 What's up guys welcome back to my channel if you guys are new be sure to click the subscribe button and click the like button as well Today, I am here with an airman in the United States Air Force. This is Jacob Disher Go ahead and tell me a little bit about how long you've been in the Air Force and what rank you are A little over three and a half years now, and I am currently a senior airman. Today's video We are going to be talking about joining with an open contract because that's what Jacob did back in 2015 And I figured he would have some insight for you guys if you're trying to figure out if you should join with an open Contract or if you're already going in with an open contract what to have in mind now first I do want to start off with saying that a majority of the time your recruiters are gonna get more open contracts than Specific contracts. This is actually something I need to make a video on for you guys because I have it on my channel to Explain the whole job selection process with recruiting But you are more likely gonna get an open contract So just keep that in mind that when you go to recruiter Do not have the dead set idea that you're gonna get this exact job And if you don't get that you're not gonna join so before we get into why you signed a open contract. No, you're good So before we jump into why you signed an open contract I think it's important to know why you joined the Air Force in general not just a specific job But why did you join the Air Force? It was mainly because of family tradition My grandfather was in the army and he did a lot of good things and also my dad was in the army as well So I just wanted to follow in both their footsteps and make my grandfather dad proud So when you were joining the Air Force, you didn't have a select like this is exactly what I want to do It wasn't like I want to do this for the military is more So I just want to do this stuff because my family's done it I looked into a couple jobs starting out. I just wanted to I knew I wanted to be in the military Regardless of the job. You said you went to basic training in 2015. Did you start with the recruiter in depth process at that time, too? Yeah, it was early 2015. And then when did you leave for basic August 11th? So you were in depth for like five months ish. Yeah for some people that might seem like forever I'm sure you saw people come in and leave within two months But then there are other people that you were leaving and they're like I've been here for nine months Just keep in mind with the recruiting process of joining you're not always going to get in and get out right away Sometimes it'll take longer for me. It actually took 11 months between when I went to Meps versus shipping out. So you were about a half a year So about half the amount of time that I was in depth But that'll vary greatly depending on who you are or what jobs are available at the time and what you're trying to go For so you are in depth for how long when you finally got your contract It's hard to think back four years. Yeah, how long from when you signed your contract till you left four months So you were in for depth for about two months before you got your contract Yeah, and then you signed that and then you had to wait another four months to leave Yeah, so why did you sign an open contract when your recruiter gave that to you? Did you know what an open contract was when you were joining? He called me and he said hey, I got a job for you I'm like cool. What is it? He's like it's an open contract. I'm like All right, so had you researched any of the open general Jobs before that or were you just like cool contract? I'll take a contract. That's pretty much how it was I didn't really know anything much about open electrical mechanical other than the Azbeb test. Gotcha So you were just like whatever I'll take I'll take whatever I can get so he gave you a contract You're like, all right, let's do this So I know one of the biggest questions that people are gonna have is how does the process of accepting an open contract work from Going to basic training because you don't have a said job when you're leaving for basic training So how does that process work once you get to basic? I think it was about third week They pulled us into we all had to march to this I don't remember the name of the building, but they split us up into different classes People that had like an open contract would go to here So I went there and they gave us this piece of paper with a little booklet of what open contract You were either general went out and you had to like select I think it was like five or ten jobs from that little booklet that you want in order of what you want You had filled out your dream sheet for jobs You wanted with your recruiter and you couldn't get one of those but he got you an open contract So then you went to basic and you got to fill out a whole secondary Dream sheet, but it was only for general job. How long after you filled that out Did you find out what your job actually was six weeks? It was close to graduation. Okay So right before graduation you're finding out like this is your so the whole time you're in basic You're like, I don't even know what I'm gonna do in the military. I'm just here So you got material management, which is the AFSC 2s0 x1 that was one of the five that you had selected. Yep. It was what in rank was it over to what was your number one? Security forces security forces and you didn't get security forces No, so a lot of people I think you know like you get in with security forces because it's like one of the highest Demanded jobs, but that's not necessarily True that you're always gonna get it if you want it because you were going your number one was one of the highest demanded jobs Everyone you still didn't get it. So everyone was saying I'm gonna get security forces Yeah, it blew my mind that I didn't get it. So you got material management, which is totally different than security forces It's a little bit different, but you still got one of your top picks So even accepting an open contract It wasn't like you were totally screwed with your job selection because you still got something that was like in your top picks Yeah, what were you originally trying to go for before you accepted the open contract in real gunner area owner? Okay, were you trying to do like load master or anything else? Yeah, same here. I'm colored blind So I couldn't they just didn't get end up getting you the contract And so that's