ASOG 2020 Focus Area: Professional Development & Career Management
Author: Patrick Ryan; Image: Wikicommons, Dreamliner 2012, Date: 26 March 2020
What is The School of U?
The school of U is the school of You! If you’re one of those Airborne Sensor Operators (ASO) who has limited “bandwidth” to attend formal training programs because of time, money, or limited access to formal training programs in your area, one method is self-training & learning. Without falling behind your peers, this is a way to ensure you have valuable skills for the next job opportunity or interview. Essentially, don’t wait for someone else to teach you, do it yourself!
If you’re new to this profession or you initially received ASO training many years ago in the military/public safety sector, continual training and learning is a must if you’re going to have a safe and successful career in whatever field of work you pursue. Why, because things change, and skills fade over time.
O.K., so what do you recommend I learn?
From an ASO perspective, I recommend either learn or review the basics than focus on specialized areas that relate to your specific industry sector or an industry you want to enter. Here’s what I advise as a good initial start…as we all know, there’s always something to learn every day:
That’s easier said than done, how do I self-train or learn?
Well, the first order of battle is that you “want to learn.” Without a deep interest, it will be a waste of time and maybe some money. If you’re genuinely interested, here are some basic tips on how to self-train or learn:
Identify - Decide what you want to do. Do you want to review the basics or learn something new? Besides feedback from your last performance review or peers, one way of identifying an area to study is to review current job descriptions and job posting across your industry sector.
From this, build a picture (skills & knowledge) of what industry is looking for and compare that to your current resume. The difference should be those areas for you to study.
Organize - Take that picture or list of areas you want to get smart on and prioritize. From this list, build yourself a student-plan or course plan. In other words, you’re both instructor and student. To do this, surf the internet for course outlines or textbook table-of-contents of the topic you’re interested in and build a plan.
Next, surf the internet for source material that supports your student-plan, i.e., fill in the blanks. This material could be textbooks, slide shows, websites, etc. Also, if you know of a subject matter expert, reach out and ask questions. One good thing about using different sources allows you to see a topic from different angles.
Execute - Once you’ve identified your self-training areas and organized them into specific courses, all you must do is start learning. One of the big challenges is time-management and sticking-with-it. One technique to keep you on course is to schedule time each week and study in a place you’re able to concentrate, i.e., in your office at lunchtime, after the kids go to bed, etc.
To round-out your course and give yourself feedback on how well you understand the topic, try to find quizzes on the internet or other sources that relate to your topic and self-test.
So, what are you waiting for, the school of U is open!
Again, if you’re serious about staying ahead in the work world and the ASO profession and don’t have the resources or opportunity to attend formal courses right now, “the school of U” is an option. This option allows you to refresh an old skill or better yet learn something cutting edge that is valuable to yourself, your employer, or clients.
Just think about it, most basic knowledge provided in a course is out there in the open-source world, it’s just a matter of doing some searching, organizing, and effort. However, if you can take a course from a certified instructor, that’s even better….but don’t just sit there if you can’t…self-learn!
Comments
Great article! Also, for anyone reading it, and wanting to learn more about a certain subject, feel free to reach out to the community. We all have our strengths. I spent 20+ years doing ASO work for special operations, and we have dozens of other members who have backgrounds just as specialized. We are all willing to talk to you and discuss our profession and its applications in todays world.
Don't be shy, reach out and say "HI!"