What Careers Do Air Force Officers Do After Service
Nosotros're going to discuss career progression today. As a former Active Duty pilot, I'll admit I don't love this topic.
You have to understand: I'k a pilot. I didn't join the Air Forcefulness to sit at a desk-bound pushing paper or sending emails. When I graduated from the Air Force University in 2004 and got to shake President Bush'due south paw, all I said to him was "Thank y'all, sir," and our class motto: "Ready for War!"
I went on to fight his war for several years, and I loved it!
You'd call back that a pilot could focus on nothing but that…nothing but being an expert at employing Air Power against the enemies of the United states of america and the war machine would, in plow, accept care of that airplane pilot and his or her family unit. Like it or not, in that location's more to it than that.
If you lot want the option of continuing to serve in the military for a full career, and if you lot want your family to have access to the amazing benefits and retirement that back-trail that career, you accept to make sure you obey the military's instructions on how to be a adept officer. (The Guard and Reserves are generally amend well-nigh this, but each unit requires its pilots to play the same game to varying degrees.)
Thankfully, the career progression game is not cosmic. Information technology's possible to exercise what the military machine expects of you while still focusing on the parts of the job you actually care about.
I'm living proof that it'due south possible to look really good in the eyes of the military without having to cede too much of your fourth dimension or attending on the stuff that you lot deem unimportant. You run into, the Air Forcefulness loved me. My functioning reports were embarrassing. The Air Forcefulness offered to send me to the Norwegian Control and Staff College for my Intermediate Developmental Education. They only take one slot for that school each year, and just the prestige from attending that program would take all but guaranteed me squadron control and promotion to O-6.
I didn't have to sacrifice my identity equally a pilot to achieve whatever of that though. I was an Evaluator Pilot in two aircraft, and an Teacher Airplane pilot in three. I flew 312 combat missions all over the earth. I checked every box the Air Force always asked for but did so with disdain toward everything that tried to take me away from flying.
In hindsight, my disdain wasn't all that productive. I hope y'all'll do better than me and go with efficient indifference instead. However, today I'm going to tell you exactly how to take a fantastic military machine career, that preserves all your promotion options, without giving upwards on what'due south important. We're going to focus on progression for an Active Duty Air Force airplane pilot. The same principles will apply in the Guard and Reserves. Some units stretch out timelines or don't crave you lot to attain all of these steps. However, it'south worth you understanding what your Agile Duty counterparts are dealing with for context.
You'll notice that this article is broken up into ii dissever categories of career progression: i for officeholder, and one for pilot. It turns out that every military airplane pilot has to manage his or her progression on each of these paths. One path involves flying aircraft, while the other one involves being an officer. Yes, being an officeholder (or warrant officer) comes into play as a military pilot. However, near of what the military defines as "officership" involves writing reports, attending staff meetings, and doing other part piece of work. We're going to look at these two paths separately, starting on the officeholder side.
Table of Contents
- Officeholder Accessions
- Specialty Training
- Kickoff Jobs
- Company Grade Officer (CGO) Leadership Opportunities
- Professional person War machine Education (PME)
- Leaving the Squadron
- PME for Field Course Officers (FGOs)
- Primary's Degrees
- Staff
- After Staff
- Command
- Guard and Reserve Differences
- Discussing Your Goals With Your Commander
- Up Next
For our visual learners, the kickoff few sections of our career progression discussion encompass this office of your career:
Officer Accessions
A military pilot'south career starts at a commissioning source. For many, this is the USAF Academy or ROTC. For pilots smart enough to go directly to the Baby-sit or Reserve , this will hateful OTS (now chosen TFOT). The honest truth is that information technology doesn't affair which source you come from. From here on out, all that matters is how good of a person and a airplane pilot you lot are.
There are always rumors that one grouping (specially Academy grads) favors their own unfairly. In my experience, virtually of the people who go really worked upward over this are people getting overlooked for reasons other than their commissioning source…and they simply don't realize information technology. Don't exist that guy or gal.
