Originally Posted by rickair7777

The military will essentially always allow an enlisted man to do a commissioning program at any time, even if they are in a high-demand MOS.

I have never once heard of any enlisted person being told that their skill was too critical to allow them to go officer.

Originally Posted by AirGunner

If I was in your shoes I would wait until you are finished with school, then get commissioned whether it was Reserve/Guard/Active Duty. The Air Force will always be around, time dedicated to finishing your education may not. (Life happens after all.) If you were to enlist as other posters have said, you'll have to contend with basic training (a joke), technical school, and finally OJT when you get back to your unit. Add deployments into the mix once you are fully qualified in your AFSC. Realize, that you'll have to make up about a year and half (worst case) of time you could have used to finish your degree. However, it's not impossible to do though, if you are determined to finish your degree. Additionally, it's not as simple as being awarded a UPT slot once you finish your degree. If you can get a slot as an officer once you have finished school, you'll have to go through OTS first to earn your commission then go to UPT. Talk long with your family, friends, and finally your recruiter before you finally decide what you want to do. All the best

Originally Posted by ERJF15

AirGunner gives great advice. I was a tech school instructor for 4 years. Depending which airframe, you could be at Sheppard for 4-5 months. And as he said, getting your OJT/CDC's done will take priority. However, if that's the way you feel you need to go, it's still not a bad plan.

Originally Posted by Velosprints

I did something very similar. I enlisted in the COANG right outta high school. I served a full 6 year enlistment, and signed up for a second as a F-16 fuel systems tech. I applied to just about every Reserve and Guard C-5/C-17/KC-135 unit in the country after I graduated school, and was able to get out of my enlistment in order to switch components, go to OTS and ultimately UPT. (I switched from the guard to the reserves and got a flying job in MD) I believe that being prior enlisted could help you greatly in the interview process as well. It shows that you have an idea of what the Air Force is all about and it demonstrates that you have an understanding of what is expected of you should you be selected to attend UPT.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

Cheers

Originally Posted by HawkJ2010

Anyone here go to graduate school while enlisted in the ANG/AFRes? I have been asking around on Baseops as well. I really want to enlist as a loadmaster and hopefully go through graduate school as well. I just want to know if it has been done before and if anyone out there is willing to PM/talk to me about it. Thanks.