In case you missed part one, you might want to go back and get caught up! If you are picking up where you left off, I am getting into the part where one door was closing while another was opening..
Well, let’s jump right into it.
What’s my plan B?
Since the Nursing program option was no longer a possibility for me, I had to come up with another plan. Did I want to get out, go to school on my own then try to come back in the military as a Nurse? Did I want to risk giving up a 16 year career to take a chance on getting re-hired by the military? To be honest, being a nurse was not the end goal for me. Remember, I wanted to be in Hospital Administration using nursing as a way in.
Somehow, in all of the research I did, I got further and further away from my original desire. My husband reminded me that my original goal was to be an officer. Why was I fighting against the “easy” most straight forward option to become an officer as quickly as possible? I already had a Business degree. I was already qualified and had what it took to be an officer.
Hmmm… That made me pause and think. Maybe this was the best route. Maybe this was my best bet. Realistically, I was getting “old” in military years and a lot of the opportunities were drying up for me. I remembered peers and a supervisor of mine telling me how they always wanted to commission, but they never figured it out or went for it. I did not want that to be my story.
On the other hand, the thought that I could actually retire in less than 4 yrs and get out to do my own thing was tantilizing. Not to mention we were trying to start a family and just bought this big beautiful house in Maryland. Was I crazy for going after this so late in my career?!? Despite all of that, the same question kept popping up in my head “Would I have regret if I didn’t at least try?” I felt in my heart that I would regret it, so I went for it!
Faith. Lots of it!
I got to work immediately! No one thought I would be able to get everything done in the timeframe that I had. I started in Sep and had two months to prepare and submit everything. When I tell you that people start 6-12 months out to complete their packages, I am not joking! But I was operating off of the information (or misinformation I later discovered..) I was given that said I had to submit my package, get accepted, AND commission before my 35th birthday or I would not be eligible to become an officer in the Air Force.
So to me, this was my last chance..so I had to at least try! My birthday was May of the following year so it was going to be close. So many things had to go in my favor and be just right..”Please God, if this is for me help me make it happen!” That was my prayer.
Getting help
One of the first things I did was go to the education office for guidance and help. For as long as I could remember, they were the point of contact for all OTS packages…ACCEPT when I decided to apply, apparently. I was given the run around and no one was able to help me. I lived in the DMV at the time so there were three Air Force bases I could go to for help. I went to 2 out of the 3 and each one turned me away and said the commander’s were now responsible for the process and to go to them for assistance. My commander had no idea about this change, but it was true. The Air Force Instruction (AFI) had indeed changed.
This was a total curve ball and I had no idea where to start. You know how someone or something is placed on your path to help you and you don’t realize it until later? Well that’s what happened to me when I took it upon myself to travel to the Pentagon Education Office. There was a strong possibility that they would tell me the same thing the others told me, but I had to try.
Those of you who have ever visited the Pentagon or even seen it on T.V., can imagine how massive it is and how intimidating it can be. But I knew I had to exhaust all my resources and options, so I made the trip.
A glimpse of hope
When I finally found the education office, I talked to a gentleman who said in the past, he had a pretty good track record of helping people get selected for OTS. He was very encouraging and even corrected some misinformation I had received. He told me that my scores were good enough to apply because I could submit a waiver if I needed to. He also told me about the age waiver that had me super nervous about my chances. (side note: when I got to OTS there was a 38 yr old.–And I thought I was going to be the oldest!)
Thank God for community!
I still needed support and help filling out the application so another thing I did was research online to see if there was anyone else out there having the same issues, and sure enough there were. Someone had started a facebook page and I got a little information that way. But what really helped me was when I stumbled across a blog, AirForceOTSGuy, which was my saving grace. Reading through his blog helped me tremendously because he had examples of how to fill out the different forms. Unfortunately some of the forms had changed, so for the rest, I just had to figure it out. (btw, he has recently revamped his website and it is even better now).
Going through all of that is a big reason why I wanted to start my blog and hopefully help someone going through the same struggles. I also volunteer my time mentoring Airmen who aspire to submit OTS packages.
Why I do what I do
Speaking of which, I recently got a really nice email from one of the Airmen who attended the Officer briefing and mentoring session. She wanted to meet for coffee or lunch and said that I inspired her by telling my story. She also mentioned that she had not seen many African American females in my career field (Acquisitions), and she was right.
As of 2021, the percentage of African American officers in the United States Air Force is approximately 7.6%, according to data from the Defense Manpower Data Center. However, the percentage varies by career field and rank. Unfortunately I was unable to get the percentage of African American officers in Acquisitions, but from personal experience, I have only worked alongside one African American Acquistion’s Officer, and she decided to separate from the Air Force after only 2 years.
Representation matters
My mission is to change that by encouraging those who look like me to see and understand what it takes to become an officer and to not be intimidated like I was initially. I want them to have the confidence to go for it and to see me as proof that they can do it too.
Not only is my mission to help people achieve their goals, I am really passionate about helping them get clear on what THEY really want and decide what success looks like for them. It’s one thing to reach a goal you’ve worked so hard to accomplish, but it’s a totally different thing to get there and be miserable!
So if you want to get a FREE guide to help you get to your True North and accomplish some big goals (perhaps becoming an USAF Officer) just click here and get started!
