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Originally Posted by cscmc1
Hey, I can recommend the the Air Natn'l Guard. Check out your local units and see if anything interests you. If you want to fly, do yourself a favor and learn a little a/c maintenance first. The best pilots are prior enlisted! You'll have a much better appreciation for the airplane if you have wrenched on one before, and the Air Guard treats you VERY well. Ask about "Kicker" career fields -- you can get more than $1k/month in GI Bill money for full-time college enrollment (plus your monthly drill pay). I have been to Alaska, HI, France, Guam, and several parts of the CONUS, and have turned down trips to Turkey, Denmark, and Germany as my schedule wouldn't allow me to leave at the times they came up. It's a good life, they treat you well, and you'll gain some amazing life experience. Plus, you might find a full-time flying job with your unit and get an officer's slot that way!
If you want a more gung-ho job, try Forward Air Controller. Those guys deploy with the Army.
Good luck, and congrats on the ACT scores!
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One of the outside salesman here just retired from the Air Guard and told me it was one of the best things he ever did. I think for his weekend a month and 2 weeks a year for 20 got him a pension of $800 per month plus some medical benefits. I know another guy who flies a helicopter for Suffolk County PD who trained in the Air Guard. Even though law enforcement jobs in Florida are not known for high salaries, I would think a pilot would make good money anywhere, and a civil service job will let you off for your guard duty.
If you really want to fly there are several good airschools in Florida. Embry Riddle and Florida International have degrees in aviation and Comair has it's school in Sanford. Even though starting salaries have gone down, demand is strong for pilots. I had a buddy who went to Comair, then got a job with UPS flying in the second seat fairly quickly.