Do you think the Air Force is handing out E-3 too easily?

Like you mentioned a post below, SSgt (Join to see), the Reserve can offer it faster. I was an E-3 out of BMT due to college credits (I went in at 30 and with a Master's), and my orders stipulated that I got E-4 upon completion of tech school and commander approval. I got it five days after returning to my duty station. That's where the speed stopped for me. I was an SrA on 9/11 and left for OTS on 8/14 as a SrA. I wasn't even eligible to put in for ALS until 8/14.

I wouldn't dwell on it too much. Who cares how everyone got there, now distinguish yourself from them with your leadership abilities and start working on your bullets so you can get Airman of the Quarter/Group/Wing or put in for AMS (pending a degree, if you don't have that yet). You'll get your rewards for all of that hard work.

If it's of any consolation, SSgt (Join to see), it doesn't sound like the Air Force has changed the early A1C criteria in over 30 years. In 1983, you could go in as an A1C if you had at least 60 semester hours of college (but you couldn't wear the insignia until after graduation), or you could get A1C upon graduation from tech school if you enlisted for six years active service (back then initial enlistments were six years, not eight years as they are now). I will take MSgt William Lucas' word that enlisting in certain specialties was a third route to early A1C back in our day. I do remember someone asking if anyone in our flight had CAP experience, but none did, so I don't know what they would have gained. We did have one person who had enough ROTC experience to be considered "proficiency advanced." He only had to complete the first half of basic training, and I suspect he was an E-3.

I was part way through my junior year of college when I enlisted, so my date of rank was the day I reported to Lackland. The early rank put me one year ahead of my peers. A much lower percentage of enlistees had college experience back then. I was fortunate enough to make BTZ, so I put on SrA at 22 months. You asked about the Army's non-leadership E-4 position. In my day, you wore SrA for 12 months, then, if you had completed the two week NCO Preparatory Course, you were promoted to the now-defunct E-4 Sergeant rank, commonly known as "buck sergeant." There was no financial increase, and it cost money to purchase and sew on the new insignia, but everyone was glad to spend that money to become an NCO and drop the "Airman" title. At that point we could transition from membership in the Airman's Club to the NCO Club. For those of us who were permanent party at training bases, it was a big deal to get away from the pipeline students.

I later transitioned to the Air National Guard. You should make E-5 much quicker in the Guard than you would AD. If you are a traditional guardsman, the upper ranks may come quicker, too. I was fortunate enough to be an AGR. I wouldn't trade that for anything, but SNCO ranks are tough to attain, and are tied completely to your AFSC and the slots assigned to your base. There was only one E-8 position in my AFSC at my base, and one person was in that slot for 15 years. They eliminated the only E-9 position in 1992, so upward mobility was impossible without moving to the National Guard Bureau.

The bottom line SSgt (Join to see), is don't let the "butt hurt" drag you down. You will still be ahead of some of your peers when you put on SrA. Be sure you get all of your PME out of the way at the earliest possible opportunity. Always have all of your boxes checked for promotion. Especially in the Guard, you just never know when one of your competitors won't have one of the prerequisites completed when an opening presents itself. Even at a good unit like Forbes. Trust me on this.

Well, it could be a few things, CAP, Eagle Scout, college, or signing a 6 year enlistment. Each one gives the Air Force something they want in exchange for something the enlistee wants.

I disagree with the programs mainly because I don't think something you did in high school should give you an advantage over someone in the actual military. College credits I agree with but JROTC and stuff, no. I also hold a bitter bias though because living in a small town I didn't have those opportunities and it peeves me to see people who don't hardly deserve E2 let alone anything higher getting promoted and all before me just because they were a good noodle in the JROTC. I was a state FFA degree holder and learned a lot about public speaking and leadership from that which one could say has translated into my current job as a weather forecaster but there was no promotion incentive for that. Granted it isn't as militarily connected as JROTC but I would say it did me better than JROTC ever could have.

I also hold a grudge against the BTZ program but that's one I will keep to myself.

As always, that's my 20 year old E3 opinion. Maybe when I am older and hold more rank (assuming I stay in) my view on that will change but for now I stand in my opinions on early promotion incentives.

Do they have special stipulations that allow you to come out on specific ranks? I was informed that if I had enlisted I would have likely graduated AIT as an E-4 due to my Eagle Scout.

I don't think it comes too fast or gets handed out too easily. I sewed on when I graduated Tech School (as many do) but during Tech the majority of those with A1C stripes were Guard/Reserve. Sure there were a few going Active with Stripes already on, but that was the exception rather than the norm.

The biggest factor is that E-4 is always a Junior Enlisted rank in the Air Force whereas the other branches have E-4 as either a NCO rank or an optional E-4 NCO rank. This means you still have your time as an E-4 to learn to function properly in the Force before being considered for NCO responsibilities. So even if we do have the majority of our enlisted start out at E-3 once they finish Tech School and/or Basic we don't prematurely promote into the NCO ranks.

If you put in the effort you did in CAP while in the Air Force you will likely be considered for BTZ E-4. The new changes to the promotion system will also allow your sqdn commander to give you Promote Now ratings which will give you a huge boost to your promotion chances. The programs to award E-2& E-3 after basic training and or completing tech training are for certain jobs with 20+ week tech schools, high demand jobs, 6yr enlistments, JROTC, CAP and are aimed at bringing in people that have discipline and leadership potential and help manning in careers that need it. The promotion system changes will help motivated leaders get promoted before the people that do not put in the extra work. So any A1C that did not work as hard for it as you did, probably will be no match for you as you'll be ready for E-4 and E-5 that much sooner. Our new SECDEF is promoting bringing in civilians with Cyberwarfare (and possibly other) skills in at much higher rank than E-3 which should be interesting.

One thing the AF does wrong is that for the below E-4 rank, all airmen are treateds the same. If you got E-3 out of basic you should get more authority than an E-1. This fosters leadership training. You may only be "in charge" of your fellow E-1s and E-2s, but it will get you ready for E-4. That and they should bring back E-4 buck Sgt, it was an eye opener to see troops go from SRA to SSgt, some were ready and some were not.

Away back in 62 while in basic we were airmen basic E-1 and given $78 a month, when I graduated we were given 1 stripe and were airmen 3rd class E-2. Airmen 2nd class E-3 was 2 stripes and earned after Tech school or 1 year in the field after passing your certification in the career field you were in. Airmen 1st class E-4 was considered a qualified journeyman in your career field and received promotion to that grade after testing showing your qualification to perform at that level. Sometime during 1967 to 1971 (4 year break in service) they split the E-4 grade Airman 1st class and E-4 Sargent. Becoming an E4 Sargent required attending NCO Leadership school. A 30 day program to prepare them for leadership. Since my retirement in 1986 they have done away with the Sargent rank at E-4 maintaining the A1C. E-5 Staff Sargent promotion came with time in grade and time in service with testing knowledge of your career field along with any extra awards and enough points to meet the cutoff. E-6 Tech-Sargent time in grade and time in service with enough points to meet the cutoff. Back then after making E-6 before you could make E-7 Master-Sargent attendance to the NCO Academy was required. Since my retirement in 1986 there probably have been many changes that I'm not aware of. So if anybody has any updates please add them.

Both CAP Cadets and Air Force JROTC Cadets that have reached a certain level of training can enter as an A1C, (E3) Others entering as an A1C may give them a little jump on career progression but without some self motivation it may end there. You prior Military training as a Cadet certainly prepared You better than others for Air Force service.