Never judge a book by its cover

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ramon A. Adelan
  • 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  More than a year ago, I took the oath and joined the Air Force. I wanted to join for some of the typical reasons others my age decide to join; to have a stable job, provide for my family, and volunteer to serve my country.

I was a carpenter before I joined. I made exceptional pay, but the work was inconsistent and I have a wife and son to think about. I'm the type of person who likes to work with my hands and it's something I am familiar with as a carpenter. Therefore, the career fields I chose at Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) were maintenance, civil engineering, and security forces.

The career I was ultimately selected for in the Air Force doesn't even come close to those.

I went through basic training thinking, "I'm open general, so I have to get security forces." That didn't happen. When I was given a list at basic, the list only had medical jobs. I knew nothing about the medical career field and wasn't interested. Then, a senior airman came into the room and told me and the other open general trainees that if our Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) score was higher than a 70, we qualify for photojournalism in Public Affairs. I was the only one in the room with a score above 70 and I was automatically submitted.

In the last week of basic training, I found out I was selected for photojournalism and thought, "Well, I don't know anything about photojournalism, but it's just taking pictures, it can't be that hard, right?"

I was really quick to judge the job and learned quickly, there is a lot more to Public Affairs than taking pictures and just because I am a photojournalist, doesn't mean my skills and duties will be limited to that. I learned that Public Affairs also involves community relations, media operations, building the base website, monitoring social media, and the one thing I would do the most of and I was most uncomfortable with...writing.

I couldn't see myself as a writer. During technical school, I struggled with the academics. I actually failed once and had to restart part of the course. I was starting to doubt my choice of going in open general. I remember thinking to myself, "Even if I pass I'm going to be terrible at this job. I wish I got something else." I felt defeated, however, I knew I couldn't quit - I had my family to think about.

Determined not to fail, I ended up passing. I couldn't believe it! That still didn't change my thought of the career field though and I was nervous to go into my job at my first assignment. My supervisor knew that I had failed and had to restart and I thought that I wouldn't be able to keep up with everybody else in the office. So, I told myself as soon as I can, I will cross train out of the career field.

I couldn't have been more wrong. I got to my first duty station at Beale Air Force Base and slowly grew into my career field. My office was very welcoming and trained me every step of the way as I gained experience. It wasn't like the academics where there was an immense pressure to pass; I could ease my way into the job and focus on learning from my mistakes. Ultimately, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought and I eventually started to perform. My stories got better, my photos got more creative, and my confidence increased.

Here I am, a kid who got C's in English class in high school, who was afraid of writing and never spoke in public, now I am a photojournalist, who also leads base tours in the Air Force. I'm excited to be in a field where I can challenge myself and tell the Air Force story. Cross-training doesn't even pop up in my mind anymore. I realized, with a pen and camera, this wasn't so different from what I originally wanted...to work with my hands. I know I'm not the best photojournalist, but every single day is an opportunity for me to get better. I was so quick to judge, but after being wrong I learned, always try something before assuming it's not for you - never judge a book by its cover.