How many times in college did someone inquire or really care about the sports or clubs you participated in during high school? I bet your respond is close to zero. The same thing applies to war machine officers. People care that yous can practice your job well and that yous're enjoyable to be around. It doesn't matter whether you were the coolest kid ever or a total loser in your by life. It doesn't have any bearing on what you're doing at present.
I remember most people feel some loyalty to their college and the people they attended information technology with. However, serving in the armed services gives you lot far more meaningful experiences to bail over than drunken dorm parties or late-night class projects. Focus on where you are now and the people y'all are with.
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Specialty Training
On the day you lot graduate from college or TFOT yous volition be the almost useless person in the unabridged US military. Certain, you'll have some fancy caste, only you will accept zip skills usable in employing Air Power confronting America's enemies. You'll need to become to some type of grooming, which means UPT for most BogiDope readers.
We'll discuss this in more detail when we talk near career progression from the pilot perspective. (We've also written about UPT in our serial describing all 3 phases of training , and our series on Winning UPT . After UPT graduation, y'all'll probably become to SERE and Water Survival. Check out our mail service on these schools for details .)
From an officer development perspective, you should focus on learning your new skills during this grooming. If you're the Senior Ranking Officer (SRO) in any given course, you may be placed in charge of your classmates. Try to do a practiced chore as a leader, only realize that your performance will non be formally documented. Information technology may play into your flight commander ranking in UPT , but information technology's a secondary consideration.
Sometimes, scheduling constraints will mean you lot have to wait as long as a twelvemonth betwixt commissioning and starting UPT. If that's the example you'll likely be sent to a random base to fill up a random role for that year. Sometimes called "casual status" or just APT for "awaiting airplane pilot preparation," this year can exist good or bad.
If you're lucky yous'll either get a fun and interesting job with some good people. Yous may fifty-fifty be placed in charge of some enlisted troops and go to learn how to deal with them – a skill that most Air Force pilots miss out on.
Another desirable APT job is 1 where your boss doesn't really have much use for you. There will be enough of time to go to the gym and observe a copy of the T-6 aircraft transmission and AETCMAN xi-248 to outset studying for UPT.
A slightly less desirable APT consignment would involve working for a mean and/or enervating boss who doesn't sympathize the concept of "rest" in life. He or she may requite you lots of boring projects and look completion on unrealistic timelines. If you become this, just make the best of it.
UPT lasts exactly one year in the Air Force, though Navy pilot training has been known to take every bit long as ii. With all the other early on pilot career progression steps we mentioned, it's non unrealistic to retrieve that you could already be a First Lieutenant / Lieutenant JG when y'all get to your first operational squadron.
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First Jobs
If you expect in the regulations for your aircraft (the "11-2" serial pubs) yous volition find a paragraph that states something to the effect of: "It is forbidden for new pilots to have any job, other than existence a pilot, for the showtime 6 (or 12) months in a new aircraft." This is admittedly a great sentiment and the USAF would be better if this happened. Unfortunately, every squadron commander I ever worked for knowingly violated this regulation. His or her justification was always that the squadron wasn't even staffed at full strength and in gild to keep the circus running, even 2Lts had to assistance.
This means that as soon every bit you report to your new squadron you're going to be assigned a task. Your squadron has many "shops" or departments to include: scheduling, mobility (deployment), plans (long-term scheduling), weapons and/or tactics, training, standardization and evaluation, admin/awards and decorations, etc.
The Air Force likewise has a position called Executive Officer. Don't become this confused with other war machine branches where the Executive Officeholder (abbreviated XO) is second in control of a boat or unit. In the Air Force, and "Exec" has the office symbol of CCE and is basically an overpaid secretarial assistant/administrative assistant to the commander.
Each of these shops exists considering information technology'south necessary for running a combat squadron and yous'll need to learn what each of them does as part of your task.
