I failled at life, thinking of joining the army .
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The most I can help with is the girlfriend thing. I don't have personal experience but I went to a predominantly RAF Boarding School so a lot of my friends are currently serving.
It hurts a relationship. If you're stationed anywhere but home then you you'll have all the problems of a long distance relationship (I don't know how long the Canadian Military posts for but the RAF is sometimes 2-3 years) but the added stress of worries that come from a potentially high risk job (like the police). Of the thirty odd people I know in the military, only one of them has a long term girlfriend, or has had one since they joined.
Now
I don't want to preach about your personal life, but this sounds like a quick fix solution to a much bigger problem. If you genuinely feel like you have failed at life then it isn't something that someone else is going to be able to put an end to. The army might give you a purpose, at least for a short time, but are you sure that in the long term it will help?
My personal 'I've failed, time to try something else' was university, three years of not really having responsibility, doing what I thought I wanted to for a degree and at the end coming out with a decent qualification. But when I came out the other end, despite everything I had accomplished at uni, I still had all those problems of feeling like a failure to deal with.
They don't go away until you make them go away yourself.
It hurts a relationship. If you're stationed anywhere but home then you you'll have all the problems of a long distance relationship (I don't know how long the Canadian Military posts for but the RAF is sometimes 2-3 years) but the added stress of worries that come from a potentially high risk job (like the police). Of the thirty odd people I know in the military, only one of them has a long term girlfriend, or has had one since they joined.
Now
I don't want to preach about your personal life, but this sounds like a quick fix solution to a much bigger problem. If you genuinely feel like you have failed at life then it isn't something that someone else is going to be able to put an end to. The army might give you a purpose, at least for a short time, but are you sure that in the long term it will help?
My personal 'I've failed, time to try something else' was university, three years of not really having responsibility, doing what I thought I wanted to for a degree and at the end coming out with a decent qualification. But when I came out the other end, despite everything I had accomplished at uni, I still had all those problems of feeling like a failure to deal with.
They don't go away until you make them go away yourself.
One thing I think you should think about is that once you join the army you still get to vote, but because you work for the government you must work for whichever side comes into power. If Canada joins a war, you will have to join to irregardless of your personal opinions. Your commanders may have policies that you don't agree with, that you will have to follow anyways.
They may not all be deal breakers, but you could find yourself not liking what you are doing.
They may not all be deal breakers, but you could find yourself not liking what you are doing.
I did some contract security work on a military base for a while. From my experience, if you can handle macho douchebaggery and would like to become a macho douchbag, than it could be a good option. Personally, I couldn't stand the troops, and heard way too many people talk about how they couldn't wait to get into action because they wanted to shoot some (insert racial slur here).
Also, in my brief stint as a security guard (speaking of jobs to make you feel like a failure), I met a lot of ex-military who worked in security because they couldn't adjust to any "normal" work. They needed a system of seniority and deference so they were pretty much 'broken' for any work that didn't involve a ranking structure.
TL
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I am personally biased against the military and advise you not to join.
Also, in my brief stint as a security guard (speaking of jobs to make you feel like a failure), I met a lot of ex-military who worked in security because they couldn't adjust to any "normal" work. They needed a system of seniority and deference so they were pretty much 'broken' for any work that didn't involve a ranking structure.
TL
RI am personally biased against the military and advise you not to join.
Do it for the right reasons! Your passionate love for murder!Boudica said:
OT: I can't say, I plan to join the military at some point but I'm looking to join as a Medical Scientific Officer, so I can't say if my line of work would be similar to yours or not. Also the job I'm after is in pretty high demand, I'm not sure about whether or not grunts get too many comebacks.
Getting into the Canadian Forces can be difficult depending on what you want to go in for, I want to join as well and have applied twice but both times I was rejected because I had little to no work experience at the time.
EDIT: Something else to think about is that the Canadian Army isn't doing much recruiting right not but the Navy is.
EDIT: Something else to think about is that the Canadian Army isn't doing much recruiting right not but the Navy is.
Whenever anyone says they're thinking of joining the army, this song begins playing immediately:
I've really got no further comment, having never been in the army or wanted to enlist. Sorry!
I've really got no further comment, having never been in the army or wanted to enlist. Sorry!
Im not in the armed forces nor do I know anyone who is, but be aware: Unless I am mistaken, depending on which branch etc you choose to join, you will not actually gain any skills that will help you with employment post-military, assuming you reach that stage (Sorry, but this had to be mentioned).
I'll start off by saying I was in the Canadian Forces for 5 years. There are a lot of pros and cons to it, and if you or anyone else want more specific information ask away. To start off, 5 years was my initial contract. I was employed as a combat engineer (think infantry with explosive/construction training). In that time I was sent to Afghanistan twice and have done training in various parts of Canada and the US. On the whole I found it to be an amazing experience.krazykidd said:
Basic training is hard to explain. Looking back I can see it as a no big deal, but at the time it was a pain. It is more about getting you used to constant stress, and seeing who will break under it while teaching you fairly basic skills. Physically it isn't that tough as they start off at a very low level. I think my first run was 2.5km long. Keeping in mind you should be able to do that in a decent time for the application physical. Mentally it is draining, especially if you aren't used to being on your own and working with new people.
