Helping Airmen make informed decisions Published Feb. 22, 2007 By Jennifer Brugman 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Airmen not satisfied with their current job situation or fell they are at a crossroads have resources available to them through the Career Assistance Advisor office. Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Lee, who is currently a C-17 Loadmaster, 21st Airlift Squadron, is being medically disqualified from his job. He went to the Career Assistance Advisor recently to discuss his options. "We talked about possibly retraining -- where do I go and how do I do it," he said. "Basically, she guided me to tell me how to look for what jobs are available. We sat on her computer [looked at the internet] and went through what was out there." The Career Assistance Advisors, located in Bldg. 381, educate Travis enlisted personnel about their career options. "No one should leave the Air Force because they don't like their job or their location," said Master Sgt. Thallassa Gunelius, career assistance advisor, 60th Mission Support Squadron. "The opportunities in the Air Force are endless - just endless. We provide the tools so people can effectively manage their careers." The two career assistance advisors, Sergeant Gunelius and Master Sgt. Renaldo Anderson, 60th Mission Support Squadron, who have a policy of going anywhere at anytime and talking to anybody, say they spend much of their time addressing retraining and force shaping. "[People ask] why we are shaping the force and exactly how we're going to do it," Sergeant Gunelius said. "Personnel costs have increased 51 percent in the past decade. People are the most expensive weapon in the Air Force." In order to increase efficiency, retraining offers people, who may be force shaped out of the Air Force, a way to stay in with a different job. Retraining also offers people who are unhappy with their jobs a chance to stay in the Air Force and find work they enjoy. Retraining information is not only available through the career assistance advisors but also on the Web at http://ask.afpc.randolph.af.mil/ Sergeant Gunelius showed Sergeant Lee how to figure out what is available and where, then she briefed him on filling out the application, how to read it, how to look up the codes and print everything out to send the paperwork up to AFPC. "She was very helpful, and very people-oriented," Sergeant Lee said. "They really look to help you out. It helped alleviate my stress because it showed me how to go through the process without having to ask twenty different people and get twenty different answers. I think people need to go to them and use them more often to see what's out there -- and don't wait until the last moment." "Some first-time Airmen like the job they're in so they play the waiting game, but ultimately want to stay in the military," Sergeant Anderson said. To provide easy access to information, the career assistance advisors brief First Term Airmen and give a professional growth seminar for E-1s and E-2s. They brief approximately 1,200 people per year. For more information on career assistance, call 424-STAY.