"What do you want to do when you leave school?" and people's reactions to my answer.

[Elburzito]

Honestly, I don't understand why people act that way...
One of my good friends is currently dying to join the military next year (the foreign legion, to be precise) and whenever he tells a teacher/elder that, they look at him and say, "Do us proud, son".

Maybe it's the fact that we're not taking part in any wars at the moment, or that there isn't really a military culture here (not anymore, at least).

Don't let other people hamper your wishes. It's YOUR life, after all.

 

[thylasos]

Being from a military town, I was not well-disposed to soldiers fairly early on, due to pissed-up squaddies beating people up, mainly. The brutality/sexual assault scandals and deepcut didn't help either.

 

[Daveman]

I plan on applying to Officer Selection for the Sandhurst Military Academy, as I want to join the Royal Regiment of Scotland, 3rd Battalion (my local chunk of the Infantry).

Well first of all you should do A levels at least, you won't get into sandhurst otherwise. Also I'd suggest doing a pointless degree as you'll have to do one at some point (or you could do something useful such as engineering or languages) if you want to become an officer. In fact I just checked and over 80% of their intake are graduates and the rest at least have A levels. You didn't mention any plan to take A levels so I'm assuming you were planning to head straight there. So basically I think it's an excellent idea in the long run, but really your decision should be postponed until a much more sensible time. Also bear in mind that there will definitely be hardcore fitness as they expect you to at least have the same fitness as any man you'll be leading.

But yeah, my advice is to do a sensible degree, not some media studies bullshit, and then decide.

 

[Octorok]

I plan on applying to Officer Selection for the Sandhurst Military Academy, as I want to join the Royal Regiment of Scotland, 3rd Battalion (my local chunk of the Infantry).

Well first of all you should do A levels at least, you won't get into sandhurst otherwise. Also I'd suggest doing a pointless degree as you'll have to do one at some point (or you could do something useful such as engineering or languages) if you want to become an officer. In fact I just checked and over 80% of their intake are graduates and the rest at least have A levels. You didn't mention any plan to take A levels so I'm assuming you were planning to head straight there. So basically I think it's an excellent idea in the long run, but really your decision should be postponed until a much more sensible time. Also bear in mind that there will definitely be hardcore fitness as they expect you to at least have the same fitness as any man you'll be leading.

But yeah, my advice is to do a sensible degree, not some media studies bullshit, and then decide.

Thanks, but if I'm frank, that came off as patronising. I'm perfectly aware of the requirements, physical and grades, to get into RMAS, and if you bothered to read the thread title, "When you leave school". School ends with A-Levels, and I mention not doing a degree, which ought to have alerted you to the period of my life that I plan on joining RMAS - the only time when it's, y'know, legal to join. Since if I was going "straight there", I'd still have to wait until I was 17 years, 9 months minimum, so still school age.

Please don't presume to tell me things that I've learned from experience with soldiers, ex and current, and things which you don't seem to have looked up.

Minimum fitness standards include 44 pushups under 2 minutes, 50 situps under 2 minutes, and the beep test at 10.2.

Grades are 5 GCSEs, 2 A Levels.

And soldiers are probably going to be fitter overall than Officers, to account for the fact that Officers have to learn how to be in command and take the whole shebang. RMAS is just as much lectures and regular university habits as it is firing ranges and exercises.

Tell me - why, exactly, do I need a degree? I never plan on entering any career which requires me having a special university course. Universities are just a High School extension now - everyone has degrees, no matter what they do.

I'm not wasting more years of my life in the horrible British education system just so I can end up doing the exact same choice I'd have made years, and money, previously.

Let's say something gets me permanently rejected from Officer Selection, like I have some hitherto-undiscovered medical condition - I was still only going to write anyway, and there'd still be nothing actually stopping me from applying late to a university.

This is my first choice, and I can't really be moved from it.

 

[Woodsey]

Do what you want.

