AFMC Command News

My educational journey: College degree "a must" -- reality after active duty

  • Published
  • By Retired Chief Master Sgt. Mark S. Brejcha
  • Former 412th Test Wing Command Chief
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. --  "The opportunity of a lifetime must be taken in the lifetime of the opportunity."  - Author Unknown

In 2010, I went back to the future. After serving nearly 30 years in the Air Force, my family and I decided to retire and move back to our "Norman Rockwell-ish" town of Big Rapids, Mich., where I'm currently going to college at Ferris State University. It's hard to believe that I'm a full-time college student again, finishing now what I failed to complete back in 1977 -- my bachelors degree. But I'm doing it thanks to the education benefits I earned while serving this great nation. With the post-9/11 G.I. Bill, I have my tuition, books and a housing stipend paid for by Uncle Sam. In addition, I've been accepted into the teaching program at Ferris State and will be partnering with the national Troops to Teachers program to earn my teaching certificate so I can make a difference in the lives of young people. Life is good.

In my pursuit to go to college full-time, two things quickly became crystal clear: 1) College campuses across the country are very military friendly and accommodating, and 2) The civilian job market recognizes your degree first, military experience second.

Whether separating or retiring from the Air Force, you will not be alone on campus if you decide to go to college for the first time or go "back to college." Most college campuses throughout the United States have veteran's assistance offices that will guide you in your education journey. Along with the veteran's assistance office, many campuses have a veteran's support group that can help you connect with former G.I's from all branches of service. Ferris State's veterans group is a regional leader in this, and I'm proud to be a member. Two great Americans out of the 400 veteran students on the Ferris State campus are former Air Force active duty enlisted members -- Steve Neshkoff and Brian Nanko.

Steve is currently attending Ferris full-time on the post-9/11 G.I. Bill. At Ferris, he's a stand-out on the track and cross-country teams and he'll be graduating in spring 2012 with a teaching degree in history education. His education journey began in 2002 when he enlisted in the Air Force as a Security Forces member; serving in the missile fields of Montana, Camp Bucca, Iraq, and even Air Force One. Steve shares, "It was difficult taking college classes while on active duty due to the high tempo of my job, always wanting to be focused on-task and living up to our core values. It wasn't until I got out of the Air Force at the end of my six year enlistment that I decided to pursue and finish my undergraduate degree full-time."

As a former NCO, Steve encourages all first-termers not to wait: "Take it one class at a time and pursue that degree slowly, ensuring that you have something to use (transfer credits) if you decide to leave after your first-term. Don't be that person that gets out without an education plan. If you decide to go to college, then do it. Don't wait."

Like Steve, Staff Sgt. Brian Nanko -- now an Air Crew Flight Equipment technician with the 110th Airlift Wing in the Michigan Air National Guard -- has also taken advantage of education benefits post active-duty. "Several things brought me back home to Michigan," says Brian. "I still wanted to serve in the Air Force, so I joined the Air National Guard out of Battle Creek. I also love to work with metal, and being able to attend the Ferris welding engineering program on the Chapter 33 G.I. Bill (post-9/11) will give me the opportunity I need to be successful in the civilian sector."

Sergeant Nanko, who started his education journey while on active duty (taking basic courses), will simultaneously complete his Community College of the Air Force degree and graduate from Ferris this spring with a bachelor's degree in welding engineering. Brian has this to say to current Air Force NCOs about a CCAF degree: "It's silly not to get a CCAF degree. An NCO needs to set the example. For me, I think that learning should be a never-ending pursuit. If not, our Airmen may become complacent in their knowledge and be left behind. Our nation deserves a military that has the edge in an ever-changing world, and education gives us that."

The second revelation about going to college is the stark reality about the U.S. job market and the decline of jobs that don't require a degree. For me, 30 years active duty, two CCAF degrees, and retiring as a "command chief" amounts to a lot of pats on the back, but it won't get me to the job interview. In most cases, the civilian job sector requires a college degree (bachelor's or master's level), and human resources departments are usually constrained in allowing non-degree holding candidates to compete for a posted job. If that reality doesn't sober you up, maybe this will -- a 22 year old college graduate with very little work experience will make it to the job interview while a 20 year master sergeant or a 30 year chief get a nice conciliatory letter thanking them for submitting their application. Stark reality indeed.

Reality always has another part to it, so let's recreate that previous job prospect by placing an undergraduate degree in the hands of the former G.I. A bachelor's degree (in most cases), plus military service experience, leads to the interview. The educated, prior-enlisted G.I. now has what I call the "unstoppable resume." The interview usually lands the job -- hands down. That 22 year old can no longer compete. He or she now get the conciliatory letter because two important things are lacking ... leadership and work experience.

Civilian employers love college-educated former G.I.'s. The reputation of those who have served in the military is still held in high regard on the outside. This is a huge plus when looking for a job. However, employers can't hire you if you haven't earned a degree -- it's that simple. First get your CCAF degree, and then quickly get your undergraduate degree while you're on active duty. This is our current reality; this is our truth in the enlisted world.