After going to college evenings, weekends, and at home via DL for the last 15 years... It appears my hard work has paid off. I was notified yesterday that I was selected over many candidates to be the next chief of an Air Force Airman Leadership School (a Community College of the Air Force affiliated school) at a base in the great inland northwest. I’ll be supervising/managing all operations including a staff of four instructors. It’s good that the USAF will get something back for all the tuition assistance they ponied up to pay for the education!
What is your paygrade? What was your paygrade? You said chief, so I believe in the air force, that's an e-9.
Cool! I know how you feel!! It's nice to see how the hard work in getting your degrees pays off I remember not to long ago as soon as I got my Bachelor of Science degree I was offered a job making three times the amount I was making without a Bachelor. It Felt good to accept the job and know my hard work and new salary would help pay off my school loan.
Putting a guy with a MEd in charge of an ALS flight - That makes too much sense! Congratulations! One question - Did you have any trouble finding a position with a report date that matched up with your DEROS?
Josh, I checked out your site, and you have some great information there. You have also done well for your age. Keep it up. You should consider writing a book after you complete your graduate degree.
Paygrade: E7, hopefully E8 soon. The job title (not rank title) is "Chief" (as in Flight Chief of the ALS Flight) - in the military education world the title "Commandant" is special and reserved for E9s. I won't be a "superintendent" anymore because most supers are paired with a young officer who is "chief" of the flight or section. As for the DEROS question... it is hard coming from overseas. The report date is very close to my Deros so they adjusted a little... but I'll have less "goof off" time between moves, I may not be able to take as much leave as possible. I'd recommend calling ahead before applying and explaining the situation. I know Ogden, Utah has a similar opening and they plan on hiring a candidate in early Feb.
Thank you... plcscott, Thank you for the kind words. The feedback that I've received overall for the website has been very positive. Had I known about this when I was a little younger (16 or 17), I might be an O-2 right now instead of an E-3 if you know what I mean. I may never had even been in the Navy (who knows....). Ahhh, the 'if I had known [xxxxx] earlier' reflections of the past. But the good news is that I figured it out rather quickly. Those people that I mentioned in my story <http://www.123collegedegree.com/aboutus.html>, I did not run into them by accident. As for the book idea, I was considering it (and still am), but I would have to do more research to cover as many aspects of distance learning as possible. I want to continue the 'no holds barred' approach, but I wouldn't want it to merely be a copy/paste of my website which is available free. Whether in a physical print form, or my website, I want it to empower others with an opportunity like I had. I remember what it was like having to do all the research myself and almost stumbling on the dreaded 'diploma mills'. I know that about all college students who would love to be "exempt" from having to take a course or two (or 20 ). There is a right and 'wrong' way to go about doing it, so I wanted to point others in the right direction.
Thanks for the answer. The topic is of interest since I am hoping to move into a special duty assignment after my time at Lakenheath is up in 2006. Using this year's listings as a reference, it looks like most of the report dates for assignments advertised at this time of year are 1-2 months prior to my return date (which falls at the end of the quarterly assignment window).
OUCH! No respect for teaching Well so much for logical HRD. I was just selected for promotion to E-8, and now the Air Force says I am too valuable to teach. My assignment to teach and manage a leadership school has been cancelled, against my wishes. I am awaiting word on which "hi profile" staff job awaits me. Frustrating, it was what I wanted to do and where I wanted to do it. I sometimes, now more than before, envy the civilians in the crowd who get more say in what they do and where they do it (let alone where to live), but I will do my Air Force best and move on with a sad salute.
Thinking of early transition myself.... You certainly cannot compare the civilian world to the military world. You can put an apple and an orange in the same bag, but one is still an apple and the other is still an orange. I look forward to returning to the civilian world. Overall (weighing the good AND the bad), the military was a fun ride, but there is enough red tape that one must go through to get things that you are otherwise fully qualified for to package a whole day's worth of UPS ground shipments I do have a lot of respect for those who do chose to stay in and make it a career, though (20+ years). I now look at those people who choose to reenlist and say to myself "now that's a bold muther f**ker right there"
Evergreen to high desert Replacement assignment and penance for getting promoted and losing my "dream job": HQ USAF Superintendent and Acting Chief of Traffic Safety in sunny Albuquerque, New Mexico. A big fancy job appropriate for an E8, but I'd trade it in a second for a teaching leadership job. But as we progress in rank, we lose say over what we will do. In about 4 years I will probably be a civilian again and will "regain control". If any potential Occupational Safety and Health degreed professionals are looking for work, the Air Force is hiring (civilian). You just have to be willing to move. At least the HQ for Safety is in New Mexico, which is better than DC in my humble opinion. Do a search on the Air Force Personnel Center and surf away. No official word yet from U of Oklahoma, but they did cash my graduation fee check a few weeks ago. Good Luck and thanks for the kind words
