I am pitting military recruiters. I am in the US Air Force. I joined up in July of 2001 and I have been in hell ever since. I know that I didn’t have a gun to my head when I wanted to join, but I also thought I could trust my recruiter to supply the whole truth to me instead of half truths. I was going to college for a computer science degree when I decided that a good way to get a leg up on the competition in my field would be to do some programming for the military. I SCORED A 99 OVERALL SCORE ON MY ASVAB(the highest score possible on the military entrance exam) and was all but assured that I could have any job that I wanted with other minor testing. Well, long story short, they lost my test to get into the career field I wanted, lied to me by saying that they would change my job from OPEN GENERAL(meaning that in basic training I would choose my job from the available ones that they had in the general category) to a specific computer related job, and I ended up a cook. A COOK!!! I know that the Air Force puts me where they need me most, but come on! An intelligent monkey could do the job that I do now. Are you telling me that I have to be enslaved into a job I hate because the Air Force can’t utilize its resources properly? Are you telling me that a cook wouldn’t be better suited to someone who FAILED their ASVAB instead of someone who got a perfect score? UGGGGHHHH!!! I have had it. I am an outstanding Airman. Impeccable record, plenty of awards, willing to give my all to my job(even though I hate it), heck, I have even served in Qatar and Iraq in these three years, but you can bet that there is no way in hell that I will give them any extra time than the 4 years I signed away. FUCK THE AIR FORCE AND ALL THE IGNORANT PRICKS WHO HAVE MADE ME WONDER HOW WE ARE THE STRONGEST AIR POWER ON EARTH!
I was going to pit TLC for being TTSC(The Trading Spaces Channel) but changed my mind… obviously, I didn’t change my title though. If it is possible for a mod to change it for me that would be appreciated.
“I didn’t join THIS Army! I joined the Army with the condos and yachts!”
Wouldn’t that actually make you the ignorant one?
Absolutely. Anyone who could be tricked into joining this has to be ignorant.
So what’s your MOS? I can’t even FIND a “cook” job in the listing of Air Force enlisted jobs. Or anything even resembling one.
I am a services troop. It involves food, fitness, lodging, and mortuary. I serve as a cook and I have for about 3 years. My AFSC(MOS = AFSC in the air force) is 3m0x1 where x is a variable number depending on your training level.
Title changed by someone who was also conned by a recruiter. He told me I was sure to get the job I really wanted-flight simulator specialist. I ended up as a crew chief for the B-52D, even though I have no mechanical aptitude whatsoever.
Why did you go into something you had no aptitude for? Did they force you into that position?
When they hand you your orders at the end of boot camp, you don’t get to say, “Gee, sarge, I don’t think I want to go to Chanute to become a crew chief. I really had my heart set on a career in computers. Could you maybe send these orders back and see what else they’ve got?”
** I SCORED A 99 OVERALL SCORE ON MY ASVAB(the highest score possible on the military entrance exam)**
So did I.
The ASVAB wasn’t exactly rocket science …
Wonder how many other Dopers got a 99 … raise your hands, people!
The point wasn’t that I was an intellectual giant among men, the point was I was stuck in a job that has the lowest asvab scored needed(I think it is tied with the cops) when I could have been put into a position much more useful to the Air Force. If anyone can be a cook but not everyone can program computers why would you designate someone you can use to program computers as a cook. I know I am bitching, but I think I have earned the right to bitch a little after these 3 years.
That does suck, drgnrdr. Bad recruiters! Bad! So, you get out of the Air Force, and instead of being four years further along in your computer career, you get to start at square one again. I would be bitching too.
(By the way, what’s an ASVAB?)
It’s like the SAT or ACT, but it’s for the military. Some kids take it in high school just so they can brag about their grade to colleges they are applying to.
Ivylad was in the Navy. He opines that since this is an all volunteer military, they would like to keep you happy and enlisted. He suggests going to your immediate superior and request a “chit” to be cross-trained or change rates. (He was in the Navy, so translates whatever you need to for Air Force.) If that doesn’t work, go up the chain of command. Keep the responses. It may make you unpopular, so be prepared for that. They may ask you to re-enlist before they change you over.
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Basically, it’s a useless test that allows high school students to skip a class or two while they are forced to take it.
My sympathies, man. There’s a reason the acronym “SNAFU” originated in the military. Situation normal …
To the OP, my sympathies. Hope you do manage to get the training in the career you want eventually. Good Luck…
Here’s a thought just for those Dopers who might be letting the military court them. “Wrap your ass in paper!” The recruiters will promise you the moon and stars, but until it’s in front of you IN WRITING, don’t believe them! When you are still “negotiating” with them, tell them you won’t sign up until they put their promises in writing, and even then READ THE FINE PRINT **before ** you sign the papers, and make certain that nothing is contradictory, and that everything is there that should be, don’t sign the paper until it is correct. Do this if you are going to “re-up” too. These are pearls of wisdom from a relative of mine who was a career Navy man. He added, “Of course, don’t be rude to the recruiter, but be firm with him.”
Hmmm, guess I was lucky then, with my recruiter. He didn’t promise anything, just stated the facts(as best as I could tell) and answered my questions. That was almost thirty years ago, maybe things have changed.
And they weren’t misleading about my MOS, I got what I signed up for. I was a 98G2LKP, a Korean linguist. AT the end of my three years I would have willingly re-upped, but I’d married and wanted to get home to hubby. Should have waited to get married, as we divorced later.
My relative is nearing 50 years old and was advising a friend of mine who wanted to go into the military near the end of his career, so maybe you were just lucky Baker As I said, he was a career Navy man, he was in the Navy for 20 years or more. He had to fight to get the things promised in his contract too, it made him rather bitter. 
Computer programming is one of those career fields that requires a separate test in addition to the ASVAB. I should know, Young Tiger is now (as of yesterday) officially a computer programmer for the Air Force, after also scoring 99 on his ASVAB and something pretty high on the programming test. And that test qualifies you for ONLY that job, which means that he went in with a guaranteed job of programmer. So your recruiter never mentioned any of this to you? Bummer. A good recruiter is a thing of wonder. Young Tiger had a terrific one.
If it makes you feel better, in 1969 Papa Tiger was also a computer programmer, having worked at Big Blue itself writing code since 1967, when he got drafted. He joined the Air Force, which in its wisdom made him…a medic. During Vietnam. Lovely. He still has occasional flashbacks. Be grateful.