If you’re a college student or recent graduate interested in an internship with AFCS, this month’s Aim Hire: Empower Your Ambition is for you. We speak with Grace Bottorff, B.A. Business Administration from Wesleyan College, Erik Voss, M.A. in Data Analytics and Machine Learning from Carnegie Mellon, and Kaia Fleming, B.A. in Psychology from Texas State University about their experience as interns of the Premier College Intern Program (PCIP) and currently as interns of the Palace Acquire (PAQ) internship program.
Host Ryan Schneider discusses with them how they found their way to AFCS and navigated from the PCIP to the PAQ program, and he gets them to share tips on how to follow in their footsteps.
We recommend watching the whole discussion, but if you’re in a hurry, check out the highlights below:
5:44 ~ Host Ryan Schneider tallied the results of the first poll of the evening, “Which of the following best describes your interest in AFCS’s internship programs.”
6:39 ~ Ryan asks how each of the interns learned about AFCS.
8:00 ~ The interns each discuss the process of landing an AFCS internship.
10:08 ~ Ryan asks the group to reflect on their time as interns and to share a favorite moment. Something that stood out that let you know you made the right decision.
12:44 ~ Ryan asks the group if their schooling adequately prepared them for their internships. How have they discovered how the real world compares to the academic world?
15:23 ~ Ryan brings up the topic of mentorship and asks the group if they have had people in your internship program who took them under their wing.
19:03 ~ Kaia discusses her sister’s participation in the same internship program before her and reflects on what made her want to follow in her footsteps.
20:27 ~ Ryan circles back to Grace’s earlier comment and asks her to explain what appealed to her about holding a federal position or working in the public sector.
21:48 ~ The panel discusses what surprised them the most during their AFCS internships.
25:52 ~ Pop Quiz for the audience, “How many civilians are in the Air Force?”
26:42 ~ Kaia, Grace, and Erik advise students who want to follow in her footsteps.
31:54 ~ Ryan and the interns talk about PAQ assignments and describe how they were assigned PAQ positions after completing their PCIP internships.
36:01 ~ The group discusses work-life balance, how they manage it, and why they think it is important to career growth.
39:18 ~ The group examines what their AFCS teams did to support team building away from the base.
43:15 ~ Ryan asks Grace, Erik, and Kaia to imagine a friend who is on the fence about choosing an internship with the Air Force over one somewhere else. What advice would you give them?
45:20 ~ Ryan asks the audience the final poll of the evening: “What type of learning environment would you prefer during an AFCS internship?
46:28 ~ Ryan asks the interns where they see themselves in five years.
50:58 ~ The panel answers the audience Q&As. The audience asked Erik, “Is the Space Force related to the Air Force?”
51:42 ~ “What strategies and or techniques make you the most competitive in securing one of these various opportunities during the application process?”
53:05 ~ “What does a normal day look like in HR for the AFCS? What type of activities are you assigned?”
54:30 ~ “When a job doesn’t align with your degree or area of study, what soft or hard skills could be transferable to a civilian career with the AFCS?”
55:45 ~ “Do you have to be a PCIP first before applying for a PAQ internship?”
55:59 ~ “Are there internships at every base?”