You'll start out as a clueless minion in your shop. Over time, you'll figure out what your shop needs to be doing, and yous'll offset receiving assignments. You may get transferred from store to shop to shop during your first couple of years. Although this could happen because you lot're weird or you smell bad, it'south probably a adept affair. Yous desire experience in equally many different shops as yous tin can get if you hope to somewhen exist a Squadron Commander in charge of them all.
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Visitor Grade Officer (CGO) Leadership Opportunities
Your beginning real leadership opportunity every bit a Company Grade Officeholder (CGO – ranks 2nd Lieutenant through Captain) will be as a Shop Main for i of these departments. Some of the other war machine branches requite the Air Force a difficult time about not giving its officers' leadership opportunities early enough in their careers. Those people but don't sympathize how the Air Force works. Shop Chief is absolutely a leadership position, and you're vulnerable for the position as a 1Lt.
Yous'll potentially be in charge of officers, enlisted Airmen, and fifty-fifty civilians. You'll reply to your Squadron Operations Officer (DO) and/or Commander (Sq/CC). Your ability to finer lead your people will direct bear on your squadron's power to go to war. It'south a lot of responsibility for someone in his or her early 20s.
Shop assignments are functional areas that keep a squadron running. Although a Shop Primary has authority over the people in the shop, this is not a command job, per se. Each Air Force Squadron is as well divided up into iii or more "Flights." Each Flight has a Commander (Flt/CC) who reports direct to the Squadron Commander. This person is unremarkably a Captain (O-3), though I've seen unique circumstances where Flight Commanders held ranks from 1Lt through Colonel. (The O-6 Flight Commanders were in my wife's Dental Squadrons. Information technology's a weird earth.) Each Flight Commander has an Banana, sometimes abbreviated AFC.
The Flying Commander is the actual link in the chain of command between a line pilot and the Sq/CC. The Flt/CC is responsible for writing a airplane pilot'south annual Officeholder Performance Study (OPR) and other care & feeding kinds of activities. That doesn't mean a Shop Master can't also care about the welfare of the people in his or her shop, only those responsibilities are only formally assigned to the Flight Commander.
It's possible to become an AFC or Flt/CC without having ever been a Shop Main. It's also possible to go from Shop Master to Flt/CC. It doesn't matter much which way y'all practice this. Your records will show yous progressing to new jobs of increasing responsibility throughout your career, which is all that matters.
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Professional Military Education (PME)
The Air Force places a great deal of emphasis on Professional Armed services Education, or PME. As a Captain, y'all need to consummate Squadron Officer School (SOS). The in-residence version of this form is held at Maxwell AFB, AL, and it lasts 5-viii weeks, depending on who's in charge and how they've tried to adjust the syllabus lately.
There is also a correspondence (aka online) version of SOS. An officer used to be expected to complete the correspondence version of a PME course before the chain of command would even consider sending him or her in-residence. Thankfully, the Air Force has realized what a waste of taxation dollars that mentality was and has largely squashed information technology. The AF has gone to great lengths to make in-residence SOS available to all Captains. You should merely need to do the correspondence version if unusual circumstances have prevented you from attending in person.
Officially, it isn't supposed to matter how you lot get SOS done. That's mostly truthful. On a promotion board, there is usually enough to differentiate between two people so nobody always looks at which version of SOS an officer did. Nevertheless, if two people looked nearly identical, having gone in-residence could theoretically make a difference.
The in-residence version of SOS also makes you eligible to compete for Distinguished Graduate (DG) honors. I believe it's a very negative characteristic of the Air Force, but getting DG is a huge bargain for your career. It places you on a special, accelerated career path. It will become you better assignments and more positive attention from your chain of command. If you aspire to high rank and a long career, in-residence SOS is important because information technology gives y'all a shot at that nomenclature.
When I went to SOS, the people who wanted it the most ended up non getting information technology. Those who did seemed to be more experienced officers who had a lot to share with the class. They contributed actively in course and did a good job on all their assignments because that is their personal standard, but they didn't obsess over things. They made sure to enjoy themselves and the break from real life.
Overall, don't become besides wrapped up about trying to get DG at SOS. There are other ways to get onto the shiny penny career path. Merely endeavour your best while maintaining balance in life and things will work out.
