In the past, I have had a few times where I have made a decision that did not have the outcome I hoped for. Since my views change fairly often, it's been difficult for me to avoid repeating mistakes, since I struggle to remember my line of thought when I made the decision in the first place. With that in mind, I want to lay out my line of thought on why the Air Force is the best option for me at this point in my life. That way, if a future me is regretting that decision, I can look back and see why I made it (and maybe even help motivate myself to stick with it.)
Why the Military?
As I've said before, I find a lot of the military 'discipline' useless for me, but there's no denying that the training you receive turns you into a solid individual. While this aspect of the military is one of it's biggest detriments in my mind, it's easily out shined by the long list of benefits involved with the military. What other job is going to offer me the educational, travel, vacation, athletic, and excitement possibilities that an Air Force job would offer? Few civilian jobs can offer ANY of these benefits, let alone ALL of them.
Why the Air Force?
The Air Force was really the only option for me. I wanted to choose a military lifestyle that wasn't over obsessed with the traditional military views. For example, the Air Force's views on 'taking care of their own people' is light years ahead of the other branches. Their focus on education is also important. But mostly, I liked the idea of having a job that I enjoyed, with minimal chance of being on the 'front lines.'
Why now, when you already got out of it once?
Several factors played into that decision, and I feel like only one of them was really a detriment of the Air Force. As I said in a previous post, ROTC was very difficult to motivate myself to do. This was based in large part on the difference between the ROTC lifestyle, and the lifestyle of the rest of college. It was very easy for me to want to blow off my ROTC duties when I saw my friends playing football and partying. After months of this mindset, it became overwhelming. Coupled with that was the fact that I was facing a decision that would lock the next 12 years of my life. I hadn't viewed ROTC as anything but a pathway to a pilot slot. Therefore, I went in thinking that the commitment would be at least 14 years. As a college student, still figuring out their life-long desires, a commitment like that is not easily made. After viewing the dedication of some of my classmates, it was unclear to me whether this was a path that I would want to take for that long.
Now I stand, a few years of the working world under my belt, and I am still not 100% sure that the Air Force would be a career-long decision for me. However, I have also seen the offerings of another career option that I thought I would enjoy, and I know that it is not the right one for me. Since I have started to think more seriously about my long-term happiness, I am realizing that even if I get into the Air Force and do not enjoy it, the commitment term is short enough that I can still benefit from joining FAR more than I would benefit from another 4-8 years in my current field.
Have you thought about the possibility of hating this even more than your current job?
In short, yes....and it's the sole possibility that has stopped me thus far. But I should mention that while I can't see myself spending a career in this position, I'm not completely unhappy with my current job. The fact that I still consider the Air Force a better option says a lot. However, I'm a huge advocate of loving what you do on a day-to-day, and the prospect that I might not is very scary. I'm making this decision because I know that there's an extremely good chance I WILL enjoy my job...and if I don't, I should be able to use the added benefits enough to look past the day-to-day for a few years, given the benefits it will afford me after that.
Aside from that, my goal is to obtain a job that is ever-changing (such as an aircrew member.) Therefore, if I find myself in a position where I hate getting up and going to work everyday, then hopefully things will not remain that way for long, as I'll be moving on to another duty or base in the near future. In short, the small prospect of a few months or years of discomfort is worth it in favor of the large prospect of enjoying the job I obtain, and the benefits I will enjoy during/after my enlistment.
Why don't you like civilian life? What's wrong with your current job?
I can see myself getting into the military and asking this question. And it's a good one, considering that I am writing this entry while I am at work, and I have no fear about getting in trouble for my actions. The office life offers a comfortable work environment and very set hours. I can easily imagine that my life in the Air Force will not be like that.
However, there are two important things of note about my career field. First, I work with career drafters and designers, and I know for a FACT that I don't want to end up like them. While they make OK money (not great, but OK), most of them are jaded by the fact that they've spent their entire lives in front of a computer screen. They love to complain about little things, and they spend a large portion of their time being upset about trivial parts of their jobs. They are small town people with small town mindsets....and I have no desire to be a 45 year old in a bowling league talking about who is sleeping with who in my home town.
Second, my career field is a dead end. With my degree, I can be a drafter or a designer, and that's about it. If I reach a point where I want to branch out, I will have to do it at my own expense, and it will be extremely difficult. I will basically be starting over with no contacts in my new field, and I will need to go through the schooling and job search process at a much more difficult time in my life. My hope is that with the Air Force, I will make a new set of friends, and at the same time develop contact in different fields that, along with the Air Force benefits, will make any future changes in my life much easier to handle.
Do you understand how difficult it will be to adjust to this lifestyle? You know you struggle to motivate yourself...
