Photo By Brian Fickel | Staff Sgt. Nikki Felton, a public affairs noncommissioned officer of the 3rd Infantry...... read more read more
Subscribe
This is a personal commentary of my journey into the U.S. Army Public Affairs Career field.
It was the summer of 2015, and I found myself in the hospital sitting at the bedside of one of my best friends. She had just come out of surgery and was able to successfully remove cancerous cells from her body.
The first thing she asked me following her surgery was how work was going for me. Unselfishly, she was more concerned with how things were going for me than herself. I tried several times to refocus the attention back to her following her medical procedure. However, I realized that her happiness and her way of dealing with her pain came from the happiness of her family and friends.
I began telling her that I felt like I hit a dead end in my career, and how I didn’t feel like I was maximizing my potential.
After spending almost 15 years as a petroleum supply specialist, I no longer had the passion to learn more about the petroleum field. While I respect and know first-hand how hard the great men and women of this field work, I just felt disconnected from it.
I had also been away from that job for a while. At the time, I was working in a special duty assignment with Wounded Warriors at the Fort Bragg Warrior Transition Battalion. It was a position that I was in for 2.5 years, and I loved it especially since I could help fellow Soldiers.
However, my time in that assignment was coming to an end, and I would be heading back to my original profession. I asked her, “How could I lead and motivate Soldiers in a field that I no longer felt passionate about?”
Then walks in Lt. Col. Crystal Boring, a public affairs officer assigned with the XVIII Airborne Corps at the time.
Talk about being in the right place, at the right time. My best friend knew that I majored in public relations in college, and that I aspired to work in the public relations field after retiring from the military.
Again, unselfishly, she strategically began talking about my goals during a conversation with the senior officer. Even though I was caught off guard by the topic of the conversation, I knew this was no time to freeze up. This was my time to capitalize on an opportunity.
I began to share my aspirations of one day becoming a crisis management expert like Judy Smith, whose character inspired the TV series “Scandal.”
I took it that Lt. Col. Boring was blown away by my passion for the public affairs/relations career field because she told me to e-mail her my records and my last five evaluation reports. With a huge smile on my face, I looked over to my best friend, and she just winked and smiled back at me.
As soon as I returned to work, I immediately sent the documents she asked for. I wanted her to walk into her office and see that I took the council and mentorship seriously.
The very next day, I was scheduled for an interview with Col. Holly Silkman, the XVIII Airborne Corps public affairs officer, and Sgt. Maj. Tom Clementson, the XVIII Airborne Corps public affairs senior enlisted advisor.
I still remember hearing the colonel asking the sergeant major following the interview, “Sergeant major, how can we get this Soldier in our field now? She belongs with us.”
Thanks to all of these great individuals and leaders encouraging me to join the world of PAO, I finally felt hope about my future! This was exactly the change I needed in my career.
I couldn’t believe that I was submitting a reclassification packet after 15 years in the military. I was also submitting a packet at a time where I was in the window for my primary look to be considered for promotion to the rank sergeant first class. I was giving up the chance to be a senior NCO. Trust me, I questioned myself so many times. Should I stay in a field I was comfortable in and potentially be promoted, or should I take the risk and follow my heart. The latter won out, and I did not turn back.
When I found out that the career management field approved my packet, I surprisingly felt … scared. I was about to go into a brand new field as a senior staff sergeant, and I knew absolutely nothing about the profession, but I was eager and motivated to learn.
When I attended the Basic Public Affairs Specialist course at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Md., I learned the fundamentals of what it takes to be a U.S. Army public affairs professional. I gained valuable skills in how to write a news article, conduct an on-camera interview, layout and design, and how to take photos using a professional camera.
But I knew my education couldn’t afford to stop there. I had to learn more skills that other leaders in my profession had already experienced, and I had to do it fast. I knew I was playing catch up with my peers, but my spirit and drive never wavered.
I now serve as a Public Affairs noncommissioned officer on the 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs team in Fort Stewart, Georgia, where I manage all my division’s social media pages, plan public affairs events and provide photojournalism support to division level events.
Imagine that. I get paid to manage an organization’s social media, follow Soldiers of all professions and backgrounds around with a camera and share their stories with the entire world. This is more than just work, this is a passion!
I have now been in the public affairs field for 10 months, and I love every single day of it. Being a public affairs professional has also opened new doors for me. I was given the chance to cover an official visit of former Under Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy when he came to Fort Stewart. I was beyond humbled when he gave me a shout out on his official Facebook page.
Recently, I was recognized by the Atlanta Falcons as a hometown hero during one of the team’s home games. Not only was I proud to be honored by an NFL team, but I was receiving the honor as a public affairs NCO. With less than one year in the field, I have earned my Associate’s Degree, I’m five classes away from earning my BA in public relations and marketing, and I proudly serve as an ambassador for the best career field in the U.S. Army!
Changing career fields was not only the very best move I could have made for my career; it was the very best move I could have made for my life. It took friends to encourage me and leaders to pay attention, and recruit me into a field that I could maximize my potential in.
This is a true testament and life lesson I hope to share with others because I truly believe that it is never too late to chase your dreams; especially if you are willing to put in the work.
I could have played it safe and stayed as a petroleum supply specialist. Instead I chose a different path, and I am better for it!
The Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
So I did just that! I followed my heart, not the rank.
It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
| Date Taken: | 02.08.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 02.08.2017 12:49 |
| Story ID: | 222921 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 474 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, I Followed My Heart, Not the Rank: My journey into Army Public Affairs, by MSG Nikki Glanton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT