Air national guard worth it reddit. 19 votes, 44 comments.
Air national guard worth it reddit. So give or take, up to you. Check it out and get the opinions of some folks there you trust who are AGR. A majority of ANG jobs come with a Security Clearance or even a top secret. I went into the Air Guard after the Army. As opposed to any other long term plan for retirement: the guard isn't worth it. 1. I’m mainly interested in the whole not having to pay my student debt. You will be part of the standing army of the state of Texas. The national guard is the only service to offer this benefit. Questions about joining the US Air Force, whether enlisting or commissioning, should be posted… My ets is coming up in December and I do not wish to reenlist. I’m considering joining the Air Force as a stepping stone. Enlist and when you get back, enroll in ROTC at a school that has your branch and do the simultaneous membership program SMP. I’ve decided, like many others, to make a drastic career change. The air national guard for the most part allows a memeber to choose their career field (based on your ASVAB scores and the needs of the base) You should be taking the ASVAB and I would ask to see if you can schedule the EDPT test (dont worry if you dont do well on this test, you can take it again. 1 deployment and over 4 years later I still don't have the bonus. You qualify for the 9/11 GI Bill after 90 days of AD time. It’s just more rugged and less pleasant at times. Is this a waste of my degree like i've seen others say? I see it as something different to pursue on the weekends, resume booster Any Kansas NG or Kansas Air National Guard who can chime in or say anything? I live in Kansas and I am trying to see if it would be worth it or should I look at Reserves. All experiences are not the same. I'd say don't count on it. Basically unless the guard works really well with your civilian career (small business, contractor, government) or the insurance is very valuable to you, it's not worth it. What is your flight schedule like for the guard? What training did you have to do to get certified for your aircraft? We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Thanks! I appreciate your time. What are y'all thoughts? We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. I switched because the Air Guard was boring and aircraft maintenance was way to close to my civilian job at the time. You should also consider if there are any units close enough that have a modified drill schedule if you hate the one weekend a month. Can I only get seen by the VA or military docs with it? Or can I get seen by civilians? The ANG website has pretty much everything you need to know about joining or finding a Recruiter START YOUR RESEARCH HERE or on the AIR FORCE RECRUITS SUBREDDIT Job Descriptions and tech school length: Air Force Careers Page or Reddit AF Jobs Wiki BMT FAQs: AFBMT or the Reddit BMT Wiki Medical Questions: Go national guard and enroll into the ROTC Program. Here are my questions: For folks who joined during their 30s (and others as well), what are your thoughts? We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. I love being in the guard but with the border missions you will not be a reservist. 6 years Air Guard, switched to Army Guard for the last 12 years. Is the national guard worth it? I see the benefits it provide. There’s lots you can get out of the guard but of course everything is dependent on something (slots, your own personal availability, etc. ). I'm 26 years old and completing my Bachelor's in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. I am single, no dependents. This is derived from the actual service pattern typical in the National Guard, where points are accrued through drill weekends, annual training, and other qualifying activities. First off let me say I’ve done A LOT of research on this and can’t seem to find much for ANG. I tried to switch to Security Forces but they were over strengthed so I ETS’d. federal/government. I just want to know if I’ll have a choice. Aug 20, 2025 · 1,134 reviews from Air National Guard employees about Air National Guard culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more. You in Texas? Look into the TX Air Guard if you want to further your medical training since the Air Force is more technical focused and would put you into more less combat focused stuff and more admin training while possibly doing more EMT stuff. Oct 14, 2024 · Career Advice Is National Guard actually worth it (self. The airlines are gonna heat up quick and you'll see people start chasing the money again. You can get TriCare Reserve select once you get a CAC, bout $50 a month deductible for a single person. I went backwards. I’m 19F going to meps in a week and a half with my best friend. I also receive 30% disability and expect to do the minimum amount of time til retirement at 20 years. The national guard, to my knowledge doesn't give you any advantage over other applicants for other jobs, i. DSG, Technician, AGR, ADOS tours, Stat Tours, MVA Deployments, State-to-State transfers, VLPAD, etc you actually have some degree and control over your career. Have had a lot of people suggest that I look into the ANG. I’m just unsure if there is a rule on travel distances, or how far I can drive before I begin to cut into my productivity for drill weekend or significantly cut into my weekend pay with . It’s not just 1 weekend a month 2 weeks in the summer, those days are long gone. How realistic is that?? Or should I joined the reserves Personally, I’d probably recommend Air National Guard for better quality of life if the goal in general is education based to further your civilian life, it really does seem like the climate around going to school while in is more favorable with that in mind. I have yet to contact an Air National Guard