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The new airline thread


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6 hours ago, nunya said:

Get LinkedIn premium for a year (free for veterans, probably current mil, too) and do LinkedIn Learning.  Earn your PMP, Green Belt, A+ and several other credentials for the cost of the test. Look at jobs and see what skills they want and find a certification that proves you have those skills.  You’re probably more capable than most civilian applicants but good luck proving it with your resume.  
 
AF has an e-learning app on the portal with many of the same topics but LI Premium has better delivery. 

Make sure your clearance is good. You’ll get offered positions in that you’re not experienced in solely based on you having a current clearance. Especially true with a TS/SCI. 

I also recently found out you can rehack your year of LinkedIn Premium after it expires.

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There’s also other ways to get the VA to pay for school, for longer than the G.I. Bill. I’m in the VA’s Voc Rehab (Chapter 31) and they back paid me for money I personally spent on school, paid for my undergrad, and currently paying for my graduate program at Georgetown. They also pay me E-5 BAH.
 

You can get approved for the program even after your G.I. Bill is exhausted, transferred, etc. the VA considers it an “employment” program, not an “education” program such as the G.I. Bill. Some people have used it to go to law school, medical school, pilot training, etc.

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Sounds like a euphemism for "soft skills" sophistry. Not that's anything wrong with "fake it til you make it" middle manager cannon fodder; somebody gotta keep the cheap blazer stores afloat.
As to PME, agree to disagree. I'd never put that shit on my CV. Not to say there's not a lot of waste and grift in Big Ed at the collegiate level. After all, part of the origin story of my username is in fact my running away from academia. But in general, the level of academic rigor is absolutely embarrassing for PME; again I say that with the bias of having completed graduate STEM education before I ever set foot in the military. Going through ACSC right now, this shit is irredeemable. Reminds me of the RAND and McKinsey and Co frauds I had to deal with during grad school on the non-STEM side. All hat no cattle cohort of pseudo-intellectualism.


There's lots of stupid skills we take for granted like knowing how to give a good briefing. I've been to several acquisitions courses, and briefing/giving a presentation has always been a DLO. Lots of smart engineers (civilians) in those classes, but man, nobody taught them how to get in front of a group and talk. That's not too say I haven't met engineers that can't brief, but its something a lot of people struggle with.

And you can get college credit for SOS and ACSC... So it counts just as much as the sweet TUI or U of Phoenix masters degree so many AF pilots got. Plus I wonder how many people getting the aero matters from Riddle used SOS to get credits toward their degree? I get the academic rigor feels (is) a lot lower than my engineering undergrad and engineering masters and grad certificate, but it still counts for something. Probably more useful for those middle management jobs you mentioned. Won't make my resume, but if it's an online application with all the space I want (like usajobs or airline apps), it'll be on there.

Lots we take for granted because it's expected from us early on. Especially in the middle manager realm.

It's just about selling what you bring to the table for a potential employer.
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Few years ago at a staff job....an Army guy was telling me that an AF officer was complaining that he was not formally trained in "planning."  The Army guys' take was that every graduate of any commissioned officer program is certified in planning and leadership.  Something to think about. 

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6 hours ago, hindsight2020 said:

Sounds like a euphemism for "soft skills" sophistry. Not that's anything wrong with "fake it til you make it" middle manager cannon fodder; somebody gotta keep the cheap blazer stores afloat. 😄

As to PME, agree to disagree. I'd never put that shit on my CV. Not to say there's not a lot of waste and grift in Big Ed at the collegiate level. After all, part of the origin story of my username is in fact my running away from academia. But in general, the level of academic rigor is absolutely embarrassing for PME; again I say that with the bias of having completed graduate STEM education before I ever set foot in the military. Going through ACSC right now, this shit is irredeemable. Reminds me of the RAND and McKinsey and Co frauds I had to deal with during grad school on the non-STEM side. All hat no cattle cohort of pseudo-intellectualism.

