So you are Interested in joining the Airforce! Here is a systematic guide for how to do it!

Step 1: Sit down and consult with yourself and maybe your parents on why you want to join for example, you want elite job training for free, free education with the help of the GI Bill and tuition assistance, free health care, and steady pay. All of these are great reasons, and the Airforce can deliver!

Step 2: Practice the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). This is a multiple-choice test used to measure your aptitudes in word knowledge, paragraph comprehension, arithmetic reasoning, mathematics knowledge, general science, auto and shop information, mechanical comprehension, and electronics information.

Step 3: Take the ASVAB at your school or at the recruiting office. The higher you score the more options you’ll have for a job. Air Force recruits must score at least 36, points but try to score a 50 more so you can compete with other recruits for job selection.

Step 4: Contact a recruiter so you can do a pre-screening to see if you are qualified for enlistment. The recruiter will ask you about your education level, criminal history, age, marital/dependency status, and medical history. Truthfully, tell him or her. Honesty is crucial!

Step 5: Your recruiter will review everything and make sure it is correct. Then, they’ll send your scores to the MEPS facility so they can get your raw ASVAB scores.

Step 6: Once the scores have been received, they will put your scores in a system and it will give you list of jobs you qualified for in four categories: Mechanical, Electrical, General Health & Sciences, and Administration. The Air Force has two enlistment options: Guaranteed Job and Guaranteed Aptitude area. A guaranteed job is a job you signed for and a guaranteed aptitude is one of the four categories you chose to pick a job from.

Step 7: Look up 8 to 10 jobs you’ll be most interested in the Air Force website and find out if you qualify for those jobs based on your job sheet. Write them on your job request sheet, given by your recruiter. There are only enough guaranteed job slots made available to the Air Force Recruiting Service to accommodate about 40 percent of the recruits who enlist each year. Therefore, if you do not get one of the jobs you wrote down pick an aptitude area you would like to work in.

Step 8: MEPS stands for Military Entrance Processing Station and is where your real qualifications for joining the Air Force are determined. Your recruiter will schedule you a MEPS date they will let you choose which date you are able to go to. MEPS is only done on weekdays (Monday- Friday). They’ll provide you a room at a hotel, a free dinner, and breakfast. The day before MEPS is usually nice you have access to all facilities. You can drive to MEPS as long as you have a military I.D or gate pass if not you’ll have to ride the bus and a shuttle will take you home.

Step 9: MEPS is not owned by the Air Force. Other branches of the military will be there, as well as other recruits. Your day will start at about 5:30 a.m., and you won’t finish until about 5:00 or 5:30 that evening. You’ll take urinalysis (drug test), medical exam, eye test, weight check, and hearing test.

Step 10: If you pass everything you’ll meet with a job counselor.  You’ll do a strength test, security interview and security clearance interview. You’ll go over jobs once again.

Step 11: All you have left to do is to go over your contract and enlistment options, and take the Oath of Enlistment to enlist in the Delayed Enlistment Program. What really counts is the final enlistment contract, which you will sign on the day you ship out to basic training.

Joining the military is a very big responsibility and decision. For example, you lose certain rights such as, the freedom of speech. On the other hand, you will get some of the best job training you could ever find for free, and even get paid for it. You will build endless friendships with people you have never met before and you will serve your country, something most people cannot do. The waiting period in the Delayed Enlistment Program is probably the most difficult thing about the enlistment process. The Air Force recruits for several months in advance. Depending on job and training availability, you may have to wait for several months to ship out to basic training but do not lose hope because as long as you stay out of trouble you will eventually get your ship date.