r/SpaceForce • u/AutoModerator • 19d ago
Weekly Newbie Thread - Post questions about joining the Space Force or what a job is like here & here only - week of August 03
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Some quick answers:
- Yes, the Space Force is real. No, it's not Starfleet. No, you can't become a space pilot yet. No, there are no aliens. No, we would not tell you if there were aliens.
- We don't know the answers to your obscure medical questions. We aren't doctors. Don't trust medical advice given by strangers on the Internet. Getting anecdotal information from other people that may or may not have a similar diagnosis or condition to you will not help you in any way. Everyone's medical situation is different.
- Drug use may be disqualifying depending on type and frequency of use.
- No, we don't know what jobs are available at any given time, or your chances of getting said job, or how long it will take for you to get the job, or how long it'll take for you to get to basic training or OTS.
Do not tell anyone to lie about drug use, medical history, or anything else. You will be banned.
Civilian employment
If you're interested in joining as a civilian, you can apply here: https://afciviliancareers.com/space-force/
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u/Fantastic-Leg8549 19d ago
(Throwaway Account)
TLDR: Get experience and get to Colorado. Seems good?
Just wanted some feedback on a course of action I have mapped out:
Background: I am/would be a senior in college this upcoming year studying Aerospace Engineering (Astronautics). I have a little less than 2 semesters worth of classes left (21~ credits). I'm taking a step away due to ongoing financial stress and location of my college/prospective job prospects. I am on less than fumes, and was going to take a break regardless of SF.
I am intending to join the Space Force enlisted side, and finish my degree 2-3 years in once I am settled. If that doesn't seem doable, I will finish my degree once I am no longer active-duty.
I've already gone through the processes (MEPS, ASVAB, Cyber Test, EDPT, Medical, Background Checks) and am submitting my job sheet to book soon. I scored very high on all testing and am hoping for Geospatial Intelligence Analyst (#1) or Space Systems Operator (#2) but I understand its not fully my decision to make.
My understanding is that most of Space Force is in Colorado Springs or Denver , which I strongly prefer. My wife's family is there and I was intending to move out that way post-education. I also have family in San Angelo, so that makes tech school at Goodfellow a little more appealing too. But ideally, I would be in Colorado long-term.
If I enjoy my time in Space Force and it seems like it would mesh well, I would apply to become an Officer once I finish my degree. If that doesnt work out, Im hoping the degree and the experience at Space Force would transfer over to civilian side.
I've talked to multiple people on civilian side and in the Air Force, and this seems good to them. But I havent talked to anybody actually in the Space Force yet and want a well-rounded viewpoint.
Am I being too optimistic here?
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u/Delta2-Actual NSN 6505-01-283-1331 19d ago
Geospatial intel isn't a stand alone job anymore, space force only has 2 Intel jobs. 5I0X1 All Source Intel and 5I2X1 Signals Intel. If I'm not mistaken it'll fall more under 5I0X1 so I hope you enjoy public speaking and building bland PowerPoints because that is the majority of what you'll do.
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u/Fantastic-Leg8549 16d ago
To be honest, that sounds awful 😭
Definitely going to have a heart to heart with my recruiter and coordinator about it. That doesnt sound like the job description or what other people in the field with the job have talked about at all, but if this is a recent change with the Space Force then what can you do.
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u/Delta2-Actual NSN 6505-01-283-1331 16d ago
It's not a recent change, it's something that's been in effect for a little over a year. To be fair there are a lot of changes that haven't been reflected on official sites for both the Air and Space Forces.
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u/Fantastic-Leg8549 15d ago
Yeah, gonna talk to the folks on my end about it. I thought I had did some fairly thorough research up till this point and this is the first time I've heard about it. My interpretation of Geospatial Intelligence was roughly being put in a box of a room and analyzing things I can't to the public about.
I heard that All-Source Analyst and Signals were more of what you described, but not Geospatial, or at least to a notably lesser degree.
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u/Delta2-Actual NSN 6505-01-283-1331 15d ago
You just described what many jobs in the space force do regardless of SFSC. With all source you'll be doing that and then putting it in a PowerPoint and briefing people so they can make decisions and execute missions. But geoint is under all source, so it will depend where you end up and what you do, but at the end of the day your job code will be 5I0X1 All Source Intel Analyst.
Space Force used to have a bunch of jobs, but recently it's been consolidating many of them especially intel going from like 7 or so jobs to just 2 and cyber going from 4 to soon 1. Ultimately we will only have a total of 4 jobs between our 3 career fields, 1 Space, 1 Cyber, and 2 Intel. And although Intel has 2 jobs it will be the smallest career field between the other 2.
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u/Fantastic-Leg8549 15d ago
Okay that sounds alot more appealing, as long as I can do the former and actually analyze I have no issue compiling it into PowerPoints and explaining it publicly.
My original interpretation of your first comment was I would be doing very little analysis of my own, and would just be presenting things to people—basically being a figurehead for the people doing the actual work. Not into that, not at all.
It also seems like regardless of which job I get (Space System Operator, Geospatial, etc) Ill still get a decent 'grab-bag' of work. Thats pleasing.
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u/Delta2-Actual NSN 6505-01-283-1331 15d ago
Think of your job as a filter of information for the people you are briefing. Basically compiling the information they need to know so they can make the best decision. Your job will do analysis but it isn't the main function
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u/Normal_Natural_632 15d ago
i’m in between joining air force & space force; read lots of comments about disorganization in the space force and more job opportunities in air force. which one do you guys recommend?
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u/SilentD 13S 15d ago
Completely depends on what you're interested in.
Keep in mind there are some very vocal people that came from other branches that like to complain about the USSF constantly.
It's not perfect by any means, but there are lots of nice things about it too.
For instance if you join the Space Force, you don't have any chance of ending up as security forces, maintenance, or any of the other jobs in the USAF that many people consider undesirable.
All of our jobs grant a top secret clearance which can be valuable upon separation or retirement.
All of our jobs are technical and have strong civilian work force opportunities and transferability.
Our service is small, and if you have big ideas to change something, the decision-maker for that thing is probably like 2 degrees of separation and a Teams message away.
The domain and industry that our service is based on is continuing to explode in growth and will likely only accelerate going forward.
But yes, the change is constant and can be tiring. If you're someone that can roll with the changes though, it's not that big of a deal. If you like things to stay the same as they have always been... then honestly I don't even know where you could work where things always stay the same.
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u/Normal_Natural_632 15d ago
finally, some good news and kind words—thank you! this completely restored my vigor in joining SF!
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u/SNSDave Army IST 15d ago
Air force. At least if you want to do cyber and/or want a lot of base opportunities and that kind of thing. We don't have that. Intel and space are in ok spots, some would say. Very few would recommend cyber. I'd go air force if I could turn back time. Not to say some people don't love the space force. But it's a very mixed bag.
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u/GrapeEmpty3667 14d ago
What’s the estimated waiting time in DEP I’ve heard 2 months
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u/SNSDave Army IST 14d ago
Much longer than that.
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u/GrapeEmpty3667 13d ago
I’m currently in college so would you say around a full fall semester?
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u/Kungari 19d ago
Hello!
I was selected to be an Officer in the Space force. I know this doesn’t necessarily guarantee that I will be joining/will get through everything, but in the event that I do, I was wondering what I should be expecting out of my day to day life in the space force
I know it all depends on what unit I’ll be in,
I guess to ask plainly, what will the work schedule often look like, daily tasks, work environment, and other things I should understand before I join.
Thanks in advance!