I just recently left the ANG after serving 10 years following 23 years active duty retirement. Upon entering Reserve/ANG following retirement from Active Duty you DO NOT draw your retirement pay until you separate from the Reserve/ANG. However, you are eligible to be promoted in the Reserve component and increase your retirement pay accordingly, but you Will Not begin to receive the increased rank retired pay until age 55-60 depending how many months you serve active on duty status. For myself, I retired as an E-7, but fortunately was promoted to E-8 before retirement and will begin receiving the E-8 retired pay at age 55 due to all the activated duty I was able to perform. For the most part, you can Guard Bum with Title 10 or Title 32 orders to subsidize your income depending on the MDS or unit you join. MAF and UAV airframes probably will be more lucrative with cash flow....YMMV!