The social sciences (let alone consultancies) are very compromised as a practical fact, but I don't hold that they're inherently "pseudo-intellectual."  The humanities are even more out of their tree these days, yet it's a soulless outlook indeed that thinks philosophy, history, and literature have no value.  There's a middle path between valuing only those subjects that produce measurable economic output and imaging your basket weaving degree marks you as cognitively superior.  But as usual, I seem to be in the minority.

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13 minutes ago, Downstream Guppie said:

The social sciences (let alone consultancies) are very compromised as a practical fact, but I don't hold that they're inherently "pseudo-intellectual."  The humanities are even more out of their tree these days, yet it's a soulless outlook indeed that thinks philosophy, history, and literature have no value.  There's a middle path between valuing only those subjects that produce measurable economic output and imaging your basket weaving degree marks you as cognitively superior.  But as usual, I seem to be in the minority.

Except I didn't make that false dichotomy, you did. The point of my post wasn't about STEM vs social and humanities. My point was that "soft-skill" peddlers of all shades, are chock full of pseudo-intellectuals wrt middle management labor market. The Country is riddled with bullshit jobs. LinkedIn is but one exemplification of that dynamic.

 

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I don't disagree at all -- I was just digressing.  I was speaking in more general terms of the pro-STEM/anti-"liberal arts" current in certain quarters, not arguing with you particularly. 

I'm familiar with the "bullshit jobs" hypothesis.  I think if anything he understates their prevalence.  Most probably wouldn't consider software developers to fall under this category, for example.  But if they spend their days tweaking frivolous mobile apps in an effort to trick users into giving up their data and clicking on ads, I'd say they more than qualify, much-vaunted STEM background notwithstanding.

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1 hour ago, hindsight2020 said:

Except I didn't make that false dichotomy, you did. The point of my post wasn't about STEM vs social and humanities. My point was that "soft-skill" peddlers of all shades, are chock full of pseudo-intellectuals wrt middle management labor market. The Country is riddled with bullshit jobs. LinkedIn is but one exemplification of that dynamic.

Interesting video but the irony of a college professor talking about BS jobs....

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16 hours ago, WheelsOff said:

Thread successfully derailed. Move your comments about PME/shit nobody cares about elsewhere. Let’s focus on the topic that really matters here!

Nice! This thread went full tilt. To finalize and further perpetuate the lifestyle. When things get better/great again (anyone’s guess), there is no PME, no OPRs, no multiple sideline requirements, responsibilities unrelated extra duty unless you actually volunteer for them like FAA certified Designated Examiner, Line Check Airman, Sim Check Airman, Sim Instructor/Operator, Ground School Instructor which lets be honest  - these sound like opportunities that actually pertain to your chosen profession with increased monetary benefit for most. Even when given the opportunity for Captain, it’s your choice to proceed for more clams - it’s just waiting your turn based on seniority. Even Quarterly CBTs requirements gets you paid for most groups. Wow, paid extra to do your CBTs what a crazy idea. When your off duty, your off duty and I never think about my work just home work, errands, home life, extracurricular activities, family time, whatever it is your into. If/when they call you it’s not for deployment - it’s to get them out of a jam and they compensate you with a big chunk of clams more for your time, but that’s only if you choose to accept it or answer your phone which I don’t. More senior the better of course, but you all understand it based on previous information given. It’s a pretty good deal and nothing’s perfect. Prior to COVID19 most airlines increase your pay by 60K, 70K, 80K and several over a 100K when you jump from FO to Capt. While you see the outright pay scales - many times it’s the soft pay behind the scenes that can benefit you even more dependent upon the carrier. Lifestyle vs pay is a constant choice/crossroad/conundrum you will meet and many stay FO for better schedules, time off, control of their life and there are varied opportunities as a senior FO picking up open time (overtime) at many carriers to close the Captain pay gap. Here’s a personal example: Many Captains rib me about electing to stay FO for several years now and giving up 65K or more. Unless he’s one of the Senior Original Gangstas I simply reply - Whenever have you been #1 at your base Good Sir??? They all understand at that point. Top 10% at any base is usually pretty good and others have it even better depending on the base schedules. It’s all how you want to live your life. If I needed more clams I could spring for it but enjoy my time off personally and haven’t missed a Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years or any other holiday, birthday or anniversary I have chosen for many years. While in the military I can’t remember how many times all the holidays or special days took place on another date due to being on another continent. Yes I am quite senior at my outfit, but an FO I flew in today with who has been with us for 4 years now said the same. It varies everywhere/situation dependent. To be honest I speak from a different perspective having a mil retirement, etc. which helps me exceed our particular Capt pay, but once again it’s pressure free and I am very fortunate no doubt. If you can attain a full retirement or other consistent means of financial backup I urge you to do it. Definitely not a life for everyone and it’s still challenging at times being away, but my wife sees that I am nearly stress free and enjoy showing up to work and never talk about work when at home. Heck, I get more sleep at work lately (home upgrades, immense amount of landscaping/chopping trees down = not smart I know) and she’s stuck with it all like most of you know all too well. If/when I pull the plug, or my outfit were to collapse, be bought out, etc., at least the retirement provides a softer landing...

