You never know: How one senior NCO is helping Airmen take control

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jessica Hines
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  From helping Air Force families cope with deployments, to helping Airmen take control of their careers, one master sergeant has made a profession of giving back and paying it forward.
Master Sgt. Jessica Woodruff, 8th Force Support Squadron career assistance advisor, probably knows more about career progression than most Airmen, but that's her job. With more than 20 years and almost three special duty assignments under her belt, Woodruff has learned how to make a job into a career; more than that, she wants the Airmen around her to do the same.

"I've found so many different things in the Air Force I didn't know about, because you kind of get tunnel vision when you do your same job, with the same supervisor. One good thing about the military - constant change," Woodruff said.

"My goal is to bring them up to where I am - I got to where I wanted, if I go further, that's a bonus - my job now is to make sure everyone else makes their goals," she added.

As a career assistance advisor at Kunsan, Woodruff works to educate Airmen on their choices and options in their careers. Her overall goal: progression. Whether that means showing an Airman what they need to make their next rank, how to make a career change, take a break from their current job, or just separate from the military, she can show Airmen their options, and maybe a few more they didn't think about.

"Don't just sit there and wait for someone to throw something on your desk and determine something, you have some play in it and the military has given you so many opportunities to make it good for you and the Air Force," she said.

With ever-changing force management initiatives, Woodruff works hard to stay up-to-date on all the news and reminds Airmen to always check in with their CAA because rules or guidance may have changed.

"Whenever you're looking for a career change, whenever you're looking to progress in your career, I always say your first stop is your career assistance advisor," said Woodruff. "Each case is different, I can't do a blanket for everybody, so I want them to come in and tell me their situation."

Woodruff also wants Airmen to know they don't just have to come in for an appointment or send an email. She tries to make herself available when she's out on base too.

"I was at the enlisted club last night talking to someone about their retraining. If I'm just hanging out eating, and you want to sit down and talk to me then, it doesn't have to be in a formal setting. I want to be available when they need me to be there. I've been stopped in the BX and asked a question; it doesn't bother me at all," she said.

According to Woodruff, being a CAA also has its privileges and gives her even more avenues to answering tough questions.

"If I don't know the answer, we have direct lines up to the [Air Force Personnel Center], so if there's a question I don't know, I'll send it up to my counterpart at AFPC," she said.

Woodruff also works to educate first-term Airmen, and introduce them to Air Force programs and procedures. She holds classes which show them how to navigate the Air Force Portal site, log onto virtual military personnel flight, look for special duty assignments, or just where to find their records.

The master sergeant said she doesn't want Airmen to miss out on opportunities she did just because they lack the knowledge to make a change.

"I never retrained, I was young, by the time I found out about retraining I was no longer eligible for retraining," she said. "This is why I love doing this job; I want to help people out where I wasn't helped out. I would have loved to have been able to try different things, permanently, but I didn't know about it, a lot of people don't know about it. Now that I do, I want to make sure that people have the tools to make the decisions in their life."

While Woodruff may have missed out on the opportunity to retrain, she educated herself and found other areas in the Air Force where she could serve, which is what lead her to serving two assignments as a readiness NCO for an Airman and Family Readiness Center.

"My job was to take care of families left behind due to deployments," she said. "I would put on events every single month to get them connected with other people, answer questions and help with reintegration."

From that, Woodruff learned a lot about how families influence a military member's career choices and what programs are out there to help.

"I learned that families do mean a lot to people, especially here at Kunsan, I've seen firsthand those families left behind," she said.

Woodruff wants Airmen and families to know, that even in tough situations, they do have some control.

"I know what it's like to be lonely, be missed, have your family be away for a while," she said. "I left two kids at home and my husband is at home, and he's doing a special duty right now so he can be there while I'm here."

"Almost every assignment I've done, I've created. I volunteered for this assignment; I applied for special duty," she added.

Having the opportunity to serve in Korea was very important to Woodruff. She said she wanted to share her knowledge and personal experiences with the Wolf Pack.

"I wanted this job because I saw so many people who didn't have a clue about what they could do in the military," Woodruff said. "As a career assistance advisor, I can show you all these opportunities you didn't know you could have before. And that can change someone's life, family life, everything. Whether you got out or you stayed in for 20."

Woodruff emphasized the Air force needs always come first, but that there are avenues and programs available to suit Airmen, families and the Air Force needs simultaneously.
"Come in and talk to me, you never know."

To contact the career assistance advisor call 782-5030. For the most up-to-date news and information affecting Air Force life and careers, visit http://www.afpc.af.mil.