Do I Dare?

I have decided to apply to the Air Force as an officer. I'm almost afraid to put that out there because I have so much to do to apply and qualify and it will be quite a while before I know anything. I had to travel to El Paso to talk to the officer recruiter, which is 2 hours away. The recruiter was really friendly and helpful. Right now, I need to study to take the AFOQT, the officer candidate test. As soon as I feel prepared enough, I will head back down to El Paso to take the test. I will also need to pass a couple of checks, have a physical, get some letters of recommend, and put everything together in a packet. Then we will submit the package to a board for approval. That will take a few weeks. So, as you can see, there is a lot to do. I will have until the end of November when the board meets to submit everything.

Now that you know that you know the what, I will tell you the why. First, I have always wanted to join the AF. I had planned to join after high school, but life took a different route and I chose to stay home with my kiddos. And now I find myself in a position to try to fulfill that goal. Second, the benefits are impressive...full medical and dental insurance for me and my family, free base housing and utilities, free tuition assistance, GI Bill, and quite a bit more. I will also get job training and experience. We did a pro/con list of my joining the military and the only con we could come up with is the possibility of deployment, which varies with each career, and the fact that I won't be a full-time stay-at-home mom anymore. But the work schedule would be very manageable and consistent. Military also gets weekends and almost all holidays off. They also get a lot of vacation time off.

So, there are a lot of pros and I will be working hard for the next while to apply. So, wish me luck, keep your fingers crossed, send good vibes, etc. I would really appreciate it.