I got my CCAF (Community College of the Air Force) degree a long time ago. Has anyone found a use for it outside the Air Force? I know it helps with quarterly and annual awards, but do employers take the degree serious in the civilian sector?

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It is taken seriously on the outside. I know of a TSgt retiring out of Holloman that had a job lined up for after retirement. The employer told him that if he could complete his CCAF degree before retiring that there was an additional 5K a year in it for him. He failed the speech CLEP and didn't get it. It pays to get it done early in your career.

On top of that, if you have any aspiration of getting promoted past MSgt, you better get on it early. Senior rater endorsement requires completion, not to mention the board will probably be looking at those people who have been in the same career field all their AF lives and just got around to getting it because the requirement changed. Who is more dedicated to the AF, the SrA who went out and got it done or the MSgt that has had "completed XX credits toward CCAF" for the last 8 EPRs, but never got the sucker done?

What is the requirement for Senior Rator? Is it a CCAF, or can a 4 yr Degree be used in its place. I don't see much need to get an associates if I've worked my butt off for the BS instead.

The requirement is for a CCAF degree. Period. I have had my BS for a long time, but the reasoning behind pushing the CCAF degree is that you can't endorse something that you didn't use through your career. It's almost like snubbing your nose at something that the AF has spent a lot of time and energy earning accrediting over the years. So, their view (and I guess I should start saying "our" view) is that if you don't want to get it so you can endorse it to your troops, then don't expect to make it past E-8. Just go in there and CLEP speach and get it over with... :-)

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Joeninpo

The tyrant custom, most grave Senators,
Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war
My thrice-driven bed of down

In my opinion most of what you accomplish in the Military is for your own gratification.
Nobody really cares that you were first in your class in PME, or got promoted below the zone, or how much crap you have hanging on your i love me wall... or how many medals you have..Its all for you..so enjoy it.

Dont get me wrong, i did my 20 and i would do it again, For me and nobody else.

Ya know...if your entire aspiration is to do your 20 and get out, then that's probably not a bad way to do it. In fact, the vast majority of the AF does it that way, and that's absolutely fine.

For those that are looking a little farther, though, and want to make it to that 2% category, or maybe even that 1% category, then there are some things that you absolutely can not avoid.

Don't get me wrong, I am dead set against box filling. If you are going to take a job, then you need to take it with the attitude that you are going to give it 100% and not worry so much about your next job. People see the difference...

But if you want to make it to Senior and Chief, then you must get your CCAF degree. Oh...one other thing...to win those Senior and Chief boards, it does matter whether you won awards in PME, quarterly and annual awards, and it does matter how many medals you have.

Again...not trying to ruffle any feathers, because most people want to do their 20, and then they are gone. If you're in that situation, then you have to do what's good for you and set yourself up for the future.

For the others, you have to do the same thing...just in a different manner.

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Joeninpo

The tyrant custom, most grave Senators,
Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war
My thrice-driven bed of down

The bottom line is this...if you want to do anything more than be a MSgt (which in itself is a very honorable thing), you have to show us (the Air Force) that you are dedicated to us. Getting your CCAF is useful on the outside, but getting it while you are in the AF and trying to get promoted does show the promotion boards that you are seeking to improve yourself for the greater good of the AF and not just for yourself. A bachelor of science degree in computer engineering has nothing to do with being a medic and shouldn't have any bearing on your overall score on a promotion board. Having your allied health sciences degree from the CCAF however is an indicator that you had the nuts do do what we (the AF) asked of you for the greater good of the enlisted force.

Now if you want to go out and take advantage of the educational programs out there and get a degree in another field, more power to you and good on you as well, but don't expect to reap any AF benefits because you went out and got education in a skill that has nothing to do with your job.

Thanks to all of you that take the time to serve regardless of your future aspirations. We belong to a very exclusive club and should all be very proud of our service.

Shooting from the hip and from only memory but as I recall of the 13 or so congressionally mandated educational programs in the DOD (Academies, AFIT, etc.) the only one that is specifically for enlisted personnel is CCAF.
Back in 74 or so when CCAF was established the other services had a chance to establish their own community college but did not. CCAF is fully recognized by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (since the Hq is in Maxwell AL, it falls in the Southern region). Basically what this means is the credits are transferrable to other colleges.
Annually, a board of visitors meet ( a mixture of civilian educators and representatives from the military) and review the accrediation. The only problem the civilian educators seem to have is with the level of education of the instructors. In the civilian sector you should have instructors/teachers that hold a degree at least as high as the level of the degree that institution awards. In other words if CCAF awards an Associate Degree, then the instructors should possess at least an associate degree.

I have know many individuals who obtain civilian employment based on the CCAF degree.

It is one of the best things the AF did for the enlisted.

Ahh, but what if you get that degree in computer engineering AND you work in one of the computer fields? Didn't you just go above and beyond what the Air Force needs?

In my personal case, I will graduate in December with a bachelors that directly helps my career field. The CCAF for my career field is communications, not very useful. Any good training I would have gotten in the CCAF I surely recieved while getting my bachelors. Now, this new regulation requires I go backwards and get a CCAF - feels kinda like a slap in the face. Here I thought I was going above and beyond and doing a good thing for the AF I love, but I guess not...

True, it would not take much to go back and get the CCAF, but I'd rather be puting in the work on my Masters degree.

In the end, I think requireing a CCAF for promotion to MSgt is a wonderful idea - whatever puts more enlisted folks in a classroom the better. But I do wish there is some recognition for people to did more than the norm.

Get your
CCAF degree while you can. Once you retire or get out you cannot get it. I know of a lot of individuals with a master's that went back and picked up a CCAF degree. In many cases it involved only a few CLEP
tests in addition to the college work one hs already accomplished.