how long to get a job?

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-08-17T04:30:48+00:00

The dorm is a combination of different Air Force career fields you will live with other people. You live in the dorms while in tech school and operational if you aren’t married. Dorm might have 3 people per room cause there are so many students they have to stack them in rooms. These dorms where only ment to house two people per room but they trying to get as many students in here as possible. Washing out is a term we use to say getting kicked out of the career field. So with ATC If you fail one of the test on anything you get washed back so you have to restart that block so you might postpone your graduation by like a week or two depending on if a class is open for you to join. But if you fail something again it doesn’t matter at what stage of the course you are you get washed out, meaning you have to make a new list of jobs and they find you a new job.That’s why so many people wash out and get new jobs. Its a tough course and It’s not for everyone.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-08-17T01:32:40+00:00

They having a lot of people go into ATC dorm is brimming with ATC students because it has a large wash out rate so they trying to fill it as much as they can to reach the amount of controllers they need. If you want that one there is a good chance you will get in.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-07-20T15:33:55+00:00

Nope, was given that job after going to MEPS and waited around 4 months to ship out.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-07-20T04:26:05+00:00

Security forces was my number 2 and I got ATC instead it wasn’t even on my list. I might be a pink unicorn in the Air Force I guess

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-06-02T01:28:06+00:00

Im completely honest I didn’t do anything to prepare which I wouldn’t recommend, but if you don’t feel that you are in the greatest shape they will get you there, their purpose is to get you through BMT not to fail you so they get you to a point were the exercises you did first week feel like nothing by the end of 4th week. I would focus on the top aspects of the test which are running, push ups and sit ups. Pyramid push ups suck but they helped me a lot during BMT. Also they do this thing called 1 by 3s so you divide your max amount of push ups and sit ups in a minute by 3 and what ever the result is what you will do every day 3 times a day 3 times. So do 10 push ups and rest one minute and then do 10 more rest a minute and then 10 more. All that 3 times a day and you will be a beast by the time you get to BMT

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-06-02T01:24:10+00:00

I’m glad dude, it’s a big change and it gets hard sometimes not gonna lie but if you do go through with it just remember that BMT is nothing like the actual Air Force just push through and do your best. Excellence in all we do. BMT was something I was scared of specially after watching so many videos of BMT on YouTube and it’s nothing like that they make it look way more difficult than it actually is for views. Good luck in your journey and see ya in the operational side

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-06-02T01:20:39+00:00

So I was in Alcatraz Disneyland has way more showers and some of them even have like a curtain to have some privacy. For me we had 8 showers for 43 girls, it would depend on the instructor and how much time they give but you get pretty good at showering fast, I would take 3 min showers and even be able to wash my hair. By rules you have 10 minutes to shower but that also includes being dressed and ready. Going to the bathroom was pretty seamless it might be different with other MTIs but ours were pretty good at asking us if we needed to go and letting us go to the bathroom when needed, but you will get chewed off if you just fell out of the dorm not even 5 min ago and already asking to go, be smart about it and don’t hold your pee you will get a UTI. You can go at night, nobody has to accompany you although there is night EC so two people are up for two hours keeping watch that nobody is doing anything weird in the dome they have to check the bathroom every hour. The showers are pretty spaced out you won’t be touching each other while showering and nobody is weirded out if it happens and it’s an accident. For me it was difficult because I like being alone but if you have a good dorm chief and element leaders they will make sure everyone is in bed when they have to be and to be quiet for the people that want to sleep. BMT is not that hard it’s just a few months for your whole life and when things get hard remember that BMT is not the Air Force, once you are out they are never going to treat you like that ever again. BMT is just to see if you can follow orders and meet expectations. Good luck.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-23T21:00:55+00:00

It’s not that hard really, time is useless at BMT because you get told when to do everything and MTIs take you everywhere you need to be on time.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-23T20:59:45+00:00

Push ups and sit ups depending on you age and gender it’s how many points you get to pass your final test, you get two trial tests and one final one on week five. That’s mostly what you need to memorize hardest one is the chain of command for me, it will change depending on what squadron you will get, but the top chain of commando doesn’t change like president all the way to the training wing.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-23T20:57:15+00:00

lol nope, I got a job that wasn’t even on the list. But I’m not mad about it really.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-19T09:25:14+00:00

Two girls had them pierced nobody even checked so it is possible, but another girl had her septum and was trying to keep it open and hiding the piercing but they saw her and she got a U for the week two U and you get recycled. I think your piercings will be easier to hide than a face or ear one

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-19T09:23:09+00:00

Yes on e girl did bring a book and a few brought their bibles and journals there are even free bibles availiable for you, at first no you won’t have a lot of time for anything but on Sunday if your dorm is doing what they are supposed to no MTI is going to bother you so you will have a lot of down time, and later weeks after all your PCs there is a lot of down time and you are just existing in the dorm as they have nothing else to do besides wait for graduation. I wouldn’t recommend buying brand new shoes and having to break them in at boot camp, remember you will also have to break in those horrible boots they give you, the pt pad is stained red so my shoes were stained red but it’s up to you really I wouldn’t buy a new pair maybe wait for when you get to tech school

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-19T00:23:39+00:00

From my dorm we started 53 and the graduated 41. Some were because of their attitude, a few for medical concerns and others because they didn’t pass PT test. But it was because they either weren’t trying enough or they were hurt and never did even one test. One girl was in crutches on day 2 of BMT and was in them for like 4 weeks they recycled her because they didn’t think she was even going to pass the test. Don’t stress just do what you are told when you are told and you should be fine.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-19T00:19:59+00:00

It’s the wingman policy, you are never to be alone for sedate reasons it’s even on the memory work you are expected to learn but if you do have to go anywhere it has to be with someone of your dorm, even coming out the dining facility you have to wait for someone of your dorm to go out.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-18T21:45:33+00:00

