Spartacus Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 Jeez. I can't believe how stupid the AF really is. 8 WEEKS? My experience at SOS was ridiculous. The flight commanders and leadership were either totally out to lunch/incompetent or just complete idiots/ass lickers. My favorite was a briefing by a WSO who thought he was a brain surgeon telling us how the brain works. WTF? I can't tell you how bad I hated that place. I wanted to throw up during the graduation ceremony, and I am 100% sure I was the first person to leave from my class because I literally ran to my car in service dress after we were released and sped out of there. I didn't bother to change clothes until I was 4 hours away at a gas station because I wanted to put as much distance between me and that place as possible. I actually didn't mind the AF up until SOS but my experience there is actually what has started to make me think that I don't want to stay in once my commitment is up. I feel really sorry for those who have to go there for 8 WEEKS. May God have mercy on your souls. 1
BFM this Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 I wanted to throw up during the graduation ceremony, DUDE, I know exactly what you mean... Wait, what?
Tunes3 Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 I think this will be a slightly painful transition for some of us, but I am hoping this will start bringing back an emphasis on new Lts and Capts focusing on primary duties like flying planes instead of Masters and SOS by correspondence. If they are trying to send everyone through this program, places like my base that require correspondence and a Bac+ before they will send you in res can get back to letting copilots learn their F-ing airframe. I am actually glad to see this even though it means I'll have to endure 3 extra weeks of pain.
Rokke Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 I actually didn't mind the AF up until SOS but my experience there is actually what has started to make me think that I don't want to stay in once my commitment is up. I feel really sorry for those who have to go there for 8 WEEKS. May God have mercy on your souls. It was seven weeks long when I went in the late 90's. But it had the same impact on me. I showed up a career Air Force officer and left with a goal of finding a different career path. My SOS flight commander was a C-141 nav who told us the first day that he took the SOS job to guarantee ACSC in residence. Brilliant. That's exactly the kind of guy I want mentoring young CGOs. SOS was my first and last experience with PME. I left the active duty a year later and joined the ANG. A GREAT move. Spent my career in the cockpit and made O-5 without anymore PME or a masters degree. 1
Homestar Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 Wikipedia defines careerism thusly: Extreme careerism has become increasingly common in the business and organisational world for the past two decades. In the United States, seventeen additional workdays have been added to the calendar since 1994. According to Bratton and Kacmar’s book, The Dark Side of Impression Management, extreme careerism is the propensity to pursue career advancement, power, and prestige through any positive or negative non-performance based activity that is deemed necessary. These “non-performance” based activities are activities in which an employee can easily manipulate the people whom he or she is trying to impress. Sounds about right to me
Karl Hungus Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 I know too many guys who are humping to get that last correspondence course done while working civilian jobs/guard jobs/coaching little league...life comes at you fast. Knock it out early (correspondence or in residence). Once again, even the shittiest part of the guard is better than AD.
Guest cody6766 Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 As a direct result of ASBC, today's officer corps now collectively embraces the warrior ethos, reflects an expeditionary mindset, better comprehends 'the family business' and is more adept at articulating what our Air Force brings to the fight." I know this is more about SOS, but this made me LMAO. I was there a year and a half ago and it was the biggest ######ing waste of time. The only good thing that came of it was a little extra cash in hand and a few lbs fron drinking as soon as the uniform came off at the end of the day. What a ######ing crock. That quote looks like it was pulled right from one of the slides in a briefing we all slept through in the theater.
Scooter14 Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 Once again, even the shittiest part of the guard is better than AD. Don't hate...join. Do it before they TAMI/Force Shape/VSP/non-retain or RIF you.
Magellan Posted July 12, 2011 Posted July 12, 2011 drinking as soon as the uniform came off at the end of the day. Why did you wait so long?
