Posted this on the Military board, but its not gained much traction haha. Thought Id give it a go here before his deadline this evening when he has to turn in his "Dream Sheet"

I'm helping an airman put together his top 7 list of career fields in the AF that would translate well into the civilian world when his commitment is up. There are two categories I think he is leaning towards: Intelligence and Aviation/Flight related. Intelligence fields are things like Cyber intelligence and Intelligence/Surveillance/Reconnaissance. Those have way more of a potential to have some excitement for you young man as opposed to fields like Logistics and Admin. Hes having to pivot mid stream due to some circumstances. Originally wanted to go Combat Warfare field.

When I worked at a DoD place years ago (software developer), we employed a large number of former AF folks in different roles where they could help with direction on products and requirements & verification. Some were similar to project/product managers, some would perform QA type duties, some spent most of their time translating high level product ideas into specific requirements, etc. The software I was working on ended up in airplanes, so they were subject matter experts.

I was a Captain in 14N3 Intel with USAF Reserve Command.

I loved it. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

Might take into consideration the deployability and non-deployability as well as oconus opportunities within a given career field.

So if the person originally wanted some sort of warfighting unit / career field, will they be happy sitting in an avionics shop at Wright Patterson, or at a computer terminal at a mega-base wherever?

I've seen a lot of younger folks join up and get stuck somewhere they don't want to be for a few years and then get burned out entirely because they want to be going somewhere and doing something.

Depending on the personality of the person it might be best to go a career field or specialty that gives you the opportunity to go oconus right off the bat. That would be my recommendation. Get it out of your system. See what it's all about while you are young. This will put you at a big advantage down the road in whatever career path you finally end up in.

You dont want to be a few years in, mid-career and show up at your first oconus unit or deployable unit. Get that experience under your belt now, and get some miles under your belt.

A lot of younger folks try to pick something where they have a good chance of being 'closer to home' Thats probably a mistake. Don't pull the band-aid off slow. See what its all about.

Based on what I've seen theres a big difference between people transferring in from somewhere oconus or from an operational unit and somebody that has been stuck on a big base somewhere in the US for a few years. Generally the people with that experience are better off in long run.

Also the oconus people generally get first pick on jobs coming from oconus. So you go do your time and then you got first pick of where you want to be and what you want to do coming out of that. So you've got a goal in mind. Get through this and then I got a preferential pick of exactly where I want to be after I got my feet wet and know something.

For future career opportunities I might look at the big defense contractors job board. See what they are trying to hire for and what they are paying, as well as what clearance they are requiring for those specific jobs.

I know many soldiers in the Army with this one and they routinely start at $70k ish out of the service. The Air Force has an equivalent and they go to the same training school concurrently with the Army. It's rigorous and a year long.

https://www.airforce.com/careers/science-and-technology/biomedical-equipment?&&gclid=CjwKCAjwrranBhAEEiwAzbhNtZG0HWK5cp85DeQI4H7vzXiZ1E2PPkJF8cbX55iOnYovdiAzS_xb4RoCeBUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/career-match/science-medicine/research/68a-biomedical-equipment-specialist.html

Good information to pass along to him. Thank you guys for your input!

//USAF retired 28years, 28days with TAMU BS & commision. My philosophy was to get as close to the fight as practical and truely consider the needs of the AF verus my abilities to support. Career ranged from ICBM to strategic bombers to tactical airlift to combat plans. Proud to served and would do it again. Afterall, the mission of the AF is to 'fly and fight' and don't forget it.//just my thoughts.//

My wife and I both were air traffic controllers in the air force. Pay on outside is pretty stinking good. Feel free to reach out if he wants to know more. Intelligence is pretty good too.

I would think that avionics and electronics would be something that would also translate to the civilian world

I was a Procurement Officer out of A&M. No shortage of job offers after my 4 years. Purchasing /contract negotiation is also a pretty good follow-on.

I was an AF linguist 1A8. I was assigned to AFSOC and then was picked up by JSOC. It was great and met my closest friends. Loved it.

Nurse
Flight Nurse
Nurse Anesthetist
Nurse Practioner

Wherever there are people, they will always require maintenance. If I could go back and do it all over again, I'd be a traveling nurse. Live in great places and make great money until you decide where you want to settle.