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Leaving the Squadron
One time you've been a Store Chief and/or Flying Commander, you've simply about topped-out on useful career progression within your squadron. The Squadron DO has a few assistants (ADOs), normally a chore for Majors or Lt Cols. This is a good motility up from Shop Primary or Flt/CC, but non mandatory.
Even if you spend time equally an ADO, you eventually demand to get a job outside the squadron. There are usually jobs at the "Group" level (one level higher than the squadron) for executive officers, weapons and tactics, and standardization and evaluation. Some groups may as well have positions for other functional areas. Your Wing Commander has his or her own executive officers along with a safe role, a plans shop, and other departments.
You lot demand to motility on to 1 of those jobs. Every bit a Captain or Major you'll get-go all over as a college-level minion. The Air Forcefulness relies on the jobs throughout your career to expose yous to increasingly larger spans of responsibility. It's important for you to proceeds perspective at organizational levels higher than an ops squadron.
This is the second phase of your career as an officeholder is summarized in this chart:
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PME for Field Course Officers (FGOs)
As a Field Grade Officer (FGO – ranks Major through Colonel) you're expected to consummate the side by side level of PME, called Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Like SOS, ACSC can exist completed in person or past correspondence. The difference is that not everyone gets to nourish in-residence, and then it becomes a competition.
Y'all'll work as an ADO or in a Group or Fly job while y'all wait for your shot at ACSC. Although you lot're officially not required to complete the correspondence version first, you may feel some pressure to exercise so. ACSC in correspondence is a nightmare right now. It has several cocky-paced courses, but there are as well 4 live/proctored courses that are only offered a few times per year. If yous don't complete the self-paced courses in time to annals for the next section of the proctored grade, y'all'll be stuck doing null until the next opportunity. Best example, it takes 7 months to complete ACSC past correspondence.
Personally, I recommend signing up for ACSC and knocking information technology out equally shortly equally possible, meaning the mean solar day you detect out that you've been selected for promotion to Major. It volition exist a pain in the neck only it's better to have information technology done and not need it, than the other way around.
The other reason to accept it washed early is that ACSC isn't the only option for in-residence PME for Majors (also known equally Intermediate Developmental Education, or IDE). Each year, the Air Force publishes a list of special programs you tin use for that count equally IDE. These range from attending the IDE-equivalent at other services' staff colleges, to internships at DARPA, to legislative fellows programs at Harvard, to Foreign Expanse Officer training through the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and the Defense Language Institute (DLI), and more than.
I'm told that ACSC in residence is a fun and relaxing year; however, about of these other competitive IDE programs are as well unique and enjoyable. They're at least slightly better for your career because they brand you lot stand out when compared with your peers. Some of these programs are considered extremely prestigious and have an effect like SOS DG, only amplified. In many cases, you're required to complete ACSC by correspondence in order for the unique programme to count as IDE. Information technology's far better to already have that done than to try and squeeze in ACSC past correspondence while you're attending Harvard, trying to acquire Chinese at DLI, or trying to friction match grunts drink for beverage at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College .
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Main's Degrees
Before nosotros get on to post-IDE assignments, nosotros need to accept a moment to discuss graduate school. Like information technology or not, a long-term Air Strength officer must earn a Master's Degree. Information technology used to be that this was a prerequisite for making Major. Thankfully, the pilot shortage has helped impale that requirement. Information technology may be possible to make Lt Col without a Main'southward, but I wouldn't risk information technology. Y'all won't make Colonel without ane.
This means that you have to find time in the first half-dozen-viii years of your Air Force career to practice grad school. If you lot're lucky, you can get one of the special IDE programs that also grants you a Master'due south Degree. However, those programs are pretty competitive, and so I wouldn't count on it.
The Air Force offers an alternate version of ACSC in correspondence called the Online Masters Program (OLMP). If you don't want to pay for grad school and y'all see the utility in combining this task with getting your IDE done, this could be a good pick. Realize that this course demands even more than the regular correspondence version of ACSC. You should expect it to take 1.v – 2 years to finish.
