What are the costs and benefits of signing up with the air force?

Question

my 22 year old brother just signed the papers yesterday for a 4 year tour of duty. he was only 1 year away from getting his B.S. degree in nursing. did he make a good decision?

Answer 1

I personally would have waited until I had my B.S because then you can go to Officer Training School and become a second lieutenant.

But he did make a wise decision in joining the military

Answer 2

He may have.  The Air Force encourages continuing education, with special emphasis on enlisted persons getting a degree.  If he decides he wants to go back to school and finish up while he's in the Air Force, there's a good chance his superiors will work with him so he can get his degree.  He would also be eligible for tuition assistance, which pays 80% of his tuition for college courses as long as he gets a C grade or better.  Once he gets his degree, he can apply for a commission to become an officer, or he can simply finish his four years and return to civilian life.  It's tough to say whether he made a good decision because we don't have enough information.  Was he running out of money for college?  Did he want to get more hands-on experience?  If either of these things apply, joining the Air Force may have been a good move.

P.S.:  Since he has over 45 credit hours of college, he'll automatically be promoted to E-3 (Airman First Class) once he graduates basic training.  It's not a lot of money, but E-3 pay is a heck of a lot better than E-1 pay.

Answer 3

I would have finished that last year of college because it opens up more options both in and out of the military. I finished my B.A before signing up with the Air Force. I wanted real experience in my major (political science) and a security clearance, among other reasons. Technically he isnt in yet. Not until that day when he has to leave for basin training. He can still pull out. What job did he sign up for? Is it anything to do with healthcare, or is it something totally different? I ask this because maybe he wanted to do something totally different from nursing and thats why he quit school.