"Older" monkey trying to learn some new tricks

mongoose:

Are you a pilot? That's awesome man.

And we use the term "monkey" here on WSO. So that makes you a older monkey.

you know I have been reading on here long enough to know that, duh! I am a pilot but nothing "sexy" like a fighter. I like to fly low and slow in the mighty Herc (aka C-130). Dodging bullets, mountains, and trees is the only way for me!

dho88:

After doing a quick search (in the interest of OPSEC) basically I would say we have a couple different systems and use different counter tactics depending on which we are using. The system we use depends on the known/suspected threat in the area and they can work simultaneously. So in a round about way, the system finds a way to confuse the missile tracking solution and tries to confirm its off lock while we maneuver as needed. Of course that all occurs in a 1-3 second engagement. They don't fly for 30 secs chasing planes like they do in the movies. That is the muted response for an IR threat. A radar threat is completely different..... We are briefed/study each weapon system we have a chance of encountering and know what course of action will give us the best % of survivability.

Thanks, I was always interested in how non-fighter/bomber aircraft protect themselves in the face of threats. I basically thought they just relied on mission planning and fighter escort.

mongoose:

Going back to the relevant question, I think most people here will advice you to go to B-School. Are you considering applying to B-School?

Yep, studying for the GMAT now and plan to take it in 1-2 months. From there applying to a HBS/Stanford/Haas/McCombs. I am "limited" to the schools I can apply to due to the fact I am still in the guard and need to find schools with a unit within commuting distance. fingers crossed

ERWB:

If HBS is an option then why isn't MIT an option? It's a great school.

Within business, what interests you? Finance, marketing? What aspects of a job interests you? You can do corporate finance for an aerospace/aviation company. Operations within a similar company. You need to be more specific in order for people to provide better advice.

I didn't post any further info because I was really just starting a thread where I could "introduce myself" and start an account. I have mostly been spending my time reading about various careers and sending pm's to folks I think can provide me with insight. I wasn't intending to have this thread for advice for the sheer fact I don't know what I don't know. I wanted to at least get a decent base of understanding before I started popping off questions.

Hope that doesn't make me sound like a prick, I just hate reading threads where people are basically asking for others to tell them what to do. I want to at least be somewhat informed before I start talking about my goals because quite honestly I don't have solid foundation of understanding yet.

Now to at least give some answers:

Finance definitely interests me, I enjoy doing research and digging through numbers seeing if I can spot something not apparent on the surface. Like many new guys on here asking for advice I took an active roll in managing my own assets for the last 5 yrs and really enjoying chart reading and technical analysis. I am not really interested in marketing or consulting and I am hoping to find a field in finance that will allow me to progress in my civilian career AND allow me to progress in my military career. After doing some reading IB definitely seems like it wouldn't fit my needs. So progressively looking at all aspects of finance to find a career that I can find both interesting and would allow me just a touch of flexibility to remain in the Guard. That doesn't mean my civilian job is going to suffer but if tomorrow I was offered a 500k a yr job and was told I had to leave the service vs. 120k job and staying in I am going to choose the second job. Now doesn't mean I am not going to lobby my ass off to try and convince that 500k offer, but my service is more important to me then money.

I would say aspects of a job that I am looking for; dynamic, interactive, and does include a level of stress. The stress aspect may seem weird but in my terms it makes me feel like having to think on your feet, making decisions, and having a direct impact to the set goals. EX: I prefer our low level tactical flying 100 times more then when we climb to cruise altitude and set the auto pilot. Main reason flying for the airlines is not even an option to me; for me that style of flying is boring.(no offense to anyone who loves flying)

So basically looking for an opportunity where I can still be a leader, I don't need the label just a position where I can contribute to the effort and work towards being the go to guy. Once again still in the knowledge gathering phase not in the decision making part. Still have 3yrs of learning before I have to make a specific choice.

Sorry for the long post but hope that at least sums it up a bit. Thanks for the reply

ERWB:

If HBS is an option then why isn't MIT an option? It's a great school.

Within business, what interests you? Finance, marketing? What aspects of a job interests you? You can do corporate finance for an aerospace/aviation company. Operations within a similar company. You need to be more specific in order for people to provide better advice.

And about Sloan, I am considering all the target schools and high profile names. I just didn't want to list them all out. Going through the schools and contacting prior students and Vet clubs on the campus to get a good feel how I would fit into each program. Many schools are on my list, I just listed those to show the schools that are in my main focus at this time. Included in that is the financial portion with the post 9/11 bill and the schools yellow ribbon contribution. I didn't feel like starting a war on that since I had read posts in the past about the financial topic but as an example McCombs, Fuqua, and Haas are all a full ride via those options, with other scholarship money(in most cases) coming back into my pocket. The other schools I am looking at range from 20k-35k a year out of pocket. Not remotely saying I am going to pass up a top 5 school to attend McCombs (no disrespect to UT), but IMO its irresponsible not to fully consider all options and the costs associated with them.

End result I would like to end up in the bay area. I am currently in TX (living in Dallas) and going to McCombs would really set me up nicely if I was dead set on living here. I'm not opposed to it, God knows the cost of living is nice and makes that salary go a lot farther but right now my time in the bay area is tugging me back.

[quote=SirTradesaLot]Read this thread and his book 'Street Freak'. He has a somewhat similar background to you. Plus, it really is a great book. Maybe you'll get an idea or two. One thing to note is that I can't think of any positions in finance where you'll be a 'leader' as an associate.

http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/im-an-author-and-former-head-etf-tr…]

thanks for the link, I will check that out. I know and fully expect to not be in a "leadership" role for quite sometime. Especially since I'll still be learning the ropes since any industry I enter will be completely foreign to me. But its just a person goal, like I said I don't need a label just want a place where I can work towards being the go to guy with an opinion of importance (fully earned of course).

freemarketeer:

What will your time commitment be?

Honestly its kind of hard to answer with accuracy. Generally speaking though I will have the typical weekend a month and on top of that I will have to get another weekday or 2 in there to maintain my currencies and proficiencies. Now, the Guard is very flexible and tries to impede civilian employment as little as possible. Having said that there are ways that I can try to work a flight during my weekend drill so no other days are needed. However, there will also be times when I have to attend some weekdays during the year for specialized training but those usually only occur during a deployment year. So the weekend a month 2 weeks a year is pretty close on average but my two weeks are peppered throughout the year instead of continuous.

To add since I am looking to stay in the bay area there are times when I will be called up for California's often occurring natural disasters. For example, the unit I would join is the unit that handles the fire fighting water drop missions. So state missions are also there on top of federal, but those would only be in times of emergencies.