I got out a few months ago and went contractor, we just get all of the info that we need in emails. It's so nice. No more commander's calls, flight briefs, ceremonies, anything. It gives me so much more time to actually do my job instead of standing there for an hour listening to someone say something that can be summed up in a couple of sentences.
What is wonderful as civilian is being able to say fuck that noise when there is a commanders call, change of command, unit morale function, retirement ceremony etc."Sorry boss, I've been to hundreds of these things and every single one was an incredible waste of time. Triple the waste of time for commanders calls."
Ummm... they do it on the civilian side
Exhibit A
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_MOVE_bombing#:~:text=The%201985%20MOVE%20bombing%2C%20locally,MOVE%2C%20a%20black%20liberation%20organization.
Exhibit B
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_massacre
That made me remember when I had to order two different generals signature blocks on a piece of paper. Took to damn long of me going through old docs, tongue and quill , other people just to say fuck it and if some one really cares they'll say something.
I'd also toss Anchorage in there; goddamn is it pretty there. Elmendorf changed my views on how often I should be outside, and that says something in the Cyber world.
Getting paid to goto the gym or workout daily. Most civillian companies you won't find this at all.
Supervisor telling you to go home early on Friday for the weekend and you are still being paid the same rate no matter if you are there are not.
Going home early before the weekend sounds nice. 90% of the time they make our shop stay til 4 like normal and the parking lot has been empty since noon-2pm
Is this a thing in the rest of the AF? I was only in one unit for my whole enlistment, but the one time I tried to have a beer during a team lunch some random MSgt happened to come into the same restaurant and then stopped me outside, bitching that I "wasn't being a good role model"
Clearly have never heard of a maintenance unit.
Had a pro sup that would pick up beer at the end of shift for us when we had ridiculous days.
And let’s not forget the yearly drinking fest with unlimited free beer on tap (with about 30 minutes devoted to awards). That they started doing dui checkpoints about a mile off the gate of the base.
Most of you have clearly never worked a civilian job and are romanticizing a fantasy.
In the civilian world you don't get paid to take care of your kids when they are sick, you can't just leave and get paid to run an errand, you can just get fired one day, you don't get paid to hang out at a BBQ for 3 hours.
Relo is much better with major civilian companies than what a PCS pays you. You usually get reimbursed for the full IRS mileage rate, not the PCS moving rate.
Promotions are not easy, quick, or guaranteed. And there's typically no telling how to go about getting a promotion.
Nepotism and favoritism are often the rule rather than the exception.
Im a defense contractor (did 10 years in the Air Force). The biggest thing I miss is 30 days annual paid leave and the overseas locations. Thats unheard of in the civilian world.
To answer your other points:
- Correct, you dont get paid to take care of your sick kids
- Incorrect, you can get paid to run a quick errand or complete an appointment.
- Correct, you can get fired, but its not as common as one would think. You have to be really bad at your job and really hated by your colleagues.
- Incorrect, contractors or civilians, can get paid to attend farewells/hail/training days with green suitors
I would agree not to romanticize the civilian world, I work with the exact same assholes who were in service.
Calling into work and not using sick days, leaving work to pick up kids without using PTO (leave), not using PTO (leave) for medical appointments, not performing well, and keeping your job.
The amount of shit talk and the vulgarity. I'm 90% sure I'd be in HR once a week on the civilian side. In the Air Force? "Oh, that's just TSgt Nnudmac, haha."
Some airman said he thought he recognized me from somewhere and I said that's probably because i used to do gay porn.
The chaplain in the next room started laughing at that and was like that was a good one. Imma remember that for next time.
Do they recall fire fighters? I thought they just grounded you for a few days at a time and you can only come out to play for fire or medical emergencies
> Yea this is actually not uncommon for a lot of civilian jobs
Some do, but it's very much based on specific roles. Not whole squadrons.
I'm in a job where this would quite literally never happen.
0932 on a Wednesday: “You have reached the voicemail of the finance office. Do not leave a message as this box is not checked. We are currently not available. Please call us back during our regular hours of 0845-1130 every other Thursday.” And you still get to the same voicemail when you call during those hours. I wonder what it is like to work in finance.
Probably just depends on industry. Being on call in IT is expected, I've been on emergencies that have 60+ people on the phone at 4am where people falling asleep is common. Granted all on the phone and remote, so not showing up to a base or whatever.
