You can look up the pay scales on line. My friend, IIRC, as an 0-4 with over 14 years active duty makes around $75K, but with all the extras, including command level housing with all expenses paid, plus free health care, it's like he's making well over $100,000.

This was totally tongue in cheek. I assume you all know me well enough to know that, but just in case, let me be clear that I have nothing but the utmost respect for those who defend my freedoms.

After I’d been stationed in Germany for a while I made my first trip back to Rhein Main AFB to shop at the PX there when I noticed the gate guard was smiling. I thought, “WTF is his problem?”
You never saw that going onto an Army post. No one there was happy to be pulling gate guard. Point of the story is, the soldiers I met that were in the Air Force were generally happier than the soldiers I met in the Army.
Make sure you sign up for a good job, one that translates to a job in the civilian world, and go for it. Get some duty overseas. It’ll be an eye opening experience, I guarantee.

I know they pay a lot beter now and the benefits are considerable. No rent or utilities, no food costs. I've seen guys gamble away their whole paycheck on payday and still make it to the next one.

My nephew graduated from the academy and is still in the AF. He seems to enjoy what he does.

My dad spent 12 years active duty AF and 18 years full time Kansas Air National Guard.

He retired with a nice pension and benefits at the ripe age of 48. His stories from his 3 years at Clark AFB in the Philippines and 2 years in Germany back in the late 70's were enough to make me want join when I was younger.

Could never talk myself into signing 6 years of my life away though.

Yeah....don't be like me. I was a Radar operator in the Air Force....and now I don't do anything that resembles it.

When I was 20 years old I dropped out of college and had decided to enlist. However, I had a reason to enlist, I wanted to become an air traffic controller (ATC). It sounds like you don't have any idea of what job you would like to perform, which is a more important decision. To just enlist without any research as far as schools and occupations is a major mistake.

Once I had decided the school option of ATC, I next went to every recruiter, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Army. The Air Force wanted me to select three different schools and after I had already enlisted and was in the fifth week of basic they would then let me know what school they had chosen, not a good deal for me. Every branch was the same and wanted four years except the Army gave me my school choice in writing and only required a three year enlistment. Every promise the Army recruiter made came true, including promotion to E-4 after graduation from ATC school. In fact I made E-5 in 16 months after enlistment, that could take years in the Air Force, and that means money in your pocket and less extra duties.

I'm not saying the Army is better than the Air Force, because I'm sure the Air Force is a more elite branch as far as lifestyle, however the Army does guarantee your school and rank is much quicker. Also, any aviation job in the Army is a step above the rest of the Army and is somewhat elite compared to the majority of the Army.

I know, it sounds like a lot when you look at it that way doesn’t it.
But to get any kind of a good job you’re going to have to sign for 4-6 years.
There’s a reason they offer grunts 2 year commitments.

That's not too shabby.

I’ve got an old high school chum that spent 6 years in the Army as a “gun bunny”, 11B Infantry. After he’d spent all his bonus money he got out with nothing more than the GI Bill money and some crazy memories.

I'm 43, and if I had done my 20 and retired I'd have been getting a decent pension for past four years now, plus I wouldn't have to pay $400 a month for mother****ing healthcare.

You don't think about that when you're young, but that's about a $2,000 swing in monthly income.

They say there's lots of evangelicals at the AF Academy now, sort of like going to Liberty U or Notre Dame....

So, hope you're really really into Jesus...

The daughter of my boss is an Air Force pilot flying C-130 gunships. She has done 5 tours of duty, mostly in Iraq, but at least once in Afghanistan. Within the last six months she was redeployed out of the Air Force and into the Army to serve as some kind of "Electrical Officer?" riding in the front Humvee on patrols in Iraq. It looks like for some missions the military doesn't have enough trained troops and are pulling them from other services. You might consider that aspect of it. I think my bosses daughter was upset enough about the "reassignment" that she will probably get out when her time is up.

Jim

My dad was in the Army the and Air Force, and he said the Air Force was like a 5 star hotel in comparison.