My Failure To Break My Air Force Career

My biggest failure has been failing a certification test that would make or break my Air Force career. Security +, the test, was required to graduate and continue to my next duty assignment. The two week class acted as a bookend of a six month networking school. Meant to be a test of competence and qualification, this class would be much more difficult than what the training program had to offer leading up to the final test. We were taught at breakneck speed. In two weeks I was expected to have the knowledge of someone with two years of IT experience. The studying process was the most taxing. I was provided one textbook, which provided roughly one third of the material needed to pass the test. The rest of the information would have …show more content…
It filled me with determination to take two major steps in becoming better equipped to succeed. The first step was to work out more. Exercise was paramount to clear the mind and increase focus. I thought the more time I spent studying the easier it would be to pass. However, by overloading myself with studying four to five hours a night for two weeks straight, I was frying my brain. The next step was to understand what I was learning. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of information I was learning about that I crammed more than I could actually retain. By studying how things worked and not just what they are from memory, I was able to rationalize the scenarios given in the test. Passing the test allowed me to continue my career and opened up more opportunities than ever before.
Ironically, my biggest failure turned out to be my biggest triumph. While my initial reaction was to retreat, I never gave up. I found out why I failed and worked to improve on those methods. Physical activity and concentrated understanding were key to succeed academically. Success is not and never will be a road of ease. It is littered with trials and failure, it is only those that choose to learn and overcome that truly