How To Become An Airman First Class: What It Is and Career Path

What is an airman first class and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average airman first class salary is $86,712. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an business major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become an airman first class. Airman first classes with a EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 28,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreAirman First ClassUS Average

Salary

6.8

Avg. Salary $86,712

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.5

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 6.03%

Black or African American 11.02%

Hispanic or Latino 17.38%

Unknown 6.37%

White 58.69%

Gender

female 25.41%

male 74.59%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

5.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an airman first class

Explore airman first class education requirements

Most common airman first class degrees

High School Diploma

38.4 %

Bachelor's

28.8 %

Associate

21.3 %

Start to develop specific airman first class skills

Skills	Percentages
Combat	16.47%
Weapon Systems	5.06%
Logistics	4.96%
Individual Training	4.91%
Leadership	3.95%

Complete relevant airman first class training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New airman first classes learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an airman first class based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real airman first class resumes.

Research airman first class duties and responsibilities

Coordinate and manage multiple implementations of EDI transactions.
Lead basic reconnaissance operations and report enemy movements to commanding officers.
Review, analyze, and disseminate intelligence information for senior leadership, combat and mobility aircrews ensuring information is timely/accurate.
Promote to new e-Business team.

Prepare your airman first class resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your airman first class resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an airman first class resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable airman first class resume templates

Build a professional airman first class resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your airman first class resume.