[fintstone]

When I was enlisted in the AF, we only competed for promotion against others in our career field. An average guy that went into a high tech field just wasn't bright enough to get promoted. Too much competition. A sharp guy who became a cop or cook moved up very fast...as most of his competition were guys who didn't qualify for anything else. The only problem was some were just too bored to stick it out and got into trouble...and it did not prep you for a good follow-on career like a high tech job. It is a good idea to enlist in an area where you are at the top end of the aptitude required, not the bottom.