Over the past couple of years, since I started How To Be A PJ, I have received thousands and thousands of emails and dms. You wouldn’t believe how many times this particular question has come up. It has come up so much, that I decided to do a youtube video explaining why you should NOT quit your job to train. I think my answer might be surprising at first, but once you hear my reasoning… I think you will understand and hopefully learn from it and grow stronger.

Reason #1

When you first join the Air Force, sometimes there is a delay in your pay. This isn’t a knock to Air Force Finance, it just is what it is. I’ve seen it time and time again as an instructor. Students would tell me they haven’t gotten their pay yet and have bills to pay. So let me ask you if you left for the Air Force today and didn’t get paid for 6-8 weeks… will your bills still get paid?

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To mitigate this risk, get your finances squared away. Keep your job, pay your bills, get out of debt, and build a safety net. The better you are with finances now, at a younger age, the better off you will be in the long run. Once you join the Air Force, there are plenty of classes and education you can get regarding how to take care of your finances, savings, retirement… all that good stuff. But the bottom line is, your bills have to get paid.

Reason # 2

This second reason is just as important. Keeping your job instills time management skills. Time is finite. We all have 24 hours in a day, and no one is ever going to get more than that. Learning to balance your full-time job with training, family life, a social life, and whatever other responsibilities and priorities are is a life skill that will GREATLY benefit you as a PJ, CCT, TACP, SR.

For most, learning time management isn’t something that just happens overnight. Start now. As you get older, your list of things to do, or things you have to do are going to get longer and longer. Schedule out your time. Plan and prioritize the things you need/want to do, on top of working a full-time job.

Reason #3

The last and most important reason NOT to quit your job is that you will learn mental fortitude. It encompasses time management, but more than that, it means that you will persevere through the difficulty of balancing all of your priorities. Whether it’s struggling to get out of bed because you’re tired, not wanting to train because it’s cold or raining, or just being stressed out because you had a long day at work… you have to develop the skills to persevere through those mental blocks. Consciously decide to power through that negative self-talk and get shit done! Have the discipline to get up in the morning and get everything done that you need to do, regardless of how much sleep you got the night before. Sometimes there are things that pop up and get in the way of your objectives, but you have to learn to maneuver around those obstacles. Don’t think any day will be easier than the last. Trust me, life is always going to throw monkey wrench in your plans.

“Do not pray for an easy life. Pray for the strength to endure a difficult life.”

— Bruce Lee

How does all of this translate to Selection?

Simple. The cadre is looking for good teammates, people we can count on to have the discipline to be an adult and be resilient. When you meet the board, they will be able to see that you can maneuver around things that were unplanned… which directly translates to being a PJ. The time and effort it took to get you there will show through.

Keep your job, learn these skills, and realize I’m telling you this because of my own life experiences. This is something I know you will benefit from, especially when you get to selection.

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