recruiter, but I wanted to ask those currently in the Air Guard or those who previously attempted to join the Air Guard a few questions regarding becoming an officer. Air Guard has better opportunities for IT spots but you might need to fly/travel far each month depending on your state. The time away from friends and family isn't worth it. Feb 16, 2019 · Is Air National Guard worth looking at? I’m know there’s a handful of threads on this, just trying to get insight on my current situation. ANG Retirement Questions - Please Help! Hey Reddit – first time long time, I’m looking for some opinions and knowledge from previous Air National Guard retires or members more versed on ANG retirement than myself. AD gets TriCare for free and you’ll get to 100% GI Bill after a 3 year stint. I am currently in my first year as a regional FO and also a recent college graduate. My current retirement points are 1064. Air guard doesn't do expeditionary networks, and their stuff is all extremely conventional/ordinary. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Did you join out of a desire to serve, or were you moreso interested in the benefits? And was joining the National Guard ultimately fulfilling, or did you regret joining? Just looking to start a discussion. I see so many posts and comments in other military subreddits saying how horrible the guard is. You can use federal GI bill and state TA, then when that runs out you use federal TA. Connect with fellow members and discuss a wide-range of topics related to the ANG. My best advice would be to talk to a recruiter and stop taking the advice of the knuckle dragging barracks lawyers on this sub. The $20k isn't worth the bs, but the experiences I've had I wouldn't trade. It’s a significant drain on your work and family life. As a result, there’s always more comforts and safety. The National Guard had a tent at my university and discussed the pros of joining them. 29K subscribers in the AirForceRecruits community. All depends. Should I go National Guard or Active Duty To anyone who’s been in the National Guard, help me out. It’s very competitive and you haven’t built up an army “resume”. You might never get to 100% in the guard. Trying to read how the retirement works but there seems to be a lot of factors. As opposed to nothing: guard retirement is better than nothing. The recruiter at my unit said that if I reclass and join national guard that I could get a stabilization act so I will deploy for the first two years. Is making it to 20 even worth it? I know retiring after 20 years active is pretty good, but I haven’t heard much about 20 just… We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. I am looking to do a 3 year contract with the Air National Guard (Extending to 6 for full benefits if I enjoy it) mostly for training and a Top Secret Security Clearance. I’ve been in for about 5 and a half years and it’s been an interesting experience of basic drills, long drills, state active duty, and longer training missions. If you have an Air Guard I’d definitely recommend it over army. I’m really looking to changing my career to the cyber security industry. You’ll get federal tuition assistance and any state tuition reimbursement. I was mostly wondering how the local units are and if they have much coming up on their calendar that might get in the way of college (outside of the guard-standard MUTA 6’s and month-long AT’s of course. Win-T (or whatever it's called now) barely works, yes, but that forces you into weird troubleshooting situations, doing unconventional stuff to make the mission happen, and there's tons more cross training out of your MOS bubble. My biggest concern is do they (National Guard) supply you with jobs? Or are you just at the mercy of the world with that cuz I wanna take a military job if I can. Florida Guard is broke, im not sure about the other states. By understanding both the benefits and potential challenges, you can make an informed decision about whether this path is right for you. I am an AD soldier (E-5) thinking on attending rotc and commissioning in the Texas air national guard after the end of my contract in 7 months. However, National guard and going to college go hand in We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. If being an officer is not your thing, too easy. Only thing is my family is super split between whether it’s a good idea or bad idea. go here and only here Sept 16-30 The BAH in your area may be low. OP, do air or army national guard (air is better but depending on where you live that may not be an option). Just trying to see if it’s worth going to 20 in the guard as a weekend warrior with 6 years active duty. A lot of your drill weekends will be spent doing nothing no matter what job you do, and you won’t really get any good experience. We were excited to join bc they offered to pay for our college while also allowing us to be full time students. With the air guard you can take part in Hi everyone, I am currently a college student studying cybersecurity. I’m an 11b thinking about doing an IST to Colorado next year to continue school and live near my friends from the Colorado Springs area. Guard is worth it because you have options (keeping in mind it's competetive). does the Air Force national guard have similar amount of bs (working more than expected a month, etc) as the Army national guard? anyone in the Texas air I am considering joining the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve. Soooo, the Air Guard OCS pipeline is almost only prior enlisted Air Guard folks. I’ve been weighing the thought of getting out after this contract. I currently work in the technology and ideally I would love to be doing something similar in the military. I wish I'd done air national guard right outa high school. Feb 4, 2025 · To sum up, the Air National Guard