Personally, I wouldn't go into the army if I had a gun to my head.

 

[Shoqiyqa]

Hiking isn't really an issue. Out here I could jog through muddy hills and swim chilling rivers without disturbing anything but birds and deer.

Map reading skills, though? You'll want to already have them.

Officer's job in some trades is to sign leave aps and come round with mince pies, sherry and port for the poor buggers manning the decks on Christmas Day. In others, it's the same as the soldiers' job plus leadership [http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/royalmarines/training-fitness/royal-marines-training-centre/officer-training/index.htm] and keeping your head when all around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.

 

[Cash84]

...you will die or end up worse off.

Worse off than dead? heh.

 

[Hamster at Dawn]

It's not something I would personally want to do but you should do what interests you and that's going to be different for everyone. Being in the military is certainly quite different from the vast majority of other jobs though so it's understandable that some people may be a little surprised considering that they are probably expecting you to say something more... how shall I put this?... "civilian". I think it also generates a lot of images of war which will cause alarm and possibly the emergence of some political views. But to reiterate, do what you want to do and don't let any of that stuff stop you.

 

[Hamster at Dawn]

...you will die or end up worse off.

Worse off than dead? heh.

Well I think I'd rather die than end up some vegetable that can't do fuck all for myself.

It depends on your views on the afterlife. I think that when you're dead, that's the end. Game over, man! Therefore I would rather be "some vegetable" where I still exist on some conscious level, no matter how small. Of course, if you've got some virgin groupies waiting in heaven for you then I can see death may be preferable.

 

[luclin92]

i like that people want to go in their countries army (someone needs to protect it).
sadly mine dont want me

 

[Sevre]

*SNIP*

I have quite a lot of respect for you, plenty of my friends have joined the army but none of them have had such high aspirations. The army has a bad rep due to recent wars but don't let that put you off, you'll notice that once you're actually in the army they'll have nothing but respect for you.

 

[The Stonker]

hahaha, try going from a high quality private highschool education into tattooing, people just don't get it. That and I'm a severe haemophiliac which might have something to do with some of the incredulousness too.

That's another thing, my parents feel a little like I've "copped out". My siblings all went on to prestigious academic universities, and they spent all that money on me going to a high-quality private school, only for me to opt out of academic success and choose something they are vehemently opposed to.

Some people want to become writers, others want to become celebrities.
Do what you want to do and don't listen to anyone else.

 

[Daveman]

I plan on applying to Officer Selection for the Sandhurst Military Academy, as I want to join the Royal Regiment of Scotland, 3rd Battalion (my local chunk of the Infantry).

Well first of all you should do A levels at least, you won't get into sandhurst otherwise. Also I'd suggest doing a pointless degree as you'll have to do one at some point (or you could do something useful such as engineering or languages) if you want to become an officer. In fact I just checked and over 80% of their intake are graduates and the rest at least have A levels. You didn't mention any plan to take A levels so I'm assuming you were planning to head straight there. So basically I think it's an excellent idea in the long run, but really your decision should be postponed until a much more sensible time. Also bear in mind that there will definitely be hardcore fitness as they expect you to at least have the same fitness as any man you'll be leading.

But yeah, my advice is to do a sensible degree, not some media studies bullshit, and then decide.

Thanks, but if I'm frank, that came off as patronising. I'm perfectly aware of the requirements, physical and grades, to get into RMAS, and if you bothered to read the thread title, "When you leave school". School ends with A-Levels, and I mention not doing a degree, which ought to have alerted you to the period of my life that I plan on joining RMAS - the only time when it's, y'know, legal to join. Since if I was going "straight there", I'd still have to wait until I was 17 years, 9 months minimum, so still school age.

Please don't presume to tell me things that I've learned from experience with soldiers, ex and current, and things which you don't seem to have looked up.

Minimum fitness standards include 44 pushups under 2 minutes, 50 situps under 2 minutes, and the beep test at 10.2.