Here near Sydney Australia today by the beach for 55hrs. By product of COVID19 = Ocean view suites available for us til 31 Aug. It’s pretty much cake normally, but it’s the icing at times that makes things easier. Traveling around now vs after projected retirement when my body isn’t quite up to par is priceless. It’s not as challenging/rewarding as flying during my military career, but I was so bored last night and wanted to brush up on what little skills I had that I hand flew the departure out of Hawaii all the way up to cruise altitude (100 Kilos shy of Max weight) squirrelly sucker at our weight passing FL250, then droned on for the next 9.5 hours to basically Winter in Sydney. 19C or about 66F. I like Winter here and then off to mid 90s in Thailand next. Wonder if they’ll take my temp there too?

44B2B145-0CD4-4488-8A59-DD0248AC11D1.jpeg

Edited by AirGuardianC141747
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It's all gonna come back folks. Doom and gloom gets the best of us, but air travel is coming back and I think it will come back strong. This was definitely a pretty big and unexpected speedbump that will probably cause Big Blue to get cocky again, but the hiring wave will return. Maybe not this year, but it won't be a 9/11 type event where some of us waited over a decade to get hired by a Legacy. People are done with this $hit. They're ready to get out and go to Disney World. Airfare is cheaper than ever. As long as we can fend off a second wave of COVID in the Fall, we'll push into the winter with a vaccine on the horizon.

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Totally agree it will rebound. It will take time and every state, country or territory is doing their own crisis management in their own way. Once everything settles down and stabilizes universally.  Maybe we can smack this thing down quicker as there have been spikes already in multiple states as of late and these waves die down eventually. 2020 hindsight will hopefully provide much needed insight to mitigation procedures/lessons learned that work well. We can’t afford another impact like this. Passed thru Hawaii yesterday which was back to “stay inside” not quite lockdown again due to another minor spike after they recently held a parade. They were at zero for a bit and everything was opening back up until an average of 9 new cases everyday reared its head. Most hotels were shutdown when we arrived and ours was primarily aircrew populated. This pic of the Marriott across the street was eerie like all the hotels surrounding us. Not even balcony chairs were left out. Lifeless for now just waiting for bathing suits to be drying out on the balconies once again.

08810400-0219-4628-8632-58655016C600.jpeg

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  • 2 weeks later...

I’ve asked a similar question looking for advice and inputs before but obviously things have changed in the last few months.  I’m a Lt Col at 15 years and my ADSC expires in December.  Pre-COVID, I was planning on putting in my paperwork this summer to separate in December for the airlines.  This is also my bonus year and I have until the end of July to either not take it, take 3 years, or take the 5 years.  My STRD is December 2005 so I’m semi worried about a 365 at some point.  Am I crazy to think about signing the bonus or should I just stay a free agent and hope for a rebound in airline hiring? It would definitely be a bummer to end up serving the whole 20 because I never got hired and not have received the extra money but being a free agent and having options also sounds nice.  Appreciate any advice. 