Skitzo Posted July 1, 2012 Posted July 1, 2012 Might want to sign up before you have to endure more pain to get it done twice Course 20 will close to new enrollees on 28 September 2012. NO ONE WILL BE ENROLLED INTO COURSE 20 LATER THAN 28 SEPTEMBER 2012. Course 20 students will be graduated or disenrolled after 12 months plus one optional 3-month extension for those remaining in good standing and have passed at least two of the three required exams. NO COURSE 20 ENROLLMENT WILL EXIST PAST 27 DECEMBER 2013. Course 20 students who have not completed the course by this time will have to re-enroll in the new SOS DL course. Plans for the new SOS DL course include proctored exams, graded essays, and graded discussion exercises. The launch of this new course is anticipated to be 1 October 2012. Learn more
nunya Posted July 1, 2012 Posted July 1, 2012 (edited) ACSC DLis changing soon too. Thankfully I'll be done before it changes, as no good can come from this. It seems each iteration of AU's brainchildren is more painful than the last. ETA: Here's the blurb. The first phase in this transition is to offer students access to a redesigned, computer-based National Security Studies course called "The National Security Decision Making" (NSDM) simulation. If you are interested in completing course 2 via NSDM, instead of the book/test method, please contact Student Services at acscdl@maxwell.af.mil. Hmm.. simulation. Sounds exciting! Edited July 1, 2012 by nunya
Napoleon_Tanerite Posted July 2, 2012 Posted July 2, 2012 Might want to sign up before you have to endure more pain to get it done twice Course 20 will close to new enrollees on 28 September 2012. NO ONE WILL BE ENROLLED INTO COURSE 20 LATER THAN 28 SEPTEMBER 2012. Course 20 students will be graduated or disenrolled after 12 months plus one optional 3-month extension for those remaining in good standing and have passed at least two of the three required exams. NO COURSE 20 ENROLLMENT WILL EXIST PAST 27 DECEMBER 2013. Course 20 students who have not completed the course by this time will have to re-enroll in the new SOS DL course. Plans for the new SOS DL course include proctored exams, graded essays, and graded discussion exercises. The launch of this new course is anticipated to be 1 October 2012. Learn more This is part of the blended learning horseshit they were talking about when you and me were at shoe flag a few months back. Stand by for guidance on "in place TDYs" and the impending DISASTER those will be.
magnetfreezer Posted July 2, 2012 Posted July 2, 2012 "in place TDYs" and the impending DISASTER those will be. Something along the lines of the way ALS is taught at each base? Would make sense to teach it locally and avoid in-residence completely to save $$ but the AF will never do that.
Napoleon_Tanerite Posted July 2, 2012 Posted July 2, 2012 Something along the lines of the way ALS is taught at each base? Would make sense to teach it locally and avoid in-residence completely to save $$ but the AF will never do that. No, the intention is to do distance learning from home station similar to the existing correspondence course, but to do it in the 2ish weeks prior to heading to Maxwell. They seem to think you wont be tasked by your home squadron while you're "tdy" at home station.
magnetfreezer Posted July 2, 2012 Posted July 2, 2012 No, the intention is to do distance learning from home station similar to the existing correspondence course, but to do it in the 2ish weeks prior to heading to Maxwell. They seem to think you wont be tasked by your home squadron while you're "tdy" at home station. Wow. What about the people who get told to get on the plane the day before to fill someone else's slot (sts)?
Ram Posted July 2, 2012 Posted July 2, 2012 2 weeks of in-place TDY + 8 weeks of SOS = NCMR upon return. Of course...CMR isn't nearly as important as your PowerPoint skills. 1
Wolf424 Posted July 3, 2012 Posted July 3, 2012 They seem to think you wont be tasked by your home squadron while you're "tdy" at home station. Like THAT would ever happen. Oh yeah... Don't forget, you primary job is running the Mongolian Immigrant Appreciation Day luncheon.
dream big Posted July 3, 2012 Posted July 3, 2012 Like THAT would ever happen. Oh yeah... Don't forget, you primary job is running the Mongolian Immigrant Appreciation Day luncheon. Hey now, Mongolian BBQ is kick ass.
