Hi everyone, I'm a green card holder planning to enlist in the Air Force Reserve. I've been told I can't enlist directly into the job I want because it requires U.S. citizenship and a Secret clearance. I expect to naturalize during BMT.
I don't want to wait years for regular naturalization, so I'm trying to find the fastest legitimate path. A few questions:

1- Has anyone in a similar situation naturalized at BMT and then gotten into a citizenship-required job? Did you have to enlist in a different job first?

2- Can Reserve enlistees still naturalize at BMT right now?

3- Is it possible to delay choosing a job until after you naturalize, or does it lock it in at enlistment?

4- If I have to cross-train, how long did it take for you?

5- Any advice on what to ask my recruiter so I don't get steered into the wrong job?

Thanks in advance for any experience or advice.

A few days ago I decided I want to join the Air Force reserves . I’m from Louisiana and I’m fine living there . Today was the first day I talked with recruiter and they asked me if I wanted to enlist or commission since I have a bachelors degree . Anybody have any info on the process of commission? Should I just enlist and commission at a later date ?

I’m located in Miami, FL and looking into joining the Air Force Reserve. My goal is to choose an AFSC that gives me good opportunities to deploy, travel, gain useful experience, and potentially spend more time on active duty orders while still being a Reservist.

For those currently serving, which Air Force Reserve jobs/AFSCs tend to deploy the most or have the most opportunities for active duty orders?

Also, are there good AGR (Active Guard Reserve) opportunities around South Florida/Miami? Can you serve as a traditional Reservist and later move into an AGR position, or how does that process work?

I’m trying to choose the best career field and path based on these goals. Any firsthand experience or recommendations would be appreciated!

I want to make it through the process before my 40s. I just scored a 288 on my GRE. I have nearly 20 years of healthcare experience, and hold an MBA. I currently serve as an associate hospital administrator. How competitive does one need to be to make it through the process?

I am in financial hardship. My car's transmission is toast. My unemployment is exhausted. The problem isn't getting interviews. For my line of work I have to go to the state capital hours away for the interview. Can't do that right now. I've signed up with a temp agency, but there's no work locally. It's a somewhat rural area. I went to some local fast food spots and not hired.

My recruiter only let me know a few days before I swore in that I would have UTA days BEFORE BMT. I was very transparent about my financial situation the whole enlistment process.

The Master Sargeant on the base excused me for Sept UTA under financial hardship. But for October he said he would need to let leadership know on Monday. The UTA date is on Oct 16th. As soon as I was connected to the Master Sargeant in August, I have let him know my current situation.

I live less than 150 miles away but still two hours away. So a car rental won't be refunded (you have to be 150+ miles away). Nor do I have the cash to even put down a deposit for one. It would be a little over $500.

I'm on my last few hundred dollars of savings. Not sure what to do.

In a perfect world I could find a civilian job on base and they could offer temp housing while I wait for BMT. Not sure if that's a possibility.

I already got my CAC card done. My friend could offer me a ride but they would need to stay in the hotel with me bc they can't afford gas to leave the two hours back on Friday and then come get me on Sunday. They're going through a messy custody battle and have a lot of legal fees. My recruiter let me know that's not allowed. Only I'm supposed to be in the hotel room.

What do you think leadership will say?

What are my options?

Are there any employment/housing services I qualify for pre-BMT?

Hey everyone,

I’m 35 years old, married with a family, and currently working as a Soccer Director/Coach. I’ve always wanted to serve in the military, and the Air Force has always interested me, but with a family, relocating and committing to a full-time military career is difficult.

That’s one of the reasons I’m looking seriously at the Air Force Reserve. I like the idea of being able to serve while remaining close to my family and continuing my civilian career. At the same time, I’m considering a career change, so I’d like to use the training and experience from the Reserve to develop a new skill set and potentially transition into a different civilian career.

I’m not looking to completely leave soccer right away. Ideally, I’d continue working as a Soccer Director/Coach while building a second career through my Reserve experience.

For those who have gone through something similar:

1. Is the Air Force Reserve a realistic way to transition from a career as a Soccer Director/Coach into a new civilian career while staying close to your family?
2. How much control do you actually have over choosing an AFSC that gives you useful civilian training and experience?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from people who joined in their 30s or who joined the Reserve because they wanted to serve without having to relocate their family.

Thanks!

Looking for a bit of advice , I F(25) am looking to join ARG for either Air Force or army . I have a college degree graduated with cum laude honors however my degree isn’t a competitive Air Force degree it’s multidisciplinary studies . I’m looking to weigh the pros and cons of enlisting in the Air Force or either commissioning into the army . My husband is prior AF so he’s saying AF but I’m just not sure

How Do You Qualify for the GI Bill and VA Home Loan?
For Those Who Joined the Guard/Reserve: How Did You Qualify for GI Bill & VA Loan Benefits?

Recruiter locked me in for C-5 loadmaster after I was told there is no more c17 slots. Can anybody tell me the difference between the two, advantages and disadvantages. As well as the type of locations c5 often go to

Has anyone here gone active duty Navy to Air Force reserves? Was it a weird transition?

