‘‘Wow, where has the summer gone?” How many times have you heard that recently as people talk about how quickly the summer of 2006 has flown by? When I think of the end of summer, I automatically think of several things: children going back to school, days with fewer hours of daylight, the highly anticipated start of another pro and college football season, and the conclusion of the annual 101 Critical Days of Summer safety campaign.
But, before the summer officially ends, I must take a look back and focus on something I’ve personally experienced many times over this summer. That sometimes unpleasant subject is counseling enlisted members after they didn’t get selected for promotion within or to our NCO ranks.
Mid-June and mid-August are joyous times for many enlisted personnel worldwide as NCOs receive notification from their commanders of selection to the next rank, either master sergeant or technical sergeant in June and then in August senior Airmen get told, ‘‘You’ve been selected for promotion to staff sergeant and induction into the world’s greatest non commissioned officer corps.”
For those personnel, it’s a ‘‘W,” a big ‘‘win.” However, I want to focus on those who didn’t get a promotion sequence number, commonly known as a ‘line number.’
Many times this summer, I’ve been asked, ‘‘Shirt, since I didn’t get promoted this year despite studying for three weeks before my test date, what should I do to improve my chances on getting a line number next year?” Well, that question allows me to plant my feet firmly on my soapbox and talk to the enlisted member about career goals, work ethic and time management.
First off, if your goal is to get promoted next year, the time to start preparing for that promotion is now. Set your goal to have the most mission-impact year you have ever had. Look for ways to improve your performance, so you have a five Enlisted Performance Report on top – I know that sounds fundamental, but not every enlisted member eligible for promotion has that – so it could make the point or two differences that we often see when promotion lists are released.
Study – don’t just ‘glance’ at the material – studying is going far more in-depth than merely reading an article. Understand it. Piece together how fact A impacts fact B and how those two facts relate to the Air Force mission. See how those facts relate to your day-to-day duty tasks. Don’t merely look at it as a memorization drill. Look for ways to apply your new knowledge into ways to improve efficiency within your duty section.
The new Weighted Airman Promotion System testing cycle dates have been released: 07E6⁄7 - Feb. 1 to March 31 and 07E5 - May 1 to June 15. Diligently prepare to test on the first day of the testing cycle – then if you get a later test date, you will have more days to ‘summarize’ what you have learned.
Too often I’ve heard rhetoric lines: ‘‘This will be my year for sure – I missed it by just two points last year, and I got a decoration from my last base. Plus with the Time-In-Service and Time-In-Grade points I will get for serving, I don’t need to study real hard because I’ve got those extra points, so I won’t pick up a book,” or ‘‘Well, I am so busy with everything I’m doing at work plus my intramural sports, so I haven’t had time to study,” or ‘‘This deployment won’t allow me to study because I’ll be on the front lines and after working 12 plus hour days, I won’t have the energy to study?”
Well, ladies and gentlemen, that makes me ask, what type of work ethic do you have? Everyone in our Air Force is busy these days as we continue to fight the Global War on Terrorism. But the cream always rises to the top. By putting in those extra study hours, you will expand your knowledge base and put yourself in prime position to get a line number next summer.
Everyone has the desire to get promoted – but will you utilize time management skills wisely and study diligently – both when time ‘allows’ and by making time? Sure, that Ohio State-Texas game or the season premiere of ‘‘24” promises to be suspenseful TV, but is it absolutely mandatory that you watch it? No, it isn’t. Perhaps by cutting back on TV time and increasing Promotion Fitness Examination and Specialty Knowledge Test study time, you’ll master the testing process next year. You’ll walk confidently into the testing room, armed with the most knowledge you’ve ever had from the Career Development Course’s and PFE, and in the words of a crusty old chief I once knew, ‘‘You should very loudly tell the test booklet, ‘I own you this year.’”
The choice is yours. The time to prepare is now – not later.
E-Mail This Article
Printer-Friendly Version