Working in the human resources department in the CPAC at MCAAP entails several occurrences one can count on daily. Many VIPs on post come to the CPAC either for scheduled meetings with the CPAC Chief, or to converse with one of the specialists about publicizing a vacancy and working out any kinks that may have come up in the process. My desk is located just outside the chief's office so I get the privilege of being exposed to any and all traffic entering and leaving her office. The proximity to my boss's office has provide quite a few interesting experiences in my time at the CPAC.

The Civilian Deputy came into the office one day, completely unannounced. He pointed at my boss's closed door and said, "Is she in?"

I replied, "Yes she is, but she is on a conference call right now."

"Thanks," he said and barged right in.

I was shocked that he took the liberty of letting himself in her office despite the fact that she was occupied with a very important conference call. I began to worry if my boss would have been displeased that I had allowed him to enter so abruptly, as I am kind of the "gatekeeper" to her office. Our senior specialist came out of her office and saw that I was so perplexed. She began to inform me that not only was the civilian deputy important, but he was our senior rater above the CPAC chief. He was also our superior. This explained his commanding presence he had always exuded in the office and in this instance when he unapologetically let himself in our boss's office. Our senior specialist continued explaining the chain of command to me and I quickly began understanding just how things operated when it comes to delegation of authority on the installation and in each of the directorates.

Shortly thereafter, my boss's door opened and I heard laughter and loud, but jovial voices from both. The civilian deputy walked out and began his way down the hallway, leaving the CPAC. The chief came out of her office, smiled at me, and went off to the break room for a Diet Coke as if there was no unwanted intruder at all, but instead a usual occurrence. I learned a valuable lesson. I learned that the chain of command is an important aspect of this work environment and that I have more than one boss! So many things to learn other than just job duties!

One of the tasks I was given on this day was to brush up on some of the online training that is offered by the Civilian Human Resources Agency (CHRA). Being a student trainee, one of the main goals is to acquire a general understanding of the basic functions and ideas that HR specialists delve into daily. On its training Web site, CHRA offers several "basic" courses to introduce key concepts and ideas instrumental for proving a basic understanding of job duties. Data bases that are often utilized are also included in the training courses with interactive tutorials.

The first course I took was Basic Classification. The online training takes three to four hours and includes three quizzes and a final exam at the end of the course. To successfully pass, you must score at least 80 percent on the final exam. The course objectives are to locate, read, and apply position classification standards and guides; explain briefly the position classification process - which determinations are made in classification; define "grade-controlling work" in General Schedule (GS) and Federal Wage System (FWS); and contrast narrative and factor evaluation system (FES) classification standards and grade evaluation procedures.

I spent exactly four hours taking the course, completing the quizzes, and taking the final exam. I scored a 100 percent and upon successful completion was e-mailed a certification, certifying that I had met the requirements of the basic classification course. Later in the day, I started another online training course that takes longer than basic classification. I had to save my progress for the Basic Defense Civilian Personnel Data System (DCPDS) for Army HR Professionals and resume working on the course for the next work day.

During winter break, I worked in the CPAC full time. On the 21 of December, I was updated on several of the changes that had taken place on the base. For the first few hours of the workday I was briefed on personnel changes, the abolishment of the National Security Personnel System (the DoD's civilian pay-for-performance pay system), and the addition of new employees to the CPAC's staff. The director of resource management (RM) was approaching retirement and the vacancy announcement for the RM director's position was being announced. After lunch, I spent approximately three hours assisting one of our senior HR specialists in composing, classifying, and disseminating the announcement. It was an internal and external announcement so the information needed to be disseminated to the widest public on post, as well as have the highest degree of visibility on all of the job announcement Web sites for the DoD.

In the last part of the day, I was introduced to the newest member of our CPAC team. My boss had recently hired an HR technician. The new employee began working in the CPAC three weeks prior to my return during Christmas break. This was the first time I had witnessed a new employee joining the rest of the office, so this was a learning experience for me concerning how to make a new employee feel welcome and even adjust so that the workflow is not interrupted and can be efficiently distributed. This was a very productive day.