Bases gotta stay clean, about half the work you do as anything below a Sergeant is "weeds and seeds" or "policing the cigarette butts from around the HQ building," or, or, or

The most useful, translatable skill i learned in the Air Force was using a floor buffer machine thingy. (Slight exaggeration, but only slight) Post-service, working in restaraunts, knowing how to use that thing has earned me hours and promotions and shit lol!

(I also learned Excel pretty decently, and how to write reports, but yeah)

Amongst choices, engineering might be the best, seamless transition into civ life

I had a HS teacher, kind of a mentor, who was a vet, he said "I wont recommend enlisting or not, its your call. Here's some borderline useless advice: dont split the middle. Either pick something 100% translatable to civilian life, or pick something cool you'd never otherwise have a chance to do"

That was good advice. Cool stuff is right -however on family day they wouldn't let me drive a Stryker :(

It WAS good advice - I ended up "signals intelligence" sounds cooler than it is, and a lot of the writing/office/speaking skills translate, but I got to work at the actual NSA, I in-person briefed VP Cheney once (not talking politics here, just experiences) and overall it was good for me as a person

My roommate when I lived off base was a crew chief and when my dad visited me in Hawaii I was able to wrangle him a personally guided tour of a C-17 with all the enlisted experts in each area, avionics, configuration, etc, it was maybe my dad's favorite day ever

Serving your country is never a waste of time

I told them, I can drive clutch :)

I learned how to drive a stick because I was enlisted. "Smith, can you drive?" "Yes, sergeant" "OK, take this truck over to the Honor Guard building, help them load it, take them to Building XYZ." (It was a stick. I'd never driven one, but I knew sorta how it worked, sooooo)

Helluva way to learn

Only killed the engine once.

If it ain't green and don't grow pick it up

I wonder if they keep those Bazooka Joe masks on when they’re spearing hot dog wrappers.