Career Development of Air Force Officers in Contracting

Developing and maintaining a motivated, professional contracting workforce is one important way in which the Air Force can more easily meet the challenges of increased requirements and decreased resources, both today and in the future. An effective career development program for Air Force officers in contracting is a key element in supporting a professional contracting community. This research considered five factors deemed necessary for supporting career development, including experience, professionalism, expectations, mentoring, and training. The author studied the perceptions of captains in the contracting career field as a means of better understanding the unique career development challenges faced by contracting officers. This study concluded that captains in contracting do not perceive one best career path, nor one best set of professional and technical skills. Also, career expectations remain high and mentoring activity low, despite recent institutional emphasis directed at both. Finally, the value of current required formal training, as rated by contracting officers, seems to be high.