CAAs help shed light on career options Published Sept. 9, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Siuta B. Ika 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- For Airmen who might be thinking about retraining into a different career field, or at a crossroads in their current enlistment and may be deciding between transferring to National Guard, Reserve or civilian life, finding information regarding what actions to take can be overwhelming. Fortunately for Airmen stationed at Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases, and the Nevada Test and Training Range, the 99th Force Support Squadron offers two resources rich in retention and transitioning knowledge - career assistance advisors. "Our job is to arm Airmen with information so they can make the right career decisions for themselves and their families," said Master Sgt. Marcy Holland, 99th FSS CAA. "We are an untapped resource that a lot of Airmen don't know about, but we're here to help them, whether they're staying in or getting out." One way CAAs disseminate information is through the various seminars and classes they conduct, which includes the Informed Decision Seminar and Retraining 101. "The Informed Decision Seminar is exactly what it sounds like; we give first and second term Airmen, who are 12 to 15 months from their date of separation, all of the information they need to make an informed decision," said Senior Master Sgt. Tonya Joyce, 99th FSS CAA. "For Retraining 101 we give the basic information on how to apply for retraining, so when their retraining window opens, they're not lost and they know how to research." In addition to the Informed Decision Seminar and Retraining 101, which are both held twice a month, the CAAs also facilitates the NCO and Senior NCO Professional Enhancement Seminars, which provides participants a 'street smarts' approach opposed to a traditional professional military education, Joyce said. The CAAs also assist Airmen assigned to geographically separated units and Holland will be manning the CAA office at Creech, which is scheduled to open Nov. 1. "We work with people on a case-by-case basis, so even if they're in California we can help them," Joyce said. "We have videos of the classes we can send for them to watch, so if they can't attend in person, they can still receive the information they need." With the Air Force currently going through force reductions, Joyce said a lot of Airmen may be receiving false information about the future of their careers. "We are in an unprecedented time in the Air Force and a lot of people are asking questions that we don't have the answers to yet," Joyce said. "There's a lot of supervisors with Airmen who have questions but don't know the avenues to get them [the right right answers], so they're giving them false information or no information at all." Ultimately, Joyce said although it's up to each Airman to take charge of their career, she stands ready to assist. "Take ownership of your Air Force career, whether it's for 4, 6, 10 or 20 years," she said. "There is an abundance of information at your fingertips through various virtual and local resources - seek it out. Spare the time to inform and improve yourself. Our office is here to help you do that." For more information about any of the services the CAA provides, contact their office at 702-652-8723 or by emailing tonya.joyce@us.af.mil or marcy.holland@us.af.mil.
