The Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Career Adviser wants to help. He wants to make sure Airmen at the base are given the opportunity to carefully plan out their careers.
Master Sgt. Jason Greenwell serves as a Career Assistance Adviser and aims to reach out and connect with as many Airmen he can by being visible and easily accessible.
“It’s important because we advise people in their careers and their educational path on how to succeed in their careers,” Greenwell said. “So, they have to know who I am and what I can do for them, and why I’m here and how they can seek help for their careers.”
Greenwell has made it a point to increase his outreach with the Edwards community, namely with the junior Airmen who may not have had prior exposure to a career assistance adviser.
“In some cases, the career counselor or career adviser may not have been available, or didn’t make themselves available, so I kind of changed the game a little bit,” Greenwell said. “I’m out there, I’m at their offices, and I’m strolling around just talking to people. One of the things that I like to do is go to the chow hall; I’ll just pull up a chair and talk to a group of Airmen or NCOs and discuss career-related and education information and following up with the folks I talk to.”
One of the Airmen that’s worked with in the past, Senior Airman Jacob Minter, 912th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, agrees that having a career adviser who is visible is beneficial to junior Airmen.
“I’ve worked with him before, I would see him everywhere and just talking to everyone,” Minter said. “It’s good that people just see him and know who he is and what he can do for them.”
Greenwell said he fields different questions from different Airmen regarding career progression, but there are a few common questions that he answers.
“They usually want to know how to promote quickly, or how to commission, or how to get their education and the best way to go about it, anything career related,” he said.
Greenwell said he uses his own past experiences to be able to relate to the Airmen and show them lessons his learned from his own career. He said a common mistake that Airmen make is taking down time for granted and not focusing on professional and personal educational improvement.
“We all make mistakes coming up, and I’ve made a few mistakes here and there, so I learned from my past, but I also learned from everybody else’s past as well,” Greenwell said. “Education is a big one for me. We all say we’re going to go to school, and then four years later, you’re at a duty station where the operational tempo is higher, or you’re deployed, and then you really don’t have time.”
“So education is really important to me, whether that be professional military education or a civilian related degree. By default, being educated will help you in your career,” he added.
As a career adviser, Greenwell is committed to ensuring Airmen get the most out of their careers, while also making sure the Air Force gets to retain the best possible Airmen.
“I don’t want them to do the bare minimum,” Greenwell said. “I want them to go above and beyond and be the best that they can be in their career and also for the Air Force.”
Note: For more information, or to set up an appointment, Edwards AFB Airmen can call 661- 275-1211, or stop by the Career Assistance Advisor’s office in Bldg. 2462, Room 1.
