Quality of life: Air Force vs Navy

midinphx, BSN · Sep 27, 2019

I’m AF. I was prior in army. I chose AF because it always seemed nicer than army. It’s not. Quality of life is a vague term. So we have nicer bases and dining facilities and gyms. That does not equate to better quality of life. I don’t spend off duty time on base. I don’t eat at the dining facility at home station. Deployed - yes, having nicer living quarters is nice. But Stuff is not what helps morale. AF is highly competitive all the time as rank is sought by all members. It impacts how we take care of each other. Work life balance is upside for me. People who put family first are seen as not as committed. In most hospitals you work 48 this week and 36 next then repeat. And there is additional training and requirements that often are on your own time.

Wow, this sounds very negative. I’m still staying in despite the hard stuff. I believe in what I get to do. I’m on my 5th deployment in 8 years. Deploying is something I would never get anywhere else. These are the times that are the worst for me but have given me the greatest job satisfaction in my career (RN x 24 years)

For me the tough stuff is something I think people need to hear. Come in with your eyes wide open. Come in because you have the heart to serve and you just know it’s where you belong.

Rizzo02481, BSN, RN · Sep 27, 2019

7 minutes ago, midinphx said:
I’m AF. I was prior in army. I chose AF because it always seemed nicer than army. It’s not. Quality of life is a vague term. So we have nicer bases and dining facilities and gyms. That does not equate to better quality of life. I don’t spend off duty time on base. I don’t eat at the dining facility at home station. Deployed - yes, having nicer living quarters is nice. But Stuff is not what helps morale. AF is highly competitive all the time as rank is sought by all members. It impacts how we take care of each other. Work life balance is upside for me. People who put family first are seen as not as committed. In most hospitals you work 48 this week and 36 next then repeat. And there is additional training and requirements that often are on your own time.
Wow, this sounds very negative. I’m still staying in despite the hard stuff. I believe in what I get to do. I’m on my 5th deployment in 8 years. Deploying is something I would never get anywhere else. These are the times that are the worst for me but have given me the greatest job satisfaction in my career (RN x 24 years)
For me the tough stuff is something I think people need to hear. Come in with your eyes wide open. Come in because you have the heart to serve and you just know it’s where you belong.

This is really really helpful to hear. Thank you so much. I have been told “AF AF AF” for quality of life but I have more draw and connections and friends in the navy so was scared to commit to that. But the way you spelled it out made so much sense, it’s not all about “the stuff.” Thank you!