My Son wants to join Air Force I dont think its good idea. Help me out.

That, my fine Sir, may be the best decision he will make in his entire life. Please hear him out. Yes, he is still a young whipper-snapper, but I think he's making a fine decision. If he plays his cards right, the military will pay for his education (hopefully while he is still in) and he can retire after a proud 20+ years of service if he enjoys it. A good amount of us on TW are veterans. I'd hope that our advice for your son is seriously considered.

 

People join the service for 4 reasons:

1. Need a Job
2. Patriot
3. Family Tradition
4. Legal way to kill

 

If I may...

I get it, he's your kid and God knows parents want the best for their kids, right?! I joined 12/13/93 and am still in (Army, 18D)...here are my thoughts/input, FWIW:

1. SCHOOL: Talk it over with him, but don't force him to stay in school. Too many guys I grad'd HS with went to college and either promptly partied and bombed out OR got bored and lost interest, wondering WTH they were going to major in that will be interesting for the rest of their lives. Another poster mentioned that colleges let damn near ANYBODY in (dinero, anyone?), and as a result the job market is flooded with low-skill/low-experience college grads. He sounds like a good kid with a good head on his shoulders. Chances are he'll do well in his chosen career field and come out with a security clearance, experience, and a marketable skill that can only complement a college degree down the road.

2. AF: It's the Air Force. Cyber Security. I'm at KAF right now and I see the day-to-day for "forward deployed" AF, and it's not a horrible life, TRUST ME. Add to which, it's a 3 or 4-month deployment, IF he ever gets deployed...it's all good! And like another poster said, the AF treats their people the BEST--they even get extra money per month if they have to share billeting with any other services or live someplace the AF deems "substandard;" the pay is about $100 extra a month, no joke. Look it up.

3. COLLEGE: Some aspects of flying the coop and being away from Mama will suck, no doubt about it. Leaving home, getting yelled at, told what to do, waking up early, picking up cigarette butts, all of that is no fun. You know what it does, though? REFOCUSES dumbasses who thought that school was for suckers and a total bummer. I'd done so many pushups and road marches and been punished for other peoples idiocy that I had a newfound, lasting appreciation for college and personal freedom! So I went back after I got out of active duty and got my bachelor's degree. The level of maturity, responsibilty, and personal initiative that your son will have at school will put him head and shoulders above the rest of his classmates. To be honest, I sometimes felt like "Billy Madison" when I was sitting in class, as being older and (hopefully) wiser puts a new filter on life and priorities...and my classmates just weren't there yet.

4. GIRLS: You asked, "Now in the case My oldest decides to go. Whats the good gift for him ( except pre-paid 1 year Fedex delivery of mom's cooking) ?" A pallet of condoms and a stern talking-to about not hooking up with/marrying strippers, barracks ho's, or female coworkers with a divorce under their belts already. I know it sounds crass and harsh, but I have seen SOOOO many young servicemembers make the same mistakes over the course of my career I could practically set my watch by the regularity of it. Tell him to keep his eyes open and his wits about him and enjoy the unique camaraderie that exists among those serving in uniform.

5. JOINING: Find someone who has served/is serving, preferably in the same branch (Air Force), to help with the recruiting process. I am certain someone here on TW would be more than willing to lend a hand and help sort through the rigamarole, jargon, paperwork, and physical preparation that lies ahead. The help from that/those person/s will be invaluable and assist in starting your son off on the right foot/career path. I wish I had had someone to help me, but since I didn't my first duty station was FORT DRUM, NEW YORK!

There are certainly worse roads to travel, and your son will likely emerge a better version of himself. This is only my humble opinion, YMMV. GOOD LUCK!!!

 

im in the air force and i can vouche for what he said! im about to be 22 and joined a year after high school tried college just couldnt pay for it myself and didnt want to put myself in debt doing it. even tho im not in the greatest place nor am i doing the greatest job i still love it and have have fun

 

Big thanks for help. I am not sure if I am ready to get my son condoms.
I will definitely let you guys know if he really goes through it but from the ammount of time he spends in the Gym for his physical exam it looks like he has his mind set. I got some great info here. So I am gonna have a chat with him today.
I think its a parenting thing, He is been great help around the house so its hard to let go free labor

 

South Korea as well.