I think the OLMP is a fairly rare choice. There are plenty of universities with online programs these days. Many cater to military students and accuse exactly every bit much every bit the Air Force Tuition Assistance program pays. I chose an MS in Homo Factors Psychology through the University of Idaho , in office because it seemed like a rigorous course that didn't require a thesis. Yet, I have some friends who went all-out and did an MS in Astronautical Technology with a thesis.
Officially, the Air Force couldn't care less what school you become to or what your caste is in. It'due south merely a box to check in your record. While this is true for a promotion lath, your caste choice could be important later in life. If you lot aspire to exist a exam pilot, astronaut, or annihilation else technical, you lot should do a degree in mathematics, a difficult science, or engineering. If you aspire to one of the special IDE programs related to politics or becoming a Foreign Area Officer (FAO,) you should study Political Scientific discipline or International Affairs.
It's likewise worth noting that futurity employers pay attention to the what and where of your Master's Degree afterward in life. When I went to Mentor preparation at my airline, someone very loftier up in the company told us that having a degree from a more prestigious school and/or a technical degree is a plus on your application.
Information technology may be tempting to get a box-checking caste in "military studies" from a no-proper name, online-only university. However, if you tin stand to put in a little more than effort, I say it's worth pursuing a challenging degree from a school that at to the lowest degree has a physical campus and a proper noun that people recognize (for good reasons).
If yous're paying attending to the length of each section in this commodity, you'll notice that I've spent far more time discussing didactics than I take on actual military leadership jobs. Nosotros'll discuss more of the leadership opportunities you lot get as a pilot in Role two of this post. Nonetheless, I'll admit that some of the other services' criticism of the Air Strength is valid. Some of this is simply based on the construction of how the Air Force fights. Other than crew positions on some of our aircraft (load masters, flying engineers, gunners, boom operators, etc.) most combat Air Ability is employed by officers. It's exceedingly difficult for a Marine or Army basis commander to comprehend this departure (Using crayons to illustrate your points helps!). All the same, for improve or for worse, it is true that the Air Force relies heavily on education for a lot of its officeholder development.
The sooner an Air Force officer can get each step of his or her pedagogy washed, the ameliorate. It frees you lot up to focus on things that really matter (similar flying or having a life/family). Information technology'due south too very noticeable to your commanding officers if you have your ducks in a row early in your career. Whether they do information technology consciously or not, they'll favor y'all for awards and assignments if you accept all of these important boxes checked as early every bit possible. Get information technology done, then forget about information technology and move on!
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Staff
Having completed Air Command and Staff College, the Air Forcefulness prefers you to spend your side by side assignment serving on a staff.
There is a lot of diversity among staffs and staff tours, and there is a sort of hierarchy to the prestige of these assignments. The tiptop tier is The Air Staff, working for The Master at the Pentagon, or perhaps working directly for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Beneath that are DOD-level combatant command (COCOM) staffs like US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) or European Command (EUCOM). Next is Air Force major commands (MAJCOMs) similar Air Gainsay Command (ACC) or Pacific Air Forces (PACAF).
Your staff assignment is based upon your overall tape and your operation at your IDE program. If y'all aspire to high rank, you should shoot for the virtually prestigious staff possible. In that location isn't enough room for everyone on the Air Staff, so don't be offended if you don't go it. As ever, do the all-time with what you have.
The enjoyment of staff tours is very much a mixed bag. Sometimes you'll piece of work for a great dominate who realizes that your family has sacrificed a lot. You'll get to work on interesting, meaningful projects and go home every night at a reasonable hour. Unfortunately, some staff jobs identify you under the control of people who just don't go information technology. They'll expect you to piece of work excessively long hours. They may not understand what your background brings to the fight and will use y'all on projects that have zip to exercise with your specialty. They may ship y'all TDY (on business organisation trips) a lot, or even let you exist deployed for six-12 months of your staff tour. I hope yous get a good staff bout. If not, only remember that it will exist over anytime.
