Advancement

You will have regular opportunities for advancement. For enlisted Airmen, a typical promotion timeline looks like this:

	Rank	4-Year Enlistment	6-Year Enlistment	Top Starting Rank
	E-1 Airman Basic	0 Months	0 Months	n/a
	E-2 Airman	6 Months	2 Months	n/a
	E-3 Airman First Class	16 Months	7 Months	0 Months
	E-4 Senior Airman	36 Months	28 Months	28 Months
	E-5 Staff Sergeant	n/a	60* Months	60* Months
	E-6 Technical Sergeant	n/a	n/a	n/a

* Average time to reach E-5. E-5 promotions are based on WAPS testing (see below for details).  

**The top rank that can be earned for initial enlistment is E-3/Airman First Class. You may earn an initial enlistment rank of E-1, E-2 or E-3 with 20 or more semester hours of credit from a degree-granting college/university or through: 1) Boy or Girl Scouts, Eagle Scout or Gold Award, 2) JROTC or AFROTC, 3) Billy Mitchell, Amelia Earhart or Carl Spaatz Award or 4) Civil Air Patrol.  Talk to your recruiter for more information.

Continued education and training are critical in preparing Airmen to meet emerging challenges throughout their careers. We operate in an unpredictable landscape which requires flexibility and responsiveness in the Air Force's developmental education processes, resulting in a variety of professional training opportunities for Airmen of all levels. We are focused on making simple, transparent and agile systems that are responsive to the Air Force's and Airmen's training needs so all Airmen can reach their full potential.

If you enlist in the Air Force, you may work toward becoming an Air Force Officer at a later point in your career. If you aspire to be an officer, we suggest you examine the officer path carefully to decide whether you can meet the requirements before joining. For example, if you are already in or aspire to attend college, the Air Force can help you with continuing education opportunities and financial assistance. If you enlist, the Air Force offers many opportunities for growth throughout your career.