Posted on Jan 26, 2015
Nervous about first duty station; how can I be the best I can be?
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I have just arrived at my first duty station. I have been assigned to the 88th security forces squadron. I am just about to start my training. I am a bit nervous because I want to be the best I can be, but am a bit unsure of myself because I feel that the technical training after basic didn't really give me the confidence I was hoping for. Any advice?
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Duty
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 24
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Hit your CDC's as hard as you can.
Volunteer to get task certified for as many duty positions as reasonably possible (LE, security, desk sgt, Raven school, RST)
Get involved with AFSA and your local first four org.
AFTER your CDCs start knocking out some college for your CCAF!
Find a mentor.
Track EVERYTHING you do, you will need it for your EPR, 1206s and BTZ package
Volunteer to get task certified for as many duty positions as reasonably possible (LE, security, desk sgt, Raven school, RST)
Get involved with AFSA and your local first four org.
AFTER your CDCs start knocking out some college for your CCAF!
Find a mentor.
Track EVERYTHING you do, you will need it for your EPR, 1206s and BTZ package
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SGT (Join to see)
I was obviously never Air Force so I can't comment on the majority of what TSgt Joshua Copeland said, but I can definitely reinforce the importance of an "I love me" book. Every training certificate, every award, every piece of important paperwork you receive should go in a binder and be kept safe. No one will care more about your career than you, and keeping track of what you've done and received is an important part of that.
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TSgt Joshua Copeland
SGT (Join to see), I tell my troops something to that effect all the time. You will have good bosses and bad bosses. The only person you can count on to truly care about your career is you, so take care of it!
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Lt Col (Join to see)
1. Choose your friends and training partners carefully, they can either boost you up or hinder you. As you're going through training, good friends can make the difference between pass / fail / excel.
2). Observe your peers, superiors, officers and SNCOs in action - take notes of what you see that you like, what you don't like. What seems effective, and what doesn't. Literally, take notes - whether you handwrite it down or type it into a word document or an email to yourself or whatever your preferred technique.
3) Try to work on detached observation of your own performance, strengths and weaknesses - honest self-assessment without emotion can help you deal with setbacks, and also not get overly confident or cocky.
4) Be flexible - training is never perfect - it will always include things that don't reflect the real world, or teach information and skills you don't need or are out of date, etc - don't let one outdated briefing or exercise turn into "I'm going to sh*tcan all of this."
5) If you want a mindset to adopt to help you build that confidence you want throughout training, I'm a fan of the "Plan-Brief-Execute-Debrief" model. It forces you to think ahead, set goals, DO, and then evaluate how you did and how you'll do better.
2). Observe your peers, superiors, officers and SNCOs in action - take notes of what you see that you like, what you don't like. What seems effective, and what doesn't. Literally, take notes - whether you handwrite it down or type it into a word document or an email to yourself or whatever your preferred technique.
3) Try to work on detached observation of your own performance, strengths and weaknesses - honest self-assessment without emotion can help you deal with setbacks, and also not get overly confident or cocky.
4) Be flexible - training is never perfect - it will always include things that don't reflect the real world, or teach information and skills you don't need or are out of date, etc - don't let one outdated briefing or exercise turn into "I'm going to sh*tcan all of this."
5) If you want a mindset to adopt to help you build that confidence you want throughout training, I'm a fan of the "Plan-Brief-Execute-Debrief" model. It forces you to think ahead, set goals, DO, and then evaluate how you did and how you'll do better.
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I would say to you by asking this question you are already doing what you should to succeed. I don't speak Air Force but TSgt Joshua Copeland is a great example to follow. There are some great folks on here who can mentor and help you. Just listen to them. Good luck at your first duty station!
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Here's the key, SrA (Join to see) ... You wrote: "I want to be the best I can be." That's the bottom line. Hold onto that attitude and you will excel! Keep being all you can be. That's key. Work hard. Prepare. Do your best. Good luck.
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