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Another baseops guy asked me to share my experience/knowledge of the Career Skills Program. If you're looking to get out early and get setup as you transition to the civilian world the CSP is definitely a great alternative to Palace Chase and a lot less bureaucracy. Once you have a date of separation in the system you can apply for the CSP but at a minimum you have to apply 30 days prior to when you want to start. You can do the CSP for up to 180 days. You will work for a civilian company as an unpaid intern (some other unpaid options available too) while getting all your normal pay and benefits from the AF. Basically you're on PTDY to anywhere you want (and your CC will approve) in the country. The paperwork is an easy paper checklist and an AFVEC e-application. Approval authority is with your CC so you don't have to sell it to big blue or deal with a ton of red tape. Big thing is you need to show that it could lead to a job after the military and that there will be accountability for you while you're gone. The internship can be with any company you can sell yourself to, but your ed office should have a list of some big companies with internships. I established a separation date, requested expedited early separation orders (easy through vMPF) for TMO so I could get my family moved back to FL, and greased the skids to do the CSP with my CC. Fam left Cannon mid-Jun and I followed at the end of Jun. I asked for 7 weeks of CSP to do an internship with Marty at Trident. I did most of my out-processing before leaving for the CSP PTDY then went back to Cannon for 2 days to final out (you can't final out until terminal starts if you're just doing a regular separation) then rolled onto terminal. I got my family settled, got hired by an airline (used my terminal start date for availability so I got a call pretty early), got my reserve IMA gig all setup and smoothly transitioned into a permanent paid position at Trident doing loans for fellow pilots and military guys all while doing the CSP. It was awesome and I'm really thankful to my CC for allowing me the opportunity to do it. The DoD calls it the SkillBridge and the website is https://dodskillbridge.com/. I know a couple other guys who have done the CSP and everyone says the same thing. It doesn't matter if you want to go airlines or business. A ton of airline guys have side gigs and Marty always recommends pilots always have multiple streams of income because you never know what's going to happen with your medical or the economy. The CSP is a great opportunity to learn about a industry you're interested in and setup your family for the transition at the same time. Attached is AFPC's PSD on how to make it happen. The education office and your CC will be your first stop once you have an idea of what you want to do. If you're heading to the FL Panhandle and want to learn the mortgage business let me know and I'll put a plug into Marty for you. I'm sure Marty and Tim would love to have some other good guys join the team. Feel free to hit me up with questions. Cheers! Jon jk@mythl.com 850-377-1114 Career Skills Program PSD Guide (30 Aug 18) V2.4.pdf