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He did qualify for the job he wanted most, UAV's, unmanned aerospace vehicles. BUT, he will most likely be stationed in NV or NM. No Japan he has several intelligence jobs he qualified for that he could "possibly" be stationed in Japan. He says he would rather work w/UAV's then have choice of duty station.
He needs to seriously think about this and you need to help him.
I am the spouse of an Air Force officer who works at a base with a UAV mission. There is a lot of stress in those jobs and a lot of burnout.
Why is he joining the Air Force? Four years or a career? If he intends to go to college while working, as I did, it's likely he won't be able to do it as a young airman in that career field. It is a 24-hour job and he won't get the good shifts.
We went with several choices and discussed benefits and dis-advantages of each.
He only has to choose 2 jobs (this was discussed in detail) prior to knowing that, we went with 6 choices and discussed each.
He is in excellent shape, competitive swimmer/HS championship water polo player. So, we did look at para-rescue, combat control(1C231 & 1C431) which all have HUGE enlistment bonuses! The recruiter stated if he passes qualifying, he would know on the spot. The recruiter stated the swim is what gets most people, I checked his 100M time and he would have easily qualified. It's a 500m swim in 10.25, he swims 100m in just under a minute. He just swam a 10K in May.
At this point, he wants to go more with brains vs bad***. He is picking 1U031(UAV) & 1C631 space systems operator.
He will go through MEPS most likely on 6/16. Then he will pledge and around 1st of July will know which job he will have. It cracked me up though cause the recruiter told him he won't know what job he'll get until it goes thru the matrix. When we got in car my son asked "what does a movie have to do with my job assignment." His dad and I howled with laughter and told him he had to choose the red or blue pill
I should have given more info when I first posted about his interest in UAV's. He has a DJI Phantom multi-rotor that he flies and DH has built from scratch a TBS Discovery Pro with FPV( first person view) I maybe mixing up those names...the point being he sits around tinkering/getting gimble correct/doing tons of electronic stuff, I kind of tune it out when they start talking about it.......he does this now, w/o being paid! Granted, he will do MORE of it when in school, but it stuff that interests him, instead of reading/writing paper on The Great Gatsby. Which I will have to say, he knows throughly, but only because a girl he liked at the time was really into it.
I really appreciate hearing all the comments and concerns
My .02 that he needs to keep in mind is that NOTHING is guaranteed. The military will put him where he is needed the most. He needs to go into the service knowing this.
My .02 that he needs to keep in mind is that NOTHING is guaranteed. The military will put him where he is needed the most. He needs to go into the service knowing this.
Yes, he knows this, we even talked w/Recruiter about what would happen if he failed his school. He knows he is at the mercy of USAF. Everytime we meet with Recruiter/ASVAB testing, before he gets in car he jumps up and claps his feet together.
Thought I would post an update because so many times on forums you hear not the problem but not how it was resolved.
So, in true military fashion my son was not offered the jobs for drones or air/space job. He was offered a lot of other great jobs but not the one WE (meaning his DAD) wanted and thought would be the best fit. So, he could have walked away from whole thing, shopped him to different branches or go in another direction all together. He choose to stay with Air Force and try out for a spec ops slot. I am pleased to say he will join AF with a guaranteed job of Pararescue Jumper. He signed his contract in Feb after passing the PAST(Physical Ability and Stamina Test.) He goes to MEPS on 7/20 to hand in paperwork & we go back on 7/21 for him to "ship" he was suppose to spend the night in hotel on 7/20 but he's decided to stay with us and the recruiter was fine with it.
The whole PJ thing started because he is a great swimmer, not fast enough for college but still a great one. He went to Moody AFB and worked out with the PJ"s and what attracted him the most was how humble and gracious the PJ"s were, a total different mind set than other spec ops, a PJ saves people whereas most other spec ops jobs it's the opposite.
My son is very humble and gracious, he is so good at so many things but you would never hear him brag about anything. He has already helped another recruit who was trying out for PJ but couldn't do the swim. My son worked with him for months and he also passed the PAST and will be shipping out the same day as my son. When we signed the contract the recruiter told us the other recruit told him "I owe my life to "my sons name."
