It will be great if anyone can share their direct or indirect experience joining USAF after graduating with AFROTC scholarship. My son got into Vanderbilt with Type 1 scholarship where AFROTC will pay full tuition and fees. We are contemplating on quality of experience in AF after his graduation. Anyone who can share how good/bad/normal life is working with AF after graduation from Tier 1 school like Vanderbilt or Duke or Cornell? Thanks
Experience working in USAF after graduation with AFROTC scholarship
- Thread starter hbhatt
- Start date
Your AF work life depends 100% on your job in the Air Force post commision. It has 0% to do with the school you graduate from. My job (11F) has a very different life then a finance officer.
That is great that your son got into a tough college. That alumni network may very well help him post Air Force. However, in the eyes of the Air Force, a degree from Vanderbilt is equal to a degree from any other college.
That is great that your son got into a tough college. That alumni network may very well help him post Air Force. However, in the eyes of the Air Force, a degree from Vanderbilt is equal to a degree from any other college.
Thanks @kinnem . Is that a logo for USC Gamecocks?
Thanks @a400831
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Absolutely. DS attended there... and the women's basketball team just won the championship.
emcconnell
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What's a Butter Bar?
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O-1 rank insignia, a single gold bar, buttery and bright, proclaiming to the world your utter greenness.
2nd Lieutenant or Ensign, with O-1 the officer pay grade.
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For our visual learners.This:
Not this:
WT Door
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O-1 rank insignia, a single gold bar, buttery and bright, proclaiming to the world your utter greenness.
2nd Lieutenant or Ensign, with O-1 the officer pay grade.
More visuals. Accompanying the greenness of the butter bar in the Navy is the ensign salute:
It could be the same for 0-1s in the sister services.
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I was a 120-Day-Wonder, made all the difference. Much lighter shade of green. Or so I thought.
Thunderbolt462
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It's a job like anything else some days, and unlike anything else other days. I've had some awesome experiences and some truly terrible experiences. Met some amazing people and some not so great people. There have been plenty of moments where I've thought about what life would have been like had I not joined, but the majority of the time I'm extremely proud of what I do. Just maybe not a fan of the way the military as a whole is run. I was pretty cynical about our country and military before I commissioned, but now I'm actually proud and continuously amazed by the quality of people we have in the military and what we do for the world on a daily basis. Also, a lot of people unfamiliar with the modern military will complain about how it's "gone soft." Don't believe them for a second. At least at the individual level, the people are resilient, resourceful, and dedicated.
The benefits are fantastic. In addition to my AFROTC scholarship leaving me debt free, I'll have 100% GI bill benefits once I finish my initial pilot commitment. I have medical paid for and I'm using TA for a master's degree. I have tons of pilot ratings and hours. I'll have interesting stories to tell and lifelong friends.
One thing I will say. It never really hit me how much the military can require you to sacrifice. There's the big one: your life. I've unfortunately already lost people I know in training accidents even this early in my career. You also lose time with family. I have friends that have missed the birth of their children and deaths of their parents. Depending on your job, you're also on the road A LOT. I'll probably end up spending 25% or more of my career deployed or TDY. This can make relationships challenging, and a number of my friends who got married after commissioning are also getting divorced. The hard times make it worthwhile though. I'm currently deployed right now with no set return date due to world events, and I've become closer to my squadron members as well as the maintenance personnel assigned to us. Being able to yell loudly and lead a flight in ROTC is one thing. Actually sitting down and talking with the people who break their backs to get you in the air and hearing their struggles and anxieties is another.
ROTC is just as much a recruiting program as it is a commissioning program. They will show you only the best parts of military life in order to motivate applicants and cadets. The good/bad/and ugly all depend on your base and job. Overall though, it's been an extremely rewarding career choice, even if not for the reasons I originally thought.
The benefits are fantastic. In addition to my AFROTC scholarship leaving me debt free, I'll have 100% GI bill benefits once I finish my initial pilot commitment. I have medical paid for and I'm using TA for a master's degree. I have tons of pilot ratings and hours. I'll have interesting stories to tell and lifelong friends.
One thing I will say. It never really hit me how much the military can require you to sacrifice. There's the big one: your life. I've unfortunately already lost people I know in training accidents even this early in my career. You also lose time with family. I have friends that have missed the birth of their children and deaths of their parents. Depending on your job, you're also on the road A LOT. I'll probably end up spending 25% or more of my career deployed or TDY. This can make relationships challenging, and a number of my friends who got married after commissioning are also getting divorced. The hard times make it worthwhile though. I'm currently deployed right now with no set return date due to world events, and I've become closer to my squadron members as well as the maintenance personnel assigned to us. Being able to yell loudly and lead a flight in ROTC is one thing. Actually sitting down and talking with the people who break their backs to get you in the air and hearing their struggles and anxieties is another.
ROTC is just as much a recruiting program as it is a commissioning program. They will show you only the best parts of military life in order to motivate applicants and cadets. The good/bad/and ugly all depend on your base and job. Overall though, it's been an extremely rewarding career choice, even if not for the reasons I originally thought.