FDNYOldGuy

Not a fighter dude, but my guess is that, even thought you're not above the age-waiver land, Reserve/Guard fighters usually shy away from folks close to that range. They got burned by the oldies in the past bailing out mid-UPT and there are pieces to a fighter track that are tougher as an older person. You're playing a numbers game and betting on the longer shots by narrowing to fighters; more competition for fewer seats. If you really just want to fly anything, you really should start looking at heavies. If you want some autonomy, start rushing heavy Reserve/Guard units. As many before have said, 96.69% of people usually enjoy wherever they end up as long as they embrace it. "Bloom where you're planted." AD has its place...and it's life. If you want life autonomy, (more of) a choice of what you fly (depends where you're hired, obviously), and the ability to get that airline line number started years earlier, you probably are infinitely better off holding off for Guard/Reserves. You might have a "better/faster" chance flying just going AD, but you risk getting pulled by your hammer around the world. As for flying fighters, you're putting WAY more in the hands of the fates than if you get hired by a unit. Your skills, your competition...errr classmates..., available 38 slots, and the needs of the AF all dictate more than you "wanting to fly fighters." You could be a strong above average 5th in a class that gets six 38 slots or you could be a hot shit 3 in a class that gets two slots. You could get that 38 slot and they only have 2 fighters in the drop, so FAIP or bombers for you. All of that is decided by random luck and timing. Then again, some folks are in it to win it and wanna ride or die AD. It's certainly admirable and a guaranteed paycheck for 12-ish years. It really is only something you can decide. Lastly, look into Reserves more. Guard is great and less AD-light, but it's much more disjointed in the hiring due to the inherent state by state nature. Each Guard unit has its own separate hiring apparatus with separate recruiters; Reserves can get you started (MEPS, forms, basic intro stuff) for any airframe (I think they still do Unsponsored...) and you can begin rolling as you're rushing multiple Reserve units. Whichever path you choose, 100% rush multiple times to the units you truly want. They're getting lots of hotdogs tossed their way; be a more memorable hotdog. Be a good human, put in the work to make them want to pick you, and don't stop until you've gotten the last TBNT. it's tough competition and no one is gonna just hand it to you, so don't give up. Good luck! Signed, A happy Reserve heavy driver that started UPT 7 years above the age cutoff ***(DISCLAIMER: during a VERY different hiring environment, so not happening very often anymore)*** and has greatly enjoyed the adventure I've been fortunate enough to experience thus far.

Happens pretty often. If you're making it in T6s and not a totally ham-handed pilot, they're not usually going to write off that training already sunk if you're struggling in 38s. Once they wing you (which happens earlier/after T6s now?), they're not going to want to lose you as an asset they spent money to train. As long as you get a heavy unit to pick you up (AFRC or AD will just shuffle you to where they need bodies if you don't have someone; Guard may require more work on your part since you're more owned by a certain unit/state) and you still want to fly, it's not an earth shattering move. I think I personally know of >5 people bouncing between pointy and heavy life at various stages along the training/career.

Yup. Exactly what @Boomer6 and @brabus said: They're likely not going to care about BS/BA; get a degree that is useful to you in case you don't get to play airplane for some unforeseen reason. Furthering that, it's great you want to know about psych but, if you have zero interest in making it a career, you're just wasting your money. You can buy some books to read/learn about psych and, if you really want to go through some formal courses in it, get a minor in psych to go with the major that's going to get you paid (or just rack up hours for airlines). Always try to open as many doors as you can; it'll allow you more options down the road when life inevitably changes.

Hence why I overly stressed that it's a bad investment and multiple other investment/financial planning boxes should be checked, but discounting the option completely isn't the answer and I'm guessing why you put "nearly" in there. I also mentioned the lower returns/better options in other investments. And, yes, most of us likely won't be lucky enough to be above the $12.92 tax free cap, so no (or little; some states have) estate taxes. But, your heirs will have to pay taxes on what they receive. All inherited retirement accounts must be wiped out within 10 years of your passing, so you kids will be forced to liquidate everything within that timeframe and pay taxes on (any non-Roth parts of) it. It'll also count as income that'll stack on top of whatever they're already earning. There are no taxes at all on insurance disbursements. 100% a Term is a cheaper buy, but you die outside that term and they get nothing. A Whole LIFE is way more costly for lower coverage, but it's a GUARANTEE that someone gets a wad of cash. Father Time is undefeated, so you're getting paid to die. It's also something stable you can 100% bank on paying out what it says it's going to. If you keel and 08-09 type market is around, your estate has taken quite the hair cut. You know what still paid out 100% in March 2009? Insurance. For folks living that airline life, you're already socking quite a bit away in stonks, which is why I threw the option out there (with a million caveats). Again, I don't think it's a great investment and they are very costly, but it's another estate planning tool that can have some validity for folks making a lot of money and checking other retirement/investment boxes. I make zero dollars by bringing up Whole Life and you will certainly have the wolves salivating when you ask any company about them due to the high commissions, but it can be worth a consideration if you know what you're going into. It could. The company will still contribute, but you'll just be unable to write anything beyond the $22.5 off your income and if you think you'd max out their direct contributions, too, then you might end up overfunding beyond the $66k allowed for TSP/401/403 plan type. Not really a tax person, but this is what comes to mind.

