Advice for my Son?

Hey, Everyone!

Not sure if this will get too much traction, and thats cool, but it can't hurt to ask.

My Son recently graduated HS, and is now strongly considering USAF. He's longed to be a mechanic, and eventually open his own shop at some point, but I think he's beginning to see that it is a long road ahead of him, and some skills, discipline, and service could go a long way in paving for a wonderful future for he and his eventual family.

Anyone have any advice, or resources they'd throw our (his!) way? I'm in full support, mainly because I've always thought it would be a solid option for him.

We attempted to sit down with a USAF recruiter today, but the local office is closed until the 10th. Just so happened to meet the USMC recruiter who graciously spent an hour with us just answering general questions. Through that conversation my son realized that the aircraft and mechanic skills can be utilized in more than just the USAF branch, which got the wheels spinning. This is the job focus (MOS?) that he would be pursuing.

Thank you to each of you who served! We're all the better for it.

 

I was helicopter mechanic in the ARMY. I became a heavy equipment mechanic after fulfilling my 6 years there. I worked for the State of California and injured my back resulting in surgery and subsequently was given a medical retirement. After that I bought an airplane, hired an instructor and got my pilots certificate. I have worked part time repairing planes with a friend who has a shop at the airport. If I had to do it over again knowing what I know now I would have joined the Air Force as an Air Traffic Controller for 20 years. After that work for the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller for 20. I know a few that have and the double dipped retirement is pretty good.

 

I was a jet engine mechanic in the AF for 24 years. I retired in 2015 and now work for the AF as a civilian. There are different career fields for aircraft mechanics. Crew chief, hydraulic systems, engines, electricians, avionics, etc.

 

Hello,

My brother has been in the USAF since he was 18 (he is 51 now), and has done really well as a C-130 electrical mechanic (no idea what the actual job title is). He is now in the reserves, and his job on the airforce base is actually a civilian job, but obviously you would need to have air-force experience to know how to fix a C-130. He has gotten to travel to so any fabulous places (and some not so fabulous places),and he still goes on some deployments, from supporting various missions like dropping food and supplies to the Syrian refuges stuck in the mountains, to helping with medivacs (he takes on a non-medical role of course) taking injured soldiers from the dessert to Ramstein, supporting air shows, and sometimes just heading to various areas where there are broken down C130s. He went to boot camp and then to the AirForce version of "tech school" where you learn how to do whatever you decide to become. He has moved up the ranks over the years, HOWEVER, your son should keep in mind that the military is increasingly requiring college education and degrees if you want to keep moving up, and not just to be an officer. So, that is something to consider.

Your son may want to look into the army, as I think they have more vehicle mechanic type jobs, if that is what he really wants to do when he gets out. Being a C-130 mechanic is great, but you have to be able to find a job on an airforce base, and they are limited, although maybe it would cross over to fixing commercial planes, I don't know, but again it might be a better fit for what he wants to do when he gets out.

Best of luck to your son, I hope he finds his "niche"!

-T

 

Damn, he's got a point there. I was a Navy stricker meaning I had no job (Don't do this), with a great degree of difficulty struck out to be a Navy Air Traffic Controller, finished top of my class, got a plaque in Pensacola where Marines and Navy study for ATC. Got my quals and got my Control Tower Operator ticket.

Got picked up by the FAA and stuff happens, but it's probably USAF heavy, the rest of us are frowned upon. Got a long sob story no one wants to listen to. Long story short USAF ATC is probably better, have a good 6 figure job to get out of after with a HS diploma, and open a shop as a side gig, since he will potentially have 3 day weekends for the rest of his career, once he checks out.

 

I think it’s a good plan. But maybe be willing to consider other branches. I’m not in your area but if I had to take a stab in the dark as to why the AF recruiter is off till the 10th and the Marine Corps recruiter was there is because of mission numbers.

Any branch would have mechanic jobs. I initially was going to join the AF but a few years later decided to join the Marine Corps. My job was an Aviation Electrician on the CH53E helicopter. I liked it but it was long hours. In my last unit I went to Maintenance Control(ran maintenance for the entire squadron).

The issue will be upon exiting and how to transfer those skills. I had a lot of experience others didn’t have when I was applying, but none on any airframe that was used around me. I ultimately did a couple jobs before landing where I am now.

