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I went to BMT back in July. Went to fort lee for tech school(it was horrible, extremely strict rules it might as well just been BMT all over again with weekends off and a cell phone).
I am heading out to my first base in a few days and while I was back on RAP nearly everyone who was operational told me that it's nothing like training, and that time flies because you'd work your hours, then the rest of the day is yours, you can go off base and run errands or whatever. Actually do something instead of staying in the dorm all day.
Is that true? I don't expect it to be a breeze but will the days go by much faster and slightly less stressful? I feel so traumatized by the training phase I hate the AF life. I signed up for 4 years, so far I'm nearly 1/8th of the way done already.
You went to training at an Army base. Keep things in perspective.
Yes, you will be off and COMPLETELY free to do anything you want (except illegal activities) when you are operational.
I can't tell you if your job will be less stressful because I don't know your job, but you'll have the same freedom as any other American when you're off work, with the small exception of dorm room inspections until you hit E-4 and move out of the dorms.
Well, if the AF is anything like the Navy, from boot through the first school just sucks, everything is strict, still treated like some booter, etc, I never liked it and no one I knew liked it, and we all could not wait until we got to the fleet.
Fleet life (that would be your "operational") was much better, especially after a year in and getting qualified and being a productive member of the crew.
I went to school/training after my sea tour and it was a lot better, day and night compared to school after boot.
I'm just curious, what was so stressful about your training? From others I know in the Air Force, it sounds like that treat you fairly well in the Air Force.
They are treated well, but in my experience it is academic stress because we have tough courses, tough exams, and it's fast paced. Add to that curfews, restrictions to base, strict room inspections, and other items, and some people find it stressful.
I'm just curious, what was so stressful about your training? From others I know in the Air Force, it sounds like that treat you fairly well in the Air Force.
The schooling wasn't all that bad. The instructors made it a good learning environment. What made it stressful was all of the rules, having to schedule everything around the army, and the lower end of the command(student leaders). We were required to have a wingman at all times outside of the dorms. We couldn't leave base or have our cars.
Its pretty much a sh*tty base along with a load of BS rules, that's what made it stressful. Also the fact that when time came to get the paperwork in order to leave, the printers didn't work.
They are treated well, but in my experience it is academic stress because we have tough courses, tough exams, and it's fast paced. Add to that curfews, restrictions to base, strict room inspections, and other items, and some people find it stressful.
They all are like that. Its just the basic knowledge you need to learn; physically, mentally, and technically so that you can go to your duty station and be able to start your job. Were not learning to flip hamburgers.. (unless youre a cook )
Quote:
Originally Posted by Range
The schooling wasn't all that bad. The instructors made it a good learning environment. What made it stressful was all of the rules, having to schedule everything around the army, and the lower end of the command(student leaders). We were required to have a wingman at all times outside of the dorms. We couldn't leave base or have our cars.
Its pretty much a sh*tty base along with a load of BS rules, that's what made it stressful. Also the fact that when time came to get the paperwork in order to leave, the printers didn't work.
You just have to realize that they are training you for war. You have to be able to do your job for an extended period of time without having any major distractions. Of course its not always like that. Once you get to your duty station, you do your job, and after your work day is over you can do your own thing. (yes, of course, nothing illegal or that will jeopardize you being able to do your job).
For the most part, its just like any other job that you go to just with longer days (mine were 6am-7am for pt, 9am-5pm for work, (once you have end of the day formation, that's the end of your work day)), a few easy (for most) to follow restrictions, a few reasons you may be called in, and a boss who is basically required to yell at you if you do something stupid.
After you get off work though you're almost always done for the day, you go to your room, apt, or home, and you don't see or hear from them any more (unless you want to cause you are friends, or something big comes up), until the next day. Most military people then go to the gym, play video games till bed, go home to their families, or off to school, and you will have people who are planning there nightly drinking, first thing in the morning..
My best advice would be to just hang in there, it gets a lot better, and pick up a hobby better than daily drinking. I always looked at it as, "well I've already given them four years, I'm gonna work harder to get back what time I can for myself when the job allows it, and the time they are going to keep (such as PT), I'm going to take advantage of and get the most out of it."
The schooling wasn't all that bad. The instructors made it a good learning environment. What made it stressful was all of the rules, having to schedule everything around the army, and the lower end of the command(student leaders). We were required to have a wingman at all times outside of the dorms. We couldn't leave base or have our cars.
Its pretty much a sh*tty base along with a load of BS rules, that's what made it stressful. Also the fact that when time came to get the paperwork in order to leave, the printers didn't work.
Like someone else mentioned, this IS the military after all. Aren't you training for future wars? This isn't some summer camp. There will definitely be rules and the instructors are not there to coddle you.
I'm not trying to sound like an @ss but I'm just pointing out that you need to understand where you are. It could be worse. In Marine Corps Boot Camp and some Army Basic Training, there are even more rules with stricter enforcement. They still hit you in Marine Boot Camp. You get a 15 second phone call when you arrive to let your family know you're safe. Then its three straight months with nothing but letters. Even worse, you could be in Iraq sleeping on the ground in a hole you just dug out.
Everything the Air Force puts you through is for a reason.
It gets better. Do you think people would put up with that mess for 20 plus years?
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