+1 on the IRAs (especially Roth), but keep an eye on income limits and you might need to do the “Backdoor Roth” option if you make too much. TSP is treated like a 401k and, if you max out TSP, you’re already maxed on 401k; pre or post (Roth) designations. If you have access to 457 you can end around that limit and contribute another $22.5. If you’re looking for more tax shielded investment options beyond that, next stop can be HSAs, or if you’ve got kids you think will need college tuition help, 529s. If your focus is giving money to heirs, it might be worth looking into a Whole Life insurance policy. These are EXPENSIVE and not really great investment options (fees are high and annual returns aren’t even close to market returns you’d get investing elsewhere), so they’re not worth looking into until you’ve checked quite a few other investment boxes first. But they’re useful ways to ensure your heirs get paid a tax free chunk when you eventually die (Father Time is undefeated, after all) and you can get tax free dividends in your later years, if you choose, or keep the value growing by reinvesting the dividends. You have to be careful talking to folks about these, as they (and their similar Variable/Universal/whatever Life compatriots) are pushed big time by lots of financial advisors and insurance salespeople because they have HUGE commissions relative to other investment options/life insurance policies. They have a vested interest to hawk them to you, so just do your homework and use someone you trust to buy one, if you go that route.

Bravest, not Brightest.

Meant to circle back to this one, because while the movie put some artistic license and drama to backdrafts, real ones will slam your prison wallet closed at a rapid rate. I remember back when I was FDNYYoungGuy being told by old hats that we'll think, "they're storing dynamite in there," when it happens the first time. They weren't kidding. This is a crazy video of a (rather large) backdraft the brothers in Queens had a few years back. It's amazing people weren't killed in this one; it's certainly larger than most (sts) with a block full of taxpayers on fire. Saving grace was a lot of street for it to expand out to and a lot of folks weren't inside (sts) yet; ones in apartments don't always have that luxury (RIP in peace Jason Gedrick; your sacrifice won't be forgotten...) and can be more lethal. @BFM this, nice pickup! Such a great movie that doesn't get the mileage it should. Some pretty heavy hitters in there for a goofy movie that doesn't get talked about much.

That guy farts, it'll make one of Axe's backdraft setups look like blowing on a birthday candle. 100% that guy's an engine chauffeur and is not making it 2 rungs up that ladder. @Danger41, yessir. Putting the OLD in FDNYOldGuy. I vigorously studied the "historical records" of Backdraft for entry into the FD. Just like I had to watch Iron Eagle/TG to get hired as a mil pilot. All on VHS, too. Haha.

Unfortunately, we’ve got the same limp hammers around FD, too, like this tub-o-shit. I’ve run into a couple out in the wild, both AF and FDNY, while drinking, which usually leads me down the rabbit hole. I like letting them build their shit diorama and then asking them about some mundane details that anyone that’s actually spent a little time in job either knows, yet the “heroes” always seem to “forget.” Minor things that were part of regular life or rite of passage in either job that any one of us experienced, yet most of these shitbirds wouldn’t know or think to research. How was formal/standup/shotgun? Let’s talk about a random SERE factoid? When’s recurring boldface due? Tell me about your UPT base. What’s dispatch’s number? Where are medicals and when? What’s this random 10-xx radio code mean? Tell me about chauffeur school? On and on. There are so many minutiae that we all deal with (in any job) that can usually weed out the Officer Doofies/Paul Blarts of the world. Harder to weed out the ones that were in, but embellish their accomplishments, but they tend to be less brazen with folks in and only use their stories to wow outsiders. They usually know you’d probably have heard of them rescuing Col Masters with Chappie or fighting Axe in a warehouse fire.

