Just a little perspective from someone fresh out of UPT from earlier this year.
Before we graduated, our class had a mandatory brief with our CC about everything this thread was talking about it. We were told about PME/AAD, checking boxes, staff jobs, etc... The whole promotion system/career progression was quickly summarized for all of us. Now, I remember my buddies and I leaving that brief wondering why were told about major promotions and IDE. Our boss was just letting us know what future unsaid expectations were. About how as 1Lts/Capts we should be getting our degrees done, doesn't matter where just get it done, and how we should do SOS correspondence at the first chance so we get selected residence. And how the mover and shakers look at WHEN and how EARLY those things to separate each other. And how some people might have been passed over for Major for not having those boxes checked and how they were in disbelief.
Before anyone goes trying to crucify this guy, he told us that we should be focused on being the best wingman/co-pilots out in the AF. But be prepared that UPT will be the last time your job is solely to fly and there will be other performance indicators other than, "this dude has X hours and is a great stick."
Now, this might have been predicated on the fact that there were still Capt boards when I was graduating and we needed something besides pilot in our records to not fall through the cracks, especially if we have big BITs.
my .2