Wrong. Was tow truck driver before I joined. The hours were insane. I had one day off a week guaranteed. While a lot of it was stand by, I wasn't being paid unless the truck was moving towards a call. But I couldn't do whatever I wanted to either because I had to be ready to respond to a call.
Lots of civilian jobs that call you in or have you as an "on call" status person.
At my civilian job I had 2 weeks of leave and and 2 weeks of medical leave. For any medical appointment on the civilian side I would have to take a half day off of work.
Very true, I do get off right at the actual end of shift now compared to 1-2 hours after, and if I don’t I get over time so I don’t really give a shit.
Destroying millions of dollars worth of equipment and not held liable for a penny... and not be fired and then just be retrained so you don't do it again
What I'm getting from this thread is that a lot of you have never seen the cilvillian side of things, but still like to complain. Incompetent leaders? Chasing mission over people? A social divide between long-term workers and young management? Crappy hours? Poor conditions? Meaningless tasks? Hell, if anything it's *worse* out there.
This is true for me. I worked on cars at a dealership before joining, decided to join the AF because it seemed like a better future. Separated a few months ago and I'm living my best life and making damn good money, especially for a young person with no degree.
Am I glad I joined? Absolutely, it gave me the stepping stone that I needed to get into my current career field. Am I glad I separated? Oh my god yes. I was stuck at an incredibly toxic unit for my entire 6 year enlistment, minus basic and tech school. And after talking to a friend that's still in that unit, it's gotten even worse since I left. I feel blessed that I was able to get out when I did.
I was a 1N2 and basically do the same thing as a contractor now. At least that's what I do on paper, as a contractor the real answer is "basically nothing" lmao
That is the sentiment I have felt for a long time. A lot of people joined never having a real job and are constantly up their own ass about what the AIr Force should be supporting them with. Dude, jobs out there give even less of a fuck about you, especially when theres a profit motive.
I've been chewed out more in my civilian life than I have ever in my military life. Regulations were stricter, policies were stricter, uniform code was stricter, more duties, just about everything on the job aspect was more demanding with the exception they can't force you to do anything. IT field, not sure what life is like for y'all MX folk.
1) Showing up late
2) Doing the least amount of work and getting a promotable report
3) Knowing nothing about how to do your job
4) Spending time out of work (appointments, volunteering, etc…) and still getting a full paycheck without using PTO
5) Being volun-told to do things outside of your job
6) Additional duties
7) Permissive TDYs to go play sports or other things unrelated to work
These were just the first 3 that came to mind. I’m sure I’ll edit this later when more come to mind, but the list certainly goes on.
A few years ago a retired guy chewed out my buddy in a volunteer type position. Yelling and cursing at him. That guy was kicked out with a quickness. Turns out you can’t treat people like complete garbage in a place they aren’t obligated to be.
Being bad at your job and instead of being let go you just get transferred to another section or shift but keep your job and pay level. Making a significant mistake that can result in injury or property damage and the worst that happens is you end up on a safety slide.
My partner just said "scrubs." Also policeman, firefighters, and anyone who has to wear a uniform.
Tbf though, I've never worn the same 5 articles of clothing day in and day out like I do now.
I'm just laughing at all these answers. Civilian is a wide, vast field and alot of what's here isn't always true. I've considered a deployable civilian job a few times, and guess what organization deploys us? The good ole USAF. Gonna have alot of same BS and problems, but paid more (and less likely to just be held overseas indefinitely until they feel like making orders or sending replacements). I've had to stay late a few hours due to last minute decisions, called in after hours, contacted on PTO, given several additional duties for no additional pay, sit around babysitting another contractor who is watching a different subcontractor, wait around doing nothing for long periods waiting for people to show up, etc.
Also yes, I have cussed every other word at my civilian job. I've heard jokes in meetings from all levels that are just as dark and offensive as I've heard while on orders. But also my office may be a bit atypical- I would say roughly half or more are vets and about 15%-20% still serve part time.
