Hey there, Active Duty Medical Maintenance guy (4A2X1) that has been in 3 1/2 years. Just put Staff on and I am submitting a package for the OTS for the upcoming boards. I don't know if I am going to make this deadline due to recruiter issues, but I will definitely be ready for the next round. I am putting Air Liaison Officer at the top of my list because I want to be closer to the mission/action and being in the Med Group is kind of bugging me as it is more AF (casual)than the actual AF. I would try to go for Special Tactics Officer or CRO but I am certain that I can't keep my run times that low through OTS and later into Indoc. I have to maintain my running more than the average good runner does. I am good for sub 10:30 but anything below that requires good conditions. I am 31 and if selected I would not go to OTS until 32 years of age which I why I no longer qualify for the rated boards.

My AFOQT scores are very competitive and my GPA is a 4.0 with UMUC.

1. ALO
2. Intelligence
3. Special Investigations
4. Security Forces
5. Munitions and Missle Maint.

So my degree is in Cybersecurity. None of these jobs require specific degrees. My recruiter has shown me packages get picked up with degree alignments that surprised me. I want to get ALO more than anything and I realize my chances are slim. But my question is will TACP personnel resent me for not being a Pilot or prior-Battlefield Airman? I joined the military at 27/28 and I have really enjoyed my experiences thus far. I really wish I could turn back the clock and go Marines or TACP when I graduated HS and this bugs me everyday. I don't feel or look that old and score high 90's on all my PT tests. That being said my career has always been a little unnatural to me as I have been an >E-4 until recently and have been grouped with they younger people. I have tried my best to move up as fast as possible to get more in line with my maturity and it has paid off but I still want more. My current AFSC is great, but I just want more impact on the mission. I looked into joining the Marines and I am too old.

Am I going to experience this all over again when/if I get into OTS? I would try crosstraining into another Enlisted field but I don't want to go into a new career I know nothing about with rank that automatically creates awkward situations. Such as being immediately put into a leadership role over people who are vetted far better than me in high stakes operations. I realize a leader can lead anyone, but this seems different. Otherwise I would go EOD or TACP.

Just thinking aloud and  looking for thoughts as this is troubling me.

*I feel like a scum bag for not joining after HS (Class of 2003) when my country really needed me and that's where this mini-mid-life crisis issue is coming from.

Not sure ALO is an available career field option for OTS. Might as well take OSI off the list completely, if it's not #1 then you won't even be considered. If you need someone to look over your app let me know. Theres alot of OTS resources out there if you do a google search, some decent message boards with info available.

Take Security Forces Officer off dude, I'm telling you.  This coming from a 16 year Security Forces troop.  Chances are you will get stuck at FE Warren/Malmstrom or Minot.  There are some good officer postings like 786th CRG or 820th BDG (formerly SFG) but they are few and far between.  Just friendly advice. Good luck.

ALO is both rated and a non-rated position. I checked. Thanks for the information though. I spoke with one Security Forces person I know and he kind of told me the same. I don't know as it seems the money isn't where the fun is.

From what I've seen, there is no real fun as an officer unless you're either a pilot, STO, CRO, ALO, or in some rare cases a Security Forces officer (but any fun ends for them when they put on Capt. and start driving a desk, main reason I never wanted to). If you want fun, either stay enlisted and go Battlefield Airman or keep pushing for that ALO spot. Even if you make it, you'll likely have fun in training and then sit on your ass all day while deployed because we're not doing shit right now (obviously subject to change). When I was in Kuwait, some of us (cops) were having the time of our lives flying missions in and out of Iraq while all of the PJ's, SEALs and Army SF at *OPSEC* and the TACP's at *OPSEC* were salty as hell because they weren't doing beans. Not trying to discourage you, just telling the truth.

That's great stuff. I still appreciate your input. If I can't get into any Officer slots, I'm going to try to crosstrain into EOD. I just want a combat AFSC. If I could do it all over again...

I would go for Intel or OSI.  Those jobs can put you into some sweet gigs in the service or when you get out.  The battlefield Airman stuff is cool but what will that do for you after you retire?  Stay as far away as possible from anything Security Forces.

Based on your name I'm assuming your Security forces? Is it that bad even in the officer corps side?

I'm Security Forces and I'm not a big fan of it.  I won't bore you with the enlisted side of things but from what I've seen how our officers live, it doesn't seem like much fun either.  I think junior officers in our career field get beasted pretty well.  In one unit I was in, the commander constantly fucked with his LT's.  He blew up at them for minor things and even relieved one for cause (a minor reason as well) while the poor bastard was on leave.  

The life cycle of an officer in SF goes like this, after training you go to your first duty station.  Then you will be made a flight commander.  You better hope they didn't give you a sorry POS for a flight sergeant because just about any crap officer I knew got their start with a shitty NCO training them.  Then you work flight for awhile and you get stomped on by an asshole Operations officer because they got stomped on when they were a new LT.  Then you're a flight commander for a few months or years in some shitty place like Korea or the missile fields and if you haven't fucked up real bad, you get moved to different staff assaignments within and moving bases now every two to three years for the rest of your career.  Hopefully if you do well enough you can move outside the career field to a more rewarding assignment.

That said stay away from Security Forces.

This man speaks the truth, read and heed my friend.

...or you can survive 17 years and 3 squadron commands. You make the choice your heart/brain/homeCINC input pushes you to. SF is not an easy life but it's rewarding and there are NO other leadership challenges in the USAF that compete.

Cyber security degree and you are not looking at Cyber?

Go 17S/D

The whole thing about Cyber is that I don't want to sit inside all day. I also know there is a lot of room for improvement in the Security Forces field. I would love the chance to make a difference.

Have at it...Good luck