offers numerous benefits such as flexibility in scheduling, training opportunities, financial incentives, healthcare, retirement benefits, and a sense of patriotism. I did 3+ years active duty 11b then joined national guard for 6 years for the 20k bonus. Don’t join the guard for the money unless you’re looking at retirement down the road or unless you’re going into a job with an annual bonus (professional degree). I'm staying for the insurance because I can focus on my small LLC and not have to worry about health benefits. It’s definitely an adjustment. Reserves only offers federal TA. You can typically visit a squadron before joining them to get to meet the people and see what they are like and what a day or two of drill is like. org Nov 9, 2023 · Should you join the Air National Guard or Reserves after leaving active duty? Why I reenlisted, and why it might not be right for everyone. If my nonprofit life doesn't work out in the future, maybe I could go full-time in the military. Being an Officer in the guard is great and simultaneously sucks. In short, I want to the join the guard to serve and also pursue a career in commercial aviation. All-in-all, its definitely worth looking into and not something to immediately dismiss. There are some positions in the AGR that are super easy. If you want to serve it’s worth it. Drill schedule is roughly similar to regular NG, depending on the state. gg/air-guard *****All joining/transferring questions outside of the dedicated pinned post will be deleted***** This sub is NOT maintained or endorsed by NGB or the ANG. I’m 25 years old, I attended college 4 years for Food Service Management. Air National Guard Pilots, what is flying for the guard like? I’ve recently been looking at the air national guard and I’m wondering if there are any guard pilots who could answer some questions. Been in 9 years now. Become a Redditor and join one of thousands of communities. I am planning joining in may (when my semester ends), do my basic training during the semester, and take the semester off to volunteer for LSO to make some money, and then come back next semester to college. US National Guard on Reddit Location for current, potential, and veteran soldiers and airmen of the US National Guard. Here are some things I could use some clarification on: BLUF: Yes, Tricare Reserve Select is worth it. I met a guy in 19th SFG with 20 years in the Guard, 15 years' worth of active time, just because he kept volunteering for deployments. (Although the housing allowance doesn’t sound too bad We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. What does a National Guard retirement look like? I know this is a very broad and vague question but I am just trying to get an idea of how much money I can expect to get for retirement. Use financial aid and you triple dip State missions. Talk to the guard and reserve recruiters near you as others have said and find out what your options are. Agr is great but it will be a while before you get picked up for something like that. Other positions stressful. For two reasons I don’t want to fly helicopters, first is that to become a commercial pilot I need fixed wing certifications and hours, and second is that I’m terrified of flying helicopters, my friend’s dad (National Guard) died in a helicopter crash. Opportunity When you join into the ANG (or Reserves) it keeps a door open for numerous career opportunities. Point is, is it really worth doing 20 years and not even get a penny of that money till your 65? Even then it's not like you can live off that money. Then compete for active duty. Thoughts? I have 10 years of service in the National Guard and have 500 days of Active Duty duty time. My Air Guard unit is considering a 3+3+0 so we would have every third month off. I’ll be at 11 years when it is up. Dual Role: Federal And State Service. But at the same time i also feel like its gonna hold me down in the future, and its not a short contract we talking about its 6 years, which is 1/3 of my life rn (im 18 btw) and im gonna get out in my mid 20’s. You don’t whip up an airfield in the middle of the woods. I will bluntly tell any level of supervision that while i love my AFSC and I love what i do, the Honor Guard is my true love of the Air Force. Interested in a career in Cyber Security. Is TSP pointless if you are in the National Guard? Just seems like TSP isn’t really worth it if you are just one weekend a month (not counting deployments), especially if you already have a retirement plan in your civilian job. nationalguard) submitted 2 hours ago by AnyEntertainer8417 I’ve enlisted in the National Guard as a 15T and plan on going to college and maybe go through ROTC. The training pipeline is essentially the same: same SFAS, Q course, etc. I’m a 17 year old planning to join and wondering what it’s like in the Nevada national guard? Archived post. There is not much of a difference but these are the major ones State tuition and federal tuition assistance . Full time positions in the guard work on the GOB system hardcore, that was probably the biggest shock for me when I came over from active duty. