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 20 hours ago20 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 18 hours ago18 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.

Definitely recommend getting out.

Like others said its an awesome new chapter and its up to you on how you look back. Accept the dogshit but embrace the good (people, good trips, etc.). Don't try and paint it perfect.

You are gonna find a lot of people are having a similar experience. There is a 311 page thread about what's wrong with big blue.

Edited 10 hours ago10 hr by jonlbs

5 minutes ago, jonlbs said:

Definitely recommend getting out.

Like others said its an awesome new chapter and its up to you on how you look back. Accept the dogshit but embrace the good (people, good trips, etc.).

You are gonna find a lot of people are having a similar experience. There is a 311 page thread about what's wrong with big blue.

Thanks, it seems more common these days than not.

8 hours ago, raimius said:

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.

Yeah I didn’t word things really well. Long story short I got a really bad must-film because people couldn’t or wouldn’t upgrade/pass training and I’ve been stuck ever since.

11 hours ago, illusive said:

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.

Honest question: You're punching out at the 15 year mark?

38 minutes ago, Blue said:

Honest question: You're punching out at the 15 year mark?

Not commissioned, I’m including the time it took to get the commission too as time spent chasing this dream. Commissioned it’s about 11.

For any young readers seeing this, I will say a lot depends on the community you go to, the average leadership in that community, etc etc. We all complain about the same things (aircrew have a masters degree in sport bitching), but in the end I don’t personally know a single pilot who has left the AF with extreme dissatisfaction. Obviously it happens, but I do not think it’s the norm. I think it’s fairly normal to be glad you’re getting out at that specific point in life, but don’t mistake that for equating to “it was all terrible, I hated every minute, and it was totally not worth my time.” I’m excited to be done soon and fully transition to”phase 2” of life, but in spite of the BS that drives me crazy, the last ~20 years has been phenomenal overall and I have no ragrets.

Two words… Go Guard/Reserve. .you got 11 years invested don’t throw it away

for sure get out, go airlines, and part time guard/reserve.

luck and timing affects us all. move forward and don't look back life is too short to be miserable.

51 minutes ago, BashiChuni said:

for sure get out, go airlines, and part time guard/reserve.

luck and timing affects us all. move forward and don't look back life is too short to be miserable.

Working it, I have a guard unit lined up so maybe that will change some things when I get in a different environment

Absolutely talk to the Guard. You can pick mission within reason. Try for a different mission set. ANG removes many of the active duty pain points and allows you to keep earning time toward retirement.

1 hour ago, illusive said:

Working it, I have a guard unit lined up so maybe that will change some things when I get in a different environment

To this point specifically, don't listen to the people telling you that you're wasting 11 years by not chasing the retirement.

The money you make at the airlines can be astronomical. It will more than make up for the retirement, including the medical coverage. That being said, the guard and reserve are a great way to get to retirement after you have a seniority number at the airlines.

But if the military made you as unhappy as it sounds, the garden reserve are not going to be enough of a change for you. Especially the way they are these days.

To the broader topic, I was fortunate enough to figure out the game very early in my career. So I just didn't do the things that I didn't want to do or didn't enjoy doing. The catch to the whole system is that you have to do a bunch of unpleasant stuff to get ahead, but getting ahead just puts you in a position to have to do more unpleasant stuff.

Some people loved the queep. Some people tolerated it. I hated it. So I didn't do it. Now ironically my Air Force career ended rather spectacularly for unrelated reasons, but even if I hadn't been court-martialed, my career was never going to go anywhere. I flew a lot, that's about it.

It would have been more upsetting if I had put a lot of effort in to things I hated doing.

But still. Suck it up. It's just work

Once again I'll disagree with Ratner and do it in a less verbose fashion. Finding the right guard/reserve unit is an absolute game changer. This isn't just work for everyone and it only takes one or two bad leaders on AD to be the difference from the best 20 years of your life to 10+ years of "fuck this shit..." I know a number of CAF dudes that have had similar experiences. I've been there myself. That being said, there are guard/reserve units that have all the things AD should have (good leaders, commaraderie, purpose etc.). Good luck.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Boomer6

To pile on, I had subpar leadership most of my career, with exception to my last assignment (SQ/CC and both DOs were amazing). I left AD this last year for a Legacy airline and a Reserve unit. First year out was a little bit of a challenge, airline training while not hard is fast paced, a FTU for the reserve gig, lots of changes. That being said, it my situation it was 100% worth it. I’m much happier, make more money, and enjoy my time home more. Best of luck, everything is what you make it, and having a good attitude is free.

28 minutes ago, Boomer6 said:

Once again I'll disagree with Ratner and do it in a less verbose fashion. Finding the right guard/reserve unit is an absolute game changer. This isn't just work for everyone and it only takes one or two bad leaders on AD to be the difference from the best 20 years of your life to 10+ years of "fuck this shit..." I know a number of CAF dudes that have had similar experiences. I've been there myself. That being said, there are guard/reserve units that have all the things AD should have (good leaders, commaraderie, purpose etc.). Good luck.

Lol, that post wasn't for you. And not just because I didn't include any pictures.

You're more of a "color inside the lines" guy. Nothing wrong with that, the military needs guys like you more than it needs guys like me.

But our disgruntled poster here is either a "why do things that way when it doesn't make sense" type of guy, or he just expects his rewards to be a direct reflection of his efforts. The military has never and will never be a great place for those type of people.