Alright so this is one of the biggest dilemmas I’ve ever had. UT or USAFA? I want to do CS but I also have a passion to serve. But, I don’t want a desk job if I go to the military. I know UT has one of the top CS programs in the world; thus, it is a favorable school since it is in state, cheap, and I have been told by a current student of the CS program that I am more qualified than he was. But, USAFA is where my uncle went and if I want to get into a big three military academy then that is the academy I have the best shot at. However, the military academies are not ranked in CS. I did read something on this sight that did “enlighten” me I guess. “If you go to US-AF/M/N-A then you are going to be a military officer. Your major strength is second.” Thus, I am lead to believe that if I go to academy I should only worry about military but if I go to UT I should worry about my major. Am I right? I have no idea!! I want both!! HELP!!!
You can major in CS at the academies. At least you won’t have to live in the computer lab as they used to years ago. There are a number of possibilities when you graduate: 1) you might do something with CS if you go into a lab environment or into studies and analyses (computer simulations), 2) you might become a pilot or nav, 3) you might become a Comm officer and be in charge of technicians fixing base computer gear, or 4) you might go into acquisition in which you would oversee large computer system developments/acquisitions. Of those potential jobs you only have one shot at doing actual coding.
BTW, those would essentially be the same potential jobs if you came out of UT and went into the AF (with different probabilities).
Thank you!! @Erin’s Dad I like both. I also wouldn’t mind being a military sf/pj/ whatever top tier unit or a programmer at a big name company. What I’m saying is, if I go into the military I want to be the best of the best. A seal. A pj. A ranger. I don’t want a desk job (I can do that as a civilian and Make more money at it). But if I go to UT I will focus on my major and making money after. I am conflicted between the two. Which option is better?
There is an Air Force ROTC unit at the University of Texas:
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/afrotc/
This may be an option if you want to become an officer in the Air Force but attend the University of Texas (regardless of your major).
It looks like you are a top 7% automatic admit to the University of Texas (but you may want to check about admission to your major), while the USAFA may be more difficult to gain admission to.
Another option is going to Texas A&M and the Corps of Cadets.
OP, I don’t know what to tell you about where to go. If you do want to become a PJ, etc then your major will matter little. And when you eventually get out you may need to have a refresh, particularly in CS. I did forget that the other area you could go into with CS is Cyber (defense and offense). That’s all relatively knew and being developed on the fly.
I give this advice to anyone contemplating a military academy… do not attend unless you are 100% totally committed to both the academy and a military career. The academies are not places for ambivalence.
Too add to NROTCgrad’s point, when you attend a service academy you don’t decide where you will end up, the service does. You serve to meet the needs of the service, not the other way around. To say you want to be in the SPECOPS world or nothing just means you have not seriously explored what being a military officer is about. If you are selected for the USAFA, you will most likely end up on one of these tracks: Pilot (UPT upon graduation), engineering, other support jobs if you’re not physically flight qualified. Note that I don’t think there are any officer PJ billets as those are pretty much enlisted positions. Officers fly the planes, they don’t jump out of them. If you wan to be a PJ, enlist. Chances of actually making the cut and making it through the training is another story altogether.
I had a son graduate from UT (2009) and from USAFA (2015). The one who went to UT had considered USAFA but what it came down to was this: he didn’t want to serve in the military, so he made the best choice for him. The USAFA son wanted to serve (not just get a $450,000 education) and is going to ENJPT (Pilot Training) this summer. As an Admissions Liaison Officer myself, we look for students who want to serve. You also have to be be the very top in the nation in four areas: academics, test scores, athletics and leadership. Going to USAFA requires a nomination from a member of Congress, Senator, Vice President or President. Congressmen/women are only allowed 5 cadets at USAFA at a time, so these nominations are very difficult to get. It will be easier to get into UT than it would to go to USAFA, that’s one of the reasons that USAFA wants those who want to serve.
One good thing about the usafa is that once you graduate, the military will guarantee you a job.