Don't want to fly for the Air Force anymore
I'm not really sure where to post this, so I'm sorry if it's in the wrong place, or maybe doesn't belong here. I've been here before, but this is my first post. I wanted to share some of my feelings regarding my current career track because I think there must be others who feel the same way that I do right now.
I finally came to the realization today that I don't want to fly for the Air Force anymore. Like many of my fellow Air Force pilots, I have been on and off the fence regarding staying and taking the bonus, when eligible, or taking the plunge and seeking out greener pastures and other opportunties. The security of an active duty retirement is a tough thing to give up, even if the promise of an airline salary can more than make up for it. There is a certain peace of mind that free healthcare and a pension brings that makes bailing on the military feel like a risk. But today I realized happiness is more important than finishing a 20 year career just for free healthcare and a pension. I can achieve the same level of financial freedom thru other means than the Air Force. My family doesn't have to be a slave to AFPC. I'm not the only member of my family with a significant opportunity cost associated with me being active duty.
Here's where I'm at. I'm just now entering the last year of my ten year Air Force pilot commitment. I can do eight more years after my commitment is up and retire with a full active duty retirement. Eight short years, and they may or may not be that bad. I would even be okay if they were taken up by an interesting staff assignment, but here's the reality of it all. I don't have the buy-in I used to have for the mission. I'm currently deployed and in command of a flying squadron, and I feel disconnected and unfulfilled. If I feel this way about this job, what can I possibly have to look forward to in the next nine years of Air Force career progression? I think it's time to stop trying to seek out professional satisfaction, and focus on personal satisfaction, happiness, and quality of life. An airline career seems pretty attractive at this point in time. I'll be honest, I don't know if I'd want to do it for twenty or thirty years, but it does seem like my friends who have taken the plunge are much happier, and their work doesn't follow them home. And a job that pays well and doesn't follow me home is looking pretty attractive right about now.