Civilian career advancement<br>Hard work, education lead to 1750 qualification Published July 21, 2010 By Tech. Sgt. Donald Allen 334th Training Squadron KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- "Oh, I got it! I got my 1750!" exclaimed Demetria "Demi" Richard from her desk. She then jumped out of her cubicle to share her enthusiasm with her coworkers, but unfortunately, it fell on confused ears. Her coworkers in the office were all active-duty military, and while they wanted to be excited for her, they didn't understand exactly what it was to be excited about. It appeared to be a major milestone, but no one really knew what milestone was reached. As it turns out, this was a huge milestone. The 1750 qualification refers to job series in the General Schedule job identifiers. As an instructor for the command post apprentice course in the 334th Training Squadron, this could lead to huge changes in Mrs. Richard's career. When trying to find a civilian job, the job series identifies a type of experience or education required to fill a particular role. In the military, positions are identifed by an Air Force Specialty Code, which tells what skill level and supervisory experience is required for a job. In the civilian side, things are not quite so clear cut. According to USAjobs.gov, the federal government has a very distinct system for determining how to classify different jobs and the experience required for them using a term called series. The series identifies jobs that are closely related to each other. In the case of instructors and support staff, many of the employees fall under the 1700 job series of the General Schedule for Federal Employment, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. For instance, all civilian technical school instructors fall under the series 1712, Training Instruction Series. As with any advancement, hard work and education pay dividends when trying to expand into other jobs that lead to increased levels of responsibility and/or pay. According to Mrs. Richard, gaining the 1750 qualification is much like earning a degree. In order to gain the qualification, certain levels and types of education must be fulfilled. The representative at the Air Force Personnel Center oversees the program and makes the determination as to which classes and training qualify an individual for a 1750 position. So when asked what exact qualifications are required, the question is not as easy to answer, since each class could meet part of the requirements. For Mrs. Richard, her journey started when she completed her bachelor of business administration degree with a minor in organizational psychology development. When her husband, Andrew, a civilian heating, ventilation and air condition technician with CSC at Keesler, went to Afghanistan for a year with defense contractor KBR, she put her education on hold . With a full-time instructor's job and a child at home, living the life of a single parent kept her busy nearly 24 hours a day. The day she found out her husband was due home in mid 2009, she immediately signed up for classes towards her master's degree. By her fifth class, she had earned enough education to qualify for a 1750 position. Mrs. Richard offered advice for anyone looking to qualify for a 1750 position in the future. "First, get your bachelor's degree, and try to focus on education, if possible," she said. "Second, know what faculty development is offered and available, and how it can be applied to your 1750 qualification. Third, have an understanding of the Office of Personnel Management requirements for the position, and attend the briefings offered by Air Education and Training Command personnel when they're on base. Finally, with all that in hand, choose the classes that will fill the requirements, so you don't waste your education dollars." Violet Brantley, head of the Air Force force support career field team, said during a phone interview that anyone interested in becoming 1750 qualified should submit their transcript, via e-mail, to the force support inbox at force.support@randolph.af.mil. She went on to say that a transcript review should be done prior to a candidate asking for help picking classes that lead to qualification, so that they have an idea what an individual is lacking to be 1750 qualified. Furthermore, prospective candidates should also be aware that OPM requires that people filling a 1750 position must have completed a bachelor's degree. For further guidance, discuss your plans with senior civilians in your squadron.