Chiefs offer tips on career building

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Kerry Bartlett
  • 934AW
Minneapolis-St.Paul ARS, Minn. --  Have you ever looked at the "big corner office" and wondered how the person got there?

Maybe you've looked at a general or command chief and thought, "How did they attain such a successful career?"

After all, as the saying goes, 'No one plans to fail, we just fail to plan.'

"Take advantage of opportunities, complete your (professional military education), be visible and constantly learn," said Senior Master Sgt. Chris Neitzel, 934th Airlift Wing command post superintendent.  Opportunities may be difficult to find in the post-war era with possible draw downs looming. You just need to know where to look, so fear not, opportunities are abundant. You just need to know where to look.  A great source of opportunities is the Volunteer Reserve System II at https://www.my.af.mil/reservenetprod/ARCNet2011/VRS/Home/.
"Approximately 10,000 to 12,000 vacancies from around the world are listed, and you can filter the list by AFSC or location," said Command Chief Master Sgt. Bryan Payne,  Force Generation Center superintendent, during an informational symposium on AFRC's new Force Generation Center mission and opportunities during the September Unit Training Assembly.  "These opportunities are competitive," he added. "These vacancies are available to all Reservists, IMA and Air Guard."

How do you improve your odds of getting selected for such an opportunity in an ever-increasingly competitive world?

Command Chief Master Sgt. Ingrid Floyd, Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, who also held an informational symposium on Enlisted Force Development during the same UTA, offered these points:
  • Training:  Complete all three levels of specialty training
  • Education:  Complete upgrade training, NCO, SNCO, AFSNCOA schools, CCAF, and advanced degrees
  • Experience:  Career broadening, become a first sergeant, recruiter or PME instructor
  • Check and correct your records:  (vMPF, VPC-GR) etc. Check your last three Enlisted Performance Reviews and make sure they are in the recorded. Update awards and decorations and check reserve points for accuracy.
  • Remember, functional managers, selection boards and people making decisions that affect your career, get to know you by the information in vMPF, vPC-GR, etc., so it pays to have this information up to date.
  • As we all know, good advertising is all about visibility. So when it comes to getting selected for that dream deployment or other career enhancing move, visibility is not just a happy face at the front desk.
  • It is also your visibility on paper, the career broadening experiences that get attention, such as being a first sergeant or participating in an Air Expeditionary Force exercise or volunteering for a deployment.
  • Finally, promotion requires us to constantly learn. There are required courses and schools that must be completed for promotion to become a reality. So, get out there and git-r-done. Plan ahead and be flexible.
Neitzel offered one final piece of advice to guide the career paths of young Airmen, "Take charge of your career," he said.