Hey I made the transition to the Dark side and wanted to know if you guys have any advice for the new guy on the block.
I will be serving as The Emergency Services Officer and Asst. Deputy commander for cadets
Get out of the Assistant DCC gig and stay away from Cadet Programs for a while. Put some space between your cadetness and seniorness. Right now you still will see the CP from more of a phase II cadets perspective. Take some time to build a senior CP leaders perspective.
Agreed on getting away from the cadet program for a while. It's going to be very tough to separate yourself from your cadet friends, so it's much easier to avoid the situation altogethor. On top of that, it's good to become well versed in a variety of areas, so working in something different actually helps make you more valuable in the long run.
+1
That is good advice from a couple of guys that have the experience.
I too did the transition from cadet to senior and looking back, 18 years ago when I made that transition, it was one of the best things that happened in my adult CAP career.
I worked with cadets occasionally, usually through emergency services one weekend a month as their GTL, but that was pretty much it. I attended activities, but was never directly in charge of cadets for several years.
I later earned a master rating in cadet programs. You are too close in age to the cadets you will be supervising. Too much rope to hang yourself with. It's not worth it. Continue working on your rating in cadet programs, but pick something else as well, like administration. Learn the administrative ropes of CAP as a senior member (officer) before you start trying to master the cadet program.
Trust me, Mike and Mike and others who have been where you are. It's critical to your success as a future leader of cadets.
Quote from: MIKE on May 05, 2010, 06:21:27 PM
Get out of the Assistant DCC gig and stay away from Cadet Programs for a while. Put some space between your cadetness and seniorness. Right now you still will see the CP from more of a phase II cadets perspective. Take some time to build a senior CP leaders perspective.
Yep.
Quote from: MIKE on May 05, 2010, 06:21:27 PM
Get out of the Assistant DCC gig and stay away from Cadet Programs for a while. Put some space between your cadetness and seniorness. Right now you still will see the CP from more of a phase II cadets perspective. Take some time to build a senior CP leaders perspective.
Concur.
I took the Aerospace Education Officer for Seniors route instead of ES. Interested in both, but the squadron needed an AEO more than another ESO at the time. :)
If you do attend activities, try to force yourself from direct interaction with cadets present, or limit your participation to training small groups. This isn't because you've suddenly become a leper, and can't be around cadets, you just need to get the 'senior leader perspective' that others have talked about. Also, try to get as much experience as you can in areas that you didn't get to see as a cadet- such as admin, logistics, finance, etc. You'll want a broader prospective for when you eventually start working directly with cadets again- assuming that's what you want to do.
Quote from: Pingree1492 on May 05, 2010, 11:26:48 PM
Quote from: MIKE on May 05, 2010, 06:21:27 PM
Get out of the Assistant DCC gig and stay away from Cadet Programs for a while. Put some space between your cadetness and seniorness. Right now you still will see the CP from more of a phase II cadets perspective. Take some time to build a senior CP leaders perspective.
Concur.
I took the Aerospace Education Officer for Seniors route instead of ES. Interested in both, but the squadron needed an AEO more than another ESO at the time. :)
If you do attend activities, try to force yourself from direct interaction with cadets present, or limit your participation to training small groups. This isn't because you've suddenly become a leper, and can't be around cadets, you just need to get the 'senior leader perspective' that others have talked about. Also, try to get as much experience as you can in areas that you didn't get to see as a cadet- such as admin, logistics, finance, etc. You'll want a broader prospective for when you eventually start working directly with cadets again- assuming that's what you want to do.
A little off topic, but I've noticed cadets can get involved in the same specialty tracks as the senior member counterparts are usually involved in and the cadets usually serve in an assistant capacity so why are cadets not seeing this side of the program? They should be FWIW in their aspect of the program when it comes to logistics, supply, admin, financial aspects of planning their activities along with the senior members who are doing the same areas to support it.
Absolutely. Step away from the cadet program in command for a while, and see what the rest of CAP has, it will make you be able to perform better in the future with Cadet Programs.
Especially if you're in the same unit you were in, the cadets will still look at you as one of them. It's a really hard transition at first. One of the places that cold turkey works the best.
Being a former cadet, I recommend the same. I left CAP to join the Marines and 5 yrs later, came back as a Senior when my time was up. I stepped in as the DCC. All the cadets I had been cadets with were all gone. There was no connection with me having been a cadet beyond wearing my Mitchell ribbon. Being at a meeting tonight as a cadet, and showing up next week as a Senior would be hard. Work with cadets indirectly until you can make a separation. Now if all your unit has for the DCC is you, then work with it. But if it doesnt have to be you, dont.
Quote from: mynetdude on May 06, 2010, 12:19:49 AM
A little off topic, but I've noticed cadets can get involved in the same specialty tracks as the senior member counterparts are usually involved in and the cadets usually serve in an assistant capacity so why are cadets not seeing this side of the program? They should be FWIW in their aspect of the program when it comes to logistics, supply, admin, financial aspects of planning their activities along with the senior members who are doing the same areas to support it.
Other than the SDA's and some of our older cadets, cadets should not really be involved in running the program, they should be
participating in the program.
I cringe when I see cadets posting on blogs with more unit titles than stripes - that's usually an indication of a failing
unit, with too few adults, reaching for any help they can get.
By design most cadets get little exposure to unit operations before the time out or transition.
I also have to agree with most of those here.
