Can anyone describe 17C AIT?

2018-04-30T22:18:24-04:00

Hello, I am currently preparing for BCT. I want to join the Army for for 17C. I took a practice ASVAB with my recruiter and scored a 91. I really think I want to join the Army, but 1 years worth of training has me feeling uneasy. As well as having 0 idea of what will happen when I get out. I guess what i'm asking is, is there anyone someone could tell me to calm me down? Tell me what to expect from 17C AIT specifically, and any tips?

Another very general question I have, is, what is important for moving up in the Military? What benchmarks during BCT and AIT are important to go above and beyond in? Is BCT just about getting through it or excelling? I understand PT is an everyday thing regardless of BCT.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2018 10:29 PM

2018-04-30T22:29:35-04:00

Dakota Hines Take deep calming breaths whenever you feel stressed. Millions of men and women have gone before you by serving, and if they can do it, so can you. Listen very closely, be observant, and have a good attitude. Help out your fellow recruits and be squared away at all times. Always put forth your best effort. If you do these things, you will get ahead in the military and civilian life. Be a planner, set goals, and accomplish your goals. You have many adventures and challenges to look forward to.

You will need money for cars, houses, family, and retirement. Become a knowledgeable saver and investor. Good luck.

https://www.investor.gov/

http://alwayswellwithin.com/2014/10/12/calm-stress-response/

Investor.gov

The SEC’s Investor.gov: Tools to check your investment professional, compound interest calculators, and other objective resources for the average investor.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2018 11:08 PM

2018-04-30T23:08:09-04:00

I'm about a month ahead of you, schedule wise, so I can give you insight up until then. I haven't gone into BCT or AIT yet, but I have done a lot of research.

I remember the ASVAB requirements for the army 17C were about 110- you should be into that with a 91 percentile, so all you have to do is confirm your ASVAB at MEPs by answering the same questions the same way you did (except it's a shorter test, unless it decides to make you retake it). After that there's a computer/cyber specific ASVAB addon section to take, which you will need to score I believe a 60 on. I didn't know what to expect, but passed because of my strong background.
I can tell you to expect A+, Network+, and Security+ subjects to be brushed over in the test. Once you pass that, it's just a matter of getting through MEPs.

Basic research says there's 25 weeks of training in Florida, and then another 20 in Georgia, for a total of about 45 weeks. After that you can supposedly collect special pay in addition to basic pay. It's essentially a paid education, so I have no complaints, personally. I know it's what I want to do, and getting paid to confirm and develop my knowledge is acceptable.

When preparing for BCT: Pushups, Situps, and Running are key for the APFT. An advantage in those will be helpful. I'd advise doing exercises for "Hip Flexors" as much as possible, because a lot of people will find those muscles exhausted, and it will lower their scores.

In my case, but it may not be all cases, my contract is a bit over six years. It said five all the way before then, but it changed to six. It may have been a mistake, it may not. I calculated it to be five years + training time, so I went with it. You could probably get them to double check, change it down to five since that was the original number, or might not run into the issue at all.

In terms of my research:
I know you spend a lot of time in a SCIF in AIT. You spend 9-10 hours a day on the training, and have a two hour "study hall" at the end. Job wise, I'd say this is probably something you either can or can't do. To me, everything makes sense. Supposedly it makes no sense to some people. You'll know what you can do. If you like this field, I've decided it's worth getting into.
Salary is comparable to private sector in the entry stages, and you have pretty nice benefits. Great training opportunities as well, especially if you want further college education through the GI bill.
Supposedly there's low retention in 17C, because everyone has decided they can make a lot more money in the private sector when they get out. There's a research paper a company did on it, actually. Meaning you'll likely be considered a "talent" that is sought after.

In terms of general promotions, you can look up the promotion requirements for each rank (they may not be entirely accurate), and you can get a decent understanding of what goes into E5 and beyond promotions. Everything up to E4 is practically guaranteed.

Good luck!

Response by PV2 Private RallyPoint Member made May 1 at 2018 9:16 AM

2018-05-01T09:16:01-04:00

Not an exact answer to your question, but relevant nonetheless. I'm a 25B AIT student at Ft. Gordon, and I actually lived in the same barracks as the 25C for about 5 weeks while my company was waiting to move into our new barracks. So I might be able to provide a bit of insight into the second half of your AIT training, weeks 26 - the end. The 17Cs I knew were all pretty laid back people. By the time they got here they were disciplined and it seemed like a lot (not all) of the bad eggs that can get a platoon messed up had already been weeded out. Everyone there seemed to know that they wanted to be there and needed to work to get what they wanted. Their sergeants were pretty laid-back in general, and the barracks were pretty nice. 2-3 to a room, private bathroom, public dayroom and computer labs on every floor, and a laundry room every couple of doors. They seemed to have WAY less formations than we did, but that might have just been me not seeing the whole picture.

Overall, my experience with the 17Cs who make it past Florida and come to Ft. Gordon is extremely positive. I think that if you sign for that MOS you can expect to be working with a group of motivated professionals. The few I knew earned my respect in the short time I knew them. Best of luck to you, and feel free to message me if you have any questions about BCT or the AIT lifestyle!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 15 at 2018 5:13 PM

2018-05-15T17:13:12-04:00

Sorry I'm late on my response. Been out doing cyber stuff.

If joining the military in general is a goal, all branches have cyber. If you wish to join the Army, you are most certainly welcome to do so and bolster our strength. That's a good practice ASVAB score but keep in mind in order to get the 17C, particular line scores must be achieved. If you're concerned about 1 year of training, consider how many career opportunities in the real world out there will pay you to do all that training, while also paying for your room and meals? Consider how many opportunities out there after you do all that training that in a civilian sector would be paid in the neighborhood of 6 figures doing cyber related work (of course depending on location, your mileage may vary). If you have better opportunities to consider, then that is what you should compare to becoming a 17C.

BCT is just getting through it. Everyone learns the same thing. In AIT expect 6 months of going through a survey of many topics. You'll cover about an inch deep and a mile wide on topics to give you an overview of everything from networking to scripting to operating systems to penetration testing. Follow that up with phase 2 of intermediate level training to take you from an inch deep to a few inches deep. Then phase 3 training to improve particular skills depending on what kind of cyber unit and assignment you get.

Your first several grades of promotion will occur automatically though waivers for time can be given to high speed soldiers that show motivation and are assets. Then a lot of it is performance based and how much leadership you show. A lot of things with the new system is based on making sure you continue to excel at the right training at the right time.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2018 11:33 PM

2018-07-29T23:33:03-04:00

As stated previously, you will be spending time at Corry Station in Pensacola, FL for about 6 months and Ft Gordon for another 6. They are phase I and phase II respectively for 17C AIT. For JCAC (at Corry Station), Joint Cyber Analysis Course, they will teach you from the ground up for everything that they want you to know. The course is designed for people with no computer knowledge. However, it will help you if you are strong in logic, math, and programming. If you want to prepare for it, you can look up on YouTube for JCAC prep.