Air Force Academy

[yfz_rookie]

Hey ATV Riders. I don't know where else to look for answers so i figured I'd ask here. I am a junior in high school and seriously considering the Air Force Academy. My problem is I am legally red-green colorblind and I can't pursue my dream of being a pilot. I still want to go through the Academy but I don't know what other job opportunities I would have with my colorblindness. Can you guys give me any input or recomendations. Also, I am minorly considering the naval academy as well. Sorry for such a long post and thanks in advance for any one who can help me out.

[nemo25]

Seriously only like 2% of the people in the air-force are pilots. There are tons of diffrent jobs you could do and get great pay.

[quad59]

Tons of officer positions in the Air Force, but you dont need to go to the academy to get them. All you need is a Bachelors degree. Getting into the Academy is also extremely hard. If you get into the academy you can also get into the ivy league. Hit the books really hard the requirements and expectations are really high for academy recruits.

[Phugg]

Weather is a great field to be in. I was and I loved it. There are many many fields in AF , just look through them and see what peeks your interest.
My enjoyment may have come from where I was. Mainly I was at Edwards AFB , Flight Test Center. I did have a stink in Honduras during the initial Gulf War.

[quad2xtreme]

I know the feeling for being turned down as a pilot. I was 6' 5.5" tall in my senior year. I was told I couldn't be a pilot but I was still invited to attend both the Naval Academy and West Point and given the opportunity to go into any field I wanted. I was so disappointed that I made a bad decision and didn't go into the military at all. I ended up turning down a scholarship to American University too so I could stay close to home because my girlfriend of 4 years was going to WVU. I ended up taking a year off after high school and then paying for my way through college with no assistance from my family. I picked the hardest was possible...I left home when I was 19 too and never asked for a dime of help from my family or friends.

I really regret it all now. I have friends who have/are retiring from military service and pretty much have the easy life ahead of them. You just can't overlook how much you have to save to match what the military provides in benefits. I have a pretty good sum of money saved towards retirement but I am not even close to be able to draw 1/2 of it out each month as if I was going to retire now on my own. You might look like you are making more on the outside but that quickly turns when you see 40 years retiring with 1/2 pay on an officer's salary then contracting back to the military to do the same job for twice what they were making. It is a good deal. I do wonder how long it will continue though with all of corporate America cutting out retirement plans, etc.

[yfz_rookie]

Thanks for the help guys. I am pretty set on the Academies because it's all paid for and I don't have a whole lot of money. My counselor has talked with reps from both academies and they told me that with my grades then I am a good candidate for acceptance. I have a 4.143 GPA as of right now but I don't play sports and I'm not in a lot of activities so I'm worried that might hurt me.

[quad2xtreme]

Originally posted by yfz_rookie
Thanks for the help guys. I am pretty set on the Academies because it's all paid for and I don't have a whole lot of money. My counselor has talked with reps from both academies and they told me that with my grades then I am a good candidate for acceptance. I have a 4.143 GPA as of right now but I don't play sports and I'm not in a lot of activities so I'm worried that might hurt me.

When you ace the military exams, you will catch their attention. I scored 100% on the math section. It was a timed test that most people can't even complete. I didn't compete in any sports in high school accept 1/2 season of basketball in my junior year...so if anything, I was just a quitter. Honestly nobody asked me anything about it.

One thing I can recommend is starting to swim laps on a regular basis. If you learn to swim, all the other fitness tests will come much easier to you.

[raptor35086]

i am a senior in high school and was also looking at the air force academy last year.

not only with good grades, you also need 2 letters of recommendation from state senators or governor. And they do full interviews with your teachers and principals all the way down to your elementary school. They are very selective.
I ended with a plan to go to Bloomsburg next year because i had to many disciplinary actions on my transcripts


Also a very good idea to look at is the ROTC program. Air Force has awesome ROTC programs at over 500 universities throughout the U.S

[yfz_rookie]

I don't know how i would do on the test. I took the act as a sophomore and got a 30 overall, I got a 35 on my math. Disciplinary notices aren't a problem I havent ever been in detention or suspended. Once again thanks for your guys help and any more help you have is greatly appreciated.