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Guard/Reserve Hiring Age
Hey everyone,
What’s the youngest and realistic age that you have seen rushing a unit? I plan on graduating college when I am either 19 or 20, and then rushing a C-17 unit. I understand that the minimum age for service is 18. But is it realistic to rush a unit and get hired when your nineteen or twenty? Is being to young a disadvantage? Thank you to everyone for your help!
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9 Replies
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I am also 19 but from what i’ve heard being young isn’t a disadvantage! My buddy in the guard that got picked up for F35s said its actually an advantage because you have more time to serve. If anyone has heard otherwise though let me know.
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I was 22 when I rushed both fighter units and heavy units. I ended up getting an alternate pilot slot with a unit and they ended up hiring people who were in their upper 20s rather than me. They told me that they are looking forward to hiring me, but because the other candidates were older than me, it meant that they had less time to reapply because of age restrictions. I on the other hand, I have plenty of time to come back and reapply to the unit. This made the older candidates more of a priority than me. Being young is a really good thing! But at the same time, you may find yourself passed over because of it. And again, it depends on the unit. Good luck!
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Great to consider, thank you!
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I second mussel. It’s amazing that you’re prematurely getting your bachelors and can retire earlier than your peers, but like mussel said there are some minut disadvantages. I think it depends on the unit. anecdotally, I’ve heard of a unit that turned away young applicants because they wanted a more mature and developed person. IMHO I wouldn’t sweat it, keep applying/rushing, your time will come. Good luck!
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I’m going to go ahead and copy and paste something I said in a group chat. The full content was in regards to high vs low hours but this is the relevant bit: “But as has been mentioned to death, what’s a priority for one board isn’t necessarily a priority for another. And that includes boards at the same unit over different years. Every individual pilot has something specific they’re looking for and you just have to do the best you can and hope you get lucky with the specific combo that specific group of pilots on that specific board that specific year is looking for.”
Control what you can control, your age isn’t one of those things. I’ve been dinged at interviews specifically for being too old, as was said above some people have been dinged for being too young. You won’t know what the “right” answer is until you get there. There’s no sense in getting hung up on what you can’t control. That being said, there is generally a correlation between age and maturity. That’s just how time works. I’ve heard pilots on boards express concerns about maturity. Everyone should be doing their best to present themselves as professional, mature, well informed, and competent, but it’s especially important for someone around your age as some people (emphasis because it’s certainly not all and I don’t want to generalize) will be predisposed to assume you’re not as mature as older applicants. Not advocating for or against it, our brains are just programmed to group and assume and for some that group is “young people” and that assumption is “immature.” It’s on you to prove otherwise.
Like I said, do the best you can, control what you can control, and shoot your shot. The upshot for you is you have way more opportunities than someone pushing thirty to catch that “lucky combo.”
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I’m on the older end of the spectrum. More than likely will be in a situation which will require a waiver. Any one have any insight on the chances of getting age waivers these days? I’ll be 32 in a couple of months.
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I myself am on the older side of the range. I am currently 33 and I turn 34 in a few months. During my UTA I spoke with some instructors that happen to be eating lunch at the hotel I was at. They were doing cross country flights with cadets and they all said go for it still. That’s what waivers are for and the PPL makes you competitive. I rather go for it than look back thinking about what if! Worst case scenario I can still fly recreationally since we plan on getting a plane but I’d love to do it for the reserves too.
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I’m in the same boat, I’ll be 34 in December. What I’m currently doing is sending emails and calling all units that are hiring. My only issue is that I’m also a few classes away from my degree.
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Keep pushing! I finished my masters in May. You got this!
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