After AFROTC

[NYmom]

My son is in his freshman year at college with an AF ROTC scholarship that will kick in next year (type 7 converted to type 2). He is majoring in computer engineering. He is enjoying the experience and is even participating in extracurriculars like color guard and sabers. Sure, the extra tuition money is nice, but not necessary for him to attend school. He said he wants to serve his country and would be doing AF ROTC even without the scholarship.

I am wondering about his career afterward. He is a "natural" engineer and computer scientist. I hope he will be able to use his technical abilities in his career (though obviously, his career is his choice). What opportunities will he have in the AF? What happens after his 4 years? What is it like being in the reserves at that point? Will grad school be an option then? Do people have regular jobs at that point? How much time is spent with the AF?

I've read that ROTC is not a great option if one really wants to work in engineering afterward, but is this necessarily true? The real work of learning to be an engineer doesn't begin until you start working as one anyway and I doubt he'll forget what he learns immediately.

I just want to make sure he is fully informed before he makes a commitment (next year I think?)
Thanks.

 

[kinnem]

What your son does in the service depends on the needs of the service and doesn't necessarily directly relate to one's major. That being said there are opportunities to directly use an engineering degree in the Air Force. Also, more important than the actual engineering skills learned, which are always changing and evolving, there are the critical soft skills that are learned. They learn how to think about systems, how to determine errors in systems, how to modify systems to affect the desired changes. Those skills don't just apply to engineering, they apply to all aspects of life, including human systems. In essence they will help his decision making throughout his career.

If he doesn't get an engineering job in the service, he can certainly seek one, and/or attend grad school after serving his obligation. Possible, with the leadership skills he picked up in the service, he'll end up managing a team of engineers.

Also, once you learn the skills they don't really dissipate over time. Certainly the soft skills that get used every day in and out of engineering are not lost. Some of the hard skills will, perhaps, need to be brushed up on. I worked as a software engineer for 40 years. The industry changed radically, time and time again, over those 40 years. It was my responsibility to keep my skill set up to date over those years. It meant learning new tools and new programming philosophies, At the same time many of the underlying principles I picked up in college never changed, and the experience learned in earlier endeavors could be easily applied to the current situation. If an old dinosaur like me could go from old primitive mainframes to building tools for web applications, your son can do the same in engineering.

 

[NYmom]

Thank you so much. This is very reassuring. I am new the the military world. I have a bachelors and masters in Engineering which I never really put to use in the field, choosing instead to be at home with my kids. I see my son's talent and enjoyment and I just don't want him to look back and think he gave up something he loves.

 

[Humey]

As for what happens after the four years, I may be incorrect, but he wont be in the the typical reserves where he does a weekend a month and 2 weeks a year. He will be in the reserves where he could be called up back to Active Duty if he was needed for some reason. So assuming he doesnt get called back up, he would be done with the military for all practical sense

 

[Tbpxece]

As for what happens after the four years, I may be incorrect, but he wont be in the the typical reserves where he does a weekend a month and 2 weeks a year. He will be in the reserves where he could be called up back to Active Duty if he was needed for some reason. So assuming he doesnt get called back up, he would be done with the military for all practical sense

He will go into IRR. Boils down to getting an ID card and BX privileges. No drill, deployments, or anything else. The USAF hasn't done an IRR call-up for a long time.

The smart move would actually be to go ANG or USAFR to at least get paid for those remaining 4 years (and have affordable health insurance and tuition assistance).

I know plenty of 4-and-out officers that did that and all are now close to finishing their 20 or have already retired with pensions waiting on them when they turn 60, in addition to the civilian pay and 401(k) payouts they earned all along the way.

 

[NYmom]

He will go into IRR. Boils down to getting an ID card and BX privileges. No drill, deployments, or anything else. The USAF hasn't done an IRR call-up for a long time.

The smart move would actually be to go ANG or USAFR to at least get paid for those remaining 4 years (and have affordable health insurance and tuition assistance).

I know plenty of 4-and-out officers that did that and all are now close to finishing their 20 or have already retired with pensions waiting on them when they turn 60, in addition to the civilian pay and 401(k) payouts they earned all along the way.

Thank you.