Let me say numbers here can change based on where you are stationed and what your trade is. They CF pay list is open to the public, so I can probably dig it up later, but I was making over 50,000 a year after taxes. As well I had very cheap rent living on base (50 per month) and had the option to move off base any time. On base housing is more like a dorm room, but I didn't mind. For meals there is the option of a meal card with the mess hall (about 400 per month) which many opt out of and buy groceries.
On base, we worked 730-430 monday to friday. This includes an hour of physical training in the morning. Day to day work varies from informal training, to equipment maintnance and on some days doing next to nothing. Exercises would come up about once every three months, and would have us in the field for a few weeks solid. Vacation time adds up quickly and we would typically get a month off around christmas, a month in the summer, and a week around march to burn off any built up days.
Deployment changes all that, its requires about 6 months of fairly constant training followed by a small break and then the deployment, after which youll probably get about a month or so off. As well pay rules change as while on deployment all income is tax free, and you will be making extra hazard pay and such.
Now, the reason I left is possibly the reason I can see affecting your decision the most (you mentioned having a serious relationship). Army life does not mesh well with family life. While I have some friends who have sucessful family's they are largly the minority. I have seen lots of divorce and infidelity in my time there. While I loved the work and the friends, I wanted the ability to settle down. While I mentioned the regular deployment cycle above, it does not always work that way. My first time going over seas I was given about 3 weeks notice before I left. The second time I was told before christmas holidays that I would be leaving on boxing day (it later got pushed back to new years day). The lifestyle can easily suck a lot out of you. For comparison, from my 5 years I spent more time away from my main base then I spent stationed there.
Some other cons, people carry strong opinions about the military. While some people have praised me for my service, others have called me a baby killer. I had one guy yell at my grandmother for half an hour at a drug store for wearing a support the troops shirt. As well, you have to be prepared to say goodbye to everyone you know. Between being moved around a lot and having postings change constantly, it's possible your best friend from basic can end up across the country easily. On top of that I have had friends die, theres no easy way to deal with that. Regardless of your job there is an ever present danger if you get deployed, and I know many people living with PTSD as well.
While I am sure I can come up with more, that is a start... and I should technically be working right now. I have had the urge to rejoin some days, as the pay and job security is something I miss. Having said that, I am at a time where I really want to start a proper family and I don't feel like I can do that and the army.
I feel I should re quote this... Granted while Canada was going through some leadership issues while I was serving we came up with a (joke) plan to ctage a coup and put Gen Hilier in charge.Ledan said:
But really, more people should realise that. Too many people who disagreed with Canada being in Afghanistan took it out on the soldiers and their families whenh they should be talking to MP's and other forms of government. You don't get to choose where you are based in many cases, let alone what country we are going to be fighting in.
I've got no advice on the army itself, I don't know much about life in the army other than what little my neighbour has told me.
However, you have not failed at life...
the only way to fail at life is death if you ask me... You seem to be in a not so great place but all your problems seem to be the typical early 20s problems. All you need to do is get a good job that you enjoy. Or go for a big trip across europe or asia or something...
Joining the army may be a bit extreme.
However, you have not failed at life...
the only way to fail at life is death if you ask me... You seem to be in a not so great place but all your problems seem to be the typical early 20s problems. All you need to do is get a good job that you enjoy. Or go for a big trip across europe or asia or something...
Joining the army may be a bit extreme.
Wait, the military sub-contract their security? The frigging military? The guys with all the guns and tanks and bombs? Wow.shazlor said:
You should take a serious look at the differences between the Army, the Navy and the Airforce. My uncle was in the British Navy for a while, although I've never had a proper conversation with him about it apparently it seemed that all they did was repair and maintenance, training exercises, painting their ship and ironing their uniforms. It's like the regimentation of the army without the danger.
You might prefer joining the Navy, or the airforce. They do seem to carry slightly less personal risk.
I'll also weigh in with the "You haven't failed in life" testament. I'm 23, unemployed, no girlfriend, live in the middle of nowhere in my parents house and don't have any idea of how to get out of my rut. I did flirt briefly with the idea of joining the navy, but I probably wouldn't actually enjoy it and my dad would go mental.
It's no coincidence that everyone in this thread stating they are in the same situation as you is a 20-something who has recently finished their education and wants to get on the first rung of the employment ladder. It's the economy that's screwed us over. I want a job in the planning industry, I'd love a job in the planning industry, but no one's hiring, so I'm applying for call centres, programming jobs, work experience schemes etc., and it all sucks. It's all a pile of crap, but that's the situation we are in.