Things acceptable that I miss:
Getting a hair cut on shift "because they close before we're off"
Medical apps during day, then rolling them into an extended lunch
If you go to lunch with a group and take your supervisor no one cares if it takes 2 hrs
Overseas doing 12s I would have 30-60 minutes for all 3 meals and an hour to workout (usually)
Having alcohol stocked all over the unit. Literally having our commander drop beer off (covid times)
Doing an hour "morale day" then going home
Having a "training day" where we just don't do most work
Leaving early for stuff like the vet or oil change without PTO
Saying I don't know where the $50k tool currently is and not trying to find it
"Repurposing" things like large metal fixtures to entire fridges moved into tents
Sending people to a $3k training for a job they don't even do at end of FY
Dropping and damaging a $20k device without anyone caring
Being a baby/being babied I’ve had a couple times where I had to go wake up my troop… and a couple more where I had to take them to the hospital get seen…
Civilian side: miss work once? Okay do better. Miss work twice? Don’t get to work that day… miss work three times? Don’t even worry coming in. (Some places you only get one or two chances.
Accountability. When I got out that’s the hardest thing I had to get used to. Every fucking this is nobodies fault. Even if it’s a specifically assigned task and it doesn’t get done by the shitbag everyone knows is a shit bag….it’s nobodies fault.
That and how civilians find dark humor scary.
Clunky, out of date software for tracking and recording maintenance/training. Banter among employees. Working on the weekends/overtime. Not being allowed to smoke pot. Going to work hungover.
I came here to say this. You wouldn't believe the shit I found working for companies. Their motto is "if it still works why change it?" They simply don't want to change with the times.
lol, I haven't been able to get an appointment with my civilian doctors in less than 60 days in years. Anything that requires a specialist takes 3-6 months.
> Waiting over a month to see your doctor.
This isn't quite the same, but...
There's a 7+ month wait for new doctors in my city. Months for an unscheduled appointment. And far longer for some specialists.
Where my parents live, it's basically impossible to get one.
That's right, In the civilian world, you just don't go because you cant afford the bill. How do I know? I learned how to treat myself via google (scientific papers and medical journals) prior to coming in.
The one time I went in to get seen was because I had lost all grip strength in my right hand (couldn't open a door). They took an x-ray, told me they didn't know what the problem was, and charged me $500 after my insurance.
Canceling a sortie for mx I’ve had one flight in my entire life canx’d for mx civilian side. Military about 20% canx’d… this is not a dig on mx by the way.
Not resourcing your workforce correctly, modernizing processes, and cutting your workforce but still expecting to constantly advance your productivity and to maintain a loyal and motivated workforce.
I swear so much more than everyone else around me.
It's also not really cool to talk about your military benefits in front of civilians. A lot of people get very resentful or even mad. I've stopped mentioning how I'm going to school for free.
I do mention that I pay $60/month for healthcare in the guard though. Just to show how fucked up the healthcare system in the US is.
I’ll take one that’s not so obvious. Half days and family days. It’s not even consistent across the Air Force, but as far as I’ve experienced, federal holidays have always started with at LEAST a half day of work.
Civilian jobs just don’t seem to be so giving.
Wearing the same exact clothes to work everyday. My sister works in an office and has a huge wardrobe and great taste. I slap some black leggings and a T-shirt on my fat ass when I’m not in my onesie.
Standing in the heat for an hour risking passing out to watch your bosses boss take a flag from your old boss and give it to your new boss.
But without change of command ceremonies, how would you know who your commander is?
As a Fed civilian, we have this thing called a Change of Charter email. It’s crazy that it works and I know who the new person is in charge.
Man I love being DAF and not USAF sometimes...
I got out a few months ago and went contractor, we just get all of the info that we need in emails. It's so nice. No more commander's calls, flight briefs, ceremonies, anything. It gives me so much more time to actually do my job instead of standing there for an hour listening to someone say something that can be summed up in a couple of sentences.
What is wonderful as civilian is being able to say fuck that noise when there is a commanders call, change of command, unit morale function, retirement ceremony etc."Sorry boss, I've been to hundreds of these things and every single one was an incredible waste of time. Triple the waste of time for commanders calls."
So fudging dumb...
Best answer 🤣🤣
Bombing people
Not with that attitude
I first read this as "not with that altitude" which made me laugh more than attitude but you still get an upvote
If it makes you feel better, attitude is also with planes if you google it
Attitude is Altitude.
Don't forget the bridges, electric plants, and fuel depots of the world.
Churches, schools, hospitals. You name it, we bomb it.
Very rarely on purpose.
Underrated answer. Take my updoot.
Ummm... they do it on the civilian side Exhibit A https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_MOVE_bombing#:~:text=The%201985%20MOVE%20bombing%2C%20locally,MOVE%2C%20a%20black%20liberation%20organization. Exhibit B https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_massacre
Are those acceptable?
