US Armed Forces - MIL Career Choices
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Lafayette, LA
Age: 65
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US Armed Forces - MIL Career Choices
Dear Forum:
My son is an mechanical engineering student (doing real well) and presently serving in Iraq in the Army Reserve.
When he gets back he wants to make a military career change and I'm looking for advice, pros/cons, etc of these choices. Please comment if you have advice for this young many:
Pursuit 1: quit college and pursue Warrant Officer helicopter training in the Army (again his grades are good).
Pursuit 2: upon return to US change to AF ROTC and, get degree and pursue USAF flight training, possibly helicopter or transport.
Personally I'd like him to get a degree of some kind whatever he chooses.
Any comments from experience?
Thanks
My son is an mechanical engineering student (doing real well) and presently serving in Iraq in the Army Reserve.
When he gets back he wants to make a military career change and I'm looking for advice, pros/cons, etc of these choices. Please comment if you have advice for this young many:
Pursuit 1: quit college and pursue Warrant Officer helicopter training in the Army (again his grades are good).
Pursuit 2: upon return to US change to AF ROTC and, get degree and pursue USAF flight training, possibly helicopter or transport.
Personally I'd like him to get a degree of some kind whatever he chooses.
Any comments from experience?
Thanks
Pursuit 2: upon return to US change to AF ROTC and, get degree and pursue USAF flight training, possibly helicopter or transport.
FWIW:
USAF rotary wing is a low odds gamble, very few, very small group.
Transport they have lots of.
USN has about 50% helicopter pilots, USMC about 80% helicopter pilots.
IF your son wants to be a fighter pilot, I'd suggest not standing in his way.
"Want to" is a critical factor in any of the options you outlined.
How do I know this?
25 years USN, pilot, flt instr for basically three tours (though the last one had waaaaaaay too much staff work for my liking), and some small experience in joint and interservice training.
As to option 1, the CWO helicopter pilot program in Army is a good option as well, if he likes to fly and fix things. My CWO colleauges from the green side typically had maintenance jobs as they got more senior, though of course they kept flying.
