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If you could go back in time...

T

taxexperts31582

Member
Flight school student here. Wondering if there anything that you wish you had done since you were an ENS. For example:

Buy ___ from every command
Take a photo of/with ___
Log/keep track of every time I ____

Looking back at college, I wish I had bought a T-shirt from my favorite bar before it closed. It would be great to have 25+ years later at the reunion. Any tips? Thanks everyone
 
DanMa1156

DanMa1156

Is it baseball season yet?
pilot
Contributor
1. Command Ballcap. My dad has a collection of every squadron and ship I've served with/on.
2. You, your buddies, your aircraft, and when it's time, your division.
3. fly. Hound your logbook and make sure it's correct.
 
TacticalTater

TacticalTater

Well-Known Member
None
taxexperts31582 said:
Flight school student here. Wondering if there anything that you wish you had done since you were an ENS. For example:

Buy ___ from every command
Take a photo of/with ___
Log/keep track of every time I ____

Looking back at college, I wish I had bought a T-shirt from my favorite bar before it closed. It would be great to have 25+ years later at the reunion. Any tips? Thanks everyone
Click to expand...
#1 - Coin
#2 - pictures with all your friends everywhere you deploy, when their gone you will wish you'd taken more pictures
#3 - log any type of time, highlight the rare ac so easier to find later
 
sevenhelmet

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
taxexperts31582 said:
Flight school student here. Wondering if there anything that you wish you had done since you were an ENS. For example:

Buy ___ from every command
Take a photo of/with ___
Log/keep track of every time I ____

Looking back at college, I wish I had bought a T-shirt from my favorite bar before it closed. It would be great to have 25+ years later at the reunion. Any tips? Thanks everyone
Click to expand...

Buy: Coin and farewell plaque (where applicable). Ballcap too- you may be a “hat guy” someday.
Photo with: Everyone in your squadron you can, without being annoying about it.
Log: all flights and quals earned. Don’t ignore the “remarks” column of your logbook, and don’t rely solely on your NATOPS officer- own your jacket and your logbook.
 
AllAmerican75

AllAmerican75

FUBIJAR
None
Contributor
taxexperts31582 said:
Flight school student here. Wondering if there anything that you wish you had done since you were an ENS. For example:

Buy ___ from every command
Take a photo of/with ___
Log/keep track of every time I ____

Looking back at college, I wish I had bought a T-shirt from my favorite bar before it closed. It would be great to have 25+ years later at the reunion. Any tips? Thanks everyone
Click to expand...
Buy ball caps and belt buckles from all of your ships and squadrons. 1. You can impress the young ensigns when you are a salty senior officer and 2. they bring back memories.

Keep your own records. I got this advice early on and it has saved me a few times when PERS screwed up paperwork.

Volunteer for stuff that you think sounds fun. I've gotten to do some really cool things that I otherwise wouldn't have (NATO School, VBSS school, ASW Evaluator School) because I raised my hand to go. I know it's not "cool" to volunteer for stuff but there are some hidden gems out there.

Ask tons of questions. The CO of SWOS told all of us brand new ensigns at Baby SWOS that our ensign bars authorized us to ask all of the dumb questions so make good use of it. I have found that asking those "dumb" questions taught me the "right" questions to ask and also helped me tune my bullshit detector.
 
JTS11

JTS11

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
MIDNJAC said:
Don't buy stupid stuff/cars. Participate in TSP, and buy homes along the way as you move.
Click to expand...
Agree with you on the first two points. The real estate one is debatable. It obviously depends on your situation in life. The mantra from my first command in SD was to buy a house (Pendleton to the north, Mexico to the south, mountains to the east, good wx...it'll never go down) There were dudes that got burned in the housing crash of the late aughts. The big thing is that you have no control over when you'll be PCS'ed. Being able to rent it out is no sure thing. Plus who wants to deal with being a landlord in their late 20's/early 30's.

I say rent a joint, and pump money into an S&P 500 index fund.
 
sevenhelmet

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
JTS11 said:
Agree with you on the first two points. The real estate one is debatable. It obviously depends on your situation in life. The mantra from my first command in SD was to buy a house (Pendleton to the north, Mexico to the south, mountains to the east, good wx...it'll never go down) There were dudes that got burned in the housing crash of the late aughts. The big thing is that you have no control over when you'll be PCS'ed. Being able to rent it out is no sure thing. Plus who wants to deal with being a landlord in their late 20's/early 30's.

I say rent a joint, and pump money into an S&P 500 index fund.
Click to expand...
Agree with this. Guys who succeed at the real estate game generally have to deal with a lot of headaches. It’s an individual decision as to whether that’s for you and your family.

With interest rates where they are, I would rent, lock in a contract, and save while waiting out the housing market cycle. At some point you’re likely to be in a more advantageous position.
 
JTS11

JTS11

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
sevenhelmet said:
Agree with this. Guys who succeed at the real estate game generally have to deal with a lot of headaches. It’s an individual decision as to whether that’s for you and your family.

With interest rates where they are, I would rent, lock in a contract, and save while waiting out the housing market cycle. At some point you’re likely to be in a more advantageous position.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the crazy conventional wisdom from the "elders" at the time was to advise single dudes to purchase real estate...post 9/11 and knowing you'd be deploying your ass off.

The point about not being in control of PCS moves is huge. The fact that you're leveraged up works both ways. When the man says you've got to relocate, and you can't stay....well you can find yourself in a quandary if you're underwater on a mortgage.
 
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