When I got out the first thing I did was got my CDL A with every endorsement. This will open up so many things you could probably never think of. I never had a plan to drive trucks, just needed it for a few occupations I was looking at.

I ultimately ended up working on Light Rail Vehicles. I had heavy equipment operators, UTI graduates, and a Gold level master Tech in my class. I say this as the industry is hurting now for mechanics. I just lost one of my guys to your transit agency last week.

You could Google the Metro and see what they have posted.

Let me know if you or your son have any further questions about any of this.

Good luck in whatever he chooses!

 

BTW I'm still in the FAA. going on a decade (20 year federal service combined), any question feel free to shoot away.

 

OP,

Your son should join the USMC and go into the infantry. Then use his GI Bill to fund whatever education he would like afterwards.

4 years in the infantry will make him appreciate things like personal freedom, privacy, and normal jobs. Plus he will be able to talk shit about POG’s for the rest of his days, which is something you can’t put a price on.

 

I was a helicopter mechanic for 28 years. I have 10 years active and the rest was full time aircraft technician (Title 32 Federal Civil Service) for the Army National Guard. The one thing that I learned is that to get a job on the outside one almost has to have an Airframe and Powerplant license. I never got my license because the military forces don't require one. I found it was almost impossible to get a civilian job without that license. It's good retirement but it's a long haul to make a career of that but it can open doors to other opportunities like working for the FAA and other agencies.

 

I would go ANG ..air national guard instead of full time active duty. Know a ton of young people that has benefitted and only have to serve a 1 weekend a month. While there you will be able to figure out if you eventually want to go active or better yet an AGR gig which most guys from active said they would of done instead --if they knew about it. I will say the guard is MUCH more relaxed. Good luck !

 

This forum is incredible. I sincerely didn't expect to get so many responses! Lots of good information and comments. I'll sit down with him and discuss whats been brought up here and let him continue to digest the information and keep researching.

I'll loop back on this thread as things progress.

 

Whatever service he chooses, tell him to be ready for a heavy adjustment when he goes back to civilian life. I'm sure he's a great kid, and it's obvious he has great parents, but he'll need a little help readjusting when he gets back home.

A separate note to all vets. First, thanks for your service. Second, apply for VA benefits (I know, there's a lot of bad press, some earned, some not) even if you never plan to use them. Congress counts heads when allocating funds, and the more funds they allocate, the better it is for the vets who rely on it.

 

100% agree with this... carriers took my knees and back, among other things...
OP If he goes in any injury should be entered in his med record.

 

I second the guard. I am partial to the Air Force (am currently active duty) but would go back and do Air National Guard in a heart beat if I had known it was a legit thing. Figure out your closest unit and then try and talk to them/a recruiter. If he is joining out of HS then he can enlist as a crew chief (directly responsible for maintaining and launching jets) (you can get the Air Force to pay for an Airframe and Powerplant license but you have to ask as it’s not required in the Air Force) and if he loves being in the Air Force he can get his unit to sponsor him to OTS, commission and be a pilot . Specific jobs are referred to as AFSC (Air Force Specialty Code) such as 11F3Y (F-35 Pilot) or 2A337 (F-35 Crew Chief). Check this out for an idea on Air Force maintenance.

 

To add to post #16, your son MUST have his A&P License to be a mechanic in the civilian realm. That is the most important piece of advice I can give. I work with quite a few guys here at an airline. The majority are Air Force guys, with a few Marines. One Marine in particular was USMC ATC. If your son does the ATC route, and decides to retire military, be sure he is in tune with the maximum age requirement. It was 36 years old when my buddy got out. He was 38 and too old to apply. I believe currently the age may be greater, but that is one thing to consider and monitor if that route is being considered.

As far as the Air Force guys I work with, a quick survey of 6 of them say concentrate on tankers or transport aircraft mechanic in the Air Force. Those jobs will closely relate to any airline job in civilian life and are quickly picked up by the airlines.

As a previous poster mentioned, he went to Maintenance Control and in civilian life that is where the money is at in the airlines and where I work as well as the Air Force guys I just talked to about this post and any advice they could offer.

Best of luck to your son!!

 

This community is awesome. You guys are rad.