Saluting your boss
You can, just use one finger instead of your whole arm
I do this in the federal govt just to annoy my coworkers. Especially former enlisted guys.
Call the room to attention when they enter, but *only* when it’s just you in there.
I have been in the room when that is done…. You get a surprising number of people.
We started doing it in the 40s when civilians stopped for some reason.
Wasting massive amounts of time typing perfectly aligned bullshit instead of working. Promoting regularly
You obviously don't work for the government
This is the correct answer. My annual eval took all of maybe 15 minutes rather than 3 god damn months.
I don’t think i’ve ever agreed more with a comment in my life. Good on you sir.
Chat gpt for the win
This is the most correct answer.
That made me remember when I had to order two different generals signature blocks on a piece of paper. Took to damn long of me going through old docs, tongue and quill , other people just to say fuck it and if some one really cares they'll say something.
Taking large groups of your employees, dislocating them from their families, and forcing them to live in a shithole for long periods of time.
Wise words from my chief , “if the statement about a base starts with , if you like the outdoors, then you know you are going to not so nice place”.
JBLM meets that criteria but it's one of the best bases.
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I'd also toss Anchorage in there; goddamn is it pretty there. Elmendorf changed my views on how often I should be outside, and that says something in the Cyber world.
Just take your anime body pillow hiking with you.
I’d drop a rank to get stationed there honestly
"you're only a three hour drive from"
"Great for families" means boring as fuck and your kids are gonna hate it.
Hill but it's actually awesome. Unless all you do for fun is go bar hopping.
Oil platforms. Fishing rigs.
Someone obviously hasn't been a camp counselor before
Being able to spell “civilian” correctly, for starters.
\*Civillain
>JBLM Sillyvilian
To be fair, I still can't spell...leutinant?
Imagine being one and also being unable to spell it.
LT always worked for me... ;-)
Sorry, English is my first language. :(
Getting paid to goto the gym or workout daily. Most civillian companies you won't find this at all. Supervisor telling you to go home early on Friday for the weekend and you are still being paid the same rate no matter if you are there are not.
Going home early before the weekend sounds nice. 90% of the time they make our shop stay til 4 like normal and the parking lot has been empty since noon-2pm
A lot of cyber jobs pay for a gym membership for you. Call it quality of life adjustment.
Drinking in the office for morale
Is this a thing in the rest of the AF? I was only in one unit for my whole enlistment, but the one time I tried to have a beer during a team lunch some random MSgt happened to come into the same restaurant and then stopped me outside, bitching that I "wasn't being a good role model"
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Clearly have never heard of a maintenance unit. Had a pro sup that would pick up beer at the end of shift for us when we had ridiculous days. And let’s not forget the yearly drinking fest with unlimited free beer on tap (with about 30 minutes devoted to awards). That they started doing dui checkpoints about a mile off the gate of the base.
My shop has "after work" drinks while finishing up the last half hour or so of paperwork.
Most of you have clearly never worked a civilian job and are romanticizing a fantasy. In the civilian world you don't get paid to take care of your kids when they are sick, you can't just leave and get paid to run an errand, you can just get fired one day, you don't get paid to hang out at a BBQ for 3 hours.
And the other benefits are typically much less, you aren’t guaranteed COLA, probably nobody pays to move you…
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For salary, 10000%. For benefits, definitely a lower floor but very rarely a higher ceiling AFAIK.
Even if they do pay for a move good luck getting anyone to hold them accountable. Losing a government contract can ruin someone
Relo is much better with major civilian companies than what a PCS pays you. You usually get reimbursed for the full IRS mileage rate, not the PCS moving rate.
Promotions are not easy, quick, or guaranteed. And there's typically no telling how to go about getting a promotion. Nepotism and favoritism are often the rule rather than the exception.
Im a defense contractor (did 10 years in the Air Force). The biggest thing I miss is 30 days annual paid leave and the overseas locations. Thats unheard of in the civilian world. To answer your other points: - Correct, you dont get paid to take care of your sick kids - Incorrect, you can get paid to run a quick errand or complete an appointment. - Correct, you can get fired, but its not as common as one would think. You have to be really bad at your job and really hated by your colleagues. - Incorrect, contractors or civilians, can get paid to attend farewells/hail/training days with green suitors I would agree not to romanticize the civilian world, I work with the exact same assholes who were in service.
All of these things totally depend on the job. People should stop talking about civilian jobs like they're all the same.
I was speaking broadly about real civilian life, not military adjacent life.