I know Millington has been struggling for a while. I was the DDR Administrator for Tennessee Wing from 2007 - 2008
However step away from the cadet side and look at what else CAP has to offer. I am a former cadet who did the transition to the dark side and the best thing I did was step away from cadets and took on a role as a Public Affairs Officer.
Now did I take a fall yes I did I staffed National Honor Guard Academy in 2003 a year after I turned Senior and couldn't handle it cause I was still to close to the cadets that they felt they could run over me. I stepped back and took a break and came back in 2005 and was a Senior Advisor (Tac Officer) and it was fine.
Quote from: FLCAP 268 on May 06, 2010, 09:39:37 PM
I know Millington has been struggling for a while. I was the DDR Administrator for Tennessee Wing from 2007 - 2008
Our squadron has been struggling for seniors for a while now and you would think it wouldn't be a problem with a high military presence but it is. That's why i stepped in to the ADCC spot. ESO is just a natural spot for me being that I was kinda doing it on the cadet side already.
I'm going to be a bit of a contrarian here and suggest that sometimes it is just fine to keep working in CP after your 21st birthday.
I don't want to understate the leadership challenge involved, but I think most successful cadet officers can make the transition to senior member still involved in the program if they have the necessary support and guidance.
If a former cadet enjoys and can make a positive contribution in ES or another non-CP field, fine. But if they enjoy CP and want to work with cadets, I don't think it is always necessary to exile them to some make-work assignment for a year or more. That just leads to retention issues.
Most cadet officers approaching their 21st BD are highly skilled in CP, and we need to leverage that experience as a senior whenever feasible.
It is eminently doable.
Ned Lee
Former Cadet, Current Senior
(Who successfully transitioned to a senior working in CP with the beneifit of great mentors and leaders.)
The transition from Cadet to Senior member is an abrupt change for the member. This is one of the reasons I think CAP needs to drag out of mothballs the old Officer Training Corp program. The old [program was voluntary for 18 to 21 year old. If brought back it would be mandatory. This puts OTC members in a peer group not among 13 year olds. It is a stepping stone to Senior member duty assignments. Heck, Ned Lee and I could develop the new program after a few phone conversations or emails.
One change from the old program and current Flight Officer grade, give OTC members "real" grade insignia. This should be the old USAF Warrent Officer grade insignia. Like the Armys, only the brown stripes across the bar is blue. Since USAF no longer uses it, they should have no problem with this. One complaint I always hear from members in Flight Officer grades is Senior members don't seem to realize they have grade. The smoulder slides with narrow stripes, look like airline pilots insignia or Junior ROTC. The WO grade insignia ends that problem. A silver bar with 1, 2, or 3 stripes indicates the three levels of the current FO grades.
An OTC program to transition cadets to Senior member would not focus on "leadership" as much as duty assignments on the Senior level. This may mean that an entirely new program be developed based on the leadership principles the former cadet has learned and senior level professional development and local unit duties. The OTC program or what ever name you want to give it, would solve many of the problems in the Cadet to Senior transition as well as probably would help in retaining the 18 to 21 year old members.
I would agree with that. One of the best Senior Members I know stayed in CP after turning 21.
Honestly the biggest problem I've seen are the guys that either joined late or just never bothered to promote past Junior NCO or Airman. They're usually intrested in the ES or Comms side of the house and they just marked time until they're 18th birthday. At which point they become Flight Officers.
Then the C/Officers arn't fans of the FO because they feel like the guy sidestepped the natural order of things. Cadet enlisted are confused by the whole situation.
Quote from: mynetdude on May 06, 2010, 12:19:49 AM
Quote from: Pingree1492 on May 05, 2010, 11:26:48 PM
Quote from: MIKE on May 05, 2010, 06:21:27 PM
Get out of the Assistant DCC gig and stay away from Cadet Programs for a while. Put some space between your cadetness and seniorness. Right now you still will see the CP from more of a phase II cadets perspective. Take some time to build a senior CP leaders perspective.
Concur.
I took the Aerospace Education Officer for Seniors route instead of ES. Interested in both, but the squadron needed an AEO more than another ESO at the time. :)
If you do attend activities, try to force yourself from direct interaction with cadets present, or limit your participation to training small groups. This isn't because you've suddenly become a leper, and can't be around cadets, you just need to get the 'senior leader perspective' that others have talked about. Also, try to get as much experience as you can in areas that you didn't get to see as a cadet- such as admin, logistics, finance, etc. You'll want a broader prospective for when you eventually start working directly with cadets again- assuming that's what you want to do.
A little off topic, but I've noticed cadets can get involved in the same specialty tracks as the senior member counterparts are usually involved in and the cadets usually serve in an assistant capacity so why are cadets not seeing this side of the program? They should be FWIW in their aspect of the program when it comes to logistics, supply, admin, financial aspects of planning their activities along with the senior members who are doing the same areas to support it.
While I dutifully did my SDA's and was interacting a great deal with the senior side of the program. So I got to see and learn about the responsibilities, but it's an entirely different world when you are the one actually responsible. Another thing that is different between the cadet and senior world is that while you might organize logistics (who brings/provides what), you're not the one actually going out and buying supplies and such (or at least I didn't).
Also, it's very different talking and interacting with parents as a senior cadet in the program (i.e. role model for the parent's daughter/son), versus talking and interacting with parents as an adult leader responsible for the safety and well-being of their daughter/son.