Career Prospects - Army.

[DMeNTED]

Good day,

As time passes I find myself more and more intrigued with the thoughts of a career in the military. However, having no military experience and knowing no one with military experience the only knowledge I have is that which the media is so kind to formulate for my mass consumption.

We all know how accurate they tend to be.

I‘m relatively fit, not all that bad a shot, and have a Bachelor‘s from McMaster U. I‘m currently a systems analyst... but sitting behind a desk fixing inconsequential problems and compiling reports is getting a tad stale.

I realize the armed forces are not the action-adventure flicks Hollywood puts out at those patriotic times of the year, but I can only hope its somewhat more rewarding and physically and mentally involved.

I have 3 questions --

A) Where can I get more information on what life in the military is like, on what I can expect as a new recruit, on what kind of positions are available to me, etc.

B) Is it worth it?

Now --- I have a healthy respect for the vast majority of people who serve, and serving our country is certainly a big part of the answer to B. But then... we all have bills to pay and making 20-30k a year is not a pay cut I am willing to take.

The DND website seems to have a wealth of very generic -- and completely optimistic -- information on joining. I suspect, however, that it reflects reality much to the same degree that the CBC and SUN do.

It seems that my degree, along with qualifying me for a decent signing bonus, means I might very well have the opportunity to enter officer training.

This leads to my last question -- C for those keeping track -- would entering officers training position me for a leadership role on the ground, or would I find myself sitting behind a desk fixing inconsequential problems and compiling reports?

Thanks in advance for your help.

RG

 

[combat_medic]

A) Where can I get more information on what life in the military is like, on what I can expect as a new recruit, on what kind of positions are available to me, etc.
>>Do you plan on being a new recruit, or are you planning on being an officer? The recruiting website on the dnd website will have information on all of the trades available, both NCM and officer. Your entire experience will be different depending on which one you choose. For example, being a Nursing Officer will be a very different experience than being an artillery gunner.

B) Is it worth it?
>>That depends on you. I joined as a smart-assed, 18-year old and I got a big reality checkwhen I joined. It was also the first thing that had ever offered me a real challenge, and that challenge never really stops. You can always take it a little further. I think in the past 4 years it‘s helped me to grow up a lot, to see the world from a brand new perspective, and it‘s been one of the most rewarding experinces in my life. It‘ll be different for everyone, and often it is a love/hate relationship, but it‘s like nothing else in the world.

The DND website seems to have a wealth of very generic -- and completely optimistic -- information on joining. I suspect, however, that it reflects reality much to the same degree that the CBC and SUN do.
>>This is very true, it has a very "rose coloured glasses" appearance of the military, and a best case scenario of someone‘s individual career.

This leads to my last question -- C for those keeping track -- would entering officers training position me for a leadership role on the ground, or would I find myself sitting behind a desk fixing inconsequential problems and compiling reports?
>>Depends on your choice of trades. Obviously as an infantry officer you‘ll spend way more time in the field, where as a Logistics Officer, you‘ll be pushing paper almost exclusively. The best idea is to call your local CFRC office and ask them a lot of hard questions. Even try to get some names of people in the trade you‘re interested in and talk to them about their experiences. Good luck.

 

[DMeNTED]

Combat_Medic -- Thanks for your reply!

I‘m 27... which makes me older than you and really have grown to appreciate the military and its contribution to our history and freedom over the past few years. More and more I think that it would be a good thing to ‘do my bit‘ as I see it.

I‘ve been doing a little bit more research --- it would appear that there are a number of positions (such as Land Communications / IS Tech) that I would be very well suited for... but I‘m more interested in seeing time in the field...

Of course, that‘s probably because I‘ve never spent time in the field...

A Signal Operator seems to be a good combination of being ‘out there fighting the good fight‘ and decent use of tech. Anyone have any experience?

I have 2 concerns with NCO positions -- one is that I would like to lead as well as be led, and another is that the impression one gets is that NCOs typically make a significantly lower wage.