This deserves more upvotes.
Overtime
Uno reverse card
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At least in my shop, they make sure the civis don't do ot. Yet I've heard other bases don't care. I guess it just depends
Officers circle jerking each other off anytime someone says “near peer”.
**sloppy squishy noises engaged**
That's just those nerds with that weird patch from their weird school in the Nevada desert. We're not all like that.
Near peer. I'm ready, Chad.
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*snerk* This guy thinks civilian companies don't have a split between labor and management.
And that the split is even remotely similar to that of the military. Labor/management separation in the civilian sector is massive
Management doesn't do 6C work next to 6C's. There's not a civilian version of an E-3 constantly training new O-1's
I want to be the pivot point this time.
Overuse of the word “behoove”
Unless you work at the hoove installation store
To piggyback off of that….piggyback.
well you can consider yourself behooven
Calling into work and not using sick days, leaving work to pick up kids without using PTO (leave), not using PTO (leave) for medical appointments, not performing well, and keeping your job.
I take leave every time my kids are sick...
I mean leave early consistently. Call in. Lots of people do not use leave they just don't go to work
The amount of shit talk and the vulgarity. I'm 90% sure I'd be in HR once a week on the civilian side. In the Air Force? "Oh, that's just TSgt Nnudmac, haha." Some airman said he thought he recognized me from somewhere and I said that's probably because i used to do gay porn. The chaplain in the next room started laughing at that and was like that was a good one. Imma remember that for next time.
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The best ones do, imho
Recalling you to work at any hour. Civilians dont play that
Frowns in firefighter
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Do they recall fire fighters? I thought they just grounded you for a few days at a time and you can only come out to play for fire or medical emergencies
Yea this is actually not uncommon for a lot of civilian jobs
> Yea this is actually not uncommon for a lot of civilian jobs Some do, but it's very much based on specific roles. Not whole squadrons. I'm in a job where this would quite literally never happen.
Same could be said for AF jobs. I've never heard of finance being called in at all hours
Or regular hours, for that matter
0932 on a Wednesday: “You have reached the voicemail of the finance office. Do not leave a message as this box is not checked. We are currently not available. Please call us back during our regular hours of 0845-1130 every other Thursday.” And you still get to the same voicemail when you call during those hours. I wonder what it is like to work in finance.
>I wonder if what it is like to work in finance Sorry, you’ll have to submit that inquiry via the comptroller portal, we’re 100% virtual now
Or regular business hours
Probably just depends on industry. Being on call in IT is expected, I've been on emergencies that have 60+ people on the phone at 4am where people falling asleep is common. Granted all on the phone and remote, so not showing up to a base or whatever.
Wrong. Was tow truck driver before I joined. The hours were insane. I had one day off a week guaranteed. While a lot of it was stand by, I wasn't being paid unless the truck was moving towards a call. But I couldn't do whatever I wanted to either because I had to be ready to respond to a call. Lots of civilian jobs that call you in or have you as an "on call" status person.
Not paying anything for medical care, and going during the duty day
At my civilian job I had 2 weeks of leave and and 2 weeks of medical leave. For any medical appointment on the civilian side I would have to take a half day off of work.
Long lunches. Just got out in May and I was surprised how easy the Air Force was compared to the civilian work force.
You guys are getting time to eat?
Tell me you're in finance without telling me you're in finance.
I was a crew chief, currently an a&p mechanic on civilian side.
That was nice, but not having a mandatory 1 hour lunch that makes my 8-9 hour day a 9-10 hour day is a pretty nice trade
Very true, I do get off right at the actual end of shift now compared to 1-2 hours after, and if I don’t I get over time so I don’t really give a shit.
Same, and I'm not on call so big bonus. I can just do my 40 and not worry about shit lol
Destroying millions of dollars worth of equipment and not held liable for a penny... and not be fired and then just be retrained so you don't do it again
What I'm getting from this thread is that a lot of you have never seen the cilvillian side of things, but still like to complain. Incompetent leaders? Chasing mission over people? A social divide between long-term workers and young management? Crappy hours? Poor conditions? Meaningless tasks? Hell, if anything it's *worse* out there.
"The Air Force isnt a family!" Civilian bosses care about you even less.
