6C0X1 vs 1A0X1
Contracting (USAF) vs In-Flight Refueling Specialist (USAF)
Same Air Force, same generally civilized existence — surprisingly different jobs behind the "Aim High" bumper sticker.
The 6C0X1's TAPS brief goes like this: "I spent four years doing — " defense industry BD and contracts careers are the primary post-military pathway — primes and major subs hire former government contracting officers specifically for their understanding of the customer's process. The 1A0X1's version: "My experience included — " then it's just uncomfortable, cold, and smells like a combination of JP-8 and the previous crew's lunch. The transition counselor treats both with the same encouraging nod, which is either reassuring or deeply noncommittal. The career counselor nodded through both of these descriptions with practiced sincerity.
After the Uniform
The part the recruiter skips: what each job actually translates to once you're a civilian — and what it pays.
Salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. A guide, not a guarantee.
Recruiter vs. Reality
The pitch versus what people who actually did the job report back.
“You'll manage government contracting at the Air Force level — negotiating and awarding contracts for everything from office supplies to aircraft maintenance. The FAR and DFARS expertise you build is directly marketable to defense contractors, government agencies, and any organization that interfaces with federal procurement. DAWIA certifications are the professional credentials and civilian contracting careers pay well for experienced government contracting professionals.”
Government contracting involves navigating the Federal Acquisition Regulation and Defense FAR Supplement frameworks while managing contractors who sometimes understand those regulations better than you do initially. The source selection, contract negotiation, and contract administration skills are genuine. Defense industry BD and contracts careers are the primary post-military pathway — primes and major subs hire former government contracting officers specifically for their understanding of the customer's process. Federal civilian contracting positions at other agencies are also accessible. The DAWIA certification levels create a portable professional credential.
“You will lie on your stomach in the back of a KC-135 or KC-46 and plug a metal pipe into a fighter jet doing 400 miles per hour at 30,000 feet. That sentence is not a metaphor. It's one of the most unique jobs in any military on Earth, it pays flight pay on top of your base salary, and you'll see more of the world from the back of a tanker than most people see in a lifetime. The Air Force will also ruin you for every other branch — you'll expect food that doesn't require a spoon and a room that isn't a tent.”
The boom pod is objectively cool for the first dozen sorties. Then it's just uncomfortable, cold, and smells like a combination of JP-8 and the previous crew's lunch. You'll spend more time TDY than home, which sounds adventurous until you've been away for three weeks and you're in Moron Air Base, Spain, which is not as exciting as the name implies. KC-135s are older than your parents and the new KC-46 has had its own very public growing pains. Flight pay is real. The back problems that develop from lying prone in a boom pod for 12-hour missions are also real. The camaraderie in a tanker squadron is genuine — you suffer together at weird hours and that bonds people in ways garrison duty never could.
Recent Reviews
Community Takes
Be the first to share your take on 6C0X1 vs 1A0X1
Compare Other MOS
Search by code or title, or browse by branch