I know the feeling. I heard that "Stay in school" thing until I was sick of it. Would've skipped the graduation ceremony if I could have. But, fact is, the recruiter will tell you the same thing. In my day, I once wrote to Headquarters Marine Corps for some book covers, and received not only them but a letter from a Captain on the Commandant's staff saying that he - the Commandant - had "expressed the hope" that I finish high school.
Fact is, you can't sign up without parental consent until you're 18, and it really will benefit you to go in with that diploma, especially if you're considering a career. Also, that diploma gives you the option of applying at colleges that have AFROTC programs; and there's a lot to be said for going in as an officer. In fact, pilot and navigator training are offered only to officers.
For now, I'd just talk to the recruiter about the various career fields that might interest you. Keep it general, learn all about what you're getting into.
And even with a degree in engineering from one of the best engineering schools in the nation is no gaurentee of a pilot slot, so if you want to fly you have to have super human qualifications (engineering/hard science degree from a well known program, high AFOQT scores, peak physical fitness, NO medical issues what so ever, wild card req letters ie your uncle is a 4 star general and likes you) and that just gets your name in the hat and even if your name is drawn it goes into a new hat to determine what you will fly (by the time you win the first lottery if you loose the second lottery you are already in the military so you will fly what they tell you to fly and thats all there is to it unless you go to careful measure to get out without it giving you a negitive discharge type which is really hard). So you have to have super human quals and win the lottery twice then you can fly F-16's then if you want to fly for the thunder birds or fly raptors you have to win a thrid lottery (I dont know anything about the 3rd lottery becasue I did not make it into fighter school or past the first lottery but my research extended to the second lottery I even got to go up in a T-38 as part of AFROTC which is part of ENJPT). These lotterys are only loosly based on quals because to get your name in the hat you have to have the same quals as the others with their names in the hat so its generally some nebulus quality the commander is looking for which is what makes it a lottery (maybe you were in some society or fraternity that the commander was so that gives you the sliver of an edge you need to keep from going in the trash, who knows).
I always look at it as if you shoot for the moon and miss at least you are amoungst the stars, I came out of that experience with an engineering degree, good physical health and make really good money so I cant complain to much and am looking to buy an acrobatic plane so I can still continue to follow my dreams so now the only thing that separates me from my dream is $$$ but the engineering degree helps that quite a bit.
At this point you should graduate with an awesome GPA, and high SAT scores, apply for a congressional nomination and apply for the air force academy I did not get in but you could. Join a sport that the air force academy is looking for and get good at it the academys are big sports schools (even though they always loose lol). Being good at a sport is a nebulus requirement I learned from talking to them on the phone after I was already a senior such is life. If you can get into the academy you have the best chance to fly but the first day of your 3rd year you are commited so if for some reason you dont graduate you go in as an E-4 (lame sauce) if you go AFROTC you also have to commit the start of your 3rd year but its alot harder for them to hold you to anything especially if they are not paying for your education, I know 3 people that got out as seniors because they were not in debt to the air force. The last option is OTS which is the most direct way to get your name in the hat but also the hardest your in the best negotiationg position becasue you already have your degree in hand and the military does not like it when others are in positions of strength they like something closer to indentured servitude so OTS you will only get in if they have carrer fields they are severly short on like board certified nurses (RN's), lawyers or doctors, these carrer fields usually even get to skip the abusive training and get direct commisions but you will never sit in a F-15 as a doctor in the military. You can do OTS as a pilot but its the less likely route and was my last ditch effort to fly, as someone who already has their degree in hand im less willing to accept vague contracts because I have already dotted my i's and crossed my t's I want something in stone and the military wants indentured servants.
The reason your parents are apprehensive is becasue most people get burned in the military, they need 0.0001% to do cool things like fly and 99.9999% to do grunt work in support of the rock stars. Even going in as an officer is like making a deal with the devil because the contracts are vague, they may "do what they can" but at the end of the day even as an officer they can put you as security forces or in a control tower, you have limited control of your carrer in the military unless they have made the contracts more specific (which I highly doubt), enlisted contracts are more specific but thats only becasue there are no rock star enlisted positions all enlisted work is grunt work so they can afford to make them a little more specific but even then if you are a UAV operator they HAVE pulled soft skill MOS's to do pull security in iraq with army infantry, I bet thoes guys/girls were pretty disenfranchised after that little fiasco.
Did I also mention you have to do all this before your 27th birthday to be competitive preferably by the time you are 25. Thats a pretty tall order.
This is why I am asking about others who fly acrobatics with specific emphisis on thoes that own their own planes because alot of people fly but not many fly something they own and since I dont have any opprotunities to fly someone elses plane I have to buy my own so figuring out how they got the money is just as important if not more important than the various aspects of flying itself.
