Roland

There’s so much I wish I could fit into a short e-mail, but it would take me
a week to hone it down, and even then, I’d miss most of what I’d want to say. That being said, read this to your incoming students and staple it to their foreheads:

1) You chose Sheffield, now HANG ON. You chose quality, now give it your best. You’re going to be put through a wringer, but if quality training were easy or cheap, boot camp would be a home study course. It takes an external source to transfer these skills to your head, to construct it. But it’s up to you to APPLY it-and to know HOW, and when. Don’t miss a thing, no matter how small.

2) You will have to work harder than you can imagine, but when you look back, years from now, you’ll be so glad you did, being a Sheffield grad changes you forever. Only a Sheffield grad will understand what it took to graduate, but the industry knows that Sheffield grads ARE a different breed. Stay in touch with your classmates-they’ll know what you went through. 

3) Remember this: even what comes easy to you demands-utterly demands your full attention.

4) LISTEN TO ERIC. HANG ON EVERY WORD.

5) Reread #4.

6) The jobs are there. The industry is growing, changing, hiring-don’t miss out. Keep your skills sharp, and keep your good notes to fall back on.

7) Here, and later at work, don’t be shy about asking for help on something. In your job, you won’t make all your decisions in a vacuum, nor should you. Good DRM means using all available sources of data to build a complete and
accurate picture of a situation. Some decisions will be made alone, and some, very very quickly, but the more you know, the better you are able to apply hard won knowledge in the clutch.

8) Professionals expect, and respect the judgement of someone they can look upon as another professional. Their own decision processes may be shaped by, and sometimes overidden by your own. Know your art. Stick to your guns, and don’t be afraid to make a tough call-it’s your job.

9) Develop the ability to multitask and prioritize, and stay on top of what’s happening around you. Over time, you’ll develop your own bag of tricks to pull vital info together quickly, whether it be a favorite source of weather data, or a great working relationship with your local FSS-mine is in Honolulu, half an ocean and a continent away from my ops base, and 3000+NM from where my aircraft are flying…

10) The pace can be furious. It will test your nerves, but keep a sense of humor, and look out for your crews. A hard day is when I’ve worked a shift, am tired and spun, but don’t want to go home. One more thing… You’ll never know when something you share with another pilot, just over coffee, or out flying on a day off, might just save their life. Dispatch is
a field where you are paid to share and apply your knowledge-spread it around. We are all improved by what we give back.

Thanks Eric, and Ron, Katja, and everyone there-I can’t begin to describe the fun I’ve had.

All the best,
Roland