Grades are 5 GCSEs, 2 A Levels.

And soldiers are probably going to be fitter overall than Officers, to account for the fact that Officers have to learn how to be in command and take the whole shebang. RMAS is just as much lectures and regular university habits as it is firing ranges and exercises.

Tell me - why, exactly, do I need a degree? I never plan on entering any career which requires me having a special university course. Universities are just a High School extension now - everyone has degrees, no matter what they do.

I'm not wasting more years of my life in the horrible British education system just so I can end up doing the exact same choice I'd have made years, and money, previously.

Let's say something gets me permanently rejected from Officer Selection, like I have some hitherto-undiscovered medical condition - I was still only going to write anyway, and there'd still be nothing actually stopping me from applying late to a university.

This is my first choice, and I can't really be moved from it.

First of all I had no intention for you to take offence or to come across as patronising. I just know there are plenty of people out there who think it's the easy choice to join the army and I didn't know if you were one of them. I made a few assumptions but nothing worthy of insult. I was just going from your original post which as I said didn't mention A levels, which are entirely optional in the educational system, and because you said you were nearly 16 I assumed leaving school meant after GCSEs.

You never mentioned any contact with soldiers in your OP which is why I didn't take such information as read and you mentioned you were "nerd-like" which usually never bodes well in terms of physical fitness which again is why I mentioned it, although you did qualify afterwards you were like a standard british officer. Oh, and you said you were lazy.

Despite my assumptions I gave sound advice which was that over 80% of sandhurst intake has a degree (this taken from their website, so don't say I didn't look it up), this puts you at a huge disadvantage. THAT'S why you need a degree, in my opinion. University can just be an extension but as I said it can be incredibly useful, interesting and fulfilling. Maybe you should do some more research into what's available because I can tell you Uni is very fucking different to school and by no means an extension.

I was just trying to be helpful, not patronising (which you were too, so you know).

On topic: People don't necessarily see the army like a bad thing to do it's just that by continuously questioning whether this is definitely what you want they hope for you to become firmer in your choice and in the end make the right decision for you. You just need to explain to them the preparation you have made or plan to make and why exactly you are so dead set on what you want to do. When I was 16 I made up some bullshit reasons why I wanted to do Dentistry to the extent that I had myself convinced but eventually I realised it wasn't for me. It doesn't matter to me, or anyone else that questions you, if you do or don't change your mind just so long as you're happy with your decision.

Actually, I don't care if you're happy with your decision either any more.

 

[Octorok]

First of all I had no intention for you to take offence or to come across as patronising. I just know there are plenty of people out there who think it's the easy choice to join the army and I didn't know if you were one of them. I made a few assumptions but nothing worthy of insult. I was just going from your original post which as I said didn't mention A levels, which are entirely optional in the educational system, and because you said you were nearly 16 I assumed leaving school meant after GCSEs.

You never mentioned any contact with soldiers in your OP which is why I didn't take such information as read and you mentioned you were "nerd-like" which usually never bodes well in terms of physical fitness which again is why I mentioned it, although you did qualify afterwards you were like a standard british officer. Oh, and you said you were lazy.

Despite my assumptions I gave sound advice which was that over 80% of sandhurst intake has a degree (this taken from their website, so don't say I didn't look it up), this puts you at a huge disadvantage. THAT'S why you need a degree, in my opinion. University can just be an extension but as I said it can be incredibly useful, interesting and fulfilling. Maybe you should do some more research into what's available because I can tell you Uni is very fucking different to school and by no means an extension.

I was just trying to be helpful, not patronising (which you were too, so you know).

On topic: People don't necessarily see the army like a bad thing to do it's just that by continuously questioning whether this is definitely what you want they hope for you to become firmer in your choice and in the end make the right decision for you. You just need to explain to them the preparation you have made or plan to make and why exactly you are so dead set on what you want to do. When I was 16 I made up some bullshit reasons why I wanted to do Dentistry to the extent that I had myself convinced but eventually I realised it wasn't for me. It doesn't matter to me, or anyone else that questions you, if you do or don't change your mind just so long as you're happy with your decision.

