Door to opportunity is always labeled 'push'

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Doug Hodge
  • 65th Air Base Wing command chief
LAJES FIELD, Azores (AFPN) --  Finance guru Tom Peters was right when he said, “If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade.”

For those of us serving in the Air Force, the sun shines brightly through a very large window. It overlooks many different prospects for change, promotion and advancement. From education to recognition, the door to opportunity is always labeled ‘push.’

I’ve been fortunate to see many opportunities over the course my own career. I finished my Community College of the Air Force degree. I branched out from my career field and held positions in the professional military education field, including commandant of an NCO Academy.

Those same opportunities are available to you without discrimination. How close are you to a CCAF associate’s degree? You may be closer than you think, and spring graduation is just around the corner.

No one can deny the military is the best deal for getting a bachelor’s degree. With 100 percent tuition assistance and classes that flex around your schedule, the education office and the schools offering advanced degree programs are ready to serve.

Meanwhile, training opportunities abound. Have you attended the First-Term Airman Center class? Have you gotten Airman Leadership School out of the way? When are you headed to the NCO Academy?

Sometime after you read this, look at the jobs available to you on the EQUAL Plus list. How many will you find? Special duty assignments as military training instructors, military training leaders, professional military education instructors, office of special investigation agents, recruiters and more await.

The Air Force needs more people to look at the big picture -- to look for assignments that may not necessarily turn a wrench or march a patrol. Is that you?

Or will you just be filling the squares you believe need filling?

To round out your view out this window of opportunity, seek and engage the hundreds of volunteer openings at your base. Every day I see something new from a burger burn to a car wash. Awards dinners, celebrations, ceremonies and other events are always looking for people with energy, ability and a smile.

There is so much more. The education counselors, career adviser supervisors, first sergeants and others are your first stop to pushing the door open.

As we continue our mission providing support to the world’s premiere air and space force, remember to leave the shade up on the window of opportunity that’s open to you.