Choosing a specialty track?

[Briank]

I've been delaying it, but really need to get it done...

Being a Senior flight, there's not a whole lot of areas that need filled like a composite squadron might have.  The spots we need filled already are filled.  So, there's not a specific need to drive my choice.  There's nothing in the list that really jumps out at me as being "this is it, this is what I should do".  I've also got a background in a lot of areas, so there's no one specific natural fit with my life outside of CAP.  How have you all made your decisions?

[MacGruff]

Each staff position pretty much has a Specialty Track associated with it. So, that guided my decision.

As to which staff position to take, you mention that you are in a Senior Squadron. You may want to look at regulation 20-1 and see what it says about how a Senior Squadron should be organized and which positions you should have. Do you have all of those filled? Another idea is to ask people in current positions if they need an Assistant? Finally, I do not know if you practice position rotations, or if it just happens organically, but some times people move on to other things. Rather than wait till it's a crisis (i.e. Fred, the Finance Officer, just quit, who can take over RIGHT NOW!!!), maybe you should become the "understudy" for one of those?

Good luck in whatever you choose.

[arajca]

Some things to consider:

1. Is there something you enjoy doing that fits with a staff assignment and specialty track?
2. Does anything interest you, even if you don't have a background in it?
3. Which staff positions need or want help?

[Holding Pattern]

I've been delaying it, but really need to get it done...

Being a Senior flight, there's not a whole lot of areas that need filled like a composite squadron might have.  The spots we need filled already are filled.  So, there's not a specific need to drive my choice.  There's nothing in the list that really jumps out at me as being "this is it, this is what I should do".  I've also got a background in a lot of areas, so there's no one specific natural fit with my life outside of CAP.  How have you all made your decisions?

Become a primary IT officer/Assistant PAO. You currently appear to not have a website, so you can build one off of many of the templates out there, and you can work with the PAO to do content.

[Eclipse]

What are you, personally doing in CAP?   That should inform your answer.  At a Senior Flight it's likely something in ES or OPS.

If you choose ES, eventually you'll need to get posted at the wing or higher if you want to progress to Lt Col (prob 15 years down the road).

The choice isn't final, and you can be in multiple tracks at once, though progression requires participation as "x".

[Matthew Congrove]

I chose Admin and Personnel when I first started out, just so I could get the hang of how things actually worked. It's great when you know what manuals or regulations to reference later on, and it really helped in one area most people fail... knowing what to do to move along. (I can't count how many senior members rely on other folks to tell them to do something; you're in control of your own CAP career!).

I moved next to Public Affairs because it was a need, and I sort of liked writing. Won FLWG PAO of the Year that year, and TXWG this past year, which isn't to brag, but rather to say try something new, you might be good at it!

Also, be sure to review the requirements for moving through your tech, senior and master rating. Some get really hard and will bog down your progress.

If your squadron actually has all the slots filled, that's amazing. Consider yourself lucky and get mentored, most of us never had that luxury.

[coudano]

Also actually ask the commander or pro Dev what's up...  quite often in CAP squadrons, positions are "filled" (there is a name associted to the job) but the week to week tasks of the job aren't actally getting done.  Additionally, in many cap squadrons, single members are often double-tapped, triple, or  even more.   Relieving that situation is also often a good choice.  All that said, if everything truly is full up, I would recommend pro dev.  Learn how to manage yourself and others through the program.  That will be good for yourself as well as the unit (and any other units you go to), long term.

[Briank]

Still struggling with this one.  Haven't been able to meet with a PDO yet.  Have read the pamphlets an absurd amount of times though.  :-)  Here's the ones that I have any real interest in at all...

- The one I'm most interested in is the Command Track (probably due to my early work career progression through management, which I later left to go technical, but I do miss in a lot of ways).  However from our group discussions with the Wing representatives that visited our flight recently, I'm quite certain I do not have the time to take on an actual command position anytime soon (nevermind the fact that this one is not designed to be first).  Still, I would like to have the opportunity to learn along those lines even if I can't be *completely* active right away.  Question 1: Would it be improper to request this track in this situation?

- ES and Operations are not as interesting, but I've done those basic types of things in the past elsewhere.  However, those seem to require time flexibility, which I do not have (I can be very hard to get ahold of for much of the week).  I think this is a bad fit unless I retire or find another full-time job.