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After Staff
Once your staff bout is done, you accept some decisions to make. If you're highly competitive for command, you'll follow a track that nosotros'll talk over in the side by side section. If y'all're only somewhat competitive, or not competitive at all, you'll probably have the choice of staying on staff or going back to a Fly.
If you cull to stay in staff jobs, it should be based on the fact that you used your time there to network and have a proficient follow-on job lined upwardly. Ideally, this will put you at a practiced base, in a job y'all enjoy, with some friends. It's frequently possible to target jobs that will put you near extended family as well. This is ordinarily a play for family Quality of Life, more than career advocacy. If you tin brand that piece of work, I call back this is a peachy option.
If you decide to go dorsum to flying, you'll take several possibilities. You could go dorsum to your Major Weapon System (MWS) in an operational unit of measurement. You could also go dorsum to your aircraft's schoolhouse equally an Instructor Pilot. This could allow yous return to flying an aircraft you love, at a location y'all know, while being less vulnerable for deployments…at least for a while. You'll also have the option of going to a UPT base or other more than generic training task.
In whatsoever of these assignments, you'll primarily exist looking at a job as an ADO in a flying squadron, working somewhere on base at the Grouping or Fly level. You'll be eligible for jobs similar Main of Group Standardization and Evaluation (OGV) or Wing Chief of Plans. These aren't always the most thrilling jobs, but yous'll get to fly on the side. You could do a lot worse. If you're leaning toward leaving Active Duty and possibly trying for a UPT IP task in the Reserves , an consignment to a UPT base would be a strong option.
If you're not competitive for command, this could be the end of the line for your Agile Duty career. It'southward commonly possible to detect a style to stick around for a full 20 years and earn a retirement .
It'south possible that you lot won't exist competitive for command in your MWS, but you could have that opportunity at a UPT or other grooming base. I had ii outstanding Squadron Commanders when I was an IP at Laughlin. One was an F-15C pilot and his control was his final assignment. Some other was an F-16 pilot. He did a great job with his control and ended up moving on to higher-level assignments. Both seemed to thoroughly enjoy their time as Squadron Commanders. Don't be afraid to choose this path if you aspire to command and won't get it in your MWS community.
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Command
Speaking of command, this is where the Air Force wants officers to stop upward subsequently IDE and staff. The "ideal" career path involves spending some time as an Operations Officeholder (DO). This is a good way to go back into your aircraft, get a refresher on life in a squadron afterwards the staff, and studying how to be a commander. If there aren't enough Practice jobs available at your base, the Wing Chief of Safety position is normally considered an equally competitive stepping rock.
In general, the Air Force tries to put you in accuse of a squadron where yous weren't the DO. If at that place are two squadrons on a base flying the same blazon of shipping, it's non unusual for the ii DOs to accept control of the contrary squadrons at the same fourth dimension. In the Air Force, squadron command is commonly a two-yr assignment. If y'all do well and you're on track for further promotions, you'll be looking at Senior Developmental Education (SDE). You may accept to wait for that past spending some time as a Deputy Group Commander or going back to a staff position. The Air Force needs to push button so many officers through the squadron command job that it's extremely rare to command a squadron more once.
Nosotros could go into not bad detail on officer career progression past this point, simply I call up we've covered plenty for now. If you get to that point, there will be no shortage of Colonels and Generals happy to discuss your options with you. You'll also have figured out by then whether you lot have the potential to progress further or not.
Many pilots consider squadron command to exist the peak of a flying career. You'll be at or most xx years by the time you finish that job, and unless you really desire to pursue higher-level rank and staff jobs, this is a great time to retire.
Although the Air Forcefulness puts a tremendous amount of emphasis on squadron command, I recommend not using it, or whatsoever other rank or championship, as your ultimate career goal. There's a surprising corporeality of subjectivity in deciding who gets these good deals and information technology's non healthy to base your happiness on something well across your span of control. 1 of my best squadron commanders continuously told united states of america that each person has to define "success" for him or herself. If you lot base of operations your definitions on things y'all tin can command, letting any titles or ranks serve as a bonus, yous're guaranteed to be happy with your career.
