same cross road, I have 9 yrs in the Navy and plan to get out July 4th this year. I am looking into college and part time work. It is not been an easy but I dont want to re-enlist so I stick at it and make it work.

 

[cnewingham]

I got out back in 95 after 4yrs of service bacause my ship was getting ready to deploy for 9 months and my wife (now deceased) and I had just gotten married and had a little girl and I figured it was best to ge out because I knew my marrige would be over if I left (she was 18 and I was 20). Anyways I had a good job lined up with a family member so it made it easier however that job lasted only 6 months and we were on our own and it was TOUGH but because you are single it will be much easier. I also screwed off a few years cause my wife and I ended getting a divorce 2 years after I got out of the service anyways and now when I look back I wish I would have stayed in because I would be able to retire in 7 years.
I guess what I am saying is to stay in and retire in 8 more years so you have a monthly check and medical benefits for the rest of your life and you can still find another career when you get out. I know people that are going to be drawing 2 retirement checks before they are 60!!

 

[lanky189]

I got out back in 95 after 4yrs of service bacause my ship was getting ready to deploy for 9 months and my wife (now deceased) and I had just gotten married and had a little girl and I figured it was best to ge out because I knew my marrige would be over if I left (she was 18 and I was 20). Anyways I had a good job lined up with a family member so it made it easier however that job lasted only 6 months and we were on our own and it was TOUGH but because you are single it will be much easier. I also screwed off a few years cause my wife and I ended getting a divorce 2 years after I got out of the service anyways and now when I look back I wish I would have stayed in because I would be able to retire in 7 years.
I guess what I am saying is to stay in and retire in 8 more years so you have a monthly check and medical benefits for the rest of your life and you can still find another career when you get out. I know people that are going to be drawing 2 retirement checks before they are 60!!

not tryin to be a douche... how were you in for 4 years..if you were two when you got out?


just curious.....

anywho.. everytime i see this thread..i just wanna quote Robert Frost..and encourage you all to take the "path less traveled."

 

[cnewingham]

not tryin to be a douche... how were you in for 4 years..if you were two when you got out?

WTF are you talking about? Do you know how to read?

 

[lanky189]

WTF are you talking about? Do you know how to read?

yes i do. however i typed two, instead of twenty...


also.. my questions wasn't meant to be rude, or calling you a liar, just that you said you got out of the service in 95, when your wife was 18 and you 20, but you said you were in for 4 years... that would make you 16 when you signed up....

i ask because perhaps i misunderstood :wavey:

 

[cnewingham]

Oh o.k., didnt mean to be harsh. I should have clerified that we got married at that age. I joined the military at 17 because I graduated early and my parents had to sign a waiver.

 

[Pokey]

i joined a little late but oh well, ill be 23 in july and im only an A1C, right now i dont know if i want to stay in or not, i got 5 more years to think about that, but i think it would be good to stay in for you staffs and above, since most of the hard part is over for ya, mines just beginning :cry:

jeff

 

[lanky189]

Oh o.k., didnt mean to be harsh. I should have clerified that we got married at that age. I joined the military at 17 because I graduated early and my parents had to sign a waiver.

ah.. no problem man. That makes sense now... thank ya!


:drink1:

 

[Mid-WestSupras]

you need to find your local va rep. I went to mine and he got me a job. He made a phone call and I was in the back door vs going in the front and doing a bunch of paper work. have you been to tap class, not sure if your branch has that, but you need to look into it.

 

[malloynx]

thanks for the feedback. let me give a bit more information. i have already been a SSgt for about 2 yrs. i test for e-6 next cycle. all my cars are paid for and i only have 2 cc bills. i don't have any kids and i'm not married. this is so hard cause i money is ok and i'm at the point now where 75% of my income is mine and not towards bills.

i am signed up for TAPS and i'm going to see the V.A.

i'm still stuck. i really wanna go to school and get involved in the automotive racing industry; however that retirement sounds really nice.

i'll have around 7k saved up around my time i'm due out (4nov05) and i can collect unemployment for 6 months; plus my G.I bill.

man o man,, the decisions, i wish i was born a millionaire.

 

[drunk_medic]

i joined a little late but oh well, ill be 23 in july and im only an A1C, right now i dont know if i want to stay in or not, i got 5 more years to think about that, but i think it would be good to stay in for you staffs and above, since most of the hard part is over for ya, mines just beginning :cry:

jeff

The hard part is NOT over. NCO responsibilities are no cake walk. I WISH I could go back to the days when I was an Airman. Particularly, a Senior Airman. The point when I re-enlisted, I was the ranking Senior Airman in my shop, with the most experience - I had alot of responsibility and was a "go-to guy". If there was a new TDY coming up and I wanted it, all I pretty much had to do was ask, and the shop chief would send me.
My career field was 2A1X1 - Avionic Sensors Maintenance. Well, I received orders for a 1-year remote tour [Dec'01-Dec'02] to Kunsan Airbase, Korea. While there, my career went from working sensors on C-130's to working in the backshop on parts for the LANTIRN pods on the F-16. Basically, I had to be re-qualified on tasks for something that I had never touched before. I put on E-5 Oct'01 and received my orders BACK to Hurlburt Field. At the end of November, my career field made a strange shift - everyone working "Fighter Aircraft" sensors would be one career field, and everyone working "heavy" sensors went to another.. so within a 2-month timeframe, my career field went from 2A151 to 2A051C to 2A553A. I came back to Hurlburt Field and found that my old Sensor shop had been absorbed by the Comm/Nav shop on the flightline. I had to learn ALL of the Comm/Nav equipment from scratch. Because of this, they made me [and all other Sensor/Comm/Nav augmentees] do another set of 5-level career development courses [CDCs] JUST AFTER I finished my 7-level course. My whole 8 years have been spent learning.

Now, I am the squadron DIFM monitor [I track all parts from supply that are in maintenance], I handle the equipment account, the land-mobile radios, the tool accountability system, and I am the supply liaison. They are mostly paperwork jobs, and I don't particularly enjoy them. I spend most of my time during the day correcting other people's paperwork mistakes and hauling parts to the backshop for repair on a pallet-jack in the Florida heat. :thumbsdow