Thread: CFI or military
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Old 08-30-2013 | 11:33 AM
  #3  
mpilot153
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Continue pursuing aviation on the private side. Start making plans for college. Regardless of the choice, you need to set having a college degree with a GPA greater than 3.0 as a must have item 4 years from now. (5 years from now if you just started your senior year)
Again, regardless - you need to set having a college degree as your priority.
Next, both the military and the airlines hire in big cycles. Right now the Marine Corps is paying jet pilots large sums of money to leave. 8 years ago, the Marine Corps was in crisis because they needed jet pilots, and came up with a program to send Navy pilots through Training Basic School, and mix some yellow into the blue to make green. Right now the Air Force is short on pilots, and offering very large bonuses for them to stay in.
Non of what is going on now will apply to you 5 years from now. It will be a different set of circumstances. Just understand everything moves in 5-10 year cycles. Find an ex military pilot about to retire from a legacy airline - they will tell you about the same crap that went on in the 70's or 80's.
If you think you want to serve, I would recommend setting it as a goal. There are too many commissioning programs to name, but every service has a lot of routes. Every service has a lot of options to pay for college.
Some of my peers went to the regionals instead of the military. They've subsequently made it to a legacy with several years of seniority under their belt (way ahead of me). Versus the guys/gals that went to the regionals 5 years after them, they've been stuck at the regional for a very long time.
Here is what I will say. I made the choice to leave active duty because it is not for me anymore. I have no regrets about serving, and would pick the same course if I had it to do over again. I've had some of the best times of my life, and made some great friends. 15 years from now when you are sitting around the camp fire with an adult rootbeer next to your buds, you will be proud of your choice. You will have great stories, that you simply can't get through civilian life.
Now that I am out and in the Reserves, there are a lot of options available to me, that wouldn't be there otherwise. If I find a flying reserve/guard unit that is hiring, and likes me, I can transfer between services, and move anywhere in the country. Without my current reserve job, and the healthcare insurance that comes with it, making this transition from the military would be next to impossible. Once I find an airline that likes me - if I am furloughed, I've got a fallback plan. The reserves have saved a lot of peoples bacon.
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