I always told myself that I would NEVER marry a Military man after witnessing a friend go through a couple deployments. Why would I sign up for a life where my husband would be leaving me for work frequently and for long periods of time? Well love works in mysterious ways, folks! Fast forward five plus years and I have made it through my first move, and am currently going through my first deployment. My husband is an Acquisitions Officer and currently works as a Program Manager for the V-22 (You know, that cool aircraft that takes off like a helicopter but flies like an airplane?!) at Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland.
My husband and I met 5 years ago playing a pick-up game of sand volleyball at a park in Dayton, OH (Wright Patterson AFB). At that time my husband was a year into his first duty station and just getting his feet wet in the acquisitions world and two days prior I had just started working my first “big girl” job, where I was a Civilian Contract Specialist working for the Air Force.
WHAT IS A CONTRACT SPECIALIST?
You may be wondering what a Contract Specialist does and what are the qualifications? I work with military and government civilians to define requirements of supplies or services, (aircraft, helmets, goggles, weapons, training, testing, etc.) negotiate price and terms & conditions, and put the supplies/services on contract with the contractor.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FOR A CIVILIAN VERSUS SOMEONE THAT IS ACTIVE DUTY?
My Civilian position and workload is no different than the day to day tasks of an Active Duty Acquisitions Officer. A few differences between the Civilian position and the Active duty position that comes to mind is that I get to pick what I wear each day (Some days when I am staring into my closest trying to find what to wear I wish I had a uniform to put on!), I do not have to participate in mandatory PT and I cannot be deployed. While being deployed does not occur as frequently as other career fields an acquisitions officer can deploy and probably will in their career at some point in time. Currently my husband is on his first deployment, which is a four (4) month long tour. As a civilian, I will not be required to deploy but I know a hand full of civilians that have deployed, but they applied for those opportunities.
If your husband is an Acquisitions Officer that will be “flying a desk” you can expect them to travel on average once a month for various program related meetings or events, this will all depend on what project they are working. As a Civilian, I can be required to travel just as often as an Active Duty Acquisitions Officer.
Because acquisitions is a broad career field, each function has their own specific training. The training a Program Manager is required to take is different than the training a Contract Specialist is required to take. Specific levels of training are required at certain milestones/ranks in the Acquisitions career but the training does not change whether you are Active Duty or Civilian.
WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR CIVILIANS?
The Department of Defense looks for candidates who have at least 24 semester hours in any combination in the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management.
Depending on the base, there are different training programs that you can enter under, and each one has different requirements, which determines your starting pay scale. For example, I have a Masters and was able to start as a GS-09, versus a GS-07 for those who enter with an undergraduate degree.
WHAT’S IT LIKE WORKING IN THE SAME FIELD AS YOUR SPOUSE?
My husband and I are able to have conversations regarding our careers and what bases would best suite our futures, vice just his career. Working in the same career field makes moving and finding/applying for jobs easier. I have not applied for a job to date as I have utilized my network to find job opportunities at the next base.
MEET JAMIE
