94S what do you think of the job?

Well hello there. 94S here. I'm not exactly sure how I found a 6 month old question, but nevertheless you are still in AIT so I guess it is still pertinent.

As a 94S, the first thing you should realize is that you are very likely going to be smarter than everyone in your unit. This gets a lot of the younger 94S in trouble. Just remember that you are a soldier first - act like one.

Typically speaking, you aren't going to be working on the systems as much as the school house makes you think you will be. You'll work on fiber-optics considerably more than anything, unless you're "deployed" as the batterys break things on a daily basis in the field.

When you get to your first duty station I have a few tips:
- Try your hardest in PT - every day. Usually your PT ability is the first thing anyone will notice about you. If it sucks they will assume you are a shitty soldier. It's just the nature of the beast.
- Make good impressions. Haven't been told what to do? Take initiative in the absence of orders and find something. Even if it's just picking up the mop and broom and making the floors look like they're new. The fact that you attempt to stay busy on your own will be noticed.
- Try not to complain. Roger sergeant, Yes sergeant, etc. If your NCO is worth any part of their weight, they'll try and protect you from bullshit. So if they come to you with bullshit it means they couldn't and you need to just get it done.
- Learn shop operations! I can't stress this enough. There is so much about running an ISE shop that isn't covered at the school house. Learn your TMDE equipment and turn-in calibration procedures. Learn about shop stock and how to manage inventories. PMCS the contact trucks like a boss.

There's a lot of tasks in ISE that feel menial when you're doing them as a fresh PFC to the shop, but it all plays a role in the proper functioning of the element.

My last bit of advice which can really be applied to any MOS. Go to boards - as many as you can. Hit the Soldier of the month board as often as they'll let you. Usually you have to win a mock board at your company level first, but as 94S we are typically smarter than the other people in our unit so it's not hard to win them. When you start winning Soldier of the Month on a battalion level - you'll start getting awards for your efforts and the command teams will start to remember who you are. Then when you're a specialist and thinking about promoting (and still winning soldier boards) you won't have to convince your company to send you. Odds are the CSM will call your 1SG and ask why the hell you haven't been to a promotion board yet, and to send you next month. Bam - welcome to promotable status AND you already have a good amount of points from all the Soldier of the Month awards you got.

All in all - good luck. Keep you head up. Air Defense Artillery has... interesting ways of doing things. Take it all with a smile and a laugh and you'll be just fine.

I hope you enjoy your AIT. Most Privates I have known couldn't wait to get through AIT, and you've gone for the longest one you could find. Kind of funny really. I'm a former Drill Sergeant at AIT; used to always tell my Soldiers to not get themselves down and AIT wouldn't last forever. I'd be interested to hear how it went for you being in school so long down the road.