Accounting Online Study for Accounting Degree & Certification

I have been serving in the Air Force for 3 years. I have one year until my enlistment ends. I’ve reached a point where I need to make some decisions about my career.

Here are the options…

Option 1:
I can stay in the military and make a career out of it. This option also requires me to cross-train because I do not have enough interest in my current career field. The Pros: there are the obvious benefits of staying in the military (health care, job security, great pay). Also I’ve already begun a path towards a great retirement and may have to start from scratch when I get out. Also I made E5 in three years which I think is greater incentive to stay. The Cons: with the recent talk of drastic retirement/benefit cuts it seems important to note that swapping to a regular 401K is a deterrant when I could have the same benefits package doing something I truly enjoy. Plus, I’ve always had it set in my mind that I want to be an accountant and I’m not sure if I’m ready to give that up yet.

Option 2: I can extend for two years until I finish my degree and then get out. The Pros: my education “could” be paid for (see cons), I’ll continue to make a steady paycheck, and have the opportunity to save up more money to prepare to get out. Cons: Once again there have been talks of huge Tuition Assistance cuts. If this come to fruition I cannot afford the cost of tuition alone and using G.I. Bill benefits while on active duty is almost a waste (I could talk about that for days). Also, I run the risk of more deployments (I have two deployments in one year already), which is good money, but is becoming a drain. And I’ve found some stipulations to Tuition assistance that is slowing the process of getting my degree. My current education center will only allow 2 classes at a time. It would take 4 years for me to finish my degree at that rate.

Option 3: Separate from the military at the end of my enlistment, join the reserves, activate my G.I. Bill, and get a part time job to cover any extra expenses.
I should mention that I am single with no dependents, so while this option is totally feasible, it will cause me to be tight for money (especially after getting used to my current pay). I have about 2 years of schooling left (i’m studying accounting) + an extra 30 hours of course work and I want to sit for a CPA exam. I can do this option, but it is not without difficulty.

So that is where I am currently. I feel like each option has great reasons for and against and am not sure what I want to do. I have to decide with in the next couple of months because I am currently in my cross-training window. So I am seeking advice, particularly from people in the military, who may be able to see some advantages or disadvantages that I don’t.

Thank you