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Become a combat engineer. It's the infantry but sometimes gayer and with more explosions! Explosions! Tanks! Diving! Jumping! Hurt Lockering! Water purifying! Idiots! Cleaning stuff! Drinking at work! Seriously though being a sapper isn't too bad. A good mix of high speed infantry stuff and a lot of different specializations within the trade. You can be a hardcore army dude field troop or a more relaxed support guy. poo poo you can even drive tanks. We also happen to be red ATM so it would be easy to get into.
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Jan 18, 2013 19:05
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| # ? May 16, 2024 15:27 |
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Plus you can grow a sweet beard, right?
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Jan 18, 2013 19:43
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Frosted Flake posted:Plus you can grow a sweet beard, right? The Kevlar Beard is a sacred and holy thing... Never mock the almighty.
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Jan 18, 2013 20:26
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No sweet beards. That was the pioneers when they still existed. They're just wannabe sappers anyways.
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Jan 18, 2013 20:43
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Samu posted:No sweet beards. That was the pioneers when they still existed. They're just wannabe sappers anyways. You should tell that to them :P
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Jan 19, 2013 02:06
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acumen posted:I'm not an officer first of all, and I did place infantry on my "top 3", even though I know it's not open. I'm leaning towards weapon tech or traffic tech actually, although I'm still pretty open to suggestions since apparently those are closed too Traffic tech is a good choice if you like working your rear end off all day everyday doing real work and not some cleaning or sitting around bullshit. They also get deployed all the time which is good if you enjoy being away from home. As for being closed, it will probably be open again starting the next fiscal year. My wife wanted to join as an RMS Clerk in late 2011 and the trade was close, she waited until spring and they gave her an offer. Or become a meteotech, they need tons of them apparently. A year long course and you get spec pay for looking at radar images and watching outside your office window to see if its raining or not!
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Jan 19, 2013 04:09
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Frog 1.0 posted:Traffic tech is a good choice if you like working your rear end off all day everyday doing real work and not some cleaning or sitting around bullshit. They also get deployed all the time which is good if you enjoy being away from home. Unfortunately with the met techs, you are deployable to the field if they want to gently caress with you. So if you hate the field, that is a trade that isn't entirely immune from it.
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Jan 19, 2013 04:47
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Pufflekins posted:Unfortunately with the met techs, you are deployable to the field if they want to gently caress with you. So if you hate the field, that is a trade that isn't entirely immune from it. You mean as GD or do they actually do their trade in the field too? Because that might actually be a cool thing to do. If I ever get bored my trade, it's something I might be interested in. The only thing that turn me off is that it seem like a static job and I need to have something to do all the time or I go crazy.
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Jan 19, 2013 06:57
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Frog 1.0 posted:You mean as GD or do they actually do their trade in the field too? Because that might actually be a cool thing to do. I've only seen met techs in the field twice. One on a regimental ex and the other on brigade ex. I never saw the inner workings of their tents though. I think their 'field time' on the regimental ex was just them sleeping in the met building on base.
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Jan 19, 2013 07:28
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Met Techs are a purple trade and can get posted to a ship, just FYI. Not till MCpl though. I'd assume they get sent anywhere command needs to know the weather (i.e. everywhere).
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Jan 19, 2013 14:57
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Man, I checked out hot trades and 2 of the ones I wanted originally are in demand. I might reapply just to see if I can get them.
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Jan 19, 2013 17:59
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RMS Clerk is full? Oh my god. We have reached peak REMF.
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Jan 21, 2013 04:07
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MA-Horus posted:RMS Clerk is full? Not just that, but some trades might be bringing back promotion boards for the lieutenant-to-captain jump!
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Jan 26, 2013 10:03
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Guest2553 posted:Not just that, but some trades might be bringing back promotion boards for the lieutenant-to-captain jump! They're also booting out a lot of 10 year CWOs and Captains. I think I mentioned this earlier, but a buddy of my mom's went on leave and came back to a note on his desk saying 'thanks for being a chief, this date is when you're retired'.
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Jan 26, 2013 18:05
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Guest2553 posted:Not just that, but some trades might be bringing back promotion boards for the lieutenant-to-captain jump! Well, I guess that'll have the side effect of no longer making it a 'gimme' rank that everyone makes fun of for a while. Also, adding admin for the sake of admin. woo! I've heard on the 'voluntary' retirement thing, it was CWOs that had already hit CRA that were being asked to make room. Or forced out.
