Cadet Transition to Senior

[Horn229]

It's that time, I'll be turning 21 at the end of October and I'm trying to figure out what I need to do. I believe I need to complete the following forms:

CAPF 12
CAPF 11
CAPF 2
Finger Print Card

Is there anything else I need to complete to get my transfer to senior and the promotion to 1st Lt?

[Stonewall]

[JAFO78]

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[AlphaSigOU]

Major Horn,

You're on the money.

Form 12 - if your cadet membership expires after you turn 21, make sure to write across the top of the form 'CADET TO SENIOR - NO CHARGE'.

Form 11 - Not required if you have already completed CPPT (and you should have already, if you turned 18). If CPPT and your Earhart award is already registered on eServices, be sure to print out a hard copy of your Member Search Data from eServices and attach to your Form 2. As long as you have not had a break in membership of more than two years, then the Foundations Course (what used to be called the Orientation Course is waived.

OPSEC - MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COMPLETED THIS ONLINE. No completion, no Level I credit! Credit is instant when you take the course online.

Fingerprint card - goes without saying... no prints, no senior membership.

Form 2 - Once you are on the books as a senior member, request the special appointment promotion. Be sure to attach a copy of the Member Search Data and explain in the remarks section that Level I (but not CPPT/OPSEC) is waived because you were a former cadet with the Mitchell/Earhart/Eaker/Spaatz award.

Hope this helps. I went through the same thing when I rejoined CAP a couple of years ago. And my Earhart was earned over 20 years ago.

P.S. Donuts and coffee are optional... welcome to the 'dark side'!

[SDF_Specialist]

P.S. Donuts and coffee are optional... welcome to the 'dark side'!

Optional, but a great way to start!! I second that welcome!

[IceNine]

Take AEPSM (Yeager) soon, while you still remember it all

Get a specialty track that has nothing to do with cadet programs for a while, so that you can see how officers interact with cadets for a while from this new vantage point

Start early figuring out what you will need for your next level's and promotions.  It is a little frustrating to find that you will not be promoted on time because you didn't know what was next.

Just some BTDT talking

[SDF_Specialist]

Let me suggest the specialty tracks of Administration/Personnel. This can back up what mfd1506 say. You'll have time to watch the other seniors while progressing at a decent pace.

[AlphaSigOU]

Let me suggest the specialty tracks of Administration/Personnel. This can back up what mfd1506 say. You'll have time to watch the other seniors while progressing at a decent pace.

I agree with what Lt. Valenjevick stated above. I've been doing admin/personnel in my squadron for close to two years and I like it, for the most part. Biggest hassle is trying to maintain both cadet and senior records in a large composite squadron. Fortunately, I've delegated cadet records to a dedicated cadet programs staff within the squadron.

Professional Development is another good specialty track - and it dovetails nicely with admin and personnel.

[Skyray]

Major Horn,

I think I recognize your name from another forum.  I would recommend you get in touch with and talk it through with Christie Ducote.  She recently made the transition and commented on Cadet Stuff that she had a hard time with it.  She is a Cadet Stuff moderator, so she shouldn't be too hard to find.

[SarDragon]

IIRC, Mr Horn and Ms Ducote have met.

[Cmdbuddy]

Major Horn,

I think I recognize your name from another forum.  I would recommend you get in touch with and talk it through with Christie Ducote.  She recently made the transition and commented on Cadet Stuff that she had a hard time with it.  She is a Cadet Stuff moderator, so she shouldn't be too hard to find.

Not to mention I dated his brother for two years... yea, Nick, hit me up if you have any questions.

[Skyray]

Major Horn,

I think I recognize your name from another forum.  I would recommend you get in touch with and talk it through with Christie Ducote.  She recently made the transition and commented on Cadet Stuff that she had a hard time with it.  She is a Cadet Stuff moderator, so she shouldn't be too hard to find.

Not to mention I dated his brother for two years... yea, Nick, hit me up if you have any questions.

One of the nice things about being an antique with Alzheimer's is that you meet so many nice new people that you like.

[Horn229]

Wow, I forgot how fast you all are at replying to questions such as mine. Thanks all, I'll probably start on the forms later this week.

Enrolling in a specialty tract that keeps me away from cadets is easier said than done. While I'm technically in a squadron, we only have on average 8 members in attendance. So I'll be around cadets than know me as a cadet, unless I transfer.

I've done admin in a squadron and at the wing level before, so it's not that big of a task for me to enroll in that specialty. ES is my home in CAP, who knows, maybe a dual tract enrollment?

Thanks all, for the advice and the answers.


Christie, I'll probably will bug you when I get around to filling out the forms.

[Cmdbuddy]

Christie, I'll probably will bug you when I get around to filling out the forms.

10-4

Also, don't expect your 1st Lt to be posted right away... took them over 2 months to post my Capt.  I guess Spaatz # 1611 didn't really mean much to them.  There wasn't anything wrong with the Form 2, either. 

