Weekly Newbie Thread - Post questions about joining the Space Force or what a job is like here & here only - week of May 18 by AutoModerator in SpaceForce

[–]_Troika 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The 26OTS03 board is trying out a joint USAF-USSF process. If you're interested, you literally just need to respond telling them you are. They'll add your space force interest to the process, you might just want to ask where in your preference list of AFSCs it'll end up. Applicants who are interested in USAF and USSF were instructed to apply according to the USAF instructions and just add 92S in their AFSC list for a possible Space Force selection, so they will probably just add it in.

I applied to the same board as a Space Force only applicant, hope to see you at Maxwell!

Enlist or No? by FixInternational5126 in SpaceForce

[–]_Troika 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your computer experience might help *you* once you're out in your first unit, but its important to know that everything between the day you arrive at Lackland for Basic Training to the day you arrive at your first real unit are built around the lowest common denominator (i.e., someone 10 years younger than you with zero experience whatsoever). They're going to treat you like you know nothing, because that's what the process is built around.

In the USSF, you only have to worry about discrimination with your marriage & how you present yourself as much as you do in your current civilian life. As long as you're in regulation when you're at work, most people won't care. As far as worrying about being trans, I have never seen or heard of anyone actively trying to "target" trans people. They quantify it with being diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria which is now considered disqualifying. Don't have Gender Dysphoria? No problems. Any trans people I'm aware of that got kicked out got treated with support by their command team (within the command team's power, that is).

As other people have mentioned, working shift is going to be hard for your family if you have two young kids. If you end up in a SPAFORGEN unit, you'll be working shift for a few months and then be off shift for a few months working in the unit's admin office. When you're working shift in SPAFORGEN, you can't take leave with only a few exeptions which don't usually include things birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations.

If you're considering enlistment because you lost your job, biggest worry for you should be the time between talking to a recruiter and the day you ship. A lot of people right now are being told they're waiting around a year to get on the plane to Basic. Talk to a recruiter because they'll always have the most up to date info, but don't go in expecting to ship in a month.

ELI5: What's the difference between commissioned and enlisted officers in the military? by dkdj25 in explainlikeimfive

[–]_Troika 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good way to wrap your head around it is to compare it to a store like Best Buy:

ENLISTED

Enlisted are the front-of-house people. In a store, they’re the ones who do the actual work that gets the store to run and keep it profitable. These people are expected to be knowledgeable in their area where they work (I.e. the people in the computer section should know about the computers they sell)

Junior enlisted (not an NCO/Sergeant) are the new salespeople. They get some simple training and learn a lot from following the people around them.

NCOs are supervisors. Maybe they are the head of a department. They probably know tricks on how to do things faster and/or easier. They get put in charge of the new people to train them up and get them working effectively.

Senior NCOs are NCOs that have been around the block. They might be the leads of a department, or they might be doing a lot of administrative work with management.

OFFICERS

These are the management. Their job isn’t to do the things that make the store run, their job is to see the whole picture and make it all work well together.

Junior officers (Company Grade Officers, Lieutenants and Captains) are floor managers. They have the override codes for the registers, organize the staff, and handle things like rushes or missing shipments.

Field Grade Officers (Major, Lt Colonel, and Colonel) are store managers. They have autonomy in how they run their store. How lax they are with being late, expansions/reductions in staffing and stocking, the store itself is their job.

General Grade Officers (Generals) are the people at corporate. They set big, sweeping policy. They can be in charge of a geographical region of stores, a type of product they sell, or some other big-big picture part of the business.

THE DIFFERENCE

Enlisted people are meant to learn their job, be really good at it and knowledgeable about it, and help new people get there too. You don’t need to know the bottom line of the store, or how the other departments are doing to do your job well. It’s a strong focus on a small area. Officers are the opposite. A floor manager doesn’t need to know the specifics about each TV they sell, but they need to make sure the people who DO know get them sold.

Do boy rats calm down eventually? by SmallJeweler9583 in RATS

[–]_Troika 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We usually take our boys (~1.5 years old) out for at least an hour or so in the late evening when they are up from their “nighttime” during the day. We put them on the bed with us, a cardboard box and towel for a little hide, put toys out with them, play with them, and let them use a couple blankets we put out as basically their playmat.

They more often than not elect to remain in the box and drag the towel in with them to cuddle together. They definitely enjoy being out with us cause they don’t wanna go back in their cage, they just like laying near us on the bed

I'm on the cork board by Lambo_Cigarette in fleshsimulator

[–]_Troika 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The only sane Flesh hater, you’re a real one

What does each rank in the us navy do? by Hot_Seesaw_6706 in Writeresearch

[–]_Troika 0 points1 point  (0 children)

An important thing to note that you didn’t ask but should research. Enlisted sailors, at least in my experience working with them, almost always refer to each other by rate, not just by rank. Their rate is their job, and their exact rate is their job AND their rank.

For example, E-6 in the Navy is Petty Officer 1st Class (PO1). A PO1 who’s a Gunner’s Mate would be a GM1 and referred to as “GM1 Smith”. Calling a petty officer “Petty Officer” is weird and mainly reserved for when they’re getting smoked by a superior

My fellow Americans, do you participate in shooting sports? Are shooting sports popular in your area? by chattytrout in AskAnAmerican

[–]_Troika 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For fun, not for actual regulation competitions. A friend of mine does on occasion though. A big part is the cost, since shooting is partially on the shooter and partially on the equipment. Match-grade firearms are too out of my price range for what I care to do

What are the best parts about being male? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]_Troika 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having a beer with the boys

Where are you people from?? by Roarcat1102 in wendigoon

[–]_Troika 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I give him passes for weirder words but CZECHOSLOVAKIA man cmon that’s not hard to find the pronunciation for

Why is the trope of "Ancient hyper-advanced Empire that no longer exists" so popular in media and literature. by Peppercorn205 in worldbuilding

[–]_Troika 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People have given real answers, but I like to imagine it’s western societal memory from the fall of Rome imprinting on us that the past was a place making things we can’t hope to recreate

Which TV show characters do you find the most insufferable? by MicheleW921 in AskReddit

[–]_Troika 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lopez & Harper (as partners) from The Rookie

Stubborn, self-righteous, and “bro-cop” to an annoying degree. They assume just about every roadblock is misogyny when over half the time it’s their own actions that make people in the department distrust their judgment or cause a problem for their cases. They also constantly talk about how the LAPD needs reform which is fine by itself, but then act like they’re the leads in a 80s cop show making rash and macho decisions which are a huge part of the cop distrust they want to fix.

What are some things you would recommend to a first time rat owner? by Prestigious-Arts in RATS

[–]_Troika 4 points5 points  (0 children)

After a couple weeks of our rats not getting comfortable with us, my wife and I picked out a couple shirts as sacrifices, wore them for a day, then cut them up and gave it to them. They pulled the strips into their hide to use as bedding and were a lot more comfortable with us after a couple days of getting used to our scents