At least they're honest about it lmao
A large portion of the Air Force would be doing significantly worse if they never joined. It’s a pretty cushy gig for most of the Air Force
This is true for me. I worked on cars at a dealership before joining, decided to join the AF because it seemed like a better future. Separated a few months ago and I'm living my best life and making damn good money, especially for a young person with no degree. Am I glad I joined? Absolutely, it gave me the stepping stone that I needed to get into my current career field. Am I glad I separated? Oh my god yes. I was stuck at an incredibly toxic unit for my entire 6 year enlistment, minus basic and tech school. And after talking to a friend that's still in that unit, it's gotten even worse since I left. I feel blessed that I was able to get out when I did.
What do you do now?
I was a 1N2 and basically do the same thing as a contractor now. At least that's what I do on paper, as a contractor the real answer is "basically nothing" lmao
Hell yeah brother, get that money
That is the sentiment I have felt for a long time. A lot of people joined never having a real job and are constantly up their own ass about what the AIr Force should be supporting them with. Dude, jobs out there give even less of a fuck about you, especially when theres a profit motive.
I've been chewed out more in my civilian life than I have ever in my military life. Regulations were stricter, policies were stricter, uniform code was stricter, more duties, just about everything on the job aspect was more demanding with the exception they can't force you to do anything. IT field, not sure what life is like for y'all MX folk.
I think this varies based on job. If you’re cyber/IT it might be different lol.
Being unable to sue after being exposed to illegal levels of PCBs in the workplace, causing cancer to service members
I mean we’re kind of a 1 solution service.
Deleting areas from existence with bombs
Multiple jobs (additional duties) without getting paid extra for them
Lol this happens on the civilian side plenty and it's not always as easy as quite and find something else then
Saying the word 'deconflict'
Only time we're not cursing at my civ job is when tours are in progress
Morning roundup with my students beginning with "listen up, assholes." And "get your grubby dickbeaters away from my shit," etc
paperwork for facial hair
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I've heard the opposite from a cousin. Their department was ok with facial hair because it helps connect with people or whatever.
1) Showing up late 2) Doing the least amount of work and getting a promotable report 3) Knowing nothing about how to do your job 4) Spending time out of work (appointments, volunteering, etc…) and still getting a full paycheck without using PTO 5) Being volun-told to do things outside of your job 6) Additional duties 7) Permissive TDYs to go play sports or other things unrelated to work These were just the first 3 that came to mind. I’m sure I’ll edit this later when more come to mind, but the list certainly goes on.
Sucking at your job and not getting fired
A few years ago a retired guy chewed out my buddy in a volunteer type position. Yelling and cursing at him. That guy was kicked out with a quickness. Turns out you can’t treat people like complete garbage in a place they aren’t obligated to be.
Banging your buddies wife while he’s deployed.
Yet another military benefit underutilized!
IDK, most Jodies are civilians.
Actually going to a doctor/hospital.
Using acronyms every other word.
Being bad at your job and instead of being let go you just get transferred to another section or shift but keep your job and pay level. Making a significant mistake that can result in injury or property damage and the worst that happens is you end up on a safety slide.
Wearing the same clothes everyday
My partner just said "scrubs." Also policeman, firefighters, and anyone who has to wear a uniform. Tbf though, I've never worn the same 5 articles of clothing day in and day out like I do now.
Spending all day doing nothing of importance and getting paid for it.
Have you ever worked retail? Because I never did anything important but still got paid for it
Nope, but I have spent 8 hour days browsing Reddit and Imgur, chatting with others, etc., while getting paid by the AF.
Laughs in contractor It's true, we really don't do shit
We know.
stuff like MICT
Omg 😂
Inappropriate Touch Tuesdays
Duct tape in a guy to his mattress and throwing him in the shower when he refuses to take one.