 

Thinking about it for a bit I have a few thoughts that might also shed some light, and insight.

Assume he goes to college first. Here he might get distracted by girls or life in general. There is no structure because mom and dad are not there standing over him. Let us hope at this point that he DOES stay steady and studies hard. He gets himself a degree in "widget design" Now he is out of school, with this nice degree, but there are also 50k other people who are ALSO looking at getting the same job as him. Sure the unemployment rate is on a decline, but still, it IS challenging to get a job in your career field right out of college with little to no "real-world" experience.

Now let us assume he goes to the military. He gets a GUARANTEED job while he is in (There is no unemployment for military personnel, hahaha) and he has a roof over his head, food in his stomach, and he is learning a skill, that costs him NOTHING, since that will be his job in the military. 4 years down the road his service requirements are up. He can reenlist and continue, or he can get out and go from there. So here he comes, right out of the military, into the job force. His chances now of getting a job are higher because he already has training and real-world experience in the field. Also he has some good DISCIPLINE behind his belt, and would be considered more reliable and mature than someone right out of college. Now he has a better chance of getting said job. AND while he has this he can still go to school for the degree if he chooses.

When you compare these two options, which one sounds the MOST secure for his future?

 

Your son did good talking to you about it and showed respect. After a year and a half of college I came home and told my parents that I was leaving for Navy boot camp in 2 weeks. First time I came home on leave my father had a huge snow blower on the John Deere, I gave him a hard time about it because I was always shoveling snow and trying to get him to buy one. He smiled and looked at me and said once he lost his "son power" he had to finally get one.

I retired almost as long ago as I was on active duty. Finished several degrees while I was in which meant going without sleep way too often and now make well over 6 figures a year in a low cost of living area working 40-45 hours a week. If that is how you measure success, to me there is more to life than that. But it does help and is due in large part because of my military experience and what it taught me.

Not sure about today but it used to be the AF would do what was called softpad, they would have the kids list 3 jobs they wanted at MEPS. And the school\job could change based on the needs of the AF at the time they graduated boot camp. But I never met someone in the AF that was really totally unhappy with what ever job they ended up with, as mentioned they take care of their people better than any other branch and I don't think that has changed. One of my sisters has 3 sons- 2 went in the AF and 1 in the Army, they all have done well both in the AF have finished their BS degree. I am proud of all 3 of them. and also my sister who raised them right.

Each fall I hunt pheasants in SD with several retired military from all branches including 3 AF pilots. One of them is a graduate from the AF Academy and his son graduated from there also a few years ago. Ross Perot gave a speech and said that when he owned and ran Perot Systems he always hired people with military experience because they understood systems and how the real world worked. Said he could train anyone with military experience complex computer systems but those without it not so much. And I have to agree. I do not work in the same field as what I did in the Navy or what any of my degrees are in. Your son is looking at a field that is in very high demand, we just added 110 IT Security Specialist in the last 6 months. With China trying to break into every enterprise out there using mainframe power and events like the breech at Target he will likely have a great future if he can get experience and certified. I wish him (and you) well and good luck.

 

Please STOP trying to tell him what he should or shouldn't do .... What's best for him is what HE WANTS TO DO .... it's HIS LIFE ... You have yours , you had yours ... Now let him have his . My dad told me to do this or that and I partially listened to him .... 40 years later I regret it and resent it ! I wish I would have gone MY way . My career is a good one and has been tough at times and I don't regret it, but I didn't get to do what. I wanted.
The BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU will ever make is later saying "I told you so "
All those sacrifices you talk about making , although admirable , we're YOUR choices , NOT HIS ... He didn't ask you n your wife to do those things .
You made those sacrifices out of Love ... Now Show him Real Love by supporting him in whatever he decides to do .... Whatever HE DECIDES TO DO ... Support
With Love !

