My education journey: Husband, wife make way for education Published July 5, 2009 By Senior Airman Julius Delos Reyes 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Editor's note: This article is the second in a seven-part series highlighting the journey of Edwards Airmen in completing their education. Part three of the series is scheduled for publication Aug. 14. The Marriage Boulevard exit should have slowed down an Edwards technical sergeant who was driving down Education Freeway. However, it was actually that exit, which led him to finally completing his Community College Air Force degree and finishing his bachelor's degree. Tech. Sgt. Joe Gambles, 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron Global Hawk aircraft lead evaluator, and his wife, Danielle, supported each other for better or worse to ensure both of them receive diplomas. "Education is extremely important because we realized early on that education is going to be the catalyst for any future financial success - that's where it all starts," Sergeant Gambles said. "As a married military member, trying to get your degree, it is absolutely essential that you sit down with your spouse. This is to work out your ultimate end goal and what you want. From there, you plot out how you want to get there." They started with a dream - to be able to do what they would enjoy doing. Sergeant Gambles also wanted to be on the commissioned officer side of the house. "Getting your degree allows you to do what you enjoy doing," Mrs. Gambles said. Acting on the dream, Sergeant Gambles chose Edwards as a base of preference when he received the opportunity to do so. They travelled south from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. It was their intent to come here to finish school because of the scheduled peak and trough days of the base's mission operation. With this in mind, Sergeant and Mrs. Gambles found the time to take online courses. "You've got to make way," the sergeant said. "You have to conform, change your plan if you need to and keep pressing forward." According to Mrs. Gambles, they had to tailor their goals to where they are located. "When I got here, my goals were to put my family first, be active in the community and achieve a bachelor's degree," she said. Mrs. Gambles wanted to be in the medical field but with the scarcity of medical courses being offered on base or online, she opted to take Bachelors in Business Administration Project Management, and plans to pursue what she wants later. When their children came, Mrs. Gambles had to put school on pause for some time while Sergeant Gambles continued pursuing his degree. "I understood what was important at the time," she said. "We needed to get his degree done. I was fine with not going to college because I enjoyed being a mom and in my kids' lives." However, the Gambles attribute their success in pursuing their education from constant communication and time management. "Every time a semester starts out, we would sit down, plan and talk together," Mrs. Gambles said. "We would set up days for education as well as days for the family. Communication is the key to balancing family. We just made the effort to sit down every week to ensure we have a healthy home environment." Sergeant Gambles said working on education involves sacrifices. "It is worth it," he said. "You are sacrificing time and your part in the family. You can't give up and you have to keep going. You have to start with a goal. But you also have to reward yourself. Enjoy those small victories."