[Pylon]

Also, keep in mind with the confusing terms:
Senior Member Level 1 = Orientation Course + OPSEC + CPPT

People often refer to the Orientation Course itself as "Level 1", however Level 1 is the completion of all three of those items.   For the Mitchell, your Orientation Course is waived.  You probably also already have CPPT recorded as an 18+ cadet.    E-services usually calculates that automatically, and your "Level 1" credit will be awarded once you've completed the OPSEC PowerPoint.

As was mentioned above, Form 2 will be your friend to receiving promotion to higher senior member grades.  Assuming you are becoming a SM at or very near the age of 21, you are eligible for:  Capt for Spaatz, 1st Lt for Earhart, and 2d Lt for Mitchell.

Check the appropriate grade on the Form 2 under "Special Promotion" and also check the appropriate milestone checkbox (should be right there under the special promotion section).  In the remarks section, write that you are a Cadet to Senior transfer and note your award # and date of award, note that you have not had any lapse in CAP membership, and note that you have completed all of Level I.  It would not hurt to attach a print-out of your E-services CAPWATCH record with Level I and your milestone award highlighted.

Because your promotion is not a "Duty Performance" promotion, your commander will not be able to do it online through E-services.  You'll have to do it by paper Form 2.  The bright side is that once the appropriate echelon has signed off on the Form 2, you can scan and email to NHQ or fax to NHQ for much quicker processing than snail mail.  I've seen people's promotions posted in under 24 hours using the fax method; no personal experience with email route yet.


You can enroll in more than one specialty track, as was noted.  You'll want to pick some that at least interest you mildly, but also chat with your squadron commander about what's needed.  If you've got 8 S'members and 6 of them are following Logistics, it might be a safe bet that you could look into something other than Log.  So talk with the higher ups; see what they need, see what sounds interesting, and read through the 200 series CAP pamphlets to find out what the ratings really entail before enrolling in a track.  Most require a 6 month internship in a related position before you can knock off the tech rating (a few vary, with 0, 3, 9, and 12-month internships).  Again, so read the pamphlets.

As for the non-administrative parts of crossing over into the gray, there are a few great threads on CadetStuff about cadets becoming s'member that you should read.  Use the search thingy.

Great luck! 

[Tim Medeiros]

Notes from when I transitioned last Jan, NHQ cannot post your promotion in eServices as the day of your birthday, its a glitch in the system.  If you take things like the yeager test online the day your membership changes, wait a day to print out your certificate as the servers the tests reside on will not have refreshed yet.  Take OPSEC now, and when your membership type updates call up NHQ, they will update your level one on the phone as you talk, the person I talked to even put my method of taking the orientation/foundations course as my highest award to make it easier to process my promotion the following week, they might be willing to do that for you too.

When you send in the paperwork, don't wait until the last minute and keep a copy, the base mailroom loves to slow down the process, then it goes through the CAP mailroom, add a couple of days to the normal mailing times.

If you have any questions feel free to email or IM me.

[kpetersen]

Have your commander sign it early so it can get sent in.  I ran into the issue that my commander couldn't find the paperwork because it was in his inbox near the door, rather than the inbox on desk.  Also, if you're a CP junkie at heart and it breaks at the thought of leaving it, maybe try doing it on a different level.  When I turned senior, I transferred to wing CP, and it's a different game than at the squadron level.  I don't see cadets near as often as I used to, and it's a lot more higher level planning and development.  It also depends on how well set up your wing/group is. 

Other people--feel free to disagree

[Tim Medeiros]

Another good position for from cadets that still want SOME CP involvement, try DDR.  I did it as a cadet, and found a whole new dynamic of it as a senior, I'm loving every minute of it too, except for chasing reports and compiling a massive one from wing at the end of the fiscal year, but such is CAP life. 

It allows you to be detached from cadets, but also allows you to interact with them when doing presentations and such, or interacting with a cadet assistant.

Not only that, but there is a great amount of support from DDR personnel all the way to the NHQ Staff level, I've had a great time working with them.

[Pace]

Disclaimer: I haven't read most of the posts (A&P and human nutrition tests first thing in the morning) so if I repeat something that's already been said, my bad.

One suggestion that is seen often regarding this topic over on cadetstuff is taking a sabatical from CP for a year or two.  Get more involved with ES or flying or paperwork or coffee and donuts or whatever will help your squadron that isn't CP.

If you still want to be involved with CP, try a new squadron or go to wing.  OR...just do your paperwork to stay a CAP member and keep your cadet rank on (don't give into the man!).  I don't ever remember a reg stating you have to wear *your* rank, just where to put rank in general (if I'm wrong, feel free to join in for a round or two cause that's what I'm going to blame it on).

[Pace]

What, no chocolate?