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46 minutes ago, go_cubbies22 said:

I’ve asked a similar question looking for advice and inputs before but obviously things have changed in the last few months.  I’m a Lt Col at 15 years and my ADSC expires in December.  Pre-COVID, I was planning on putting in my paperwork this summer to separate in December for the airlines.  This is also my bonus year and I have until the end of July to either not take it, take 3 years, or take the 5 years.  My STRD is December 2005 so I’m semi worried about a 365 at some point.  Am I crazy to think about signing the bonus or should I just stay a free agent and hope for a rebound in airline hiring? It would definitely be a bummer to end up serving the whole 20 because I never got hired and not have received the extra money but being a free agent and having options also sounds nice.  Appreciate any advice. 

I’m in a similar boat, I’ve got 5 left to retire and 2 on my latest PCS. But talking to my buds in the airlines they are/ have taken a pay cut since they lost their jets, or going to be looking at furlough come oct. Even talking with a good bud right no he agrees sticking it out for the check of the month and medical is worth it for the safety blanket if and when something like this happens again. As for taking the bonus, can’t pass up free ish money.  But you can’t turn down the 365, but if you where a free agent and got it at the 18 year point you’d be in a tough spot.  I’d say stick it out take the money and either pay off things with it or set up a nice nest egg for when you need it.  But that’s just my .02. 

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55 minutes ago, go_cubbies22 said:

I’ve asked a similar question looking for advice and inputs before but obviously things have changed in the last few months.  I’m a Lt Col at 15 years and my ADSC expires in December.  Pre-COVID, I was planning on putting in my paperwork this summer to separate in December for the airlines.  This is also my bonus year and I have until the end of July to either not take it, take 3 years, or take the 5 years.  My STRD is December 2005 so I’m semi worried about a 365 at some point.  Am I crazy to think about signing the bonus or should I just stay a free agent and hope for a rebound in airline hiring? It would definitely be a bummer to end up serving the whole 20 because I never got hired and not have received the extra money but being a free agent and having options also sounds nice.  Appreciate any advice. 

I retired last year, coming off a deployment with little to no recency in flying.  Thought process was to do a touch and go at a regional, and get hired by this summer or fall.  That will not work out as planned, and the check of the month club will keep the lights on and mortgage paid.  SouthWest may hire next year.  Some of the next tier down, like Spirit or Frontier may also hire.  Or go under.  The big three will need to bring back all of their furloughs before they start hiring.  Regional airline pay will not exceed your retirement pay until you're 5 years in as a captain with them.  

Taking the bonus means accepting a 365 in the next 5 years.  No bonus means you can 3 day opt that deployment.  Money is good, especially if you were staying anyways.  Flexibility may be better, depending on your family situation.  Going guard or reserve as Lt Col is hard, especially on a time crunch from a 3 day opt.     

All that to say I don't know, and neither does anyone else.  

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If a 365 is your biggest stumbling block, try to utilize the 300 in 540 allowance to reset the STRD. That's what I did. Still sucks, but I preferred it. Also, it seems your STRD is at or close to your accession date which implies that you've never been downrange much or at all in 15 years. If that is not correct you should get it adjusted to reflect your time spent TDY OCONUS. Of course, my gouge is 5 years old so if something has changed since then I'm sure someone will chime in.

 

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Cannot comment or recommend anything re airline (not one never gonna be one) but I punched at 13 years, turned down O-4 because I was just fed up with my era of Big Blue.

Was married to someone who was an up and comer (sts), but I was forever gonna be a crewdog and was tired of the 200+ days a year on the road.

Wife went on to turn down O-6 and, point to this story, convinced me to go Reserves which turned into AGR which turned into check of the month club.

On the other side of 50, that is now mainly my toys and whisky money, but it also is, ultimately, my F U money.

As others have stated, it's a nice cushion.  2 x O-5 retired pay = not working if you want to live simply.  We didn't and I do, but by choice, not have to.

Sucks while enduring it to get there, but once it's over, it's over and the money for breathing until you stop is nice.