- Comm is something in my background that I enjoy (I'm an Amateur Extra, Volunteer Examiner, as well as a GROL+RADAR).  However, we've already got that position covered by another Extra class VE, and we don't have (and probably won't be getting) any radios which makes it all seem kind of silly...

- Aerospace Education is also interesting to me (plus I have some background as I'm an AGI/IGI), but looks like I'm effectively disqualified from ever advancing because I don't have a college teaching degree.

- My full time job is in the tech field, but the CAP Information Technology position doesn't look like a good fit.  It looks like a lot more "front-end"  helpdesk + webmaster type job and I'm a more of a "back-end"/classic "Information Systems" guy (hardware builds, networking, OS administration, as well as desktop software programming and back-end web development).

Question 2: Is it unreasonable to see if I can get signed up for all of them and nibble at each a bit until I find a clear path?

[Eclipse]

You can be enrolled in as many tracks as your CC will allow, and yes, there's no reason you can't try things out.

There's no requirement you have any specific formal education or a degree of any kind for AEO, it's all in the
pamphlet and other materiel.

I would suggest focusing more on the "doing" and less on the ratings.  What do you want to do as a member?

Work radios?  Launch rockets?  Fly?  Maybe recruiting is your forte.  Or Public affairs.  Maybe Safety, Personnel, or even
PDO.

Every staff role needs at least one assistant. A CC who doesn't recognize that is making a mistake - depth at positon allow
people to move on / up / out with little effect to the squadron, not to mention that's the only way to build the next wave.

Concentrate on the tasks and activities you want to participate in and then go from there.

[etodd]

- Aerospace Education is also interesting to me (plus I have some background as I'm an AGI/IGI), but looks like I'm effectively disqualified from ever advancing because I don't have a college teaching degree.

Don't confuse the CAP Aerospace Education system for teachers in school systems, with CAP Aerospace Education for Cadets at meetings. Its different.

[JC004]

Who needs specialty tracks?  I have tons of them.

What you need is THIS:

[Luis R. Ramos]

Missing Donut-related tasks!

And the two missions Picking Coffee!!!

[RogueLeader]

Missing Donut-related tasks!

And the two missions Picking Coffee!!!

MDA (Mission Doughnut Assistant) is a separate, but equally vital staff position.

[JC004]

It is clearly only part of an SQTR.

It is FAR more important than specialty tracks.  Specialty tracks are boring.

You can have some of my senior ratings or whatever.

[SarDragon]

[redacted]
- Comm is something in my background that I enjoy (I'm an Amateur Extra, Volunteer Examiner, as well as a GROL+RADAR).  However, we've already got that position covered by another Extra class VE, and we don't have (and probably won't be getting) any radios which makes it all seem kind of silly...

[redacted

There's nothing wrong with doing Comm. As a retired Navy Avionics Tech, I got roped into it soon after my re-entry into CAP participation, and I have enjoyed it a lot. I even got hectored into taking the ham tests, and now have my very own General license.

Check with your squadron and group folks about getting a radio. It's very often a chicken and egg situation - can't get a radio because there are no operators, and can't become an operator without access to a radio. (Yes, I know it might be overly general, but let's just run with it, as-is. OK?) Over and above that, you can acquire and use your own radio(s) if they are on the NTIA compliance list. You'll find that there are few, if any amateur radios that comply. You'll need to get a commercial (Part 91?) radio to use for CAP. Our frequencies are outside the ham 2 meter band, and the rules are different.

Yuo can never really have too many Comm people.

[TheSkyHornet]

Also actually ask the commander or pro Dev what's up...  quite often in CAP squadrons, positions are "filled" (there is a name associted to the job) but the week to week tasks of the job aren't actally getting done.  Additionally, in many cap squadrons, single members are often double-tapped, triple, or  even more.   Relieving that situation is also often a good choice.  All that said, if everything truly is full up, I would recommend pro dev.  Learn how to manage yourself and others through the program.  That will be good for yourself as well as the unit (and any other units you go to), long term.

I couldn't agree more with this.

All too often, seniors "help out" but they really end up making more work for their superiors or their assistants. Rather than empowering a staff member to do the work of, say, a PDO, the PDO is never around or can never seem to get organized. This leaves another person, often the Commander or Deputy Commander, to have to keep on this person to see the work gets performed, which sometimes, in turn, causes a great rift between individuals. "Get off my back! I'm a volunteer!" It goes 'round and 'round.

