You better pick something you enjoy. Case in point...first shot I had to get out was 91...they were letting anyone out who wanted to bail from the military in the post cold war drawdown. Economy was soft, and airlines weren't hiring. In 1996 when my commitment was up, there was some hiring but not in the big numbers that came later 96-99. My timing was never that good, and I waited until the 14 year point to bail. The good news? I flew F-15s in Alaska and Germany, and while the job was never easy it was immensely satisfying. Ask yourself "would I like doing this if the airlines never called?" as a back-up. It sure would stink to pick job your heart wasn't in if you did it for 15 years...