ATP - Former military Navs/CSOs experiences

Hey all! New here! I am curious if any former USAF navs/cso decided to get out and go the commercial pilot route and use ATP? I currently have less than 2 years left on my commitment and have been thinking hard about going to ATP out here in Mesa. I have a Bachelors in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle and have my PPL but haven’t flown since 2009. Weighing the pros and cons with the wife and trying to get a good feel as to what it’s like for former service members. Would be the biggest risk getting out and pursuing this but I think a rewarding one. I’ve heard it’s a firehose…but that’s what I’m used to. Also, if you were former military, when did you start w/ ATP and where are you now? Thanks in advance!

V/R

UNO

Todd thanks for asking this question because it was the same one I asked the CFI that gave me my ATP intro flight/tour a few months back. He was in his mid to early 30s with one kid & wife had been a meteorologist a little before his commissioning. He finished his 8+ yr commitment and got out. He was extremely optimistic due to the fact that his time was nearing an end, so take my words with that in mind. I applied for a SNA/NFO slot and was offered a Nav commission around that time so my questions were probably somewhat similar to yours. His words were that he was happy with his decision overall mostly due to timing and the direction that the airline hiring trends were headed with the pilot shortage. If he had waited out another service agreement he wasn’t sure what the hiring would look like. His biggest pros for leaving were: the future was bright because he had just been offered a FO position with envoy and originally signed with another regional around the 500 hr mark so his career was pretty clear, was actually around his family more during ATP than active duty, and that he would not be sitting behind a guy that wasn’t as good of a decision maker as his self. Cons: NOT BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE like he was accustomed to and he said he had to humble him self quite a bit because his CFI was 7+ yrs his junior so he had to retrain himself to listen. So I guess you could say extra learning hurdles.