Can I rely on the Army’s PAYS program?
I am shipping out to basic on January 5th and I am currently locked in for 6 years. 15F had no enlistment bonuses or anything but it is under the PAYS program. When I get out I have an interview with Raytheon (a defense contractor) as an Aeronautics Engineer under the PAYS program. It sounds a bit far fetched to me that they would give an aerospace engineering job to an army aircraft electrician. I was just wondering if anyone else in a similar position has ever successfully obtained a job through the PAYS program.
July 28th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
The PAYS program doesn’t guarantee that you will get hired, it just guaranteed you an interview for the job for consideration.
What you need to do is take advantage of your Tuition Assistance as soon as you get to your first duty station. Six years is plenty of time for you to get your bachelors degree before you ETS. That, combined with the leadership skills you will learn after six years in the Army, will make you look very good to the company you are applying for and will put you a step ahead of a civilian applying for the same job.