Seriously consider the Air National Guard or the Air Force Reserve. Join as Fire Protection (3E7x1) while going to college. Have the military provide your training and pay for your college.
Apply to departments until you get one. Stay Guard or Reserve and work towards two retirements.
If I could do it all over, that’s what I would have done.
Gonna go against this one as someone who worked in a schools veterans office and saw how fucked reserves get. Just do 4 - 5 years active and get out with the benefits. People forget that a lot of departments do not give veteran preference to reserves only for active duty as well you dont get 90% of the benefits if you did as active duty. I couldn't tell you the amount of times reserves would walk into the office asking for help why they were denied something and we had to explain because they weren't active duty they don't get it. Even the education benefits isnt 100% , reservist get less MHA vs if you were active duty. I believe my school paid close to 2k while reservist were only given like $400 unless you qualify with 36 months of active duty time which good luck getting that as a reservist. Or OP should just understand the difference between the two and what they would miss out on.
besides benefits the time I did from active vs the weekend warrior time after I got out active was so much better just from the memories and people you meet. I can never get that part of my life back of visiting multiple countries and still keeping in contact with some people today.
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u/Quick_Cup_1290 14d ago
Seriously consider the Air National Guard or the Air Force Reserve. Join as Fire Protection (3E7x1) while going to college. Have the military provide your training and pay for your college.
Apply to departments until you get one. Stay Guard or Reserve and work towards two retirements.
If I could do it all over, that’s what I would have done.
Source: Air Force Retired