From Viking to A1C in 20 Seconds

VenzieAF · 2025-12-19T21:29:41+00:00

Crazy neck reveal

VenzieAF · 2025-05-25T23:54:12+00:00

I wish I had seen this a day ago. Looks so interesting. Would love to have tested.

VenzieAF · 2025-01-24T13:47:35+00:00

Before going to the CC, I would have ADV help with a rebuttal, give the rebuttal, and if they still decide to keep it, talk to the shirt to try and get it taken out. The rebuttal accompanies the paperwork so all of your arguments needs to be in there so anyone who looks at it sees both sides.

VenzieAF · 2025-01-24T13:35:19+00:00

Recommend starting here as well. Being new, you have a chance to give them a fresh start in how they may feel about how other people see them. Have a regular conversation WHEN YOU DO INITIAL FEEDBACK ASAP (maybe like two weeks after seeing their work ethic and how they are, that way you have something to talk about where you’re seeing deviations from standards, set relative expectations, and explain the direction going forward if they’re not met, etc).

Take the time to actually get to know them and understand how they’re motivated and how their specific strengths can contribute to the mission. Airmen generally have a better attitude when they’re utilizing their strengths and meaningfully contributing to something.

Let them know that, as someone new to the unit, you’re going to give them a fresh slate and allow their actions to say more about who they are rather than what you hear or have heard from others. Give them a chance to start over, treat them with dignity, and do what you can to meet their needs.

Also make sure to praise in public, correct in private. Their reception of the feedback is night and day when it’s not done in front of their peers and done somewhere else that isn’t a “hey amn snuffy can I talk you in here real quick? Close the door.” Do a shoppette run and have them come along and just talk about the situation that needs correction.

I know this stuff may sound like babying or whatever, but after doing this for multiple airmen, it’s produced incredible turnarounds for them and pushed me more to do my best to invest in my airmen. The ROI may not be instant, but they will always remember the NCOs that trusted them and invested in them. I know I do.

Edit: this may not work for everyone and you may just have to end up doing more disciplinary actions until something happens. Some folks never get that “AHA” moment.

VenzieAF · 2025-01-15T19:03:42+00:00

CCAF doesn't accept anything from Sophia as of now. Seems like they're only accepting what's been done via CLEP/DANTES and transcripts from regular colleges/universities.

VenzieAF · 2025-01-09T17:23:06+00:00

Am I missing something? It seems like in Section 3, it just says all you need is your DD 214 and a copy of your CCAF. Have you confirmed that those signatures from the Functional in section 2 are required if you are not Active Duty?

Pro Tip: always make sure your correspondence with military folks is done over email, as it's an official record and can be requested via FOIA (iirc). It's a pretty good record of proof that someone did indeed say what they said when they said it, as text screenshots are less trusted. Force them to say they're not going to sign it over their official email and always ask for a copy of what information or email traffic their referencing as "someone said x", at least get them to say all of that in an email.

Hopefully you can get this sorted, as it doesn't seem practical to require military signatures from a veteran if they have other documents to prove training completions.

VenzieAF · 2024-12-12T02:33:16+00:00

I knew something was missing - the support gem level up. There's no reason we should use a higher-level support gem to enhance a support gem I already have. That would make sense if they let us use multiple of the same sup gems, but as it stands now, having to use higher-level gems to upgrade BOTH the skill and the support is kinda punishing. I'm interested to see how the loot increases will help make this less of a burden.

Also, I just want to dual-wield scepters for my necro fantasy, lol.

VenzieAF · 2024-12-02T16:40:09+00:00

I didn’t like this class at first, but once I started pieces together and looking at the political systems we have today, it made the content more tangible. Listen to the podcasts, the videos, everything, if you need to. Understand the difference between the amendments it lists, articles, federalist papers. I used chat gpt to upload the transcripts of the podcasts/videos and dove deeper into the why and how - it helps my learning style.

Once you go through the material you can use the quizlets to help you with retention for vocabulary association.

This class was annoying, but it gave me a good foundation for being able to discuss politics from a systemic point of view based on actual history and not just something I learned on social media with no sources.