I don't have any personal advice for that. I just got hired in a completely different environment than today. Currently, we (and most squadrons, from what I gather) are really heavy on new pilots and have drastically pulled back hiring from what was happening Reserves/Guard-wide when I was going through in 2018. Unfortunately, you're just in a tough part of the wave and, even more so, I'd bet lots of squadrons are hiring closer to the vest and going with internally recommended/known folks and non-advertised hiring boards. That said, the resume is one thing to getting hired, but the hustle is an even bigger piece. It may take you pushing further with reaching out to squadrons than just listening to their "we aren't doing rushes." With your access to Global, you can do more digging than the average bear and have a leg up to reach out to folks in squadrons through research. Also, as @JimNtexas said, looking outside of fighters is also probably a good idea, depending on whether your view is "any military flying" or "I'm only going to fly Fs." That's only something you can decide, but I'd recommend doing some research, soul searching, and looking into what your career choices are after UPT pipeline.

As @O Face said, your scores are pretty solid; even for pointy units. A buddy of mine in UPT was in a similar boat to you by being an O already and wanted to fly (he stayed AD) fighters. He had solid scores, busted his ass in UPT, tracked 38s, and did well enough to now be flying Fat Amy. If you're set on getting out of AD and doing Guard/Reserve, O's point to just going to meet the squadrons and being a solid human is going to weigh more than you being hot shit with scores/civilian life extra curriculars/great LoRs. Those help, but they'll aim to hire someone they like and wish to spend time with over someone that is a shiny penny on paper. Good luck!

This is a pain in the ass that it takes that long to get the match, but there's one caveat to this: the two year point starts from enlistment/joining the service, not the first day you start orders. I think it's 2 years from the "Pay Date" section of the LES. Anyway, I expected my match to start a few months later that it did and realized it was my date of swearing in. I'm not sure if this backs up even further to those (few) that get paid for something during the recruiting pipeline, but it's possible. Guard folks swear in super early and Reserves can at least a couple months before they start getting orders officially, so it's good to do it ASAP if you want to set yourself up a little earlier on the retirement matching sooner. It helps a lot for being AD/on orders during the UPT pipeline, as you'll get more months/dollars of match than if you hold off. Nothing life changing, in reality, but worth knowing and could help get a few hundred extra bucks thrown in there.

Congrats to your daughter! A couple of little extra pieces I'll add. As @Hunter Rose said, I'm also a bigger fan of Roth than Traditional TSP (or 401/403/457/whatever) because I'd rather pay taxes now over paying them later. Tax rates are historically low, US expenses: taxpayers are going to get worse, and most of us will earn more in later working years than in early ones. Also, if you have a Roth IRA going, you can roll-over the Roth TSP down the road and you'll not have RMDs. *Bonus of Roth TSP for those getting tax free. Try to not max out too early in the year. The match is per-month, not for the whole dollar amount, so they're maxing 5% per month and if you max out early ($22,500 is the 2023 max), you're missing out on their later-year matching. Everyone now is in BRS, which isn't terrible. It's a 40% pension if you make it to 20 for jelly of the month (over 50% of the old system), but you get the government contributions/matching if you leave before 20. So, it's not all all or nothing system like the old one. Agreed on the C being the basic best bet of the S&P 500 if you like it simple. I also like the S (small cap) and I (international) and hover around 60/20/20, but to each their own. The TSP site said new folks get auto-enrolled within 60 days at 5% in the Traditional option, so I'd say she's probably already started down the road. Just have her adjust to the Roth, or the makeup of investments, if she thinks she wants something different.

My gouge is almost 5 years old and things could have changed now, but this is what my order of ops was. YMMV. Your next call will be congrats (or maybe next board, depending on how competitive your peer group is) on the UPT slot. Then you'll get linked up with the 340th, who will work with your recruiter to finalize your paperwork/gaining by 340th and swearing in. Then you'll head to San Antonio for ~6 days to inprocess with the 340th, which will be roughly 2-4 weeks before you are going to start OTS. They'll give you your actual UPT start dates and which UPT base you're going to during this week in SA. You'll basically be on orders solidly with back to back events from the beginning of OTS (which is a TDY or trip from where you live), so your start dates aren't all that important; you'll be in the pipeline, on orders, and getting paid no matter what your start dates are. After OTS, you'll go straight to SERE (still a TDY from your current home), PCS (full move) to your UPT base for a week or two with a TDY to SERE, or PCS to your base with SERE at the end. It's usually SERE before UPT for Reserves, but possible after, with ~2-4 weeks of time at UPT (around SERE if you go after PCS-ing) to handle the UPT inprocessing and pre-course class stuff (the tests you REALLY don't want to fail) and get settled in.

That’s what it was as of 4-5 years ago. They certainly could have changed, but AFAIK for anyone picked up by a Reserves unit, there were no options to drill/get paid and we sat inactive until orders started. And the hiring unit doesn’t own pipeline studs; a Reserve-wide training unit does until after FTU. Guard runs it differently and you can drill/get paid before starting the pipeline and your home unit manages all schools/pay/leave/issues/etc. from day 1, from my understanding