Air Force Careers

The Air Force organizes every job into a specialty code. Enlisted jobs use Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSCs): alphanumeric designators like 4N0X1 or 2A3X3. Officer jobs use career field designators like 13S or 17D. The code tells you the career group, the specific skill, and the experience level all at once.

There are two separate career tracks, and they work differently. Enlisted Airmen enter through Basic Military Training and move into a specific AFSC based on ASVAB scores, openings, and recruiter input. Officers commission through ROTC, Officer Training School, or the Air Force Academy, then enter a career field tied to their degree, aptitude, and service needs.

Enlisted vs. Officer: Two Different Paths

The right path depends on where you are in life and what kind of role you want to play.

Enlisted is the hands-on side of the Air Force. Enlisted Airmen keep aircraft flying, maintain weapons systems, run logistics, treat patients, operate cyber networks, and do most of the technical work that makes missions happen. Entry requires a high school diploma and an AFQT score of at least 36 on the ASVAB. Most people start active duty as an Airman Basic (E-1) and build from there.

Officer roles center on leadership, planning, and specialized professional fields. Pilots, intelligence analysts, lawyers, engineers, and physicians are commissioned officers. A bachelor’s degree is required to commission. Most officer career fields also have their own aptitude screening, rated (flying) careers require the TBAS test in addition to the ASVAB.

How AFSCs Work

Every enlisted AFSC has five characters. The first character is a number (career group). The second is a letter (career area). The third and fourth are numbers (AFSC within that area). The “X” in the middle position is a placeholder for skill level: 1 = helper (trainee), 3 = apprentice, 5 = journeyman, 7 = craftsman, 9 = superintendent. So a 4N031 is a journeyman Aerospace Medical Technician. A 4N071 is a craftsman.

Officer designators are shorter, two numbers and a letter, like 11F (Fighter Pilot) or 17D (Cyberspace Operations). A suffix letter indicates the specific duty or subspecialty.

Browse by Career Type

Start with your career type, then drill into the specific group or field that interests you.

• Enlisted Careers, 18 career groups covering every technical, operational, and support specialty
• Officer Careers, 15 career fields from rated aviation to legal to acquisition

If you’re still deciding between enlisted and officer, the paths-to-serve guides cover both options with enlistment and commissioning process details.

How to Use the Career Profiles

Each enlisted AFSC profile follows the same template: job role, pay and benefits, ASVAB qualifications, work environment, training pipeline, career progression, physical demands, deployment patterns, and post-service opportunities. Officer career field profiles follow a similar structure adapted for commissioning paths and leadership roles.

When you find an AFSC that interests you, three data points matter most: the ASVAB composite minimum (tells you whether you qualify and what to study), the training pipeline length (tells you how long before you reach your first duty station), and the clearance requirement (tells you whether a background investigation is in your future and how to prepare for it).

Not every AFSC has the same data quality. The Air Force updates job requirements through AFI 36-2101 and official career field education and training plans. For roles with specific requirements that change frequently, such as cyber and intelligence AFSCs, verify current minimums with a recruiter before making any enlistment decisions.

The 18 Enlisted Career Groups