I know that one of my biggest problems is my lack of motivation. But it doesn't follow me in every aspect of my life, just those things that I can't really justify doing. If you look at my past, I always do well with things at the beginning, because I see the world of possibilities that it will afford me. However, once I dig deeper into something and see that it's not for me, I fall off quickly. The only areas of my life where this hasn't been the case were things like soccer (which I continued to enjoy immensely the entire time I played) and physical/mental tests (where the results would stay with me, and positively/negatively affect me for years to come.) My hope is that the Air Force will be a good combination of something I enjoy doing very much and something that I can understand it's effect years down the road. And if I reach a point in my life where I begin to question my decision to join the Air Force, I will be able to read this post and be reminded of the reasons for my decision, and hopefully it will set me back on course.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Here's to big, bad decisions...and sticking to them.
My giant, several-year-long career decision funk is coming very quickly to a head. Like always, I have narrowed down my options to two basic choices, and both seem to have equal merit and risk. In the interest of putting into words the several different aspects of each decision that I have thought about, I'm going to attempt to flesh out my options in this blog, along with the pros and cons of each. Hopefully, this will help me come to a decision, as I'm going to need to make a choice within the next few months...
But first, why do I feel that I must make a decision soon? Basically, I have discovered that the 9-to-5 office life is not for me. When I left Pitt, I did so in large part because I needed to see if I really loved design as much as I thought I did. It was this supposed love that was keeping me from making the long commitment to the Air Force that would have been required of me (ten years). Additionally, I found it difficult to motivate myself in college, so ROTC was complicated by the fact that every single event required me to convince myself to go, which increasingly turned me off to the whole concept.
It's important to note that while I didn't share the enthusiasm of some of my classmates, I didn't wholly dislike the military environment. I find a lot of the "discipline" training trivial, but I feel like if it was an everyday, full-time part of my life, it would become second nature, and therefore insignificant in determining my happiness. In fact, most of the military traditions are just amplified versions of civilian life. For example, both instances offer the possibility of having a superior that you don't agree with or like. The only difference is that in the military, you can not escape this fate.
In fact, it's this mentality that has been the primary source of my denial of this option thus far: the fact that with the military comes a commitment of the next 8 to 12 years of my life. If I get a year or two into it and find out that I don't like it, there is no way to escape it for the next several years. Given my history, I know I am the type of person that gets bored quickly, and this is a very real possibility.
However, the military option definitely has tons of benefits as well. One of my major goals is to get my bachelor's degree, and the military would pay for all of this, as well as help me with the school loans I already have. I would get 30 days paid vacation each year. The income is much better than advertised, and I would actually start out at around the same income that I bring in now, once you include BAH and other benefits. The travel benefits are unmatched, and I would be able to fulfill my desire to travel to the full degree. I would be surrounded each day by people who think like me: athletic, travel-loving people who have faced similar hardships. Finally, the work environment would be ever-changing, both on a day-to-day basis and when I switch bases every few years. In short, if I end up loving my day-to-day job, the military benefits far outweigh the ones I would receive at any civilian job.
Whether I choose that option or not, the goal right now is to put myself in a situation where I can maximize my options, and therefore give myself the best chance to improve my level of happiness. The best way for me to do that right now would be to get my bachelor's degree, and this is the primary source of my second option. The military is certainly not the only way to do that, and I believe it would take longer to do while serving than if I went full time. However, if I choose to stay civilian and try to go back full time, financing becomes a major issue.
Given the amount of school loans I have out already, it's just not possible for me to go back to school on my own dime. I would probably not even be able to get more loans in this financial environment, and I would not want to pay the extra money back even if I was able to get them. This means that if I want to go back, I have to convince a company that I am working for to pay for it. This poses two problems: 1. I would need to already be with a company that I could see myself staying with for the next 5 years (in order to finish my degree and serve 2 years afterward) and 2. I would need to pursue a degree in a major that the company approves and I enjoy. It's extremely unlikely that I will be able to fulfill these scenarios, since 95% of the companies that accept my job title would have me go back to school for engineering. Aside from the major, this option also has the problem of keeping me in the same 9-to-5 desk job environment that I would very much like to escape.
Another side of the civilian option is to find a company that I enjoy working with and gaining experience in my current position while not going back to school. While this will not increase my options, it would further my value (and my paycheck) within my current career field, and increase my chances of securing a better position in the future. However, just like before, it would keep me in the same mundane office environment, without giving me many more options for the future.
The civilian side does have some very tangible benefits to it. The largest benefit to staying civilian is maintaining my freedom. If I get into a job that I don't like, I can easily quit at any time. Also, if I am living in an area that I don't enjoy, I can pick up and move at any time. Aside from career freedom, civilian life also offers a lot of personal freedom. I am free to dress how I please, to go wherever I want and do whatever I want when I am not at work. Also, my hours are very much set in stone, and my boss will rarely, if ever, bother me when I am not at work. Where as in the military, your lifestyle is closely monitored 24/7, a civilian job will not infringe upon your lifestyle, so long as it does not impact your work.
