i would appreciate anyones responses.

monday i take my physical and hopefully get some paperwork signed.
i got an 80 on my asvab with a GT score of 116.

i am extremely interested in aviation, and i suppose more avionics than aircraft repair so i would like to get rated as an AET.

a few questions..... how do you get A school guaranteed in your contract? does it depend on strictly your rate (and if so does AET guarantee schooling when you sign up), or is it ASVAB scores/the needs of the CG at the time?

if i have to wait for A school how would i land myself in a station and position that would gear me more towards the AET rating? as opposed to getting shipped of on a ship for months and not being around aircraft. would i be able to choose to go to an airstation while waiting to get rated?

whats it like being an AET? work hours, do you stay busy, hows the A school? i would also like to use tuition assistance if possible to get a degree in aviation/avionics from a school like embry riddle.

anything else you can tell me would be greatly appreciated. i dont know exactly whats ahead of me but i know that i am 29 right now and ready to attain skills/education like never before

thanks in advance
chris

First thing to do is talk to a recruiter and see what they can offer as far as your ASVAB scores and schools and guaranteed "A" School for AET. Next would be completing a flight physical to enter the airman program. Once those are done you'll be sent off to an air station, wherever they see fit, for 4 months to learn ground handling etc...once the syllabus and end of course tests are complete, it's off to Elizabeth City North Carolina for 5 months of school. There are no guarantees as far as what air frame you'll be working on once you graduate.
We are unique in aviation because we fix the planes and fly on them also, minimum of 4 hours a month for flight pay, so we keep a vested interest on the quality of work that is put into them. Once you're at an air station, you'll start your ground and flight syllabuss' to become flight crew quallified.
The rate itself is feast or famine, good "C" schools for batteries, soldering, FLIR, & NVGs, just to name a few.
Each air station has at least 2 shifts, days and nights and some have a mid shift.
Schooling is how you can schedule it with T/A and is encouraged by most, of corse your GI Bill allways applies.
Your rank might lower if you're a petty officer to E-3 on transfer to the CG, but you'll graduate from school as an E-4. The rate is still open right now so E-5 is not hard to get after that.
Some time when you can, go to our air station in Barber's Point and see some people one on one.

Hope this helps.

actually my friend mike is a damage controlman and offered to take me down to (i think its sand island?) to go meet some of his aviation friends and check things out. hopefully that happens tomorrow after i speak with my recruiter in pearl ridge in the morning.

thanks for clearing up my general questions. i have no prior service but my recruite says ill be going in as an E-3 because of my associates degree. cheers
chris