TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Staff Sgt. Jordan Jackson, 60th Operations Support Squadron airfield manager, was just having a normal day at work, chatting with a pilot when a basic conversation about post-military career interests led to a unique leadership training opportunity that would benefit future Air Force leaders.
“I had just mentioned how I was interested in getting into the tech industry,” Jackson said.
It turned out Capt. Saj El-Amin, a KC-10 pilot, had a friend who worked at Twitter Headquarters in San Francisco, he continued.
The contact was a former Air Force Academy graduate, Air Force captain, and the head of Twitter University Recruiting, Trier Bryant.
This contact created a path for Jackson to meet with leaders at Twitter, receive a tour, and begin a professional development exchange between Twitter employees and Airmen from Travis Air Force Base, California.
“I never thought it would develop into this,” Jackson said.
Jackson had been spending hours taking free web design courses online to build his skills. One of his life goals is to run his own business, and it would make it easier if he were able to perform his own web development rather than pay someone, he said.
“My interest in tech work always comes up in conversation with people I talk to,” he said. “It’s a passion of mine.”
While Jackson could have used the chance interaction to further his post-military life and career, he saw a larger opportunity to share his connection.
“Jackson is incredibly humble and considerate,” said Senior Master Sgt. Scott Piper, 60th Force Support Squadron career assistance advisor. “He could have held this opportunity to himself and no one would have thought anything of it.”
Once the plan for the professional development exchange was under way, Jackson helped determine how the exchange could be most beneficial for all involved, Piper said. He had spent time with the Twitter employees on multiple occasions, giving him a feel for their culture. This, combined with being an NCO in the Air Force, gave him invaluable insight for the task.
Finally, they needed to pick who would be able to attend the exchange, since interest was expected to be very high, Piper said. Units submitted their outstanding Airmen and leaders, and Jackson helped sort through who would be the best fit.
“Next year, we are hoping to make this bigger and to be able to have more people be a part of this,” Jackson said.
Many of the Airmen who attended the professional development exchange found it to be eye-opening and rewarding. It even proved to be an incredible experience for the Twitter employees.
“This was literally one of the best days at Twitter,” said Stephanie Hale, Twitter strategist. “Thank you, Team Travis!”