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. The Air Force inherently “deploys” to airfields. Archived post. See full list on operationmilitarykids. For the calculation of the monthly retirement pay under the Blended Retirement System (BRS) The components of the formula are: We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. The guard is great for college students, cops, part time employees, and prior active who want to keep Tricare. I joined for college it’s 100% covered here in Nevada. If you want to serve, do so. That being said, highly would Is joining the air national guard as an officer worth it in regards to paying off college and reaching FI? Let me start off by saying that I am so glad to have found this sub and enjoy Financial Independence discussion, especially since none of my friends in my age group have begun to think about it. That way you’ll have the enlisted experience, ROTC will pay over 100% of your college and you’ll enter the army as a commissioned officer instead of a PVT. To share experiences, and engage in more meaningful conversations, join our Discord: https://discord. Has anyone experience or know anyone who has joined the national guard to study cyber security? I’m graduating in December with a degree in computer science but don’t have much hands on experience and think it’ll be difficult to find employment. The real question is "is the national guard worth it" enlisted and officers in my unit were activated for roughly 140 days last year between drills and state emergency orders. Thank you for your time, and thank you to those who have served. Only advantage I see of going on deployment is to help raise my disability. I did Base Honor Guard at a very small unit/area (Goodfellow), and at one of the largest (Scott). I’m considering the switch when I ETS, just looking for pros and cons, typical drill, a look into the day and life of you folks. The guard is a part time job with less than part time pay but a full time commitment. Currently, I work full-time in information technology and I’m also pursuing my bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity with a minor in criminal justice. I have the hope to fly and maybe eventually transfer to active depending how life goes. I was weighing reserves or national guard, but I'm leaning more towards the guard since it seems more flexible. I calculate a retirement pay at inder $500 and my disability is only $586. I just have a few general questions, and I would greatly appreciate it if any one can chime in. I am 23 years old, and a full time freshman at college, I am thinking about joining the Texas National Guard to get TA for college. These included helping study for certifications and even I’m considering joining the Air Force Reserves or Air National Guard, possibly in Security Forces, but I’m open to other MOS or even other branches like the Army. I have always loved serving and been interested in the military but frankly at this point in life the benefits play a major factor in my decision to join. The Army trains in more austere environments. Apr 2, 2021 · Worth noting that if you are happy with heavies, you have plenty of time still to get picked up by a guard unit. At the point Hello everyone! I’m currently applying to various Air National Guard Units, and I’m not sure what the reasonable limit for how far away I should apply is? I’m happy to travel as far as I need for drill. I’m boutta join the Air National Guard to support my music career. I was considering the same route as you when my first Army Guard contract expired and looked into options and it came down to enlisting in the Air Guard and competing We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. ) Volunteer for TDYs and deployments It's easier to seek out cross-training opportunities Transferring between ANG and Reserves is 19 votes, 44 comments. Active army was a total shitshow. You’ll do a year on the border and then get called back to do another one immediately. I know it will be different between 20-30 years and rank but can some tell me what they are getting or is expecting to get? Just looking for a ballpark figure. If you're looking to get ahead, joining the national guard isn't going to help as much as you think. You can either choose to do the minimum one weekend a month and two weeks a year You can seek out full-time employment (dual-status, AGR, MPA tours, etc. Is it worth it? I was 6 years active. That means you can "double dip". If you want balance, join the reserves right now. Was wondering is Tricare select was worth it. Now I’m traditional guard. I am considering joining the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve. Considering how tough it is to get a job right now in IT, would you recommend joining the air national guard for some extra income on the side + IT training? Or should I finish my degree and work help desk and work my way into cyber down the line? All advice is appreciated! We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. And just your luck it will be time to deploy right as you finish. Oct 18, 2024 · In this article, we’ll explore ten pros and ten cons of joining the Air National Guard. Joining the Air Guard Questions Thread - ALL questions about joining, transferring in from another branch/service, life & jobs in the ANG, Palace Chase, MEPS, Tech Schools, how to become a pilot, benefits, etc. Just looking for some input from anyone currently or previously (within 1-2 years) in the Washington NG. Literally everyone has a degree and is eligible to become an officer in the Air Guard, so it’s incredibly competitive while you are already in. e. Welcome to Reddit, the front page of the internet. My unit is set to deploy for 13 months and I would have to reenlist for 2 more years if I wanted to go on it. ) Sorry if this has already been covered Location for current, potential, and veteran soldiers and airmen of the US National Guard. Longer answer: Medical and Dental are two different plans, through two different contractors (insurance companies). I’m pretty far into the process of joining the Air National Guard and I’m excited but all these negative comments make me second guess myself. Anyone on here in the Nevada guard? If so, what has your experience been like? Really interested in joining, to use education benefits for a masters but also considering the reserves. There are two kinds of positions: AGR and Technician, they both have their benefits and drawbacks. You’re going to have better barracks. zc ddcl ny5ni ke3uec k9ruzutq p1nn t9b yijq khtpz n6b