What's done is done

So yesterday I finally finished ALS, and boy am I happy. Things got a lot easier as they went along, not only because the different things that were overwhelming me at the beginning were slowly being completed, but because I began to learn just what I actually had to do to pass the tests and be ready for class. Once I figured this out I was golden. Not really sure what my GPA would be, since I'm not allowed to actually keep the tests or other graded projects, but it's probably somewhere in the mid to upper 80s, so I think I did rather well. Not that the actual GPA matters, since it's all pass/don't pass to be honest. The only thing my grades actually would have done for me is allowed me to win an award...which is really only for the praise of man, so who needs an award? And no, I'm not bitter that I didn't win one. I'm just happy that I'm done with the course. And now that I've officially graduated from ALS I can officially be an Air Force supervisor. That's right, I now am allowed to be given Airmen as subordinates and they're entire Air Force career, in a sense, will be in my hands.

I say that they're career, in a sense, is in my hands because even though ultimately everything any subordinate that I supervise is responsible for they're own career since they're the ones making the choice to follow the rules or be a DB (that would be a dirt bag), I'm the one that gets to rate they're performance. And how I rate a person will actually help determine if they will be allowed to remain in the Air Force or if they will have to get out at the end of they're enlistment...or sooner. That's a lot of power and responsibility that I have just acquired, and I'm really not sure if I am ready for it. Especially since the way pretty much everyone handles the EPR (Enlisted Performance Report - the thing used to rate someone's performance) is everyone is a 5 (the highest you can be, or "Truly among the best") even though it's impossible for everyone in the Air Force to be a 5. So the question I'm now faced with is do I just rate everyone as a 5 to make things easy on me and allow everyone the chance to stay in the Air Force, or do I rate people in an honest and fair way which would lead to disgruntled people and people being unable to reenlist? To be honest and fair means that I'm going to have to take a very proactive role in any subordinate's life rather than the "everyone's a 5" attitude which would allow me to not really care and just put a 5 on the paper. I know what kind of supervisor I want to be, but the real question is will I actually do it?

Well, I went over to work prior to my ALS graduation to sign my training records and while I was there waiting for my supervisor I was given a piece of paper, a CRO (Change of Reporting Official) that I needed to sign. This is the piece of paper that lets you know who your supervisor is, so before I signed it I looked and noticed that I was the supervisor and that I was signing to agree to supervise someone else. Holy crap! I hadn't even graduated from ALS and I already had been assigned to someone fresh out of tech school. So not only was I given the power to actually supervise yesterday, I was actually given someone to supervise...and I don't even know who this person is. Look at that, I'm already a DB supervisor...go me! What are these people thinking giving me a new Airman to supervise? I feel sorry for this new Airman...I mean, I'd hate to have me as a supervisor...I'm lazy! But in all honesty I am a little worried, not because I doubt my ability to lead, but because I have never had a good supervisor so I don't have anyone I can turn to when a problem arises. Well, here's to hoping I don't totally screw up this girl's life.