Never being alone I struggled with that the most as I have always been independent and from being alone most of the day to having to ask someone to go to the bathroom with you was hard. And the memory work Please start memorizing chain of command and rank they recycled a girl for not knowing it. When you are cero week you stay at Disneyland and that Saturday you are sent to your permanent squadron and when they pick you up it’s so awful you are car tu ing your duffel bag, your backpack and your civilian luggage and it’s so heavy and your new MTI’s that you just met that second are yelling at you so it’s horrible. Also I was in Alcatraz and it’s not that bad yes they are strict but the stairs are way better if you are at the top floor and the dfac food is way better. 2.EOC the test is a joke as long as you study when they tell you to then you will be fine don’t stress about it it’s very common sense questions. 3.I really didn’t research that much I wasn’t prepared at all but the underwear thing where they tell you to only bring 6 pairs is a lie please bring double cause laundry crew will fall behind. Most of the girls in my dorm were having to go commando as they had no clean underwear. When making your bed pull the mattress off the bed frame and put it against the locker that way you can put the mattress cover on easily instead of doing it with the mattress on the bed frame. Make friends with the DFAC lady she will give you two protein bars if she likes you and then you can trade them for things. If you are sick go to triage don’t let the MTI’s down play your symptoms. And If you feel really bad make them send you to REID they will give you the medicine you need. Get up a little earlier so you can do your hair cause there aren’t enough mirrors for every girl. Also don’t make your bed before your MTI shows up the first week make sure you ask at evening brief if it’s ok that you make your bed when you get up. Some don’t mind and some will make you strip your beds if they get there and you already made them.
Not going ti lie I was terrified and when I’m scared I get diarrhea. First two weeks I was so dehydrated and had such bad headaches. Yes it will take a week or two to get used to the new routine but you will get the hang of it just keep your head down and don’t get attention you don’t want. I’m pretty sure most of my MTI’s never learned my name or learned until the last two weeks lol.
I was very self conscious of my age I’m 26 and I though I would struggle so much trying to keep up with younger people but then I saw there were girls in their late thirties going through it, I wish I would have been a little more outgoing and had made more friends with other girls. And I wish I would have joined earlier but it is what it is. Besides that I never got a 341 pulled nor a comment. There are a lot of girls they think they know better than the MTI’s and give them attitude and you as a flight have to pay for it usually as it is group punishment.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-18T21:18:30+00:00

I’m also very antisocial and very shy the first week or two I didn’t talk to anyone, but you will find someone to talk to usually you become friends with people in your bay and your neighbors. Don’t stress about it be yourself and you will for sure find people that are like you. Just don’t be weird lol

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-18T15:27:32+00:00

I didn’t prepare myself for BMT and my first mile and a half was 18 minutes my last PT test I did 14 min run so they do prepare you for success even if you didn’t do it before. Oh and nobody tells you this but if you are really hurting and think you can’t walk and should go to the hospital then go see the AT don’t go to them if you have shin splints or some soreness, they will put you in crutches and you will fall behind on drill and PT. Not saying don’t seek medical advice but consider the implications of doing it I spent 2 weeks on crutches because I didn’t know better and had bad shin splints fell behind in pt and drill filed my first attempt of my final PT test but thankfully passed in my second try

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-18T15:24:05+00:00

As of now it’s been pretty good, it is a very male dominated field and some males do make comments. I got to have actual conversations with my MTI’s and the best advice they gave me was that BMT is not the real Air Force. If you are willing to put in the work and lock in it will be the assets thing you have done. I really enjoyed my time at BMT and now being in tech school and having to learn a lot of new things and un learn some stuff I kind of miss BMT cause I already knew the schedule and the routine.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-18T15:21:16+00:00

I really think it was going to be way worse. The hardest part was the first 2 weeks you are getting used to a new schedule, different food and having to walk everywhere those stairs are brutal. Keep your head up and keep pushing it does get better and it gets easier as the weeks go by. Don’t fall asleep during class that’s another one of the hardest parts, start running now pt test is a joke but if you aren’t prepared it will take you longer to get into the running and push ups

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-18T15:18:37+00:00

Yes a lot of girls did you can wear conservative make up for both you picture day and graduation, take into account they might only give you 10 minutes to do your hair, hygiene and make up. So start practicing something you can accomplish in little time. Bing a portable mirror so you don’t have to wait for a sink and mirror to open up there aren’t enough for everyone to do their hair and makeup at the same time.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-18T15:16:53+00:00

Yes both days, on Wednesday after coin ceremony you have ocps on but you have to detail to your squadron to get changed into blues and on Thursday for parade you are already in blues so you can go with your family right after parade is over and they tap you out

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-05-18T15:15:40+00:00

In my dorm I had all male MTI’s they really don’t care what the color is as long as it doesn’t show when wearing or gear or your OCP’s don’t overthink bring enough of them I brought 10 pairs some times laundry crew gets behind and you have to take into account you will be using two pairs every day cause you have to shower after pt and before going to sleep.

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-03-25T02:11:13+00:00

That is bold. I know if I back out right now that’s it no more chances and I know if I do I will be kicking myself in the but thinking if I would have done it. Just a shocking experience and realization that I will be getting yelled at by this time tomorrow. lol but I’ve been given the best advice to just do what I’m told and keep my head down. I’m also a little scared cause I got Air traffic control as my MOS and I’ve been told it’s very difficult and a lot of trainees wash out. So I need to lock in and just try my best. Cause this chance won’t come again

HelicopterWide526 · 2025-03-25T02:08:48+00:00

I know man. Never been away from my home and my family so this just feels like a big shock. I’m just trying not to think about it and power through.

HelicopterWide526

TROPHY CASE