If I enlist as a crew chief or some other mx position in the ANG right now when I'm still in school, can I be awarded a UPT slot once I get my degree or do I have to finish out the 6 year commitment? Can that UPT slot be at another unit?

Thats exactly what my T-1 partner did to get into UPT. He made it seem like the one of the easiest way to get in with the unit.

Yes, but keep in mind, it could delay you getting to UPT. Deployments and training will slow down your degree progress.

I considered enlisting, but opted to finish my degree ASAP and find a unit to hire me.

Best of luck with whichever route you decide.

Thanks. The only in-state unit that's within reasonable commuting distance is a Viper unit which is an air-frame I'd love to fly someday, however I will also be applying to every C130/KC-135/C17 unit that I can as the competition for slots here is fierce.

The military will essentially always allow an enlisted man to do a commissioning program at any time, even if they are in a high-demand MOS.

I have never once heard of any enlisted person being told that their skill was too critical to allow them to go officer.

If I was in your shoes I would wait until you are finished with school, then get commissioned whether it was Reserve/Guard/Active Duty. The Air Force will always be around, time dedicated to finishing your education may not. (Life happens after all.) If you were to enlist as other posters have said, you'll have to contend with basic training (a joke), technical school, and finally OJT when you get back to your unit. Add deployments into the mix once you are fully qualified in your AFSC. Realize, that you'll have to make up about a year and half (worst case) of time you could have used to finish your degree. However, it's not impossible to do though, if you are determined to finish your degree. Additionally, it's not as simple as being awarded a UPT slot once you finish your degree. If you can get a slot as an officer once you have finished school, you'll have to go through OTS first to earn your commission then go to UPT. Talk long with your family, friends, and finally your recruiter before you finally decide what you want to do. All the best

AirGunner gives great advice. I was a tech school instructor for 4 years. Depending which airframe, you could be at Sheppard for 4-5 months. And as he said, getting your OJT/CDC's done will take priority. However, if that's the way you feel you need to go, it's still not a bad plan.

Anyone here go to graduate school while enlisted in the ANG/AFRes? I have been asking around on Baseops as well. I really want to enlist as a loadmaster and hopefully go through graduate school as well. I just want to know if it has been done before and if anyone out there is willing to PM/talk to me about it. Thanks.

Thank you!

Thanks, taking this into serious consideration too.

Thank you for the input, and nice avatar btw.



PM inbound sometime soon, thanks!

Could work out well, could be hell. All depends on what field you're researching. If you have to deploy for six months during a major research aspect of your degree that you might not be able to make up for another year..... you get the idea.