I have a little dilemma on my hands. I have 8 yrs in the military (5 yrs enlisted, 3 yrs so far officer AD Air Force). A few months ago, I received orders to change stations from Barksdale AFB, LA to Yuma, AZ. This PCS carries a mandatory 2 yr Active Duty Service Commitment. I already do not enjoy my job for two reasons. The first being, I love commercial aviation a whole lot more than military aviation, it's what I was around growing up. The second being my job is a lot more secretarial than I thought and being sent from station to station, each one being more lifeless than the next, the job and QOL become miserable. My dilemma comes in the fact that if I took the Yuma assignment that would put me there until Nov 2013; which of course is after the 1500 hr rule takes effect. On top of that, I see very little flying in Yuma without driving to Phoenix or San Diego and quite a bit more misery at my job. So, I need some opinions/career advice.

I am 29 yrs old with 400TT and 50ME. Not substantial numbers by any means, but it is something to work with.

If I do not take the assignment, the AF says I need to separate on Feb 1, 2012, no other options. The pay stops, the benefits stop, but maybe my quality of life improves and I can concentrate on an aviation career (pilot or not).

If I take the assignment, I have 2 yrs spent in Yuma with the very rank conscience Marine Corps along with more deployments/field exercises. The benefit would be that my bank account would grow fairly nice, but that is the only benefit that I see. Basically, QOL for the last 3 yrs has been miserable and I need a change.

With all that said, I don't want to be some low time guy stepping into the airlines still wet behind the ears forcing the CA to instruct the whole flight, but stepping to regional (if I can) is still an option I'd like to consider.

Whether you have been in this situation or not, I would love to hear your thought based on the scenario. What would you do?