Put it all together, and an Air Force officeholder'south career progression will probably look something like this:
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Baby-sit and Reserve Differences
We've just covered the nuts of officer progression for an Active Duty Air Force pilot. Nearly of this applies to the Guard and Reserve, to varying degrees. The main departure is that the timelines can become extended.
I of the best parts of a Guard or Reserve unit is that a airplane pilot can spend an entire career in that location. However, this means there isn't a constant stream of people moving up in rank and job, leaving shoes for you to fill. Yous may have to look until someone high up retires, and leaves some room for people to motility up to new jobs or have promotions before y'all go a chance to do the aforementioned. This is a slap-up bargain!
On Active Duty, everyone is constantly churning through a rat race of career progression. In the Guard or Reserve, you lot take more opportunities to enjoy where you are, principal your current task, and bask flying your aircraft. Revel in and take advantage of this!
You'll still accept the opportunity to move effectually to different jobs both within your squadron, and at the Group, Wing, or even staff level. Ofttimes, those jobs crave a full-fourth dimension worker so y'all'll only be able to do them if you take a few years of total-fourth dimension orders. At that place'southward nothing wrong with this, though you accept to be careful you don't exceed your limits for taking military go out from your noncombatant job .
Yous're complimentary to consummate your PME courses past correspondence. There are seats allocated at each of these courses for Guard and Reserve personnel, and the Air Force actually has a tough time finding volunteers to make full them sometimes. If you'd like to have a couple of months to attend SOS, or a year to exercise ACSC, be sure to let your leadership know early then they can program ahead and work on getting you a slot.
The long-term nature of membership in a Guard or Reserve unit means that there's an most airline-like seniority system. You lot'll know who's in line ahead of you for jobs similar squadron command. If you aspire to something similar that, the all-time matter you tin practise is exist fantastic at your job and maintain a good human relationship with the people in your community. As long as you practise, your leadership volition exist motivated to help make certain you lot become your shot at your dream job.
Thankfully, dissimilar Active Duty, the Guard and Reserve is as well happy to have you lot stick around and but fly, even if you don't aspire to a loftier rank or fancy command jobs. Anecdotally, the majority of Guard and Reserve pilots are drawn to this track.
If y'all aspire to staff jobs or earning General'southward stars, you can do that here every bit well. There are role- and full-time staff jobs available to Guard and Reserve pilots. You may exist able to do some in your country, while others will crave moving. Yous can serve on the headquarters staff for the ANG, AFRES, or in Guard or Reserve positions on staffs where most of your coworkers are Active Duty.
Near states take at least i General Officeholder serving equally Aide General (state-level commander). The highest-level commanders in the Guard and Reserve are four-star Generals. Reaching those levels by and large requires enough total-time service that it would exist hard to achieve as an airline pilot. All the same, if that's what you lot aspire to, it'southward absolutely a possibility.
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Discussing Your Goals With Your Commander
No matter what your career goals may be, it'southward important to brand sure your commander knows nearly them!
Every bit a brand-new airplane pilot, this includes your Flight Commander, merely yous should as well speak directly with your Squadron Commander almost it. Nearly Squadron Commanders are happy to talk virtually career evolution with you. It'southward all-time to talk to the dominate's executive officeholder or secretary and get an official coming together scheduled on his or her calendar.
No matter whom you're speaking with about career progression, y'all need to practise information technology tactfully. Every bit a make new Lieutenant, your #1 concern should be learning how to employ your aircraft well. You're supposed to spend almost all of your time worrying about that, and very footling time thinking about v-10 years in your future. You lot should make sure that people know you equally a hard worker who knows his or her stuff and flies the aircraft well earlier you broach the subject area of career progression with anyone.