BQZip01 Posted July 3, 2012 Posted July 3, 2012 No, the intention is to do distance learning from home station similar to the existing correspondence course, but to do it in the 2ish weeks prior to heading to Maxwell. They seem to think you wont be tasked by your home squadron while you're "tdy" at home station. Right, those 5 OPRs I signed and leaves I approved while at SOS were proof of how well THAT worked... 2 weeks of in-place TDY + 8 weeks of SOS = NCMR upon return. Of course...CMR isn't nearly as important as your PowerPoint skills. I support this message [/tongue-in-cheek...sts]
Napoleon_Tanerite Posted July 3, 2012 Posted July 3, 2012 Wow. What about the people who get told to get on the plane the day before to fill someone else's slot (sts)? Not even that, just "simple" taskers like slides for the boss's latest project, or O/EPRs, decs, all that queepy shit.
17D_guy Posted July 3, 2012 Posted July 3, 2012 Not even that, just "simple" taskers like slides for the boss's latest project, or O/EPRs, decs, all that queepy shit. Educate this youngish officer - I always thought additional duty shite, taskers, latest/greatest CBTs, and "projects" as queep. But O/EPRs and Decs as "taking care of your troops." Not that they can't get queepy (wordsmiths who wants "awesome" changed to "amazing").
Jaded Posted July 3, 2012 Posted July 3, 2012 Educate this youngish officer - I always thought additional duty shite, taskers, latest/greatest CBTs, and "projects" as queep. But O/EPRs and Decs as "taking care of your troops." Not that they can't get queepy (wordsmiths who wants "awesome" changed to "amazing"). Awards matter because they create strats that can become a bullet on an OPR. OPRs matter because bullets from an OPR can go on your PRF. PRFs matter because they go in front of promotion boards. Therefore, one might think that working on an OPR is virtuous, since you are producing a product that in the end will help a person get promoted. The reality is that 95% of the work that goes into an OPR is an absolute waste of time that does nothing to actually help the person you're writing the OPR for. Generally, a person is going to have 2-3 "accomplishments" in a given OPR that are actually worthy of carrying forward to your PRF later. These are easy to write and take about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, there are 6-7 bullets left you still have to fill in, and you will spend several hours making shit up and working on formatting, knowing that the rest of the stuff that you put on the OPR will never see the light of day again. Decs are coaches awards more times than not. Having written a couple, I'm generally embarrassed listening to them when they're read, since I realize that half the stuff on there is a gross exaggeration/borderline lie. Hence, OPRs are queep (in this CGOs opinion). 1
Stitch Posted July 3, 2012 Posted July 3, 2012 Generally, a person is going to have 2-3 "accomplishments" in a given OPR that are actually worthy of carrying forward to your PRF later. These are easy to write and take about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, there are 6-7 bullets left you still have to fill in, and you will spend several hours making shit up and working on formatting, knowing that the rest of the stuff that you put on the OPR EPR will never see the light of day again. No different on the E side. I spent countless hours making sure there was no "wasted white space" format, re-format, format again. Rearrange word order, re phrase just to ensure every single space on the right side was taken up becasue that was some knucklehead in the supervision chain's pet peve. Just to have the whole thing kicked back to me for "fixing" from A1C Bag O' Doughnuts in the orderly room, after the EPR had been blessed by the Chief, OIC, the Shirt and God knows who else, all because A1C O'Doughnuts learnd something new in english class while working on his CCAF at the Ed Center the night before.
BB Stacker Posted July 3, 2012 Posted July 3, 2012 (edited) Also worth mentioning that with EPRs the only thing that truly matters promotion wise up to MSgt is the back side rating, since that is all that impacts promotion because there are no "PRFs" or boards on the E side until you go up for SMSgt (they'll look at history, so getting bullets right on your MSgt and senior TSgt EPRs actually matters, but agonizing over bullets on a SSgt's EPR is even stupider than agonizing over bullets on a junior Captain's OPR, which is saying something.) Of course, the flip side of that is that decs do generate WAPS points so those can actually be important. Edited July 3, 2012 by BB Stacker
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