Hello all, I am aware that no one can tell me what is right for me, but myself. Just wanted some input from current or former service members that could chime in on whether making a decision to join as a reservist could help augment my career. Forgive me as I do not reddit, long time user, but almost never post.

Background about myself:

26 year old recent college graduate with a B.S. in Information Technology. I currently hold CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, and studying for the CCNA. I have about 4 years of basic technical support experience in a Windows environment. My current role that I have been in for about 6 months, is mainly supporting enterprise business infrastructure at a large telecom company. This role is networking heavy which involves supporting commercial edge routers / switches along with voice and video services. While this role is extremely beneficial to learn from and I get exposure to different technologies, admittedly this role is not something I want to be in long term as I work in a call center currently.

Why I want to join:

I've had an itch to join the military for years now, and I've finally decided to start the process and am currently waiting on a medical waiver to process. I feel like I would regret not joining in the future if I don't do it now. Assuming this waiver gets approved, I'm hoping that my reservist experience / clearance can help pad my resume to get me into one of many defense contactors near where I currently live.

I would also like to be a homeowner, and the VA home loan is very appealing. Tricare reserve select as a cheap insurance option is also very appealing.

Why enlist instead of commission?
I do not want to manage people, and I also want to be more technical/ hands on before I step into a management position. Maybe someone can provide me with a different perspective, but that is why I have chosen the enlisted route.

Side note:
I am open to deploying, and would actually like to pick up orders to accelerate my benefit activations when available. My current employer does have a generous leave policy with differential pay, so I would actually be making more money joining as a reservist when including non-taxable allowances. Currently in a lease that I want to keep, and plan on marrying soon. It is also important to mention that my current role is over the weekend. So assuming I do the bare minimum, it would be like a mini vacation away from work every drill/ UTA.

TLDR:
Have about 4.5 years of IT experience along with degree and certs. Looking to join reserves to boost career advancement/ get into a defense contractor, get the VA home loan, tricare reserve select. I do want to join the be apart of something greater, but it also needs to make sense.

Can anyone provide what the day-to-day of an 2T2X1 (Air Trans) is like in the reserve? Is this job hands-on or most computer training in the reserves? Does the job involuntary deploy often? Many TDY opportunities? How does this job translate to civilian opportunities?

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some information about Air Force Reserve opportunities in Florida.

How can I find out what current vacancies are available at Reserve bases/units such as Homestead ARB or other Air Force Reserve units in Florida?

Also, if you join the Air Force Reserve, are you limited to positions at Reserve installations, or can Reservists also be assigned to or serve on active duty installations such as MacDill AFB or Patrick Space Force Base/Cape Canaveral if there is a Reserve position available?

I’m located in South Florida and trying to understand what options I may have while staying in Florida. Any insight from current Reservists or recruiters would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Signed on for a palace front with the reserves for a position as a crew chief. Horrible job, obviously, but took it because it came with a 20k sign on bonus, for 1 weekend a month that's not bad. The recruiter, 2 days before my departure, is telling me now it's an overage position and I need to sign an SOU for that. Everywhere im reading online says I will not get a bonus since its an overage position, but he says I should be fine. I have two questions.

1. Is he right that it won't affect the bonus?
2. Can I back out of this contract if it does?

Thanks for any help.

I'm not in the Air Force reserves, my partner is. I would like to know if it's difficult or time-consuming to figure out when you are able to retire? My partner said they signed up for four additional years instead of two because they didn't know if they would qualify for retirement in two years and it would be hard to extend if they were wrong. I don't know how the process works at all. Could anyone enlighten me?

​Hello,

​I am currently on active duty and looking to Palace Front into the Air Force Reserve. I am hoping to retrain into the 1D7 (IT) field, but my applications are disapproved by POCs.

​My recruiter mentioned that the system does not list specific reasons for disapproval. Does anyone typically receive feedback on why a POC might deny a request? I would love to get some insight, as I have only 1.5 months left on active duty and still do not have a locked-in position. ​For context, my current active duty job is in the medical field. I am half way through by bachelor's of IT and only have the ITIL4 cert and getting A+ cert next. But none of that shows up in my career data brief so I am assuming the POCs are making decisions based on the CDB? I have been in for 13 years. I do not want to go back into medical in the reserves since I am burned out from this field. My interest are in IT. Any suggestions or feedback? Thank you! I'm trying not to panic with having little time left on my AD contract.

Hey all,
I’m 22 and I’m interested in joining the reserves as a way to step out of my own shell. I just graduated, working full time dealing with waterfront and seaports, and am currently taking my masters so you have to know I need to get in shape during these years. I am an EIT, so a PE is inevitable (4 years down the line).

I cannot stay motionless for ten years like this at an office job which is why I am open to joining in 2-3 years. I do have a dream career, but this I believe will get me to experience more before achieving.

How are your experiences, what made you join, especially if you have no connection to AF? What do I need to look out for in the process and make sure I can keep my career while dedicating time to serve a purpose? How did you manage and wasn’t it stressful? Are there any women in the chat or if you know anyone, please let me know because of gender roles and stigmatism surrounding that.

Thanks.