Cox offers advice on furthering careers

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Charles Dickens
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Maj. Gen. Samuel Cox came to Columbus Air Force Base to speak at the graduation of Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 14-01 Oct. 25 at the Kaye Auditorium.

During his visit, the Director of Operations and Plans, United States Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. spoke on how to approach an Air Force career, the importance of taking advantage of opportunities given throughout a career and the importance of innovation in the Air Force.

"Do the mission and be the best you can at whatever your career field is," said Cox. "Be the Airman that the squadron commander or supervisor goes to when they need something really important to be done; be the expert."

Cox said that in addition to being the best, having fun at work is also very important, even if it's not fun in the classic sense.

"When you come to work, have a good time," said Cox. "That doesn't mean every single minute of the day is joyful. Yes, there's hard work to be done, but there's value in it so enjoy what you get a chance to do."

The general then stressed about the importance of taking some of the many opportunities that the Air Force offers.

"The Air Force has so many opportunities that exist," said Cox. "There are so many different things, paths that you can take, opportunities that exist to go and do things that you never would have had an opportunity to do if you stayed in whatever hometown you were in. Go see the world; there are a lot of opportunities that exist in an environment where you treat people with dignity and respect, and that's the norm."

With the different opportunities available, some may not be as glamorous as others, but many strive for fresh minds to create innovative ideas.

"As we look to the future with the resource constraints that we're going to face, this culture of innovation is going to be really important; that is finding better ways of doing what we need to accomplish given the resources that we're provided," said Cox. "The spirit of innovation is really what the Air Force has thrived on for decades; we're a separate service because of that innovation and we look at things a little bit differently. We need to make sure that that innovative spirit stays alive and well."

Even with the constraints, many Airmen join the Air Force for the opportunities and to bring new ideas to the table. Those ideas are what the Air Force thrives on.

"This is a great environment and opportunity you have to do something bigger than yourself, so take advantage of that opportunity," said Cox. "That's why we all joined, so take advantage of it."