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Jan 26, 2013 18:55
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Simkin posted:I've heard on the 'voluntary' retirement thing, it was CWOs that had already hit CRA that were being asked to make room. Or forced out. This guy hadn't hit CRA yet. He hit the 35 year mark and was voluntold to retire.
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Jan 26, 2013 20:03
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Can't wait till I'm voluntold to GTFO
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Jan 27, 2013 06:54
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Just talked to a guy from CFB Edmonton, he told me that there are something like 600 releases in the system for that base alone right now Everyone's trying to get out before 1990's Round Two: Yeah It Really Can Get Worse
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Jan 30, 2013 07:13
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Well the reason we're so bad for releases is that there's so much money to be made in Alberta. A tradesman starts off at around 32 bucks an hour in the oilfields and can make up to the high 40/hour range. Even labourers make anywhere from 27.50 to 35.00 an hour. Our rate of attrition for heavy equipment guys is through the roof right now since you can go be a loader operator and make 80k a year working for Shell. Add in guys not seeing any tours for the near future and you wind up with all these releases. We have some troops that are almost being halved at my unit since morale is a bit poo poo and there's no incentive for a lot of guys to stay in. They aren't offering any more 3 year extensions and guys aren't willing to commit to five years when we keep getting told about PLD/LDA getting cut and budget cuts reducing the amount of Ex's the brigade can do.
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Jan 30, 2013 07:31
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Yeah, the yearly "they're getting rid of PLD!" scare. This year I'm being assured that it's going to happen, most likely over a 4 year or so phase-out. We'll see. Gonna suck, it's a big chunk of change. BTW, back when I had to resign I wasn't given any 3 or 5 year options, it was IE25 or not (ie GTFO). 2029 here we come!
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Jan 30, 2013 15:48
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ub posted:BTW, back when I had to resign I wasn't given any 3 or 5 year options, it was IE25 or not (ie GTFO). 2029 here we come! Hey I did the same and my release date is 2029 too. Although if things are still good I hope to do at least 30 since I will be only 55 years old. I just got posted in Edmonton and I would of never guessed how bad things are here. TN company in 1 SV BN is not letting anybody release before the 6 months mark unless they have mininum 20 years in. If only it was the bad seeds that released instead of the smart hard worker ones.
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Jan 30, 2013 23:58
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Frog 1.0 posted:If only it was the bad seeds that released instead of the smart hard worker ones. militaryretention.txt
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Jan 31, 2013 00:34
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ub posted:Yeah, the yearly "they're getting rid of PLD!" scare. This year I'm being assured that it's going to happen, most likely over a 4 year or so phase-out. We'll see. Gonna suck, it's a big chunk of change. "They" said exactly, and I mean exactly, the same thing the last time the rates were adjusted, what, 6 or 7 years ago. They should move the west coast naval base from one of the world's most unaffordable cities to Prince Rupert or something - that would save money (eventually).
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Jan 31, 2013 02:24
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Well, at least we got confirmation that LDA would be sticking around, because "it's too much asspain to take similar incentives away from the Air Force and Navy."
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Jan 31, 2013 03:22
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Retention is way down in my unit since everybody keeps talking about another "Decade of Darkness" and is releasing ASAP.
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Jan 31, 2013 05:45
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DrakeriderCa posted:Everyone's trying to get out before 1990's Round Two: Yeah It Really Can Get Worse I got in 9 years ago during the crest of the post-darkness boom. I should have enough time left to live through Darkness II: Electric Boogaloo and see the years of plenty in 202x, but not sure I want to bet the farm on it quite yet.
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Feb 1, 2013 03:09
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Went to a recruiting station to re-enter the forces as an officer now that I (almost) have my master's only to find out that most officer trades are currently closed. And the only bone they were willing to throw me for prior service was not making me write the aptitude test again (which I wouldn't even mind doing).
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Feb 1, 2013 05:01
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You'd submit a PLAR before enrolling so you'd probably get more bones. I don't know what rank you were, but even if you just have BMQ you ought to be able to get credit for the first phase of BMOQ if nothing else. This is probably the worst time of year to join. Massive ROTP processing plus far enough into the fiscal year that they have plenty of applicants - I think there's a DEO board sitting almost concurrent with ROTP, mid Feb or so. Get your poo poo ready for 1 Apr, the jobs open again (I'm sure you know). What do you want to do?