Back in 2007 when the ass fell out of the building industry they called it a "credit crunch". Then when the retail industry bombed they called it a "recession". Now entire countries are circling the plughole, the European Union is on life support, the banks are collapsing under the weight of their own greed and corruption, and I'm pretty sure in 3 years time when the global economy has got a whole lot worse the politicians will finally admit we are in a full blown depression and it's not going to get better by simply denying it exists.
Don't feel bad that you can't get a job. It's not your personal failing, it's the failing of all the greedy, corrupt, rich assholes that our governments put in charge of their entire economies and then decided "We don't need to regulate these guys (our ourselves) at all, let's just go by the honor system."
You might prefer joining the Navy, or the airforce. They do seem to carry slightly less personal risk.
I'll also weigh in with the "You haven't failed in life" testament. I'm 23, unemployed, no girlfriend, live in the middle of nowhere in my parents house and don't have any idea of how to get out of my rut. I did flirt briefly with the idea of joining the navy, but I probably wouldn't actually enjoy it and my dad would go mental.
It's no coincidence that everyone in this thread stating they are in the same situation as you is a 20-something who has recently finished their education and wants to get on the first rung of the employment ladder. It's the economy that's screwed us over. I want a job in the planning industry, I'd love a job in the planning industry, but no one's hiring, so I'm applying for call centres, programming jobs, work experience schemes etc., and it all sucks. It's all a pile of crap, but that's the situation we are in.
Back in 2007 when the ass fell out of the building industry they called it a "credit crunch". Then when the retail industry bombed they called it a "recession". Now entire countries are circling the plughole, the European Union is on life support, the banks are collapsing under the weight of their own greed and corruption, and I'm pretty sure in 3 years time when the global economy has got a whole lot worse the politicians will finally admit we are in a full blown depression and it's not going to get better by simply denying it exists.
Don't feel bad that you can't get a job. It's not your personal failing, it's the failing of all the greedy, corrupt, rich assholes that our governments put in charge of their entire economies and then decided "We don't need to regulate these guys (our ourselves) at all, let's just go by the honor system."
Sorry I got to "and lack of maturity" and started laughing my ass off, Squaddy humour is by far the most base, vulgar, imature humour on the face of the planet, soldiers don't mature very well unless they are harrowed, which isn't good. My brother is a Signaller about to become a Lance Corporal after about 3-4 years of service, part of which he spent in Afghanistan. He's currently fannying about at the London Olympics cause they needed extra security but now need extra seat fillers. He has definitely not matured, he has just found other man-children to spend every waking hour with.
As for your queries, you might have some strain on your relationship if you're posted elsewhere, my brother technically lives with us in the middle of England, but is posted in Germany 90% of the time, and as I said, went to Afghanistan for six months, so there's maybe going to be a bit of a long distance aspect for you, it ruined the only relationship my brother actually wanted anyway.
Living is a lot cheaper, you're well looked after, and if you're anything like my brother, you get more money than you know what to do with (I think he's on around £2k a month at the moment, and all he spends that on is WoW, beer, and living, and tends to have a lot left over).
I've been moved around with the army all my life, cause it's what my dad did too, so there can be a lot of moving around, we moved on average once every three years, I'm not sure how regularly people get shifted about these days though.
One piece of advice my dad repeatedly gave my brother when he was looking into joining, is to not go Infantry. Pick a trade, that way when you come out of it, you've got qualifications that count in the civvy environment. My dad was infantry, he got to Colour Sergeant, and after 22 years of service the only real qualifications he got were his driving ones, so now he's driving lorries/trucks (whatever you want to call them, he drives around the country delivering laundromat supplies, fun times).
This is the British military though, I have no idea about Canada, all I know is my brother got time and a half when he went to Afghanistan, as well as an 8k bonus after.
As for your queries, you might have some strain on your relationship if you're posted elsewhere, my brother technically lives with us in the middle of England, but is posted in Germany 90% of the time, and as I said, went to Afghanistan for six months, so there's maybe going to be a bit of a long distance aspect for you, it ruined the only relationship my brother actually wanted anyway.
Living is a lot cheaper, you're well looked after, and if you're anything like my brother, you get more money than you know what to do with (I think he's on around £2k a month at the moment, and all he spends that on is WoW, beer, and living, and tends to have a lot left over).
I've been moved around with the army all my life, cause it's what my dad did too, so there can be a lot of moving around, we moved on average once every three years, I'm not sure how regularly people get shifted about these days though.
One piece of advice my dad repeatedly gave my brother when he was looking into joining, is to not go Infantry. Pick a trade, that way when you come out of it, you've got qualifications that count in the civvy environment. My dad was infantry, he got to Colour Sergeant, and after 22 years of service the only real qualifications he got were his driving ones, so now he's driving lorries/trucks (whatever you want to call them, he drives around the country delivering laundromat supplies, fun times).
This is the British military though, I have no idea about Canada, all I know is my brother got time and a half when he went to Afghanistan, as well as an 8k bonus after.