CDE a key tool to manage career

  • Published
  • By Daryl Mayer, AFLCMC Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio (AFLCMC) – “You’ve heard these words over and over from supervisors and mentors.  There's only one person that can manage your career, and that's yourself,” said Kathy Watern, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Executive Director.  “That’s what CDE is about.” 
 
On the current episode of Leadership Log, Watern met with several senior functional leaders from across the center to discuss Civilian Developmental Education programs and the roles they play within the different career paths. 
 
“Here’s an opportunity to get outside the Intel career field and learn some more about supervision and leadership to really pay back then for the next generation,” said Gavin Ketchen, representing the Intelligence career field. 
 
The Civilian Developmental Education includes 30 academic programs for professional development, academic fellowships and leadership seminars – all free of charge.  A full list of the centrally-managed, centrally-funded courses is available on MyPers at https://mypers.af.mil/app/categories/c/549/p/2   
 
“I've participated in it throughout my career.  And what I found in each course I've taken, it's given me an incredible opportunity to not only assess the development progress I've made, but kind of map out what I need to do for the next stage of my career,” said Chris Leak, representing the Acquisition career path. 
 
There are differences in the application process depending on courses of interest.  For information regarding the AFLCMC application process and timelines, you can contact Mike Mathes at michael.mathes.2@us.af.mil
 
To hear the full conversation, you can watch Leadership Log on YouTube at https://youtu.be/pWWqBj8vp8M.  You can also listen by searching “Leadership Log” on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, Overcast, Radio Public or Breaker.