Electronic Design Software

Air Force Officer with B.S. Electronics Engineering Technology Degree?

I am prior enlisted (6yrs) and will be graduating with an electronics engineering technology degree (B.S.E.E.T) with a current GPA of 3.5. Do I even have a chance at becoming an officer in the AF w/o a EE and having electronics engineering related duties? Let's say the answer is yes...is it the same crap I went through when I enlisted...i.e. jobs separated into categories and the AF basically gives you a list of open jobs; or, do they actually have a list of jobs for people with certain degrees? I do not want to be a commanders secretary scheduling CC calls at the base theatre. I want to be a hands-on engineer...work in a lab...not so much project/people management...and from my experience in the military, that's the way an officer's life seemed - leadership and management. Thanks in advance.

Public Comments

1. I don't really have an answer but YEAH BOY!!! DO YOUR THING! ; )
2. You are correct - officers generally are more in the management arena. The work-in-a-lab "technical stuff" is usually done by civilian employees or contractors. (USAF Ret Engineer - 8 yrs enlisted, 13 yrs officer)
3. I spent 27 years chasing homotrons (you do know that joke right?), 2 of them at Lawrence Labs Livermore. That is the type of place to be if working as an E/E for the government. The private sector has the best chances for R & D. The Defense constractors like Hughes, Lookheed Martin etc have plenty of R & D always in need of "Fresh Meat". If you still want the commission you could always go USAFR and get both wishes. Good Luck SSG US Army 73-82
4. Old saying. Officers decide what needs to be done. NCOs decide how to do it. Enlisted do it. As an officer you will probably not be "hands on" unless you are at a research center such as at Wright Patterson AFB. If you are lucky and get in at the ground level of a particular project, you could spend your entire career there working on it. You probably will be assigned duties that relate to your degree but forget about doing much "hands on." If they assign you as an Avionics Officer, you will be supervising troops who actually do the work. Your job will be to make sure they do it according to the tech manuals and do it correctly. Same with other types of jobs. There is no guarantee as you go up in rank that you will stay in a related field. Sooner or later you will have to be a Commander and will be doing mainly administrative work rather than dealing with electronics. For example, you may end up the Commander of Aircraft Maintenance at a base and be responsible for all the various aspects of aircraft maintenance, not just the electronics. Figure six years prior enlisted, you should make Major by the time you hit 20 years. If you really apply yourself, you could hit Lt. Col.