Looking into tech career fields in the Air Force and am curious about these two jobs. Should I go 3D0X2 or 3D0X3?

SN Kevin Neff — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 01:04:26 -0400

Response by SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM made Aug 7 at 2016 1:07 AM

SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 01:07:25 -0400

SN Kevin Neff ,
Ultimately the decision will rely upon which one do you prefer more and how can it best serve you. Best of luck, hope you find the one that suits you best!

Response by PO1 John Miller made Aug 7 at 2016 1:12 AM

PO1 John Miller — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 01:12:44 -0400

I worked with both AFSC's at my last job when I was a contractor with the Air National Guard. I would say that 3DOX3 has better civilian career opportunities. But I will ALSO say that at least in the shop I worked in (it was a small shop), everybody did both jobs. So the cross training potential is definitely there.

Response by ENS Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 7 at 2016 2:32 AM

ENS Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 02:32:40 -0400

The Navy has IT (2791 networking) and CTN (networking). I see you have history with the Navy, so your transition wouldn't be a hard one. Though, I highly suggest using your GI bill to get a computer science degree and come in as a Naval Officer in the IP or IW community. Just my two cents from one Sailor to another.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 8 at 2016 6:56 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 18:56:20 -0400

What is it that you like to do? Cyber Ops will get you far more hands on experience with comm systems. Cyber Surety is a bit of a misnomer, normally when people think cyber security (or as this job is named "surety") they think proxies and firewalls, network scans, WAR driving, etc. Cyber Surety is more paperwork than you may realize.

What do you enjoy doing in a job? Deciding that might help you decide, PM me if you want more info on what a typical day is like in an IA office.

-I've been a 3D0X3 since the AFSC was born, prior 3C0X1.

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 11 at 2016 6:36 PM

SrA Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 18:36:55 -0400

I'm an X3 and its cake. It's pretty technical in terms of key distribution, but other than that, you essentially ensure that the people you issue equipment to are staying in accordance to AFI and AFMAN. Does require a TS though.

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2017 8:40 AM

SrA Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 08:40:47 -0500

X3 also depends on your job. Usually IA and COMSEC are separate offices. I like COMSEC more because it's more technical. IA is a bunch of paper pushing. I find it very boring.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 30 at 2021 6:53 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 30 Jan 2021 18:53:01 -0500

Looking to cross train into the 3D0X3 Career Field in the Guard/Reserve. Currently a 1N1. I currently do Technical Program Management supporting customers at Pentagon, DHS and 3 Letters. The main goal is to mainly gain credibility within the Cyber Security field and gain some technical knowledge. I already have the Security +. My end goal is to leverage Cyber Security knowledge into a PM role that pays in the $200,000 range (these jobs exist in DC Metro 95 dollars an hour).