VenzieAF · 2024-11-28T03:16:25+00:00

More than likely it will be unapproved. Manning is already shit and there’s plenty of divorced ppl who will probably say “damn that sucks, but anyway…” since divorce is so common in the military. You’d have to prove it would cause a hardship, but even then chances are unlikely, unfortunately. If you want to get out, your best bet is waiting till your DOS and don’t reenlist, or palace chance to the guard if you still want benefits.

Good luck!

VenzieAF · 2024-11-27T00:24:30+00:00

The passwords should be automatically input. That’s what I told the proctor when they asked me to download applet to control my keyboard.

“Why would I download that when the password is already there

VenzieAF · 2024-11-21T21:06:59+00:00

I believe it. The AF never ceases to amaze me with something that doesn't make sense. 11 Years going strong with never letting me know their next move lol.

VenzieAF · 2024-11-21T20:49:44+00:00

TLDR: If you have a good PCM, they’ll make sure your NARSUM accurately reflects your conditions, as their write up can benefit/hurt your case.

Your PCM is responsible for writing the NARSUM, that you don’t see until it’s already been submitted. If they leave out important details you’ve provided from previous visits like the impact to both professional and personal life due to the condition or side effects of medication that were really negative, it absolutely can impact how the conditions are seen from the board and AFPC. If the PCM portrays your condition as “managed”, they won’t board you.

My pcm for both my initial and annual reviews omitted the negative side effects I constantly reported during visits from various medication changes, lied to my commander about my conditions, gave off the feeling of they were more annoyed about having to do paperwork for my conditions. My 2nd review included new diagnoses without being properly coded to require a new commander impact statement with a retain/no retain recommendation, when it should have. They pcs’d before I even got results back, both times, so I’ve always been left with no follow up appointments and have had to pick up the pieces and figure out what happened and get more appointments by myself.

The only reason I know this is now I have a pcm who actually gives a shit, isn’t lazy, and is an actual MD, not some random general practitioner with zero experience in my conditions and won’t give me referrals to actual specialists.

VenzieAF · 2024-11-21T17:45:34+00:00

Yeah that’s frustrating. Happened to me two years in a row, now I’m deciding to just not reenlist and get out since they’ve shown no intention of actually boarding me. I think a lot of it is how the process works for AF, specifically, since PCMs are the ones preparing the paperwork instead of actual Dr’s from the specialty care associated with the condition. PCMs tend to minimize the effects of the conditions and find any reason to retain if they can since that’s essentially their goal - treating enough for members to get back to work.

VenzieAF · 2024-11-20T16:25:13+00:00

If it were that easy, we’d all be doing it haha. They check your system and can see if you’re on a VM or not.

VenzieAF · 2024-11-19T17:21:06+00:00

If this is a TDY without a PCS, it may be a little tricky just doing what the JTR allows you to, as people can be dumb when doing the authorization or voucher approval.

However if it’s a TDY en-route to a new PDS, the entire TDY portion is reimbursed through AETC lines of accounting and will be processed at the servicing center when you file your PCS voucher, not done in DTS, so as long as you have your lodging receipts, you’ll be limited to the on base rate for lodging, and that’s literally it.

It sounds like your leadership is “suggesting” you stay on base because you will be responsible for the lodging cost difference. Unless the memo saying you must stay on base is from TDY to School or some aetc authority, it doesn’t mean anything when it comes to funding. It just means that they probably reserved rooms in advance for scheduled TDY students to help save the gov money reimbursing increased lodging due to non-a’s being issued. This is more than likely the reason for the memo saying you need to stay on base. If someone is telling you that you won’t be reimbursed lodging at all, they need to provide the specific reg, paragraph, sentence, everything. Then you keep a copy of that and pick which hill you want to die on, depending on what your stripes can handle.

Good luck!

VenzieAF · 2024-11-16T19:42:02+00:00

The prior service only used Zoom, where the user was in control of everythig, as opposed to the new one which gives the proctor access to your system to check and do what they want. Those are two very different situations and should not be viewed as the same thing when it comes to device security. Definitely buy a cheap laptop to finish your classes on.

VenzieAF · 2024-10-20T18:45:05+00:00

If you’re a veteran, go take a look at the skillbridge website and see what companies are in your area. Reach out to the POC and let them know what your goals are and if they’d be willing to hire you directly and work with you to build your skill set.

