Some admin advice for the job seeker.

Prep your wife/family for the pay cut and lifestyle change. We started discussing this about a year and a half out. I emphasized that it would be a crappy first year and we'd have to make financial cut backs. I've been very fortunate to have a very supportive wife. She understands that the sacrifices have a potential great payoff in just a few years.

I wish I would have actually made those financial cuts a year out, but we waited until I got the job offer (about a month out). We cut back on going out to eat from 3 to 4 times a week to once a month, got rid of cable, stopped buying magazines, Starbucks, etc. I don't buy anything in an airport anymore. These changes have actually allowed us to not only survive on the pay cut, but actually save a decent amount of money. I'm amazed at how much we wasted before.

If you have a car payment, I highly recommend selling it and buying a cheaper used vehicle with cash. If you plan to buy a house in the next two years, I'd recommend buying it now while you actually will qualify for it.



Be prepared to have some buyers remorse. Getting the call is awesome, You'll be excited about indoc and training, OE is a new learning experience...then reality hits.

Commuting to sit reserve, riding buses through crappy parts of town to get to a crashpad or wherever you're staying, extremely boring flying, an anemic pay check. I started questioning my decision, thinking I'd made a big mistake. Fortunately, I ran into other military guys that said they felt the same way and that it will get better. It helped to know that this was a normal feeling. I told myself that I will give it at least 2 years before moving on to another industry. That alone made me start to like the job more right away, just the fact that I'm not trapped.

Not complaining or saying I'm burned out; just trying to prepare you, as I was not expecting to feel that way at all...YMMV