KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AFPN) -- Stay in a college classroom for 17 years?
Tech. Sgt. Rudy Flores thinks it is a smart idea.
After nearly two decades of college classes, the 8th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron security manager shows no signs of stopping his desire to learn.
In July, the sergeant walked across the stage to accept his master’s degree in computer information systems from the University of Phoenix. Two years earlier, he had earned a master’s degree from Troy State University to go along with a bachelor’s degree he already had in government studies.
The sergeant represents a fraction of the enlisted force pursing higher levels of education. According to base education center officials, less than 17 percent of the enlisted force has an associate’s degree, and only a handful of them go on to earn a bachelor’s or graduate-level degree.
“In today’s Air Force, there are awesome opportunities to receive your education,” Sergeant Flores said. “You’ve got to have the drive, desire and fierce determination to succeed at all costs.”
The sergeant started his quest for higher education in 1988 at the University of Texas. He then served and toured with the U.S. Navy Band overseas.
After 10 years in the Navy, the San Antonio native took a break from military service and started work on his master’s degree from the University of Phoenix. A few months later, he crossed over into the blue when he enlisted in the Air Force and put that computer degree on hold until he could get himself established at his first duty station at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
During his time at the Air Force Special Operations Command rescue squadron at Nellis, the sergeant volunteered his off-duty time at the base hospital and grew increasingly interested in medical operations. He set a new goal of earning a direct commission into the Medical Services Corps. However, to reach that mark meant more schooling, so he started his graduate studies through Troy State.
According to Sergeant Flores, having a master’s degree related to the healthcare management profession was important because top candidates -- many of whom have a master’s degree -- must stand out from the others hoping to earn one of those elusive commissions. Having two master’s degrees will hopefully give him an added advantage, he said.
Over the years, the sergeant said it was not easy striking a balance between work, school, family and volunteer activities after duty hours.
“The hardest thing was asking my family for that time to finish my degree,” he said. “It meant asking for time that I could have been spending with my kids. My wife has been the reason behind all of my successful educational achievements.”
School nights often followed long days. After work and school, he’d spend his evenings with his family only to crack the books after they went to bed. A normal school night ended at 1 a.m. and would start all over again after a couple of hour’s sleep.
Going to school was one way the sergeant set a positive example for his four children. “I tell them, ‘You’re never done learning.’ ”
It is the same message he passes along to his troops. He tells his Airmen to take what they can get out of the Air Force and put it toward college degrees.
“If you take a class here and a class there, before you know it you’re done,” he said. “Once you have an associate’s degree, you’re half way toward a bachelor’s degree, and the Air Force is willing to pay for it.”
After 17 years of sitting in classrooms, Sergeant Flores admits that, although he is not sure what field he wants to pursue, he is feeling the urge to return to school once again.
He says it is a smart idea.