Paying for stuff is typically accepted as the norm... and not having $$$ makes it difficult to do so.

Then again... one would presume a technical NCO position pays more than a non-technical junior officer.

I don‘t mean to sound as if money is my prime concern. However, along with lofty ideals of serving my country, duty, and honor, it would be nice to say... pay off my mortgage and the like.

On another note -- I called the local recruitment office (I saw a billboard for some recruitment event in Mississauga -- at the Living Arts Center I believe.) but didn‘t get through... I‘ll be calling them again tomorrow for more information.

I‘ll certainly be asking them for any contacts I can have in the trades --- hopefully I can get some knowledgeable answers. Thanks for the idea.

RG

 

[shado_wolf]

Hello DMeNTED,

Your story sounds very familar...

I am 26 and have Tech Diploma and am curious about the life of a SIG OP in the Canadian Forces.

Like you the mighty $$ is a slight concern of mine as well, as I am married and have a newborn daughter. I have been questioning my role as a citizen of late and have been researching two career paths that will provide challenges, both physical and mental, the Armed Forces and City Police.

If you find info that will provide more details regarding this career in the army than that which is on the DND website, could I bother you for a copy of it (or link to the content) as well?

I of course will post any info I find here for you if you wish. Good luck

Dylan

 

[patrick666]

This whole forum has information on life in the military, from real people not from some sugar coated website propaganda. I would say this is one of the best resources. You can try www.jointheforces.com, though. I think there is a section on recruiting centres in your area.

Peace.

 

[Jug]

Hey DMeNTED

You sound just like I do. I just waiting for my call from the forces to either accept or reject me...should be soon.

I have an Electrical Eng degree from U of O and am also thinking that the forces will offer me that certain something that I‘m looking for in a career.

Is it worth it? I think so. Negative press aside, I think this career path will offer some challenges that we don‘t see in the private sector.

I‘m going in as a DEO (Direct Entry Officer) and I would recommend the same for you given your degree. Maybe you want to look into CELE as an option.

The pay...ya, thats was a concern as well. But if you have shrapnel in your *** from the High-Tech bubble bursting, such like I have, then you should expect a pay cut. As a CELE officer, look to make around 50K a year. I was also told that you should go up the pay/rank scale relatively quickly...so don‘t fret about it too much.

Go for it...I think its the way to go given the current job environment.

 

[shado_wolf]

Well I spoke to a recruiter the other day and I don‘t know if he was just trying to sell me on the idea of joining... (do they get a bonus for getting recruits to sign up? Just kidding)

I hope this gives some extra insight to you DeMenTED ( if you plan on signing up as a SIG OP and don‘t go the officer route). These are some of the key points and issues discussed and I would appreciate any feedback from those in the know if I misunderstood or was misinformed.

1 - MOC training has been reduced to 3 months from the 6 on the website (Another recruiter stuck with the 6)

2 - Upon completion of MOC trainin one would join a "radio regiment" (workin from memory could be wrong about the description) where you would spend the balance of your initial contract training and completing ex‘s

3 - It is not that hard getting posted where you would prefer (region wise, I personally live in Edmonton and would prefer to start out there) Basically between people from the east wanting to stay there and those from the west doing likewise the majority get to be where they want.

4 - Typical SIG OPS day is Mon-Fri 8-4 except ex‘s for the first couple years

Sorry bout the thread jack, I didn‘t know if you had got any info yet so I thought i‘ld let you know what I had been told.

PS

The recruiter that told me all this was a SIG OP, but almost everything was contradicted by another recruiter.

 

[onecat]

They changed the SigOp MOC to 3 months? Wow that seem really short, but they must be planning somemajor changes or something. I was just having my interview on Monday and the reruiter didn‘t tell me that. Mind you, I didn‘t ask that as I have read the website and asked a lot of questions.

 

[Korus]

Things change all the time in the Forces, and the Website and Recruiters aren‘t always up to date.