Must…Develop…Jedi…Mind Powers!
Now, normally, I’m a fairly patient guy, but there are times when I get really impatient. Now is one of those times. Let me explain. Three months ago I took two tests. This is the third time I’ve taken these tests (not the exact same tests, but different versions). One is called the Skills Knowledge Test or SKT; it’s all about my job. The other is called the Promotion Fitness Exam, it’s all about general Air Force knowledge; kind of an Air Force Trivial pursuit except that if I answer enough questions properly instead of a pie piece I get promoted. The way it works is both of these test scores, along with some other factors like Enlisted Performance Reports (EPR), Time in Grade (how long I’ve been my current rank, Staff Sergeant or SSgt), Time in Service (how long I’ve been in the military), and certain decorations I’ve received are compiled into a composite score. My score is compared to all the other SSgts in Air Force EOD and a percentage (the top 21.01% this year) are promoted to the next grade, Technical Sergeant (TSgt) in my case. Well tomorrow the list of promotees is released. You’d think after waiting for three months another 24 hours or so wouldn’t bug me, but I find myself increasingly antsy. I just want the waiting to be over with, I want to know if I can jump for joy and expect another stripe or if I’m going to have to study more and test again next year. I hate not knowing. If I do get promoted I’ll have to wait probably five or six months before actually sewing on the stripe, but at least I’ll know! If I don’t, well it won’t be the end of the world and I can drown my sorrows in soda. Man, I really need to develop prescience; my stress level would be so much lower. Well, one way or the other, I’ll post tomorrow and let everybody know. I’m off to work on my Jedi mind powers…
June 15th, 2005 at 2:31 pm
It’s like waiting for the results of a callback. I jump every time the phone rings. How will they let you know? Text message? Post on the internet? (That’s how John and Mattie learned about Mike’s last promotion.) Sky writing?
May the force be with you. You have the power. Use it wisely.
June 15th, 2005 at 2:38 pm
Yeah, very much like that. Usually you are informed by your supervisor or commander at a formation the morning of the release. Sometimes though your commander will let you know the evening before, which just adds to the tension…will I find out early or won’t I?
June 15th, 2005 at 9:09 pm
Yeah, I know all about that waiting to know – promotion or wait another year? Last year I didn’t find out until late May or early June (The List gets published in late June). This year my new office was merciful. The boss started scheduling appointments for “feedback” in early or mid-April; I grabbed the first available. Bad news, but at least now I know.
Good luck; may you make Tech this go-’round.
June 16th, 2005 at 2:38 am
I may know before you! Technically we should know today, but we just HAVE to wait for the West to wake up. Silly West!!
June 17th, 2007 at 1:44 am
[...] So many, many moons ago I wrote a post about waiting to find out if I had been promoted followed by another post wherein I announced I had not been promoted and was somewhat bummed. Well, this past Thursday the Air Force announced the listing of the newest Technical Sergeants and yours truly was on it. Woohoo! As the list was announced while I was at al Udeid in Qatar, I was able to take my ration card to the MWR tent and celebrate with two of my three federally authorized Strongbow hard ciders. Yum. [...]