My first thread and it will be obvious.

My background is I am a C-17 guy with 3000 total, 1300 PIC and I have 14 months until I can get out of the AF. I have taken my ATP written and will probably take my FE written next week.

I basically have a ton of questions about how and where to start my new life. Below are the questions I have, if you guys have time to take a look and answer a few I would be grateful.

1. Southwest seems like such a great place to go (assuming they are hiring) but all my friends at other airlines say that the up and down sorties and quantity of sorties will kill me. Any Southwest guys have anything to say about that?

2. What is a typical day at FedEx or UPS (assuming they are hiring) like? I know it isn't all night flying, but can anyone give me an example of a typical day? Is there such a thing?

3. For the cargo guys, do you spend a lot of time sitting overseas? Reserve?

4. For Fedex, where the hell is Subic Bay? Do all the new guys get stuck there?

5. For any airline/cargo where do your new guys get stuck? How long does it take to be able to hold somewhere else, where would that be?

6. Are the guaranteed minimums on airlinepilotcentral.com accurate for hours? Is the pay accurate?

7. For any ex-military guys, was there anything that surprised you or that you didn't think about as you made the switch?

8. This might be obvious, but if I live at my domicile is there a chance some trips end up back there so I get an extra night at home during a trip?

I guess that is enough for now, I don't want to overload the thread. Any help you guys can give me would be appreciated, please add comments or questions of things you think I should be thinking about if I didn't list it.