Yeah bro, I went a very similar route, although I didn't have the engineering degree. I was in a sheet metal shop in the air guard for just about six years before I went to OTS and I think it had a lot to do with me getting picked up for a pilot slot along with some flying experience. Do you know any of the higher up pilots (i.e. sq/cc) that could write you a LOR? That would help if you had interviewed with them before, but either way, I think the guard experience will definitely help. What do you do in the guard?