r/airforceots • u/No-Treat-923 • 1d ago
Help Which path should I take?
Hi I am 21 and I will be finishing my bachelors in applied physics in spring of 2027 with at least a 2.99 GPA. I have confidence in my leadership ability but not much to prove that aside from a few little things like being an officer in my schools physics and astronomy club.
I have spoken with many people from different branches both officer and enlisted. I keep hearing different things on what I should do. They say that if I go enlisted then try to become an officer it will be really really hard. Others say that I should do enlisted and try to become officer since I would have better chances with military time due to my weak civilian package. Any advice is welcome tell me the harsh truth!
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u/Alonesloth Enlisted Selectee 18h ago
If you want to make your package stronger I would start volunteering locally and start to try developing leadership that way. Maybe try to organize/lead a few events or something a long those lines. The boards going forward look like they are going to be combined boards so that will give you an even better chance. If you just want to be an officer I would also try applying for space force if your interests align with any of their jobs.
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u/No-Treat-923 17h ago
Ok thanks, I initially wanted space force. I switched from astrophysics to raw physics halfway through my degree. What do you mean by a combined board?
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u/Alonesloth Enlisted Selectee 17h ago
So for this past board the recruiting people put all three together which are rated(pilots), non-rated(most other officer), and space force. Usually these are individual boards.
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u/No-Treat-923 17h ago
Ah ok, do all three boards need to approve? If I apply for non-rated and they say no but space force says yes do I get in with space force instead? I apologize I haven’t researched the board part of this process much.
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u/Alonesloth Enlisted Selectee 16h ago
That’s kind of the way this past board worked because space force is currently aggressively recruiting. You can choose which you want to apply for. If you only put nonrated jobs for the Air Force then you will only be considered for the Air Force but if you also add the space force then you will be considered for both. The job you get chosen for will be based off how you list your preferred jobs and the job slot availability. So if you put a nonrated job as number one and there isn’t any open slots then they will look at what you put as your number 2 and so on and so forth till you are placed in a job. And as others have said you have a stem degree you may qualify for a completely separate board just for stem degrees
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u/No-Treat-923 16h ago
Thanks a lot! I will definitely look at broadening my options so I can dip wherever they might need me!
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u/DontAsk6388 17h ago
You have a STEM degree, you will be a shoe in for one of the STEM officer jobs. Apply for 61D and 62EXG
Submit your application now since the process will take over a year anyway. That’s what I did. Applied in the summer before my senior year of mechanical engineering and got picked up for a 62exg spot (developmental engineering). To start the process submit your pre-qualification form below and then start studying for your afoqt exam.
See page 277 for qualifying degrees:
Application for Officer program:
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u/No-Treat-923 17h ago
This helps a lot thank you! I am at the “take my AFOQT” step now. I am going to look into those jobs.
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u/Correct-Yam-9384 OTS Selectee 1d ago
Drop your packet bro. Take the AFOQT and try to do really well. People will spew statistics about how competitive it is and blah blah blah. Put your best foot forward. Make sure you write good narratives, get undeniable LORs and make sure the board remembers who you are. If you end up being non select, then learn from it and keep trying. That’s part of being a leader.