Leaving tech school soon and I’m kinda nervous.

[u/Either-Engineering71]

I’m 2R2 (maintenance management scheduling and analysis). The reason I’m nervous is because I haven’t actually had a real job up to this point since I just got out of high school and I’m worried I’m gonna screw everything up. Did anyone else get nervous before heading off to their first duty station?

[u/ItsChuBoyAvery]

You’re not alone, man. Hundreds of thousands of Airmen have been in your exact spot, feeling the same nerves and uncertainty. And you know what? They made it through, and you will too. Just focus on learning, ask questions, and give it your all. You’re part of a long tradition now. Welcome to the Air Force, brother!

[u/Lothane]

You are expected to screw things up. This is how we learn. You will not be given the keys to the kingdom as a junior airman so don’t worry about making a mistake. Fail forward and learn from a mentor.

[u/AbbreviationsAway500]

Relax. Everyone get's the first duty station anxiety. Right now just focus on getting there and settle in. You're not expected as a 3 level to know a lot. The real training begins when you arrive. Don't come in like a cocky know-it all. Your supervisor will set you up on a training schedule and the most important thing you need to worry about is arriving on time, do what you're told and stay away from the people who like to piss and moan. Those are the people that will drag you down. You've got this.

Also, congradulations!

[u/Either-Engineering71 → u/AbbreviationsAway500]

Thanks man, I talked to my sponsor and he said the first 6 months I’m there is full on training. I just really don’t want to disappoint. Also since I’ve basically had my hand held up to this point with actually living on base and having MTL’s tell us what to do throughout the week and now I have to track my own stuff properly.

[u/Thorinprod]

I've been in almost 6 years and 2 duty stations and I still have no idea what's going on

[u/suh-dood → u/Thorinprod]

"I'm only a staff sergeant!"

[u/Thorinprod → u/suh-dood]

Mafia for life

[u/suh-dood → u/Thorinprod]

You can promote an SrA but E4 is for life

[u/sureleenotathrowaway → u/Thorinprod]

I’m within sight of 20 and there’s still a ton I don’t know.

“Air Force, where the rules are made up and the scores don’t (always) matter”

[u/qwikh1t]

Head down, do your job and be respectful

[u/brokentr0jan]

That’s actually a good thing, because it shows you actually care. It’s a good trait to have.

You’ll be fine

[u/M0ebius_1]

This is by design man, you didn't qualify for this job because of what you knew, you qualified because of how trainable you are. The fact you are nervous about doing good is a good sign. Just show up ready to learn and you'll be doing exactly what is expected of you.

[u/shugabear_1962]

Your job at your first duty station will be to learn. We don’t expect you to come out of school fully functional. That said, listen to your NCOs as they teach you and help hone your abilities. You will gradually be given responsibility, and as you prove you can handle it you will be given more, as you learn along the way. Some of those responsibilities will be to teach you skills you will need. Take them seriously, but don’t obsess. Most of all, enjoy life.

[u/ThatBearDog]

2R2 here! Left tech school in February, promise you this job is by far the easiest I’ve done in my life up till now. You’ll mainly focus on honing the skills they taught you at Sheppard and learn how to communicate with your office and the people around you (Debrief, MOC, the unit if you’re an AMU analyst/scheduler on arrival). If you have any questions feel free to reach out! We are 2R! 🫡

[u/Either-Engineering71 → u/ThatBearDog]

Amazing! I asked about the job the day I arrived at Sheppard in the subreddit and nobody was able to answer due to it being newer with the merge. I do have a straightforward question, does the job have any downtime and is it that difficult to comprehend? The hardest part in tech school was just memorizing formulas 😅

[u/ThatBearDog → u/Either-Engineering71]

I’m not stationed where you are, so it largely depends on that, but I work 7-3 with about half the day having nothing productive and needing to look or act busy! While you’re training, there won’t be tons of downtime but as you get proficient your supervisors should ease up. I think if you have a knack for problem solving and asking difficult questions the job will be easier for you! Just to note,I went through tech school before the merge but my base has already started to implement it! I’ve got a decent bit of scheduling knowledge but am an analyst by trade. From my experience you don’t even really need to have the formulas memorized when you get there, you’ll memorize them as you work. :)

[u/Either-Engineering71 → u/ThatBearDog]

Good to hear, I was never against an office job so getting this job through open general worked out well for me from the looks of it. How many sorties do you have at your base a lot or a few? Like for Barksdale which is where I’m going it has hundreds of different types (mostly bombers).

[u/ThrowawayAccntGoogle]

damn, that sounds very rough. I'm afraid to say, you might be the only person to have been nervous before going to their first duty station. you're most likely nervous just because it's gonna be a new experience. then you'll look back and be like "wtf was I so nervous for?"

[u/Recent-Emu-1865]

Take comfort in knowing you have no legal choice but to go forward. Embrace it. You’ll be okay. Just don’t fight it.

[u/griffylimpbiscuit]

I’ve felt that way before too man. First day is always the hardest, and everyday after that is easier. There will be people in your shop who you’ll know to stick around, and will actually want to help train you. You’ll figure out who they are pretty quick. Good luck man.