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Two U.S. Air Force Airmen were given the opportunity to swap jobs where they exchanged knowledge and experiences at Ramstein Air Base, Jan. 25.
The two Airmen spent the day sharing what they do in their work centers, giving them a chance to experience another side of the Air Force.
“This job swap opportunity is a great chance for us to get out and see the big Air Force,” said Senior Airman Aquil El-Amin, 691st Cyber Operations Squadron storage and virtualization operator. “It gives us a chance to take a look at other career fields and broaden our horizons.”
Seeing another side of the Air Force’s diverse mission set can be a rare opportunity for certain career fields. The purpose of the job swap was to have Airmen with similar ranks learn valuable lessons from each other and become more competent leaders.
“I love to meet new people, so I jumped at the opportunity,” said Airman 1st Class Cristian Castro-Mendoza, 86th Airlift Wing Judge Advocates Office paralegal. “There are so many jobs in the Air Force, and it is great to see how they contribute to the mission.”
Chances like these can be hard to come by, but for El-Amin it is about strengthening his career and giving him a new outlook.
“I want this to help me grow as an Airmen and open new doors for me,” El-Amin said. “I want to gain new perspectives on the other jobs around the Air Force and this is one of the best ways for me to do it.”
The Air Force offers over 200 careers to its members, both enlisted and officers. Visiting each other’s work centers allowed El-Amin and Castro-Mendoza to see if they might be interested in cross training to a career field that may suit them better.
“I like my job, but there are so many others in the Air Force,” Castro-Mendoza said. “This gives me the chance to see what it is like in other work centers, gain an understanding of what they do, and see if it suits me.”
Lt. Col. Joshua Mann, 86th Comptroller Squadron commander, talked about how important it is for Airmen to know other jobs. Each mission is dependent on one another.
“This is a great opportunity for our Airmen to take advantage of,” said Mann. “I saw success with this program at other bases and wanted to bring it here. It can get people in an office setting out and working outside, or vice versa. Whether it is part of the Multi-Capable Airmen initiative or a cross training opportunity, I think it is important for Airmen to see a more diverse mission set than the one they are currently part of.”
Job swaps are a great way to learn from others and this will not be the only one offered to Airmen. El-Amin shared why he thinks this is a good opportunity for others to learn more about the Air Force and what their fellow Airmen do to contribute to the overall success of the Air Force mission.
“I would recommend this to other Airmen because it is nice to break the mold and get excited about new opportunities,” El-Amin said. “I would say for Airmen to ask their superiors for the chance to pursue this. Get out of the office and into the bigger Air Force to see what it has to offer. This is an opportunity for growth, and I challenge others to seek it out.”
Airmen seeking job swap opportunities should work through their chain of command.
