FBI vs. NFO/Pilot

[Swanee]

You can also do the SA/ANG combo and do both that way.

but often downplays it at cocktail parties or in her reserve unit

Prior to 9/11 you couldn't be in the reserves, but the FBI relented and allowed it.

I know of a couple FBI special agents who are pilots in the ANG, as well as one Intel O.

From what I can tell the orders process is pretty easy and the FBI has to follow USERRA (And the SCRA, they can't bar anyone from serving in the military nor discriminate against you because you're a Guardsman/Reservist- a cursory search says that they FBI has gotten in trouble for this in the past) so the MQ-9 dude is out on MPA orders fairly regularly. He plays the typical, "When I get tired of the bullshit there I come here and vice versa" part timer mantra and seems to enjoy it. Not sure how the others do it, but I'm sure it's the same.

All of this to tell @Enigma that there is an opportunity to do both at the same time. Apply to both the FBI and every ANG unit you can, take whoever hires you first, get through training, and then keep applying to the other until you either get picked up or you age out.

 

[croakerfish]

As far as the age limit piece, you are eligible for an age waiver as a “preference-eligible veteran” which in most of our cases boils down to having a VA disability rating….of 0% or more. So if you fly to your MSR you will have plenty of opportunities to develop back or neck pain that gets you veterans preference.

 

[mad dog]

…three letter agencies…

CPD!

Go muni or go home!

 

[wink]

COUNTY MOUNTY!

 

[taxi1]

I had several FBI agents in my reserve units...

Me too, back in the day, along with a bunch of NYC and Philly cops and firefighters.

The FBI dude was a marathon runner, and the cops kept telling him when he caught up with the perp he was going to get his ass beat. I think he knew some ninja stuff, though.

 

[MIDNJAC]

The military is awesome; it's a right of passage and despite the sh%$ talking between communities or services, you'll always have a bond with those who been there and done that. There's also a certain comradery when you pack up your stuff, leave your loved ones, and go live with a bunch of dudes (gender neutral use of the word) for six to eight months while crammed into a sleek grey merchant of death. All that stuff mentioned is true.

Great point. In the non-LE, 121 airline world, I've found this to be the case with all different walks of AD life. Flew a trip recently with a former enlisted Army tanker (like the Abrams kind) guy, who was awesome BTW.....didnt matter that our jobs were entirely different, his not even flying, but just good to talk with another mil person......where I'm at, outside the McChord mafia, there aren't a lot of us. I've flown with USCG helo, various USAF heavy, etc. I still haven't flown with another former tacair person of any flavor though. My sim partner loaded bombs on the B-2 for a few years, and we had Army helo crew chief, an ANG Herk dude, as well as a Marine supply O in our class. We all bonded over just being in the military, regardless of what we had done.

 

[MIDNJAC]

He plays the typical, "When I get tired of the bullshit there I come here and vice versa" part timer mantra and seems to enjoy it. Not sure how the others do it, but I'm sure it's the same.

This too. Such an incredible gift. Bounce back and forth and get max enjoyment out of each without ever tiring of either. I spend a full month doing airline stuff and I miss the grey jet like a lost son. A month of doing Navy and I miss the trips, and the chill flight deck life. Rinse/repeat. It must almost be the same kind of deal as how my wife and I are way more excited about each other after a couple weeks apart than being at home every day. I think this kind of balance is ideal, at least for me. That being said, my conscience makes me take "bad" deal stretches (at both) from time to time to reach a point that I feel is fair/equitable (I gave the company thanksgiving last year, I'll give them Christmas this year, as an example), but it is incredibly refreshing to be able to do both in a pretty regular capacity. I will say that the amount my BFM mechanics have atrophied in the last 6+ months of mostly being an airline pilot were staggering beyond my wildest dreams. Fixing that is my halfway through the year, New Years resolution.

 

[Griz882]

Military and cops have sort a special connection within the FBI, and my wife jokes that their main critical skill is being conditioned to deal with government BS; again, FBI-government BS is waaaaaaaaaaaay less than the Navy's BS. Most former-military people really enjoy being able to live outside of fleet concentration areas, have non-military friends, and be able to make their kids soccer games fairly consistently.

Yeah….no. Is your wife currently recruiting for the agency? I ask because this is not remotely accurate. Federal employee BS = Military BS one-for-one. As a retired military AND recently retired federal employee I assure you my take is waaaaaaaaaaaaay more accurate!

 

[croakerfish]

Yeah….no. Is your wife currently recruiting for the agency? I ask because this is not remotely accurate. Federal employee BS = Military BS one-for-one. As a retired military AND recently retired federal employee I assure you my take is waaaaaaaaaaaaay more accurate!

That’s going to vary tremendously from unit to unit and job to job. My current unit has a fraction of the BS of previous tours for instance. I’m sure it’s the same out in the world.

 

[Griz882]

That’s going to vary tremendously from unit to unit and job to job. My current unit has a fraction of the BS of previous tours for instance. I’m sure it’s the same out in the world.

This is accurate.

