I am only 15 years old but i have the dream to be in the Air Force. I want to be a officer but..........?

Question

I want to be a officer but not right away.

I do have leadership. I am in high school and I am in Marine JROTC.

My instructor has told me many times he sees a great future for me in the military and he belives I should go into college first and become a officer in the AF.

I do want to do that.

But not right away.

I want to enlist first.

*My question is:

If I enlisted and then after a amount of time I felt I was ready to be an officer, would they let me do that?

Would they let me go to the AF community college during my enlistment?

How would it work?

Please no rude answers.

I know i am young but I want to at least have my goals on track before I start my 10th grade year this year.

Thank you.

God Bless.

Answer 1

The Air Force is very education minded and will pay 100% of your education while you are serving. You'd have access to online courses and usually an on-base community college and any classes will transfer if you get orders to go from one base to another. Your supervisors will also work with you to some degree as far as working around your classes. However, because you are working full time for them and mission has to come first, your job will ultimately take priority over education so most military personnel only have time to take a couple of classes each semester, which means it will probably take you much longer to get your four year degree, especially when the time comes for you to deploy. If you finish your degree while enlisted you can then apply to officer's candidate school and start earning your commission. The Air Force is GREAT for benefits especially education. People enlist for all kinds of reasons and I highly commend you for wanting to do that, but most military personnel will tell you that if your ultimate goal is to become an officer GO FOR IT UPFRONT., because it really is a waste of your time to enlist first and then go for your degree and commission, not to mention, you'll miss out on alot of money over the years. If your plan was to only do one enlistment, get education benefits, get out, and get a degree to do something else I'd say go for it. But since you seem set on making a career as an officer it would be a mistake for you waste time enlisting first because if you do that, you will probably be close to halfway through your military career before you'll get to be an officer. An enlistment contract is either 4 or 6 years and you'll only be able to dedicate a limited amount of time to college while you are enlisted and it takes many years to make a good career as an officer. My husband is an enlisted staff sergeant and has been in for nine years, almost two enlistments. He briefly, at one point considered OCS (officers candidate school), but he's put that idea aside, because even after nine years of on and off classes when time allows, he's still got a way to go on his degree, then by the time he got through officers school, he'd be only a few years away from retirement. It's up to you what you do in your future and I say great for your having a plan! Whichever route you go for, the Air Force is an awesome choice and will definitely serve you well. But my husband and I HIGHLY recommend you go ahead and become an officer upfront. The requirements are the same either way and you'll get through them much more quickly and have many more years to build on your career. He (my hubby) recommends after you graduate high school, you apply to the Air Force Academy. You can ask your JROTC instructor for more info on that. He/she should also be able to help you find information on universities with ROTC programs. You can also go to www.academyadmissions.com/admissions for info on eligibility and how to apply to the Academy. Whatever you do, DON'T talk to an Air Force recruiter! Well intentioned as they may be, he/she WILL find a way to talk you into enlisting first, and I know that's what you want right now and it would definitely not be a bad thing in general, but like I've already said, it WILL NOT jive well with the plan you have of wanting to be an officer. Best of luck to you sweetie, and God bless you for wanting to serve your country!

Answer 2

You're going about achieving your goal in a round about way. If you want to be an officer, why go enlisted first? Listen to your instructor. Go to college first. Or even better yet, seeing as how you're still in high school set your sights on the Air Force Academy. Talk to your school guidance counselor on how to get started.

In answer to your question, there are programs to commission officers from the enlisted ranks. They excuse you from active duty to pursue an education with the understanding that you will have to serve after you graduate school. The AF will pay for your tuition and pay you a living stipend. This is still a round about way of becoming an officer.

Answer 3

First of all good on you, its a worthwhile thing to go into the armed forces!

I am not sure about enlistment to officer, but I am fairly sure that during your time training, there are many education programs militaries can and will offer to you, especially if you are aspiring to become an officer :).

Just google US Air force recruitment or something and they will often give you details.