 

USAF Officer here

1. Consider why that AF recruiter is off until the 10th? That could be b/c he/she is lazy, or it could be b/c they have no issue meeting their quotas on enlistment. Ever wonder why that's the case?

2. Take a look at the bases. Where does your son want to live? That matters and you should consider lots of details about the different services before you jump.

3. Don't take a recruiter's word for it. Get any deal regarding AFSC (Air Force Speciality code--job) in writing

4. Did he take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and what were his scores? Those matter in jobs you're selected to do!

5. Many of the other folks here gave this advice: Think about the long game. What does he want to do? Pick a service and job that aligns with that life goal. Do NOT pick a service b/c a single recruiter got him a basic training slot earlier than the other. If he has the financial freedom to wait, he should wait for the right service and right job

6. The GI Bill and Tuition assistance are real deals that allow for a considerable amount of 'free' school if he's willing / able to work on it in his free time.

7. Start physical training now if he's not already a H.S. athlete. Basic training is a lot easier if you're not winded all of the time b/c you're out of shape

A life of service can be 4 years or 30 years. The people are some of the best people in the world and the community you join (as you see here) has no substitute.

There are also serious downsides to the military lifestyle that should be understood. Always remember, a new recruit is signing over their life in service to the Constitution.

Have him write any questions down in this thread. I'm sure there's someone here who can answer. Also let us know if the USAF recruiter won't give you the time of day. We have our ways to find someone who's interested in your son.

 

how did they do that with an age cap of being hired at 31 for an air traffic controller? 18+20=38????

 

To all that have responded to the OP, thank you for all your service!
I wasn't military but my Dad and Son were/are Navy. Someone said don't restrict your choices to one branch. I wholeheartedly agree. My son did pretty well on the ASVAB and wanted to go into the i.t. world. He's was partial to Navy because of his grandfather but I talked him Into talking to the A.F. recruiter just to see. The Navy recruiter had literally pretty much begged him to sign up but I told him to wait. Told him they'd give him anything he wanted but nuke. . We went and saw the A.F. recruiter and he pretty much told my son that they would take him but couldn't guarantee anything as far as rates and he'd most likely be stuck in the Midwest in a cubicle most of his career. Half pissed me off but half appreciated his brutal honesty. He went Navy, got I.T. and has seen more of the world than I ever will and got paid to do it. Talk to all of them and see what they offer. And as said before, if he hasn't taken the ASVAB, that would be the next step. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

Basically if you want to be an FAA ATC, you must get out of the active military before the age limit. I think you can then also do ANG/Reserves.

 

I agree, just trying to figure out how said person did their 20 as stated in the service to get pension, then 20 as a FAA ATC, as that would be illegal.

 

If your son wants to work on interesting stuff and get a contracted MOS to do that he better boost that ASVAB score. A lot.

I got a 97 on my first attempt, and ended up in the USMC infantry because I wanted to learn how to kill people and break things. I would venture a guess a 51 ASVAB is about where an average infantry grunt will be in the USMC or Army.

Time to start taking school seriously and study. Then study more. Particularly math, science, and even vocational stuff.

Physical training needs to ramp up too. Does he like to run distances? Better start because the military loves running, not because it’s useful (far from it) but because officers love to run because 90% of them are unoriginal paper pushers who think cardio is the end all be all of fitness. Planning a useful PT session that gets people bigger stronger and faster requires effort, and sometimes equipment that is functional. It’s just easier to make them run and do calisthenics. So that’s what the .mil “leadership” does for the vast majority of people. Any attempts to change this moronic training methodology in any branch have been met with stiff resistance from within and from outside the military.

So your kid needs to start running, so he too can be good at an activity that is completely useless. I never once jogged into a gunfight wearing running shoes, a t-shirt, and silkies but we sure trained on distance running.

Otherwise the plan to get into an MOS that teaches a trade is probably solid. Combat arms MOS’s are a good place to pick up injuries in training, and of course if a conflict starts up the risk is even higher. Particularly given the no talent ass clowns who inevitably rise to the top of .mil leadership. Not all of them are turds, but most of them are. The only really good General I ever served under was Jim Mattis. The rest of them were just administrators, who were not capable of winning wars. Mattis being a non political type rubbed the political class the wrong way, but he did get shit done when he had authority to.