why I said in the beginning with the open contract You're more likely to get an open contract because I'll make a video more in-depth of the selection process But about 60% of the jobs that your recruiter is going to be given are open contracts and those jobs have to be filled So 40% of the jobs that get kicked out to recruiters are select jobs And 60% are just general like open jobs for open mechanical open general So you're not necessarily going to get your go-to job right off the bat You have a better chance of taking the open contract going to basic training and hoping you pick one of your top three Or five and you get one of those trying to get aerial gunner or load master There might be each month maybe one of those kicked out to the recruiters like for a select job and For your recruiter to snag that one open spot when it's a regional thing again I'll make a video like it's a whole in-depth thing I talked to a recruiter about the whole process you had a better chance of getting security forces Well possibly security forces because it's one of the higher-demanded jobs So it is actually kind of crazy that you didn't get it They must have had too many people already signed up for it So with that being said you Took this job as an open contract you went and fill out your dream sheet You got your number to pick two weeks before you were going to tech school So yours you've been in the Air Force for six weeks now and all of a sudden you find out This is what you're gonna do in the Air Force. Were you excited when you found out? I was a little bit I did a little bit of research on it before I shipped off to basic because you can't really do much when you're at Basic I knew a little bit about I knew how long the tech school was and I knew where it was so I didn't go in blinded Yeah, about that job do a little bit of research about if you sign an open contract do some research to know what jobs are Available that you want to put in your top five or ten or whatever however many they allow you to so you know what you're Going to be getting into when you are selecting those jobs versus just accepting the open contract and then just going and winging Then when you get there, they're gonna have like a general general Description I think don't they yeah in the booklet. Yeah, but it's like very generally It's not the peace of mind where you can actually like Google it yourself and get the information you're looking for So definitely do your research beforehand so you know at least what you're putting down on your list So to wrap this video up what advice would you have for somebody that's signing an open contract not just general contract But just an open contract definitely do research on jobs. That's probably the number one thing you don't want to go into basic blinded and just Not know what jobs are what you actually want to do research The jobs that you are going to pick on your list Do you have anything else have that maybe calm someone down from taking an open contract because I know some people Look at open contracts is a very negative thing And I'm sure you probably heard since you've been in like everybody tries to get a select job before they go But a majority of the people are getting open contracts. And so there's this like bad light on it So maybe so like ease somebody's mind that signed an open contract or just got kicked an open contract and they're like I don't know what to do Don't don't listen to any rumors because when I went in and I told everyone that I was going over general They're like, oh, you're gonna get services. It didn't happen. Obviously not that it can't happen Yeah, but the selection process is still to try to help you a little bit not entirely like other branches a lot of people I think compare it to the Marines or Army or Navy where they're like, oh, you want this set job? All right, cool Let's go. They are just handing out whatever jobs you want because they want people in the Air Force is a little bit more selective Definitely have an open mind Towards what contracts they're gonna be handing you because it's not always the doom and gloom that people make it seem So overall with you signing an open contract, you've been in for almost four years now would you say that you Wish you could go back and like redo it all was has it been like that bad of an experience? Or you have you been like happy with your experience so far? I've been happy with it That's another you got to stay positive no matter what I mean if you don't get the job you want You're still gonna make a lot of friends. You're still gonna have fun with your job And I wouldn't go back because I've met so many great people Throughout my whole process in the military and it's been great So just keep an open mind if you're signing an open contract It's not as terrible as people want to make it seem also Jacob turned down orders to Okinawa, Japan So everybody's gonna be like, what are you doing? so he actually is here at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia and He had traded somebody in tech school for this spot So because he didn't want to go overseas and all my dude I because I was at Kadena I was like that was the coolest experience ever I highly encourage like that's what the one thing we're saying like keep an open mind is Just take take the opportunities that you're given like I know a lot of us will be like well I want this this and this but sometimes like if you just let Like keep a positive mindset and just let things happen the way that that they fall Sometimes that'll be some of the best experiences you'll ever have so even coming to Moody I don't think Moody was probably like you were just like okay I don't want to go overseas so you're like who was betrayed me, right? So it wasn't like you were like I'm trying to go to Moody. It was just that's what somebody was like I'm willing to give this up for that so which you can actually trade in tech school if people are willing to trade I've also seen times where they don't allow people to trade so it's hit or miss with that as well You would have wished to be closer to home. I'm sure that's we've already talked about that off-camera. He's from Ohio originally But I mean Moody Georgia you said 13 hour drive So even that you're like you've still been happy with your experience So it hasn't been like the worst thing ever so well I appreciate you hopping on here and talking and hopefully this helped you guys understand open contracts a little bit more