Hello everyone. I'm looking for some advice regarding joining the Air Guard. I will try to keep this as brief as possible. First off, here is some information about me:

I am a 22-year-old male who lives near Dallas, TX. I have my Associate degree but am working towards a BS in Information Technology. I will be starting online university at WGU in the next few months for flexibility and cost savings. I work full-time as an Audio Visual Technician, which is very focused on IT systems, for a large school district. I get paid $44,000 per year. From what I can tell, it is pro-military and has many employees who are veterans. Lastly, I am in a long-term relationship, and we both want to marry in about a year. She is fairly supportive of me joining the air guard but does have some concerns.

I'm looking for thoughts on whether the Air Guard is a good choice for my situation. I have done a lot of research and talked to two recruiters. However, I would greatly appreciate any advice from this community.

My goal is to serve in a cyber position. Either Cyber Transport Systems (which, last I checked, is full) or Radio Frequency Transmissions as an alternative (which is open). Some of the other cyber jobs are less desirable to me (such as Cyber Surety).

The ANG interests me for a few reasons. The first is the potential of receiving quality training for an IT career; second is the security clearance and the doors that it will open; third is the college and healthcare benefits; and fourth is the fact that I want military experience while I'm still young. I know that as I get older and grow in my personal career, trying to join the ANG will be less of a desirable option. I believe that joining has the potential to be a good decision to benefit my future family. Also, to be frank, I think the Air Guard is very cool and interesting.

What are your thoughts? Would joining be a good choice for me? I would also appreciate hearing about any negative impacts it has had on your civilian careers and/or families, or any other important information I may be missing.

Also, how much should I worry about Operation Lone Star? I have heard very negative things about it. I'm curious to get more up-to-date information on how it's currently impacting the Texas ANG.

Thank y'all for your input!