 

USAF AGE or Aerospace Ground Equipment 2A6X2 is probably the closest the AF have as far as automotive mechanic. It is a very diverse field. Touches on wide variety of subjects from Diesel engines, gas turbine engines, electrical, electronics, hydraulics, pneumatics, gas engines, electric motors and controls, etc. Uses various testing and troubleshooting equipment: oscilloscope, digital tachometer, diagnostic testers, turbine engine analyzer, multimeter, etc.

Here's the link to that career field or AFSC 2A6X2:
https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a4/publication/cfetp2a6x2/cfetp2a6x2.pdf
CFETP is the Career Field Education and Training Plan.

You can download it and print it and review it. When you talk to the recruiter, ask what the minimum ASVAB requirements for this career field. For ex:
Machanical: 47 or better
Electronics: 28 or better
And other requirements like: Normal color vision
Also get an ASVAB reviewer to get familiarize with it. Areas that he finds difficult-he needs to study it. Once you take the ASVAB test and did not meet minimum required score for the AFSC that he wants to get in, it may take a year or so to retake it. This may have changed. But confirm with the recruiter.

Other things they"ll check: credit history, criminal background, life history, previous employer is any. Should be able to meet requirements for Security Clearance. For USAF minimum is Secret.

 

EDIT: Not sure why my quote thing isn't working....but @PlaysARobin I tried to quote your post above #22.

#4. Take the practice test as many times as you can. I don't know about the AF recruiter, but I would be willing to bet the Marine Corps recruiter will help with this. You can take their practice test as many times as you want before taking the real version.

Along with that understand that though your initial scores are critical there are things you can do along the way to help you out if you ever want to "lat move". You can go to school while on active duty(not your GI Bill), which could help qualify you for a different job.

As far as the GI Bill goes, yes it can be transferable. There are stipulations and you should ask about that. Also a few years ago there was a statistic like around 50% of veterans will ever use their GI Bill and way less than that will ever use the entire thing. Once you get out you can use it for apprenticeships too. Now it doesn't pay out like a traditional school would, but it's there if you want to go that route(I did).

#7. If he is trying to put on any muscle mass just stop. It will be a waste of time. I guess that truly depends on which branch he would pick though. But like @Coal Dragger said...running is the most important thing(I agree this is dumb). Well, I guess if I was being honest it's the second most important thing....get those pullups dialed in. Nothing else will matter. A Marine Corps drill instructor would brake any man no matter the size with a 3x5 flash card and enough time.

 

Been a long time, I enlisted in '75 and retired as an E7 from the USAF in '95 but it was what I needed. I graduated HS and lived in a small town and had a nowhere job and was cruisin' around with my friends drinking, this wasn't so frowned upon in the early '70s. I learned discipline, team work, and an electronics trade and got my associates degree that converted into the real world. That monthly pension has been nice the past almost 30 years.
If you trust your son let him do this by himself but give him advise before hand like gather the info so you can talk with him about it later, he doesn't need to sign ANYTHING and from the problems DoD is having with recruiting he can probably have his pick. Look at the bonuses https://www.airforce.com/pay-and-benefits/enlistment-bonuses they're giving.

 

There was a lot of good info in here and I honestly did not read them all. The Marines have some stellar recruiters, but I know from experience that they cannot guarantee some career fields. I was looking at switching from the Air Guard to go into the Marines Air wing and they couldn't even contract that I would end up in an air unit. So, I didnt switch.

If I could do it all over again, I would have gone puddle jumpers (Coastie) or stuck with my decision in the Air Force. Only real draw back to coasties is their pay issues and our federal funding. But if he can stomach some stressors, it is worth it. I have yet to meet a disgruntles coastie in real life. Especially here in FL where they all seem to go after Alaska.

The Air Force can get him locked into a career field, and then the chance is his base.

For the record, I admire your support.

 

My advice would be to stick to the Coast Guard(the best of the best) or Air Force. With that said my future son in law got out of the Air Force a few years back after working as a big jet mechanic. He served 4 years after high school. He now works for Lockhead Martin building F-16's and has already moved up to a supervisor position in that company.

No matter what service your son chooses, sounds like you have a lot to proud of Dad!! Great job!!