Learn .... To bite your tounge !

I Never regretted serving my country .... And I became a Man much faster than my peers who never served .... Good Move on my part

 

tell him to stop being a nancy boy and join the corps

 

Rah!

 

Didn't read the entire thread but if college is not working out it may not be a bad idea, nice that he want to serve his country. On the flip side its hard to argue that college grads don't make more $$ on average. Now if he wants to go in 4 years than go to school on a JI bill its hard to argue that idea.

 

tell him not too. Its pretty shitty how I have a contract with the AF but since I fall in a certain time frame they can void it. FUCK you guys for saying ahh he has bad EPRs or fails his PT test cause that most certainly is not the case. I honestly don't think I will get the boot, but I could is the point.....its not worth the stress they cause...Stick with College, get a degree and then decide if he wants to join or not.

 

I wish I had gone to college.

 

I think its a great idea. College isnt for everyone. Not to mention student loans etc. I am not sure what his situation is as far as paying for school, but the Air Force is a good opportunity.

Now if i were you i would encourage him to get a degree so he starts as an officer. Or join ROTC and get a degree while he earns some money.

Check out a website http://profoundlydisconnected.com/

hope that helps.

 

This. Chamyota is doing the same thing but through the Army. I too tell everyone to go to college then try to get in as an officer but I was in boot camp 4 days after graduating high school so there's that for you. College or military, either way as long as his 5 year plan isn't to leech off mom and dad too much you really can't complain.

In case anyone hasn't touched on it, everyone is over "there" so don't let any recruiter tell you otherwise. Definitely some services more than others but we're all doing it.

 

(Note corrected the quote)

 

Dont be a douche...he like you is offering to serve his country.

 

I spent more than 20 years in the USAF, and loved almost every moment of it. But you and anyone seeking advice must now deal with the lies. What specific lies am I talking about? When I entered the military in the early 80's, the recruiter (and the recruiting brochures) told me that if I served for 20 years I would be provided FREE medical and dental care for the rest of my life. Well that turned out to be lie number one. Read about this here: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup/a/recruiter12.htm

Lie number two occurred last week as our government (the one we swear to protect) voted to reduce our military retirement. We were all told that our hard-earned retirement would never be touched. Read about this here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/23/rep-paul-ryan-defends-cuts-military-retirement/

 

With Natural Gas at a low price, lots of natural gas turbines, which use steam to generate electricity. Coal is out of political favor, so natural gas is the only fossil fuel type plant being built right now.

There are lots of good military training jobs, and the Air Force deploys for the shortest amount of time. (They can often fly to do their work then fly back home.) Great way to pay for school and to learn a trade.

I had my choice between AF and Army ROTC scholarships, and I took the Army one because it covered more of the costs. I ended up choosing to not continue (taking private scholarships that were better.) In part, I wanted to be a pilot and I got glasses, which kind of ruined it. But I still have tremendous respect for the ROTC programs and still use lessons I learned there in management roles in my career.

(Had a meal with my friend who went Army, and we needed a pen...and of course I had a pen because you got dinged for not having a writing instrument and something to take notes on at all times. He noted that officers should always have TWO pens and I said I was on vacation.)

I really do think that a lot of people waste their time in college because they haven't figured out what they are good at yet, and there are many distractions. Get a few years of work in the service and people usually have a much better idea of what direction would be good to go.

As Target's recent experience shows, there's a continuing need for cyber security. I'm fairly certain that Target is not the only one who had a problem, they are just the first to find it.

The AF is very big into technology and probably keeps up with that sort of innovation the best. (Sometimes to their detriment when making cost decisions on aircraft procurement, but that is another discussion.) I would ask the recruiter what positions they are trying to fill, but really take a hard look at the opportunities when back in the civilian world. Meteorology (weather forecasting) was the best way to get a scholarship when I was applying, but I don't see a lot of those jobs around. Computer networking, on the other hand, is very transferable.