But the CC or CD should definitely be able to say what they could use help with. Also consider serving as an Assistant to a primary position.

[kcebnaes]

BrianK: If you need help, please email me! I'd love to offer any assistance that I can!

-that guy from OH-298 who sends all the emails

[LTC Don]

- Comm is something in my background that I enjoy (I'm an Amateur Extra, Volunteer Examiner, as well as a GROL+RADAR).  However, we've already got that position covered by another Extra class VE, and we don't have (and probably won't be getting) any radios which makes it all seem kind of silly...


Question 2: Is it unreasonable to see if I can get signed up for all of them and nibble at each a bit until I find a clear path?

I highlight the Comm bullet simply because it shouldn't be.  If you see a particular area that is languishing, especially with the level of expertise clearly present in your unit, then team up with your colleague and build a program.  Just because you don't have any equipment now doesn't mean some fundraising and creative purchasing, ah la eBay can't produce some resources. 

If there aren't any VHF nets via area repeaters currently going, start one.  If you have even a smidgen of interest in any seniors or cadets in working towards their Comm Badge, put together a program and own it.

But, another consideration is this, your own personal development.  Don't stand off and wonder which one, select at least three, and get the clock ticking on the internships.  Most if not all specialty tracks have at least a six month internship requirement.  Beyond that, is the various proficiency requirements for your PD levels.

Always have in the back of your mind what you need to complete and progress to the next level.  You are not doing your membership or CAP any benefit unless you are constantly moving forward.  Build that CAP expertise to pair with your professional civilian expertise, and great things will happen.

Your membership is an investment into a volunteer career over the long term.

I will tell you that communications during the recent hurricane here in North Carolina was a huge issue.  I suspect similar catastrophes in other wings will expose similar shortcomings.


Good Luck!

[Briank]

To answer an earlier question, I (as well as my wife, we're both pilots) joined specifically to fly.  Unfortunately airplanes seem to be quite hard to come by in this part of the state and neither of us have enough free time to drive all the way over to where there is an airplane, fly, and drive all the way back on a regular basis.  Plus with how quickly drones are coming along I don't anticipate opportunities to fly will improve any.  In just over a year we each have only managed to get 1 back seat MS training ride and no hours at all in the pilot seat (nevermind actually completing a Form 5).

I definitely still want to stay involved, but trying to figure out where has been the challenge.  Currently in the process of moving to a different unit (only half the number of senior members as my old unit, but it's composite instead of senior only), so will have to see what things look like/what the needs are there...

kcebnaes, I may just hit you up for some assistance once we get established with the new unit!  :-)

[Holding Pattern]

To answer an earlier question, I (as well as my wife, we're both pilots) joined specifically to fly.  Unfortunately airplanes seem to be quite hard to come by in this part of the state and neither of us have enough free time to drive all the way over to where there is an airplane, fly, and drive all the way back on a regular basis.  Plus with how quickly drones are coming along I don't anticipate opportunities to fly will improve any.  In just over a year we each have only managed to get 1 back seat MS training ride and no hours at all in the pilot seat (nevermind actually completing a Form 5).

I definitely still want to stay involved, but trying to figure out where has been the challenge.  Currently in the process of moving to a different unit (only half the number of senior members as my old unit, but it's composite instead of senior only), so will have to see what things look like/what the needs are there...

kcebnaes, I may just hit you up for some assistance once we get established with the new unit!  :-)

Until we get much bigger drones a la predator size, cessnas will still have a major role to play in SAR.

[MC653]

I recently submitted my Senior Member packet. I am a former Cadet from about 15 years ago. In my professional career, I have acquired ICS, NIMS, instructor ratings, CBRNE stuff, terrorism, aviation security and the like. I teach these subjects to the public safety community. Is it even worth my time to copy all these certificates and give them to the squadron CO? My intention is to work with Cadets. Does any of that stuff even count for anything besides emergency services? It's a little embarrassing to even bring up, but any thoughts and suggestions are welcome. The same also goes for transcripts.

[Eclipse]

Not really - ICS 300 & 400 plus possibly some of the NIMS could be entered, but if you're not
involved in ES, won't be relevent to your CP time.