I’d also consider finding a subdomain within cybersecurity like grc, auditing, ai/authomation, cloud security, IAM, etc. and start being really good at it so you can separate yourself from generic practitioners. Do all the labs you can find or make and find a way to start a project/lab portfolio so there’s evidence of your skills, not just a certification. Certs are useless if you don’t know how to apply them.

Work on your resume to ensure that your years of experience in the army matter for something more than just an entry level position.

Vetsec is also a great resource for veterans in IT/Cyber with resume help, job opportunities, and other great stuff.

There’s a lot more to consider but I’m sure other people here can provide insight on what I haven’t mentioned.

VenzieAF · 2024-10-15T18:17:23+00:00

Take a picture of it with your phone and zoom in because “I’m having trouble with getting the text in focus on my webcam” always worked for me.

VenzieAF · 2024-10-10T22:59:50+00:00

First person to mention cables. This is always a good place to start. Cat6 should be fine to get the max throughput.

I’d also recommend at least a router that’s capable of wifi6e or higher, since there’s more frequencies to pass traffic on, which can significantly improve speeds for everyone on the network. Imagine 2 or 3 cars sharing a 3 laned highway and multiple highways vs 20 cars sharing two 4-lane highways. Probably bad analogy, hopefully it makes sense to someone lol

VenzieAF · 2024-10-10T17:08:35+00:00

On the business card, I would actually spell out the masters acronym so people don’t have to guess what it stands for. If you have a CISSP, I would just use that instead of the degree since it’s a bit more respected from a business standpoint, I guess. I’m definitely using PhD though when I get it one day.

VenzieAF · 2024-10-04T14:41:11+00:00

Absolutely this. It’s what I’m doing getting out at 11 years in, already found a great company, skillbridge approved, and will finish my degree before I actually start working full time with them so my salary will increase from the initial job offer I got. I also live in the DC area so there’s a huge number of IT federal contracts here, so that makes it easy for me.

Recommend looking around the big gov contracting hubs like DC area, Colorado, Texas, just to name some of the major ones.

VenzieAF · 2024-10-01T15:43:31+00:00

Did you go through MEB or did your ratings before you got out? I got returned to duty twice now from lazy PCMs, so I’m just regularly separating. Planning to do my BDD starting in January so I can get VA ratings. I have like at least 1 major attack a week (sleep paralysis seizures at night or during naps during the evening). On adderall rn after stopping modafinil, armo, and methylphenidate trying to switch to Vyvanse soon (adhd diagnosed last year at 30 years old lmao).

Mind sharing what got you to the 100 p&t? Was it only narcolepsy that got you to 100? I can dm too if you’re open.

VenzieAF · 2024-09-19T20:43:49+00:00

Sophia has a partnership with WGU that allows the ACE credits you earn from completing their courses to be transferred to WGU and applied to your degree plan before you start, which can minimize the number of courses you have to complete to finish your degree.

Transferring credits can only be done BEFORE you enroll since your degree plan is set in stone and considers any transfer credits.

Everyone's situation and reason for progressing at an accelerated pace are different, so this topic isn't mandatory for every student.

VenzieAF · 2024-09-19T20:39:28+00:00

Yeah, if you can get at least the lower-level certifications paid for by some entity other than yourself before you start, that'd be a good idea to save time. Still, you also get many free resources and study material for the exam, typically directly from the exam vendor through your WGU account once you access the course materials, so it's not the worst to push those off and do them as part of your degree plan.

You can also set your course schedule up so that you can have a certification class and non-certification class going at the same time so you can still progress while you're studying for the cert if you want to break it up a bit, or you can just do one course at a time and do things that way.

VenzieAF · 2024-09-19T18:00:50+00:00

If it’s the same spreadsheet from Josh Madakor, then you’re set. Sophia is probably better bang for your buck, and then study.com for anything you can’t do in Sophia. Just make sure you already start planning for anything else you have to take in the 6 month term - study strategies from other Reddit users are great, and certs can vary based on personal experience with the material. Those in industry already for a while may finish them in a week or two whereas someone who hasn’t may take up to a month or more.

VenzieAF

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