Picking an AFSC and service commitment
- Thread starter tibreaker
- Start date
there are six slots on the dream sheet as well as a column to specify the percentage of desire for that particular AFSC. Any slot not specified can be filled by the Air Force as "needs of the Air Force" if the first few you did fill out aren't available and may result in you getting something you don't desire. do some research in the various fields available to your major and fill in all the slots.
I'm happy that this thread came up, as I also have a few questions regarding AFSC selection. I will be an AS100 next fall. I have looked at AFSC CGO perspective packets and the educational requirements for the AFSCs I'm interested in, so I am not completely blind to the roles of officers in various AFSCs and the expectations for a cadet to be eligible for it.
1) Are the percentages of preference fixed, or do you set them yourself?
2) What is the method the AF uses for selecting cadets into non-rated AFSCs? Is it an equation that consists of GPA, FT ranking, Commander ranking, PFA, major, difficulty of college program, etc.? Are the different components weighted differently depending on the AFSC?
3) How do AFSCs that are considered critical manning play into the selection process? For example, if I put down my AFSC selection as
1: AFSC A
2: AFSC B
3: AFSC C
4: AFSC D
5: AFSC E
6: AFSC F
where they were in descending order of preference to me, but AFSC C and D are considered critical manning, and I really preferred AFSC A and B, would it be more wise to rearrange the list to
1: AFSC A
2: AFSC B
3: AFSC E
4: AFSC F
5: AFSC C
6: AFSC D
?
4) Are there ways to find out which AFSCs are critical manning, which have an excess of applicants, etc.?
Thanks in advance for the help, and if I need to clarify my questions, just ask!
1) Are the percentages of preference fixed, or do you set them yourself?
2) What is the method the AF uses for selecting cadets into non-rated AFSCs? Is it an equation that consists of GPA, FT ranking, Commander ranking, PFA, major, difficulty of college program, etc.? Are the different components weighted differently depending on the AFSC?
3) How do AFSCs that are considered critical manning play into the selection process? For example, if I put down my AFSC selection as
1: AFSC A
2: AFSC B
3: AFSC C
4: AFSC D
5: AFSC E
6: AFSC F
where they were in descending order of preference to me, but AFSC C and D are considered critical manning, and I really preferred AFSC A and B, would it be more wise to rearrange the list to
1: AFSC A
2: AFSC B
3: AFSC E
4: AFSC F
5: AFSC C
6: AFSC D
?
4) Are there ways to find out which AFSCs are critical manning, which have an excess of applicants, etc.?
Thanks in advance for the help, and if I need to clarify my questions, just ask!
Pima
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Just for clarification...commitment starts at winging from UPT. UPT is 54 weeks, not 2 yrs. HOWEVER, for most AFROTC grads they will wait a yr to start UPT, thus it is 2 yrs, but not for UPT.
~ It will be another 6-9 months after you wing to go to your Operational base, but from a clock perspective the payback is already ticking the minute you winged.
~~ IE you commission May 2017, and start UPT Aug. Wing Aug 2018. Your clock starts 2018. Yet, most likely you commission in May, report for casual in Aug. Start UPT may 2018 and wing June 2019, than your clock starts June 2019.
~ It will be another 6-9 months after you wing to go to your Operational base, but from a clock perspective the payback is already ticking the minute you winged.
~~ IE you commission May 2017, and start UPT Aug. Wing Aug 2018. Your clock starts 2018. Yet, most likely you commission in May, report for casual in Aug. Start UPT may 2018 and wing June 2019, than your clock starts June 2019.
ARS 14,
lots of great questions, most of which I can't answer. GPA, FT ranking, Commander ranking, PFA, and your major all do play a roll in what AFSC you get. How heavily each of those is weighted, I don't know. 20 years of active duty showed me that putting what you actually want on the dream sheets and doing your best in all aspects of your job (in your case that means school and PFA) works out best instead of trying to guess what "they will do" .
lots of great questions, most of which I can't answer. GPA, FT ranking, Commander ranking, PFA, and your major all do play a roll in what AFSC you get. How heavily each of those is weighted, I don't know. 20 years of active duty showed me that putting what you actually want on the dream sheets and doing your best in all aspects of your job (in your case that means school and PFA) works out best instead of trying to guess what "they will do" .
Sled
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- 393
@ARS14
1) You can change them up to a certain degree. Needs to be within a certain window that the Form 53 wants.
2) It's a combination of all of those factors. Just like EA selection plus they take your degree in mind (ex. A business degree can't be a scientist).
3) If option C or D is critically manned there is a higher chance that you will get them. It's just a simple fact that because they are critical they will tend to take more cadets. Although....this can happen to any cadet, even the best ones. The AF is trying to spread the talent around in Form 53 selection so not to have only high speed people in one AFSC and those with lower scores in another AFSC. That means that you could get logistics even though you are a high speed cadet and it is option C. It really comes down to rolling the dice and putting on your Form 53 what you could see yourself doing (not just filling space).
4) I do not know how you would find out what career fields are critically manned. It may be easier to come up with a list of jobs and then find out if they are critically manned through your cadre. Don't feel bad asking about a couple jobs because they should be there to help you with this....it's your career.
Long Story Short: You put what you'd be OK with on the Form 53 and the AF picks for you.
1) You can change them up to a certain degree. Needs to be within a certain window that the Form 53 wants.
2) It's a combination of all of those factors. Just like EA selection plus they take your degree in mind (ex. A business degree can't be a scientist).
3) If option C or D is critically manned there is a higher chance that you will get them. It's just a simple fact that because they are critical they will tend to take more cadets. Although....this can happen to any cadet, even the best ones. The AF is trying to spread the talent around in Form 53 selection so not to have only high speed people in one AFSC and those with lower scores in another AFSC. That means that you could get logistics even though you are a high speed cadet and it is option C. It really comes down to rolling the dice and putting on your Form 53 what you could see yourself doing (not just filling space).
4) I do not know how you would find out what career fields are critically manned. It may be easier to come up with a list of jobs and then find out if they are critically manned through your cadre. Don't feel bad asking about a couple jobs because they should be there to help you with this....it's your career.
Long Story Short: You put what you'd be OK with on the Form 53 and the AF picks for you.
Pima
10-Year Member
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- Nov 28, 2007
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Step 1. Get selected for SFT as an AS200
Step 2. Come back when you become a POC.
The fact is you need to worry about STEP 1 right now, nothing more and nothing less.
~ SFT selection rates vary year to year. Non-rated non-tech majors have the lowest selection rate for SFT. Hence see step 1.
If you are going non-rated you will not need to really address this until the spring of 2020 because non-rated AFSC drops do not occur until fall of 2020
Step 2. Come back when you become a POC.
The fact is you need to worry about STEP 1 right now, nothing more and nothing less.
~ SFT selection rates vary year to year. Non-rated non-tech majors have the lowest selection rate for SFT. Hence see step 1.
If you are going non-rated you will not need to really address this until the spring of 2020 because non-rated AFSC drops do not occur until fall of 2020
Sled
Member
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No harm in asking Pima...I had the same questions as an AS100 and already knew that I needed to focus on Step 1 & 2.
Sled
Member
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Looks like the OP goes to VMI.
Thanks for the help, everybody! I appreciate all the advice. I only ask these questions so far in advance because I like to begin with the end in mind, and being prepared for all possibilities (one of which is continuing in AFROTC) is a habit of mine. Sorry to have temporarily hijacked this thread!