I got selected!

[ChristisKing]

I dont know if theres a subtopic that this topic fits under so Im just posting this here. Here is my story of how I got picked up by a KC-135 ANG unit.

Roughly 2.5 years ago, at the ripe young age of 28, I decided to pursue this thing with all that I had. I got started so late because, in my youth, I made some stupid decisions. At 19 I failed out of college (straight up just kind of stopped going). I really dont have a good reason for having this attitude. I just had little motivation, wanted to hang out with friends, work, and just do things my own way. In some respects, I feel like I only enrolled in college because everyone else I knew from my high school did. So I went with no real desire to be there with no regard for the consequences of doing so. Immaturity in its purest form.

In the following 6 years, I was enlisted in the South Dakota Air National Guard as an AMMO troop. On the civilian side, I spent a year busting tires in a tire shop (1 year), then worked in a hotel front office (1 year). In 2014, fed up with making horrible wages, I went up to North Dakota and worked as a floorhand on a drilling rig. Money was great, the work was incredibly physical and dangerous, but I was finally making good money. After a year and a half, the price of oil went down the toilet, and my rig was stacked, and I was laid off. Then, in 2015, I found a job back in Western South Dakota near my hometown operating a bulldozer at a local bentonite mine.

Somewhere along the way, I really started thinking about what I 'actually' wanted to do with my life. I knew running a bulldozer for 12 hours a day was not it. I enjoyed my time as an AMMO troop in the SDANG but, because I met my wife while 'deployed' to Korea in 2015, I opted out of reenlisting in 2016 so that I could move to Guam where she was stationed. After moving there, she was pregnant and done with her enlistment by 2017. This is when I really became interested in flying. My uncle, a former Naval aviator and retired Delta pilot, had always instilled an interest in aviation when I was younger but, through my ignorance, I truly believed I had just messed up my education beyond repair after failing out of school. (This is why I never even thought to look into the process of being a pilot while a member at the SDANG, an F-16 unit).  But here I was; back in South Dakota, 28 years old, newly married with a young daughter and I knew if I was going to pursue this, I needed to go now. 

I was obviously incredibly discouraged at that time to find out that the age cutoff was 30, meaning that if I were going to be selected, then I would have to have been selected right there and then with no college education and no flight time. I had heard about the possiblility of age waivers and so, that was what I was going for. I reenrolled at a school that has an accelerated program shortly thereafter, began taking flight lessons, called the Ellsworth AFB Education/Training Center and scheduled the AFOQT and TBAS within the following 6 months. The best news about all of this was that the school I enrolled in actually doesnt take prior institutions GPA's into consideration, so I basically got a clean sheet. Probably better news was the age was bumped up from 30 to 33 last year which, to me, was the biggest relief and it made me realize that this was truly doable and lifted some of the weight off of my shoulders of the notion of a fruitless pursuit.

I turned 30 last June and the time from 28 to 30 have been the busiest years of my life. I work 50 hours a week, go to school more than full time (amounts to about 20 credit hours per regular semester), fly as much as weather and finances permit, and try to be a somewhat present husband and father. I finally reached 90 credits this January, and started applying to units in February. I was obviously missing a Bachelors (will complete in August) and a PPL but, some units are stingier than others on prerequisites.  I made a spreadsheet in which I mapped out every ANG unit in the country that has a flying mission and gave everyone of them a call (believe me, they dont all post on Bogidope). I got ahold of a few chief pilots, many recruiters, and left many messages requesting information about upcoming UPT boards. I got a text back the next week that literally read: "(Name) here, give me the basics; age, AFOQT scores, PCSM, degree, GPA, flight time." So I did and the following text he sent me about floored me. He said "Can you be here for an interview on March 7?"   At this point, Im pretty stunned, so I called the guy. Wondering who this guy was, and who had the authority to invite me to an interview through a text message, I asked him what his position was and he said "Im the Chief pilot here." I replied emphatically that I wouldnt miss the interview for the world. 

Long story short, I am at the the interview this past weekend and they ask the one question I knew they would: "Its very obvious that you're passionate about this and that youve worked really hard the last couple of years to achieve this, but where was this drive and determination 10 years ago?"  I looked him right in his eyes and said "Thats a great question. It wasnt there. I wish I could make up some excuse as to why I started this pursuit so late but I cant. I was a clown in my earlier years. I didnt take anything seriously and had no regard for the consequences of my actions. Full disclosure, because my transcripts dont show it, I actually failed out of college at 19. But life has a way of knocking you down and making you grow up and, after the last ten years of working full time, I realize the value of taking my education seriously. It is already paying dividends because I wouldnt even be at this interview if I hadnt started taking things seriously. I cant change the past but I hope that the last two years show you guys that I am serious about this." Overall, the interview went well. It was much more relaxed than I imagined and I got along really well with the other candidates. I wished them all luck, and just tried to realize that we were all here trying to achieve our dream. I just made it a point to be myself, be humbled, socialize and just be completely transparent about my mistakes and my journey up to that point.

I found out two days ago (Just three days after the interview) that I had been selected. My offer is contingent on me completing my bachelors and PPL by the end of the year. So, while there is still tons of work to do, I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be given my dream job and will certainly be meeting those two contingencies.

I want to thank everyone on this forum for sharing their insight and knowledge on the multitude of topics that this process entails. Im certain I will be referring to it in the near-future. This place is a great resource for anyone pursuing a career as an AF/ANG pilot.

Lastly, though it sounds incredibly cliche, dont give up. I felt that at times I was never going to make it. The doubt definitely got to me at times that I had started too late, or screwed up too bad or, that I missed my opportunity and am too old. But, as the email I got from the Chief Pilot the other day states, my "ticket is punched."

FWIW, here are is what my numbers were on the date of my interview. Nothing special thats for sure:

Age: 30

AFOQT P:90, Nav: 78, AA: 55, V: 68, Q:48

PCSM: 72 w/14 flight hours.

GPA: 2.93

Edited March 12, 2020 by ChristisKing

[stangles]

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your story - incredibly inspirational.

[CavGuy]

Great post, and many congratulations are in order for you. You're set for life, very happy for you man.

[AirGuardianC141747]

Congrats, well done! Stay focused, do well and never quit which you have figured out in spades! Great to hear/read!

Awesome and great to be hired regardless of the Crazy 😜 CV19 going on. Civilian sector not so much, but that is cyclic as always.

 

[ChristisKing]

Congrats, well done! Stay focused, do well and never quit which you have figured out in spades! Great to hear/read!

Awesome and great to be hired regardless of the Crazy CV19 going on. Civilian sector not so much, but that is cyclic as always.

 

Thank you very much. Yeah it’s pretty crazy times indeed. Nonetheless, I am just super excited to get the opportunity to fly an Air Force jet!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

[AirGuardianC141747]

Enjoy your career. It’s the camaraderie/life long friendships that makes the difference thru thick and thin. Some of the Best Times of my life we’re running missions with my fellow patriots knowing they had my back and I had theirs. Have some cheers with beers responsibly and getter done. Welcome aboard to the Best AF in the world and it’s the warriors that make it happen, politicians who watch what happened and those who never knew what the heck happened. Press on!

[BashiChuni]

congrats!!!

[Danger41]

That Western South Dakota toughness and grit will pay off in your future career! Congrats!

(even if you’re from East River, it’ll still work out).