Each of your choices (although within the capacity of the DOD) are completely different career journeys. So different, that it could be damaging to your career trajectory if you are not entirely sure what your endgame is. I'll try to talk on each (civilian logo) as if you're already a licensed practicing pharmacist.
If you join as enlisted, you would go in as an E-3 (air force = airman first class) or E-4 (army = specialist). You are still required to do your basic training + advanced individual training (AIT) depending on what military occupational specialty (MOS) you sign up for. For enlistment purposes within the airforce, think of it as picking 10 technician roles and allowing the airforce to pick the slot for you. Whatever they pick, you do. That is your active duty contract. You move and work where they place you. The fact that you are a pharmacist does not play any role in your job training. So for X amount of years of active duty, you throw your PharmD diploma in the closet.
You would then come in as a junior officer (O-1). Once again, you do not dictate your job or role, the DOD does it for you (I speak in general, not absolutes). You could be working on supply chain roles and pushing inventory of "military important items" on the east or west coast. Again, your professional degree plays no role in this capacity. You throw you PharmD in the closet.
This I would say is perhaps the more viable choice. You will still do "officer training" but your initial role is indeed to work as a pharmacist. You would come in as an O-3 (captain) and play the role. In most settings, picture it as filling the capacity of running a pharmacy w/o cash registers. You may also be placed in a field capacity (deployment readiness/preparation in a "MASH" tent, but with air conditioning and buildings for air force). However, the longevity of pharmacist staying active duty is then being field grade officers (O-4+) of which you would mostly be taking on administrative duties. These duties could be designing and updating new standard operational procedures. This can also include back-filling for others.
The biggest takeaway to remember is the longer you are in, the further you are from direct patient care. You are also responsible for "everything", especially things you will have absolutely no control over. You will still be required to maintain minimum physical fitness as well as logging/documenting and being accountable for all those under you (both within and outside the pharmacy). Although deployment is the training purpose, you will also be responsible to back-fill for others who are deployed, and therefore serve a dual role in taking care of your unit as well as others. Visit military forum to get an idea of what general roles that could be.
This is perhaps one of the best questions you can ask. As a reservist, you are still bound to go through initial training (active duty status) prior to being placed within your local unit. You must let your employer know of your reserve status and reserve time responsibilities. Legally, you cannot be restrained from fulfilling your reserve duties and its illegal to terminate an individual due to such duties (2 week training in summer, working weekends, or deployed 3, 6, 9 months at a time). However, many reservists have found out that the workforce has ways of "letting you go" if necessary. This is more challenging if you have a family and ever end up moving to a new region.
What you call pyramidal promotions is really more direct than that. Either you pass your physical fitness test, stay green on deployment status (ie, qualifying on your marksmanship by hitting your targets with an M-16) do whatever your senior tells you to do (take out the trash or come up with a fun 04:00 run for the platoon to build "character"), or you get let go. The majority of people who are let go either decided to do bare minimum requirements of their initial obligation, or are no longer physically fit (common more so in air force than army/marines).
Not sure what you mean by proportional basis. In terms of health benefits for you and family, if you're active duty its the same across the board. Pension benefit (changed a few years ago) is still based on minimum 20 years of service, but you do get to enroll in matching benefits in your thrift savings plan (TSP) which is essentially your 401k plus contributions. The additional pension pay-out depends on every year beyond 20 years that you serve (I encourage you to look at what the change was that took place in 2017 - 2018 era).
In terms of pension benefits based on as a reservist, you would not see any payment of your service until you are 60 years of age (minimum of 50 retirement points per each eligible year). You may look up what the requirements are for the points, but that is what the benefits look like if one chose to go that route rather than active duty.
Personally, if I played my cards better, I would've finished off as a field-grade pharmacist, collect a few board certs along the way, do my minimum 20, and then exit out in a VA capacity setting at a higher GS grade (or play my cards right, invest, and be a young retired individual). Benefits are great if you go in as a pharmacist, but you will need to reach out to someone to really understand what that is going to entail (no such thing as a simple 40-hour week).
For additional Airforce Pharmacy questions, you can reach out to
@dereku (if he is still on) who is an active airforce pharmacist.
- Hope that helps
