California ANG Recruiting Summary

[RocketDriver]

Hey everyone - I wanted to leave a detailed review of my experience with initial CA ANG recruiting through my first UPT interview. I recently went through the process of getting my PPL and taking all the required tests to apply for pilot boards (AFOQT and TBAS). I encountered a few pitfalls along the way that seem unique to my area (Southern California) and I wanted to share those with others who might be doing the same thing. Hopefully this helps anyone who's just starting out on the adventure. Feel free to PM me for more details if you want.

To get right to it, here's a list of the specific things I ended up having trouble with. I put a summary of my background and path to interviews below this section for context. If you're trying to schedule testing in the Southern California area, you may run in to a couple of issues that will drag out the process. TL:DR - start scheduling everything 2 months before you intend to submit applications to give yourself time for testing and to accommodate the inevitable delays. I fumbled my way through the process and missed a few application deadlines because things took longer than expected (note - this was entirely my own fault for not being prepared enough, hopefully you'll read this and do better than I did). Many of you may read this and think "this kid is an idiot" - you're correct, but my idiocy may be useful for others. At the end of the day, I got it all done well enough to be selected as an alternate at a fighter unit and I'm continuing the push for a primary slot.

1. Call CAANG as soon as you can and fill out their initial forms. They will assign you a recruiter, and then the guy you originally talked to will no longer be useful for you
2. CAANG had me work through the 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Field for initial recruiting tasks. This posed a number of challenges, as I live in Los Angeles and was not applying to that unit
   1. My recruiter was not local and was sometimes difficult to contact
   2. They were not familiar with the procedures for scheduling TBAS testing at LA MEPS
   3. You probably won't be able to avoid this issue, so build in time to deal with the delays. Seems like most officer recruiting goes through the 129th
3. I ended up scheduling my AFOQT test date myself. It took me a long time waiting for return phone calls to realize this was something I could take care of on my own
   1. As soon as you have your recruiter, find the closest AFROTC detachment to where you live and call them yourself. Ask to schedule the AFOQT. There are tons of ROTC kids who take this every year, and I jumped in with a bunch of them. I waited for almost a month for info from my recruiter, only to find that I could call LMU AFROTC myself to get scheduled that day and take it 2 weeks later
   2. Your scores should be available in 1-2 weeks. I cost myself a month of waiting to take the AFOQT by not being proactive
4. The single biggest hiccup came with scheduling the TBAS. In short, every MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station for noobs like myself) has different rules, and not knowing the small details caused me a ton of headache
   1. LA MEPS is super busy. They get a ton of throughput and don't have time for BS. This means when your recruiter goes to schedule you for the TBAS, he can't make mistakes. The day I took the TBAS, they probably swore in 50 eighteen year olds. You're going to stick out like a sore thumb
   2. The testing guys claim I was only the second person to ever take the TBAS at LA MEPS. Sounds like they didn't offer the test until Dec 2018. Most people there had no idea what it was, so expect to get some strange looks and possibly some confusion regarding how to get the test set up properly
   3. Your recruiter must schedule the testing for you, and he/she must provide at least 2 business day's notice
      1. I tried to schedule it myself and was promptly shut down
      2. The first time I went to MEPS, my recruiter had informed me that I had been scheduled for testing. I did not follow up with LA MEPS to confirm, and arrived to find that we had not given sufficient notice and I was unable to take the test. Attempt #1 ended in failure and I had to go back a week later
   4. Your recruiter must leave the signature slots on the test forms blank for you to sign in person. Electronic signatures are not permitted. I had to re-print all my documentation day-of-test and physically sign it
   5. Your recruiter must submit the worksheet documenting your flight hours. This may seem obvious to everyone on this board, but was not obvious to my recruiter. Not having this info forced a reschedule of my second test attempt
5. Follow Reagan's advice to "trust, but verify". I would have saved myself a lot of trouble if I followed up with LA MEPS myself

Once you get over these hurdles the rest is on you - find the units you want to apply for, make your pretty application packets, etc. I haven't needed anything from my recruiter since completing the TBAS and receipt of my PCSM, and it's been much smoother.

My background:

• 29 years old 
• Degree in Aerospace Engineering
• 7 years of industry experience

My path to interviews:

• Decided to start seriously pursuing a UPT slot in Sept 2018
• Completed my PPL between Sept and Dec 2018
• Contacted CAANG in Jan 2019
• Took the AFOQT in Mar 2019
• Took the TBAS in April 2019
• First interview in May 2019
• I missed two application deadlines in Feb 2019 because I dragged my feet on scheduling testing. Don't let this happen to you

 

[CharlieHotel47]

Thanks for the detailed post. Although I am not pursuing anything in California nor do I think I'll ever have too, I think the above will eventually help another bro in the near future. Wish we had something similar regarding other States / parts of the country in detail. I bet everyone would have a similar but different in nature story about how to get shit done yourself. It would have saved me a few headaches when I was rushing squadrons in South Carolina. Eventually I got fed up with the recruiting office and I was able to schedule the AFOQT and TBAS without anyone's help. I was also able to schedule an FC1 without a unit sponsoring me. It was easier for me as a prior service rated Army guy. An "off the street" dude might have more difficulty in getting a hold of the right person at WP. 

Good luck bro and keep on searching. Don't be afraid in casting a wide net. 

Cheers 

[brickhistory]

Solid, organized, brief.  Good job.

[ctf151]

My piece of advice is to find a place outside of meps to test. It’s a lot easier. Each base is different, but I know Eglin AFB just has you fill out a form with your name, test date, branch, and which test you want to take. They will get you on base if you don’t have an ID. 

[LNGH]

Call around and just keep looking until you find something that works. Topeka just took my name and gave me a time and date to show up. Same for Whiteman for the TBAS.