Welcome to my Air Force Journey! I am a prior enlisted Lieutenant who commissioned after 11 years of enlisted service. I applied for Officer Training School (OTS) in 2015 and commissioned before the end of the year. I have been running this blog since I found out I was selected for OTS, and am passionate about helping people through all stages of their Air Force journey.
Officer Training School Application
I started this blog to help future Officer Training School (OTS) applicants put together their application. I originally tailored it to the active duty audience, but it has since evolved to include advice for all applicants, active duty and civilians. My original intent was to document every step of the application process while expanding on key parts such as the Personal Statement or Letters of Recommendation. I now try to outline the entire process and point out large changes or updates to the program.
Officer Mentorship
While struggling to remain relevant and up-to-date with the OTS application process, I have realized I have a ton of experience and a unique perspective related to being in the Air Force. Simple things I take for granted such as who pays for my airline ticket when I take a business trip, or who I talk to when my military records are messed up are not common knowledge to a brand new lieutenant. I intend to evolve this blog into a page which is relevant to both OTS applicants and active duty officers.
From a more practical perspective, there are a lot of unwritten rules and politics behind almost everything we do as officers. For example, the rules regarding PCSing (moving) from one base to another are written in an Air Force Instruction (AFI), but there are politics behind how you get the “good” assignments and what is good for your career. I intend to explain as much of this as possible on this blog so the Air Force as a whole can benefit. Too many good officers are passed over for promotion and forced to retire early because they didn’t check an invisible block.
Welcome!
I am sure my followers from the beginning can attest to the fact that I am a real person who genuinely wants to help you through your own Air Force journey. Thanks for visiting!
Acronyms/Definitions
- AFOQT – Air Force Officer Qualifying Test. A standardized test similar to the SAT/ACT, or GMAT/GRE specific to Air Force officers.
- AFSC – Air Force Specialty Code. A four or five digit code identifying which Air Force career field an individual is assigned to.
- OTS – Officer Training School. Technically the course is now TFOT, but it will forever be OTS to me.
- TFIT – Total Force Indoctrination Training. This used to be the first two weeks of OTS, but it has since been removed.
- TFOT – Total Force Officer Training. This is the 42-day course officer candidates must complete in order to become an Air Force officer.