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On 6/23/2020 at 8:20 AM, go_cubbies22 said:

I’ve asked a similar question looking for advice and inputs before but obviously things have changed in the last few months.  I’m a Lt Col at 15 years and my ADSC expires in December.  Pre-COVID, I was planning on putting in my paperwork this summer to separate in December for the airlines.  This is also my bonus year and I have until the end of July to either not take it, take 3 years, or take the 5 years.  My STRD is December 2005 so I’m semi worried about a 365 at some point.  Am I crazy to think about signing the bonus or should I just stay a free agent and hope for a rebound in airline hiring? It would definitely be a bummer to end up serving the whole 20 because I never got hired and not have received the extra money but being a free agent and having options also sounds nice.  Appreciate any advice. 

Input from a different view: I'm in a very similar boat.  17 years, O-5 (unexpectedly APZ), not hirably current (API-6) in a staff billet.  I had a regional job lined up and ready when COVID hit.  I could have pulled my separation papers, but chose to delay them 3 months instead.  Now I'm separating in August and going to a not-FEDEX-or-UPS cargo carrier.  I'll also be joining the AFRC as a traditional reservist.  Not ideal or low-stress, but it's the right path for our family right now.  Prayer, petition, timing, and luck will dictate a unique path for you.

Had I chosen to stay, I'm sure I'd have 365 or 179 orders very soon.  Our family is tired of an impersonal organization that demands loyalty, then responds by treating people like cyphers and not caring 6 pence what it does to families.  I will still be gone a lot with my new job...which won't pay a lot.  I will still deploy with my AFRC unit.  I might even volunteer for a 179 BACN deployment or some such.  But it will be on our family's terms, not AFPC's.  That is worth it to us, and that's the path that we hear God sending us down, so we're stepping that way in faith.  

Don't let big blue paint you into the "it makes sense" corner with a bonus and 5 more years of servitude unless you WANT that road.  "It makes sense" really reads "it's really helpful to have bodies that AFPC can put where ever they want" when the Air Force tells you "it makes sense" to take the bonus.  Carefully weigh the cost on you and your family before you take that money.  IT IS NOT FREE.  It's an 'easy' road to go down.  They intentionally make it so.  Don't let the ease of that road influence your decision making.

BL: Your path may not conform to "common sense" as found on the internet or in mentorship relationships.  Tailor that path to your situation, you financial goals, your family's desires, and your own skills, calling, and goals.  A 15 year O-5 is very hirable in the ANG and AFRC.  Just yesterday I saw a 3-6 year AGR job open at the 601 AOC in Tyndall (1+15 hour drive from the Eglin bedroom neighborhoods) for an O-5.  There are opportunities everywhere. Then again, your path may take you down a road that keeps you in...it's your path.  You already know the uncertainty that comes with 5 more years about 2-3 more PCS...especially if you are a non-command O-5.  Command O-5s get even more PCSs.  There are VERY FEW roads as an O-5 where you get to homestead for 5 years...they exist, but they are rare.  Remember this, in 5 years, you're going to very likely be done with the USAF and be starting another career...and the USAF will not care at all about you or your family then.

Good luck with the decision.

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here's lots of stupid skills we take for granted like knowing how to give a good briefing.

Boy is that 10000% true, at least in the IT World.   The notion of showing up for a meeting you called on time with your visual aids ready and at least a vague idea of how the meeting should go is almost unheard of in the IT world!!!!!!!    I've retired from IT now, which is a great second career.   But geeze, there you have guys and gals with an IQ of 200 who have no concept of how to communicate efficiently with other humans.  Used to drive me nuts!

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16 hours ago, FourFans130 said:

.  Just yesterday I saw a 3-6 year AGR job open at the 601 AOC in Tyndall (1+15 hour drive from the Eglin bedroom neighborhoods) for an O-5.  There are opportunities everywhere. Then again, your path may take you down a road that keeps you in...it's your path.  You already know the uncertainty that comes with 5 more years about 2-3 more PCS...especially if you are a non-command O-5.  Command O-5s get even more PCSs.  There are VERY FEW roads as an O-5 where you get to homestead for 5 years...they exist, but they are rare.  Remember this, in 5 years, you're going to very likely be done with the USAF and be starting another career...and the USAF will not care at all about you or your family then.

Good luck with the decision.

Retired out of the 601st in 2017 after various staff jobs and another great unit. Peace of mind check of the month club is worth a lot of @$$ pain from this side of the fence finally. 

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