I made it! I graduated Basic Military Training and boy does it feel amazing.

I graduated BMT January 18th 2019. As you can tell that was a few weeks ago. I have been so busy getting my life together and settling into Tech School life that I haven’t had a chance to blog. I have so much to say and plan on writing as much as my schedule allows these next few months. I also will be uploading some BMT specific vlogs on my YouTube channel as soon as I can. Three major things I want to say in this quick post are:

1. I got the job I wanted!!! If you’ve been following me you’d know I went in open general with civilian medical experience. Well I got Aerospace Medical Service (4N0X1)-my top pick! So I am now at Fort Sam for Tech School.
2. Two weeks into Tech School and I already know my first duty assignment! I won’t say exactly where BUT I will say that it was on my “Dream Sheet” so I am psyched to say the least.
3. If you are getting ready to ship out to BMT I just want to say don’t listen to what other people have to say about the experience- it is what YOU make of it.

Stay tuned!

Alright….. so if you read my Quick Ship Update, you know that I’ve been waiting on a new ship date and job since I was taken out for October 2nd- and I finally have one.

I will be shipping to BMT November 20th under a guaranteed General Aptitude job area (aka open general). I definitely have mixed emotional about the whole open general thing BUT I’m just going to have faith that everything will work out the way it’s meant to be. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about recruits going in under open contracts and ending up with jobs that they hate. I’ve also heard a lot of reassuring stories about recruits ending up with medical jobs or jobs that they wanted. I’ve heard so many mixed things that I’m just going to have to go and find out myself. Fingers crossed this is how I will get the job I originally wanted- Aerospace Medical Service. I’ve also heard that going in with an open contract increases your odds at getting a medical job. Again, we’ll have to see. So I guess for the next few months I will be focusing on getting myself in shape the best I can to prepare myself for eight weeks down at Lackland. There’s also sooooo many other things I have to do- sell my car, pack up my room, pack for BMT; just to name a few 😉

A little update on my Quick Ship situation. Quick Ship is basically like being on a cancellation list- if for whatever reason someone can’t ship, that slot opens up and you have a chance to ship at an earlier date.

Last week I got a call from my recruiter saying a spot opened up to ship August 28th under a Guaranteed General Aptitude Area. Many say that by going in “Open General” you have a better chance at receiving a Medical job- BUT this is not guaranteed. Unfortunately my braces treatment had been extended to August 29th. I’ve paid A LOT of money for these braces and my teeth have come a VERY long way- I don’t want to risk removing them before it is recommended. I also scheduled a CLEPP Exam for August 30th that I cannot reschedule. The CLEPP Exam is an exam offered by colleges allowing you to test in a subject you already know in exchange for college credits without having to take the full course. I wanted to do this because I am only two credits away from being able to enlist as an E-2 Rank. Passing this exam will give me 3 credits. So I let my recruiter know that I can’t ship the 28th and luckily they were able to take me out. I am kind of bummed that I was taken out for October 2nd, I was starting to get excited about the intel job I had received. I have to wait for the August job list to come out which should be within the next few days or so. Then from there I will receive a new ship date (Fingers crossed for October/November) and a new job (Fingers also crossed for something medical or Emergency Management). But everything happens for a reason and I have faith that whatever God has up his sleeve will be beneficial to my future in the Air Force.

Shit is getting real guys! Yesterday I got a job and ship date for the Air Force. My job will be Fusion Analyst and I am shipping to BMT October 2nd. I also was put onto a quick ship list- meaning if any earlier slots open up my recruiter will let me know which means my job and ship date is subject to change. I’m kind of freaking out; I’m feeling excited, nervous, happy and worried. I still can’t believe I am actually doing this. I have wanted to do it for so long and it’s finally happening.

A lot of you may be thinking, what the heck is a Fusion Analyst. Well, that was my reaction too even though I did add it to my preferred jobs list. In short, a Fusion Analyst is responsible for acquiring and analyzing intelligence information. Ultimately it is a high security clearance job so there’s not much detail. Read more about the Fusion Analyst job here. I am excited to learn more about this job and experience it first hand.

As for my ship date- I had chosen October 1st as my preferred ship date at MEPS so this is perfect. This also means that if everything stays on schedule and I get through BMT without any issues, I will be in Tech School for Christmas and might have the chance to come home for around ten days on Exodus. One of my biggest worries about BMT is the weather- Basic Training is in San Antonio, Texas at Lackland Air Force Base. Everyone has told me Texas is miserably hot and humid. Luckily it seems like October is when things start to cool down, and even more so in November.

I should graduate by the end of November, if I make it through.

I am excited to see where I’ll be this time next year. Are you shipping soon? Any questions? Drop a comment below!