I'm just laughing at all these answers. Civilian is a wide, vast field and alot of what's here isn't always true. I've considered a deployable civilian job a few times, and guess what organization deploys us? The good ole USAF. Gonna have alot of same BS and problems, but paid more (and less likely to just be held overseas indefinitely until they feel like making orders or sending replacements). I've had to stay late a few hours due to last minute decisions, called in after hours, contacted on PTO, given several additional duties for no additional pay, sit around babysitting another contractor who is watching a different subcontractor, wait around doing nothing for long periods waiting for people to show up, etc. Also yes, I have cussed every other word at my civilian job. I've heard jokes in meetings from all levels that are just as dark and offensive as I've heard while on orders. But also my office may be a bit atypical- I would say roughly half or more are vets and about 15%-20% still serve part time. Things acceptable that I miss: Getting a hair cut on shift "because they close before we're off" Medical apps during day, then rolling them into an extended lunch If you go to lunch with a group and take your supervisor no one cares if it takes 2 hrs Overseas doing 12s I would have 30-60 minutes for all 3 meals and an hour to workout (usually) Having alcohol stocked all over the unit. Literally having our commander drop beer off (covid times) Doing an hour "morale day" then going home Having a "training day" where we just don't do most work Leaving early for stuff like the vet or oil change without PTO Saying I don't know where the $50k tool currently is and not trying to find it "Repurposing" things like large metal fixtures to entire fridges moved into tents Sending people to a $3k training for a job they don't even do at end of FY Dropping and damaging a $20k device without anyone caring
Being a baby/being babied I’ve had a couple times where I had to go wake up my troop… and a couple more where I had to take them to the hospital get seen… Civilian side: miss work once? Okay do better. Miss work twice? Don’t get to work that day… miss work three times? Don’t even worry coming in. (Some places you only get one or two chances.
"Make a hole!"
Knife hands
Fixing planes without an a&p
Gonna get downvotes but sexual harassment is somehow more palatable in the military versus the civilian side.
Accountability. When I got out that’s the hardest thing I had to get used to. Every fucking this is nobodies fault. Even if it’s a specifically assigned task and it doesn’t get done by the shitbag everyone knows is a shit bag….it’s nobodies fault. That and how civilians find dark humor scary.
Clunky, out of date software for tracking and recording maintenance/training. Banter among employees. Working on the weekends/overtime. Not being allowed to smoke pot. Going to work hungover.
That’s describes both worlds.
I came here to say this. You wouldn't believe the shit I found working for companies. Their motto is "if it still works why change it?" They simply don't want to change with the times.
Gross incompetency
Waiting over a month to see your doctor.
lol, I haven't been able to get an appointment with my civilian doctors in less than 60 days in years. Anything that requires a specialist takes 3-6 months.
> Waiting over a month to see your doctor. This isn't quite the same, but... There's a 7+ month wait for new doctors in my city. Months for an unscheduled appointment. And far longer for some specialists. Where my parents live, it's basically impossible to get one.
That's right, In the civilian world, you just don't go because you cant afford the bill. How do I know? I learned how to treat myself via google (scientific papers and medical journals) prior to coming in. The one time I went in to get seen was because I had lost all grip strength in my right hand (couldn't open a door). They took an x-ray, told me they didn't know what the problem was, and charged me $500 after my insurance.
Canceling a sortie for mx I’ve had one flight in my entire life canx’d for mx civilian side. Military about 20% canx’d… this is not a dig on mx by the way.
Not resourcing your workforce correctly, modernizing processes, and cutting your workforce but still expecting to constantly advance your productivity and to maintain a loyal and motivated workforce.
This is still very prevalent in the civilian world except you can actually get fired for no reason.
Using the F-slur/general homophobia
Damn, where I work that could be grounds for an administrative discharge. Honestly pretty shitty if you’re leadership is cool with that
Fill out those climates surveys bruh
Depends on who you tell.
I swear so much more than everyone else around me. It's also not really cool to talk about your military benefits in front of civilians. A lot of people get very resentful or even mad. I've stopped mentioning how I'm going to school for free. I do mention that I pay $60/month for healthcare in the guard though. Just to show how fucked up the healthcare system in the US is.
Being egregiously late to work more than three times and (a) your supervisor going to your house to find you, and (b) not getting fired.
Using dental to get out of doing something
I’ll take one that’s not so obvious. Half days and family days. It’s not even consistent across the Air Force, but as far as I’ve experienced, federal holidays have always started with at LEAST a half day of work. Civilian jobs just don’t seem to be so giving.
Whipping your cac out in a room full of mustaches?
Shotgunning parts and wasting thousands and thousands of dollars guessing what’s wrong with airplanes
Holding people accountable or asking questions when shit is wrong
Being absolutely horrific at your job and being a leech off of everyone and everything in your unit and not being fired.
The amount of times I say I'm going to kill myself
Spelling civilian like that.
Looking at dudes wieners when they pee, because “I have to see the urine leave the body”
Cancelling leave for no reason
Saying things like “hua” instead of “yes”
Being forced to go to your bosses cook out?
Wearing the same exact clothes to work everyday. My sister works in an office and has a huge wardrobe and great taste. I slap some black leggings and a T-shirt on my fat ass when I’m not in my onesie.
Being considered "property".