We have has many talks about "Indoc" how if they cant break him in the pool(where most people break) they will FIND another way to break him. He knows it will be the hardest thing he's ever done if he completes it.
Wish him luck!! I will post update again to see if he makes it through 'Indoc."
Your son is getting into a great career field. I work with a former CCT, he loved it. It's demanding but rewarding as well. Good luck to him and his fellow recruit.
On a personal note, I always had respect and admiration for PJs, I never had to use them but if I did it was comforting to know there would be someone out there trying to save my bacon. I know of two guys who needed them, one in Desert Storm, and are around because of pararescue.
Thanks for keeping us posted. I enjoy hearing about those who entered the military, any branch. I 'm certain he will enjoy his new career. You can tell him an old retired Army Soldier is rooting for him.
To the OP, each Squadron has their own policy. Some require you to list 3 jobs, or maybe 10, depending on their rules. Some may require 1 aptitute area or 2. An aptitude area is where your son says "Mechanical, Electrical, General, or Admin." If he gets an aptitude area it means going to basic training knowing only that he will get a Electrical job, or General job, etc, but NOT a specific job. YOU don't get to pick his job. HE doesn't get to pick his job. The Air Force picks his job. You guys are going to list 3 or more preferences, depending on the local rules, and the Air Force will assign the final job.
Let's say for example, that he wants to be a UAV sensor operator. Let's say we're going to train 100 UAV sensor operators this year. Nation wide, 1700 people want to be sensor operators because it's a cool job and they qualify. We can't overproduce 1600 sensor operators, so 1600 people are not going to get to be sensor operators no mater what their ASVAB score is. Now, let's say we need 800 security forces members, and only 400 people want to do it as their top choice. Well, 400 more are going to get to be security forces from their second or third choice, or from the "General Aptitude" pile.
50% of people go to basic training without a guarantee job. That's the way it works. It's the only way we can balance our needs. He's joining the Air Force, he's not joining a specific job. If you know what to expect it's much easier to not get frustrated with the policy. The Air Force has to prioritize balancing it's jobs for national defense over meeting everyone's top choice.
I hope that makes sense, and good luck! In my first 3 years as en enlisted recruiter I only had ONE person get UAV sensor operator, and it was like her 7th choice. It's all a big puzzle. Say for example, we have 2 jobs we need to fill at one time. We need to fill UAV and Services. Person A. Lists "UAV" as his FIRST CHOICE, and lists "Services" as his 7th choice. Person B lists UAV as her 3rd choice, and doesn't have "Services" listed. Well, person B might get UAV even though person A has UAV listed as a top choice, because we can give Services to person A and not person B. That way, we fill both jobs, and both people get something on their list. There is so much that goes into it.
Also, keep in mind your son's recruiter does NOT Control this. It is controlled well over his head, by someone with access to a whole unit worth of applicant's preferences, so that as many jobs as possible can be filled.
Also, keep in mind we often leave the BEST and most coveted jobs to those going in with an open aptitude area. Why? Because we need 50% of people to go in with an aptitude area and no job in their contract. With the internet, forums, and loud online complaints possible, we have to ensure those people get jobs they like, or people will start refusing to sign those kinds of contracts. It's often the only way to get some of the coveted jobs. We keep them back for the people will to "play ball" and meet the needs of the Air Force. If everyone going in "open" got jobs they hated, no one would do it anymore, so we give out a lot of the best jobs that way.
Good luck! And remember he can probably switch jobs before his second contract if he hates his first job.
Remember, you can always study and retake the ASVAB test again. You can get a guaranteed top 5 jobs if those jobs are available. If not, you can always do the Delayed Entry Program and wait for that job to come available, but be ready to leave for training at a moment's notice. We were an Air Force family for 20 years. We absolutely loved it. We would do another 20 years if we could. Flight crew is the ticket. They need Airborne crew members. Hope this helps!
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he has several intelligence jobs he qualified for that he could "possibly" be stationed in Japan. He says he would rather work w/UAV's then have choice of duty station. 
Update
