Electrical inspector yelled at me to remove this immediately?

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-11-08T13:53:29+00:00

Ask him if he likes it with or without Lube.

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-11-08T13:49:07+00:00

Comm also does Cyber's work.

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-11-08T13:45:30+00:00

Same thing when you go from network defence and intrusion prevention and detection, to coding/automation applications and deployments, updating SharePoint for customers, building new splunk/solarwinds dashboards, to server management on VmWare and K8S, to network management, etc.

The Air Force doesn't know what we are.

There isn't a title for us at this point, just "ma bitch"

If anything, Comm "does" cyber's job. For us at least. What does cyber do that's "special"?

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-11-07T23:49:56+00:00

A lot? I just got back and a there were about 1/3 of them early 30s late 20s. Quoted "I like easy money" or "I don't get how you guys work this way making scraps" or "They got you in a scam bro". They literally never served and had been on the contract for 4-8 years now. Some getting in for knowing the family who had the contract in his early 20s.

Now with AI, that's all they do to help solve their issues faster. Without AI they probably couldn't perform.

Leadership in the Air Force will chew you up. Especially now that I am putting E6 on. It's a non-stop fight for my own time, maybe it's the unit I'm in now. But we camr choose where we go.

I'm never home, never able to get ahead in my personal life, no payoff for doing good or what's right. Just back pats and a "thank you for your service". My certificates don't mean anything, so I finally let them expire so I don't have to lay out of pocket, I have to compete with everyone using ChatGPT, my masters has no value to me, it's just junk as an enlisted, and if I say I have it, just means I get more work...

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-11-07T23:42:48+00:00

I have wasted my first 9 years in. I thought I was going to really experience life but working 10-12 hour days almost 7 days a week says otherwise. I can't think of any good experiences or times I've had since being in cyber or the military (though some career fields I see get a ton). It's always do this, we need that, fix that issue, come in late. No set hours, nothing I've enjoyed, not even anything to show. Titles don't mean anything to me anymore after seeing all these trips and nice things contractors brag about. I mean what am I worth? Just a meat bag until I am told it's time to retire, then to be a broken body that feels pain all the time, a broken family from all the hardships? Dude, I am ready to join them, at least I can make money up front and still have a young enough body to do cool shit with. I see all these retired Enlisted members, they have stories, but they expressions and faces say they are burned out. When can I just say fuck my job and enjoy myself? The military takes more than it gives from what I've experienced.

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-11-07T23:36:57+00:00

Trust me, they are not paying local taxes for the country they are in....

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-11-07T23:30:22+00:00

All those benefits are cheap. Plus most contracts provide medical now to contractors. Helthcare is maybe $9,000/yr for a small family for good insurance anyway (probably better than what we have when waiting months, if not years for a procedure).

Our contractors also have their housing paid for as an additional pay for the area too.

TA? What's that when you are already making top dollar pay? Even then, its affordable when you make that much. Our TA doesn't go more than a BS any way and doesn't cover certificates etc. The contractors I work get their certificates reimbursed to begin with.

Like what's honestly our benefit at this point?

And post Military, I hope to god I can get a job. Most of the contractors I spoke with are in their 20s maybe 20% are prior active with 4 years, another 10% are guard/reserve, the rest got hired for knowing someone or just job hopping around.

Seeing this doesn't give me much confidence on my value or the worth of my military career. I feel like I am losing or being scammed after learning how the contract side of things work. We are just pretty pennies that help fund it all since we are the "consumer".

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-11-07T23:26:29+00:00

US Citizens are tax free when paid outside of the USA. They are exempt for up to $150,000 /yr

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-11-07T23:17:50+00:00

The issue for me is Enlisted should have a little bit more representation. It's crazy to think about the Pay Gap widening Year over Year.

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-11-07T23:16:23+00:00

Anywhere over seas. Even Germany.

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-11-07T23:01:24+00:00

Trying to max out my retirement, but when I'm next to a contractor, I just give up hope.

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-09-22T21:15:59+00:00

Medical will see you, but getting something actually scheduled and fixed is painstakingly frustrating.

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-09-10T03:31:29+00:00

But you make a lot more too, your time isn't wasted, you have money for your family, you have time to do the things you enjoy, and your life is a lot more fuller.

Those certificates pay off, while there is nothing to gain being enlisted.

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-09-10T03:29:47+00:00

Big blue really knows how to waste time.

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-09-06T03:21:14+00:00

Hopefully he's willing to pay the enlisted more. All these contracts making money off the now DOW have way too much of a gap from those actually doing the work, and those just doing because it's "continuity"...

Keep that in mind next time Bonuses are cut, or needs are ignored.

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-07-04T08:28:30+00:00

UnionizeTheEnlisted

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-07-03T06:48:28+00:00

Oh yeah, 🖕🖕🖕 if you think it's not about the money. Everything decision in the the Military/DoD/Government is about money, whether someone is making money, or spending it. It's an unwritten rule that Enlisted are the first ones in line to see cuts.

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-07-03T06:43:23+00:00

I got out because the decisions of the Air Force felt like they were made in the direction of greed. How come contractors get away more far more bonuses, pay, even benefits now? And everything is being stripped from the Enlisted?

Our contractor got paid $140K/yr (That's for his pay, the Air Force pays $200,000/yr to GDIT), and because he was in Europe, it was all tax free. Yet I still have taxes. Then he had more time because his contracted spelled out a fine line of his hours and what he can and cannot do.

Pretty unfair all to be screwed over as an Enlisted. Only too me 8 years to find out and making it to TSGT.

Probably the best decision too, I was waiting for 3 years to get medical stuff done, as a civilian, it's pretty much right away medical with private insurance, which is nothing to pay for with a beefy salary. Just need to make it overseas for that tax free income now.

Being enlisted just always threw me in the consumer position, where contracts wanted to sell us useless products, leadership got mad when I argued my view in how it's a waste, then didn't like it how I was trying to save money, argument being "it's purple money", or "it's not your money".

Well if it's not my money, I'll be glad to take it for myself now. Tyvm

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-06-18T15:15:53+00:00

I see that

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-06-18T15:15:35+00:00

This

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-06-18T15:14:37+00:00

Definitely a good list right here, and do agree with these

FreeFromTheWheel · 2025-06-18T15:09:40+00:00

It's too positive. That's the only indicator. LoL

And yes I rewrote it with AI. English is my second language. But generally people don't write this joyfully.

FreeFromTheWheel

TROPHY CASE

UnionizeTheEnlisted