 

[vxc961]

Not sure who you work for Griz, and I don’t want to start an “oh yeah!” threadjack, but…

-GMT: no artificial deadlines at each layer of supervision. Also not nearly as much (but yes, and some of it is the same)
-Leave: Take it whenever you want. Go negative leave if you need to.
-Director is visiting: wear a tie (notice that all hands aren’t spending weeks cleaning)
-Dirtbag employee: gets fired. Yes, I know this hard to believe.
-Take a gov car home: no problem
-“you need your flu shot!!”: tell them you got it at CVS and they’ll trust you and mark it off.
-“we need everyone to work a big case this weekend!”: well, if you have an important family thing we can make an exception.
-Delinquent on XXXX: you don’t get marked AA, you can still go TDY, etc.
-class/TDY finishes early: book a flight home and work Out the travel claim details later.

I could go on. Feel free to start a “my GS job vs Pilot/NFO” thread if you want, and I apologize in advance as some may notice my slight tendency to chafe at the Navy’s loving, guiding grip on me.

 

[Griz882]

Not sure who you work for Griz, and I don’t want to start an “oh yeah!” threadjack, but…

-GMT: no artificial deadlines at each layer of supervision. Also not nearly as much (but yes, and some of it is the same)
-Leave: Take it whenever you want. Go negative leave if you need to.
-Director is visiting: wear a tie (notice that all hands aren’t spending weeks cleaning)
-Dirtbag employee: gets fired. Yes, I know this hard to believe.
-Take a gov car home: no problem
-“you need your flu shot!!”: tell them you got it at CVS and they’ll trust you and mark it off.
-“we need everyone to work a big case this weekend!”: well, if you have an important family thing we can make an exception.
-Delinquent on XXXX: you don’t get marked AA, you can still go TDY, etc.
-class/TDY finishes early: book a flight home and work Out the travel claim details later.

I could go on. Feel free to start a “my GS job vs Pilot/NFO” thread if you want, and I apologize in advance as some may notice my slight tendency to chafe at the Navy’s loving, guiding grip on me.

No desire to continue the rant my friend. We feel what we feel.

 

[Swanee]

The grass is always greener. So as @MIDNJAC and I have said- have the option to go where the grass is greener for the time being. Summer in Michigan is really awesome. Winter is bearable if you like winter sports (luckily I do). But if I worked in an FBI field office in Phoenix I'd want mil orders every May though October here in MI and I'd go back to Phx outside of that. Why? Because good weather and time outside makes the bullshit suck less.

Does the command climate at the Guard or Reserve squadron suck? Then just do the bare minimum to get a good year and keep current while you wait for the next commander. Does the FBI office resemble a Tijuana donkey show in which you're suppose to go on stage next? Hey, those 6 month (with the option to extend up to two years) ADOS orders to the range, or the safety shop, or wherever sound pretty damn awesome.

No where is better or worse, it's just different. You might as well enjoy the opportunities.

 

[BDavis11]

Don't overlook the fact that all three of these jobs are hard to get. They're hard to get for a reason and each one possesses a certain amount of "suck" as well. But the "suck" is also the reward, if that makes sense. I only mention it because you're going to be working hard no matter which one you choose...no path of least resistance there.

I don't know anything about LEA/FBI. I'm sure there a few that can chime in regarding that path. Ignore the CIA discussion.

Pilot vs NFO. I can comment here, but my POV has changed significantly over the years. I enjoyed my time as a pilot, but it didn't go the way I thought it would. When I signed up I figured I'd be a Blue Angel and then onto the majors for a lifetime of exotic travel and money falling out of my pockets. As it turned out, I became a H-46 Helo-Bubba and that's about as far removed from the Blue Angels as you'll ever find. The cool thing is, flying Helos was awesome, my peer group was still exceptional (by and large...there's turds in every community), and the missions were great. 9/11 killed my airline dream and by the time it revitalized my civilian career was booming and my income was about 3X a senior airline captain anyway so I wasn't going to switch career gears again. None of the paths your talking about are prosperous. Which is to say, you'll be comfortable, but never rich. That's okay...the rewards for each of your options are unique to themselves and will still be worth your while.

Pilot vs NFO...I was pilot or bust when I signed up. I put Pilot on line number one and N/A on lines two and three. Just my mentality. I have a cousin who's in Super Hornets right now as an NFO. He started out as a Pilot and switched NFO because he didn't want the extra years on his commitment. My advice to him was to stay pilot if only for the follow on aviation career opportunities, but he couldn't get past it as he was already thinking about post Navy life the day after he got his commission. I told him that was totally fucked up(not the NFO part, the looking beyond the navy part) and he better focus on the first career that's immediately in front of him instead of the second one that isn't even a thought yet. Also, I told him don't sell the Navy short as you may wind up loving it. And that's exactly what happened. He loves the Navy and he loves being an NFO. He called me a couple years later and told me I was right. Yeah...no shit I'm right.

Anyway, you're going to be fine no matter which way you go. I read lots of detective novels and I think the LEA route would be pretty cool except you're almost always dealing with the shittiest part of humanity.

Can I ask what did you end up doing post military? My goals are similar and in-line with what you had going with the exception of the Blue Angels part.

 

[Sam I am]

I picked my MBA up from the University of FL while I was an IP. I was able to get a job with a manufacturer that services the construction industry...Started out estimating, then sales, then sales manager, then Business Dev, then VP of Business Develop, then VP of Corporate Development. M&A was sprinkled in there too with deals ranging from $500,000 to $100,000,000. Bought 2 competitors and built in a new facility in a major metro market. I'm on the Board of Directors now...it's worked out. Wasn't easy. A lot of travel, stress, hard work, and luck. It took 15 years as well.