Once you start having those conversations, you should not jump directly to what you want in the time to come. You should humbly and genuinely ask for feedback on how you're performing in your current chore. It's okay to bring up your future goals but do so advisedly. At beginning, you should just mention your goals in terms of request what else you can do in your current task to brand yourself eligible for those opportunities.
You should wait until you've earned some of your advanced pilot qualifications and some credibility within your community before yous start bringing upwardly specific assignments or opportunities that y'all want to pursue. If you're open to a lot of possibilities this can wait, while if you want something specific or special, you may need to showtime discussing it earlier in your career. (Look some upcoming articles that help illustrate this.)
On some level, your boss wants and needs to hear that yous plan to become an practiced on your aircraft, complete IDE and a staff assignment, and come dorsum to be a Squadron Commander. It'due south okay to want something other than that, but I recommend e'er emphasizing how your pursuit of other/special opportunities will go on y'all competitive for traditional career progression in your community.
Some Squadron (or Group or Fly) commanders will really be offended and confused if you say that y'all desire to pursue an opportunity that volition take you out of your primary community. The first fourth dimension ane of my buddies got picked upward for the U-2 , he was so enthusiastic about it that I had an application filled-out the next day. I was simply nearly to ship it to my Squadron Commander when give-and-take came down from the Wing Commander that he wasn't going to release any more pilots for BS similar the U-2 program. That is a stupid mentality that has more than negative effects for the Air Force overall than information technology could perhaps have positive effects for whatever specific Wing, just that's a Commander's prerogative. I ended upward (regretfully) not even submitting my application considering I didn't come across any utilise in making people aroused.
Don't be too worried if you confront obstacles like this. My career worked out very well anyhow. I excelled within my community and that Wing and got some other special opportunities. I also ended upwards educational activity at a UPT base of operations where I was largely out of reach of my MWS community. I could have submitted a U-ii application from there and been rubber from an unfriendly Fly Commander's wrath. If yous find your path blocked now, wait a little while and y'all might notice a way to brand things work afterward all.
Talking to your boss about your career goals requires some tact, only it's important to do information technology. You can't become what you want unless you enquire for information technology. Air Force Squadron Commanders fly less than anyone in their unit because their main job is taking care of their people. Your boss will be thrilled if he or she can help yous get the assignment of your dreams. Give him or her the opportunity to help you by expressing your goals.
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Up Side by side
Nosotros just looked at the officership side of career progression for an Air Force pilot upwards through the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. This feels like a lot, though it's honestly just an overview. Don't be afraid to discover a mentor who can elaborate on each of these sections and help put them into context for your goals. Like it or not, y'all need to pay attending to this part of your career progression and check the appropriate boxes when you can.
However, this is only part of your job. You also need to have care of career progression as a pilot. That topic is broad enough that we're saving information technology for another calendar week. Be on the lookout for Role two in the near future.
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Prototype Credits:
The feature prototype for this mail service is from a video at: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/712178/leadership-and-development-course.
The APT student FOD check is from: https://www.dvidshub.cyberspace/image/5315178/laughlin-airmen-earn-air-force-level-awards.
Mobility line picture: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/5813699/training.
The moving picture of SOS students is from: https://www.dvidshub.internet/video/714011/cde-squadron-officer-school-craig-smith.
The photo of the CSAF briefing ACSC is from: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/4699048/csaf-shares-squadron-revitalization-vision-command-insights-with-acsc.
The staff meeting in Iraq is from: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/5920955/honorable-ellen-yard-lord-meets-key-staff-members-union-iii-iraq.
The assumption of command photo came from: https://world wide web.dvidshub.internet/image/6085539/new-commander-takes-charge-492nd-fighter-squadron.
The shot of Gen Lengyel is from: https://www.dvidshub.net/prototype/6056009/gen-lengyel-guam-national-baby-sit-troop-visit.
The mentoring session is from: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/5674402/angs-outstanding-start-sergeant-year-1st-sgt-rachel-l-landegent.
What Careers Do Air Force Officers Do After Service,
Source: https://bogidope.com/air-force-career-progression-officer/
Posted by: humphreybuis1976.blogspot.com
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