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Feb 1, 2013 06:46
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From what I was told, a ton of trades have a selection 27 Feb. Subject of course to nothing changing.
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Feb 1, 2013 18:13
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ub posted:Yeah, the yearly "they're getting rid of PLD!" scare. This year I'm being assured that it's going to happen, most likely over a 4 year or so phase-out. We'll see. Gonna suck, it's a big chunk of change. this is dependent on trade and if you are an NCM or officer. Some trades have 3-5 year resigns all the way to 25. Some only have one 5 year then 25. Some have none and only a 25. So it's completely trade dependent.
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Feb 3, 2013 05:54
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Elgar posted:this is dependent on trade and if you are an NCM or officer. Some trades have 3-5 year resigns all the way to 25. Some only have one 5 year then 25. Some have none and only a 25. So it's completely trade dependent. Ya the artillery had a 3 year VIE and then a 3 year then 25 year.
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Feb 3, 2013 06:21
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The officer initial contracts are quite a bit longer - the average among my DEO cohort was 9 years, ranging up to I believe 15(!).
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Feb 3, 2013 18:53
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This is my third year of having a CT to Int Op (and Comms Rsch) from infantry reserves but Im not holding my breath. Am I right in assuming its more difficult to get into because my application is put below regular force transfers into the trade? (since Int Op is VOT only, mostly). Sucks though, I speak Russian and have some university so I like to think im an okay candidate.
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Feb 3, 2013 20:53
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Simkin posted:The officer initial contracts are quite a bit longer - the average among my DEO cohort was 9 years, ranging up to I believe 15(!). That seems kinda long, but then again, most of the DEO guys I know signed their initial contracts a quite while ago, and we're all tagged with tons of oblig time now anyways. My oblig service will expire in my 14th year in, makes getting to 25 seem almost like it would be retarded not to.
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Feb 3, 2013 21:12
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Simkin posted:The officer initial contracts are quite a bit longer - the average among my DEO cohort was 9 years, ranging up to I believe 15(!). Mine is only 6 years, but I also joined the reddest trade in the Forces at the time, so maybe they were trying to attract more people. The longest I've heard of is 9 years.
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Feb 4, 2013 03:22
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Mine was 9 for infantry, and I do recall that the guys going into the Air Force were looking at the same and longer contracts.
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Feb 4, 2013 07:04
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Interesting. I was thinking about it, and every DEO had a 6 year contract when I did basic around a year ago. Only the ROTP had contracts that extended into the 9-10 year range. 9+ year initial contracts are a long time. Even a 6 year contract sort of scared me.
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Feb 4, 2013 18:45
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Yeah, when I signed on for 9 in 2009 I felt it was quite long, but at the time I was a broke rear end student who'd never held a job for longer than a year, so...
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Feb 5, 2013 03:14
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Freeze posted:Interesting. I was thinking about it, and every DEO had a 6 year contract when I did basic around a year ago. Only the ROTP had contracts that extended into the 9-10 year range. Some occupations also have extra-contractual time obligations tacked on, pilot for sure with a 7 year post wings restricted release, which could certainly add up if you sit around on OJT for any length of time before and between phases (not as big a problem anymore). You can release but better have a very compelling reason, not that you got a job at Westjet or flying helicopters to oil rigs in the Middle East. So a typical ROTP guy would have 4 years time in school + two years at least to wings + 7 years RR to make for a defacto 13 year initial engagement. Fortunately the obligatory service for the school time runs concurrently, but if you gently caress up or get cold feet before that runs out you get to pay back school fees plus salary plus allowances (like PLD if at a civy school). That particular obligation is big, big money for medical students, at least two of whom recently released just as they finished residency and licensing. Hundreds of thousands.
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Feb 5, 2013 06:36
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Does the CF reserve give a flying gently caress about non-offensive easily covered tattoos? I'm considering getting one but I'm also moving back to Canada and am hoping to join the reserves as an officer. Also if anyone in the naval reserves would like to talk about it my AIM is FoWafflehound. 
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Feb 7, 2013 00:10
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