I should be leaving the Air Force soon if they process my paperwork right this time.

I spent a lot of time stuck in places and airframes I didn't want to be in. It was UPT and AMC. I didn't end up there due to bad performance, it was mostly due to luck and timing. I had a really hard time watching people who failed courses, struggled in UPT, got in trouble, get the assignments I wanted due to missing VMLs, waivers needed for instructor duty, changing rules, or other factors.

I feel like my youth was just... wasted and I have little to show for it. I don't have much pride in what I accomplished and I never was truly engaged or challenged.

I am angry I spent 15 years of my life generally working hard and not screwing up like many of my peers and I got exactly what I didn't want.

I have a CJO lined up which is great, but I am concerned I am going to spend the rest of my life unsatisfied because I never really scratched the itch of getting enough action or getting anything I wanted out of the Air Force. Some people suggested I stay, but after being dragged through the mud for 10 years I have significant trust issues with the institution, and watching better people than me leave for the Airlines says a lot.

Am I missing something? Was this is it, and does it get better when you separate? I don't want to be resentful for the rest of my life.

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by illusive
spelling

That sucks, but also only you can control your attitude. Go forward with life choosing a positive outlook and find something that gives you purpose/sense of accomplishment. The airlines are great for pay/benefits/QOL, but you will get zero feelings of accomplishment or satisfaction out of it. Your AF career should not define the rest of your life.

The way you phrase it makes it sound like you have a superiority complex and blame external things when you don't get what you want. That may or may not be true, but that's the one-post impression.

If the AF doesn't do it for you, go seek greener pastures. Figure out what is important to you, and go do that.

Best wishes that you find what fulfills you.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by raimius
Can't type.

I felt similarly on my way out. Almost a decade later I'm grateful for the training that's enabled me to go out to civilian life and make more money than I ever thought was possible. Once it started to stack up, it got much easier to look back without resentment.