One thing that is very important in this decision is how much I actually practice the freedoms that a civilian life offers. For example, many of the freedoms I would give up in the military are things that I don't really exercise anyway, such as hair length, speaking out against the government, or drug use. Since I do not use these freedoms, I should not place too much emphasis on them. Additionally, I should be certain not to overestimate the "military lifestyle" view of things until I am sure of it's actual impact. Many of the current members of the military claim that it is not much different than an everyday job, and I should do my best to investigate that claim. Finally, I should decide just how important it is to me to have the freedom to change my lifestyle. The military commitment is a calculated risk with a long-term reward or punishment, and I should understand whether or not the benefits to taking that chance outweigh the detriments of civilian life.
But first, why do I feel that I must make a decision soon? Basically, I have discovered that the 9-to-5 office life is not for me. When I left Pitt, I did so in large part because I needed to see if I really loved design as much as I thought I did. It was this supposed love that was keeping me from making the long commitment to the Air Force that would have been required of me (ten years). Additionally, I found it difficult to motivate myself in college, so ROTC was complicated by the fact that every single event required me to convince myself to go, which increasingly turned me off to the whole concept.
It's important to note that while I didn't share the enthusiasm of some of my classmates, I didn't wholly dislike the military environment. I find a lot of the "discipline" training trivial, but I feel like if it was an everyday, full-time part of my life, it would become second nature, and therefore insignificant in determining my happiness. In fact, most of the military traditions are just amplified versions of civilian life. For example, both instances offer the possibility of having a superior that you don't agree with or like. The only difference is that in the military, you can not escape this fate.
In fact, it's this mentality that has been the primary source of my denial of this option thus far: the fact that with the military comes a commitment of the next 8 to 12 years of my life. If I get a year or two into it and find out that I don't like it, there is no way to escape it for the next several years. Given my history, I know I am the type of person that gets bored quickly, and this is a very real possibility.
However, the military option definitely has tons of benefits as well. One of my major goals is to get my bachelor's degree, and the military would pay for all of this, as well as help me with the school loans I already have. I would get 30 days paid vacation each year. The income is much better than advertised, and I would actually start out at around the same income that I bring in now, once you include BAH and other benefits. The travel benefits are unmatched, and I would be able to fulfill my desire to travel to the full degree. I would be surrounded each day by people who think like me: athletic, travel-loving people who have faced similar hardships. Finally, the work environment would be ever-changing, both on a day-to-day basis and when I switch bases every few years. In short, if I end up loving my day-to-day job, the military benefits far outweigh the ones I would receive at any civilian job.
Whether I choose that option or not, the goal right now is to put myself in a situation where I can maximize my options, and therefore give myself the best chance to improve my level of happiness. The best way for me to do that right now would be to get my bachelor's degree, and this is the primary source of my second option. The military is certainly not the only way to do that, and I believe it would take longer to do while serving than if I went full time. However, if I choose to stay civilian and try to go back full time, financing becomes a major issue.
Given the amount of school loans I have out already, it's just not possible for me to go back to school on my own dime. I would probably not even be able to get more loans in this financial environment, and I would not want to pay the extra money back even if I was able to get them. This means that if I want to go back, I have to convince a company that I am working for to pay for it. This poses two problems: 1. I would need to already be with a company that I could see myself staying with for the next 5 years (in order to finish my degree and serve 2 years afterward) and 2. I would need to pursue a degree in a major that the company approves and I enjoy. It's extremely unlikely that I will be able to fulfill these scenarios, since 95% of the companies that accept my job title would have me go back to school for engineering. Aside from the major, this option also has the problem of keeping me in the same 9-to-5 desk job environment that I would very much like to escape.
Another side of the civilian option is to find a company that I enjoy working with and gaining experience in my current position while not going back to school. While this will not increase my options, it would further my value (and my paycheck) within my current career field, and increase my chances of securing a better position in the future. However, just like before, it would keep me in the same mundane office environment, without giving me many more options for the future.
The civilian side does have some very tangible benefits to it. The largest benefit to staying civilian is maintaining my freedom. If I get into a job that I don't like, I can easily quit at any time. Also, if I am living in an area that I don't enjoy, I can pick up and move at any time. Aside from career freedom, civilian life also offers a lot of personal freedom. I am free to dress how I please, to go wherever I want and do whatever I want when I am not at work. Also, my hours are very much set in stone, and my boss will rarely, if ever, bother me when I am not at work. Where as in the military, your lifestyle is closely monitored 24/7, a civilian job will not infringe upon your lifestyle, so long as it does not impact your work.
One thing that is very important in this decision is how much I actually practice the freedoms that a civilian life offers. For example, many of the freedoms I would give up in the military are things that I don't really exercise anyway, such as hair length, speaking out against the government, or drug use. Since I do not use these freedoms, I should not place too much emphasis on them. Additionally, I should be certain not to overestimate the "military lifestyle" view of things until I am sure of it's actual impact. Many of the current members of the military claim that it is not much different than an everyday job, and I should do my best to investigate that claim. Finally, I should decide just how important it is to me to have the freedom to change my lifestyle. The military commitment is a calculated risk with a long-term reward or punishment, and I should understand whether or not the benefits to taking that chance outweigh the detriments of civilian life.
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