INTERVIEW WITH DAD

Alright- I took the easy way out. Yes, that's right, I interviewed the engineer with whom I'm most familiar: my dad. Actually, no one uses their engineering degree as much as my father does. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1978 with a Bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Engineering, and continues to draw from this degree daily. He was commissioned that same year as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force, and was accepted to pilot training. After twenty years as a pilot in the Air Force, he had plenty to tell me:

Apparently the Air Force likes to keep its employees educated, so aside from routine schooling/training, it also provides its members with money to further education. Specifically, my father only required his bachelor's degree to maintain his position as a pilot, but he also went back to school to get a Master's degree in Human Resource Management for the future. In addition to the personal benefits of further education, degrees also hold a very major part of the promotion decisions.

Obviously the military is one of the worst jobs as far as the extremes of pros and cons go. Obviously cons include the part where you give up a large portion of your freedoms to defend the freedoms of others- most of whom just don't appreciate or respect that. Another is the long hours and extended trips away from the family. Specifically, my father was gone for about two weeks out of every 2 months. This excludes the extended trips which took him to remote locations for three to six months at a time. Pros include, of course, the amount of respect you receive from some people, and the personal pride you acquire.

According to him regarding pursuing an engineering career, "keep an open mind and learn all you can because the engineering fields are always in a constant state of change - forever upgrading to new technologies and methods. Set goals and then establish a plan to reach them - then stick to it, modifying only as necessary to reach your goals."

He has recently retired from the Air Force and is currently pursuing job opportunities as a pilot in various airlines. His temporary job is a senior systems analyst for Information Technology & Applications Corporations (ITAC). When asked what caused his job change, he replied, "obviously, my retirement from the AF led to my recent job change but I'm still in the analysis business which requires analytical thinking, technological writing skills, and a basic understanding of engineering."

His job security as an Air Force officer was extremely stable, as were the pay and benefits. Promotions were based solely on personal merit/performance, and career paths were diverse and always subject to personal preference. His jobs have all been challenging and highly regarded.

Although I've known my dad my whole life, this interview opened up my eyes to many things regarding his career, and each have personal interest to me as I am currently following in his Air Force-bound steps.