Actually, I don't care if you're happy with your decision either any more.

I'm sorry if I came across as hostile, I was just a little frustrated at being told things that I knew. And I'd mentioned the relation to army officers in a later post, so I was going on the assumption that you'd read that.

And, as a disclaimer, I was grouchy having been awake for 18 hours on 3 hours sleep. :\

I know I didn't mention A-levels, but they're necessary to actually apply to the selection process at all. It's not that you won't pass, they'll look and say, "Sorry, you don't meet minimum standards X, Y and Z." And I know I brought it up before, but since I mentioned not doing a degree, that coupled with the fact that A-levels are required, I just assumed that people would guess I was taking A-levels.

And I am lazy, in a way. I'm not exactly work-shy, but I don't bother expending extra effort. I do well enough without doing any work at all that I am, in essence, lazy. And unfit, again, in a sense. I'm far above average fitness in the UK, but I'd definitely struggle at Sandhurst on my current fitness level. In a post later in the thread, I mentioned that I'm not going straight from A-Levels into Officer Selection. I was going to take time in between to get significantly fitter, and put on more weight.

I've done a great deal of research into many avenues that I could take. I'm told by everyone that I ought to go to university, if not for the fact that it counts in Officer Selection, but that it's a great experience and that I'd be wasting myself if I skipped out on the opportunity to have fun.

The way I see it, I'm tired of having fun. I know that sounds stupid, but I've been doing absolutely no work and expending no effort to achieve top grades for my whole damn life, and all the while I've spent more time at parties, with friends or playing games than I have working. I'm told that I could get through and get a degree with ease, and have fun. I'm just not sold on the idea of getting a degree just because I'll have fun, other people have them, or that I'll ever need it from a "career" point of view.

And again, I was only asking people why others react so oddly to my choice of career. Maybe if I sounded hostile it's because I wasn't looking for advice, helpful and sincere or not.

Nonetheless, I hope you don't stay with the idea that I'm ungrateful, or patronising. I'm sorry if I did.

 

[TheTim]

I think wanting to join the army is an honorable decision.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

People seem to either hate their army and gouvernment and have no pride in their country or are the opposite and use their patriotism to be jerks. If you have a genuine love of your country, want to be part of the army or think it will make a difference than join.

 

[Shoqiyqa]

Being in the military is a fine job just expect to die, cause you will die or end up worse off.

And you know this from personal experience?

No but if you look at the odds of dying or getting some disease or post traumatic stress and all that jazz. You should expect to get something yourself.

Falkland veterans claim suicide toll [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1758301.stm]

The South Atlantic Medal Association say they are "almost certain" the suicide toll is greater than 255 - the number of men killed in the war.

The association estimates the total could be 264, according to a report in the Mail on Sunday.

Veterans Policy Unit [http://www.veterans-uk.info/homelessness/vpu_help.html]

For too long up to a quarter of Britain's homeless people were former servicemen and women.

... as psychologist Nadia Al Khudairy of Home Base put it: "Shooting off 10 rounds in two minutes doesn?t help in civvy street. In the relatively small and supportive military world, soldiers are 'somebody', but when they come out into the wide world they are on their own. Some of them continue to refer to 'civvies' as if they are themselves not civilians. In return, they can be treated like immigrants in their own country."

A recent report claimed that while an authoritative military system can offer useful guidance, it can also take away responsibilities. Afterwards, denied the support to which they have become accustomed, some people spiral into depression and a paralysing loss of "identity".

WAR VETERANS CAUGHT UP IN CRIME [http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/129789/War-veterans-caught-up-in-crimeWar-veterans-caught-up-in-crime]

Ministers and military chiefs have been urged to provide more support for veterans after it emerged that more than 20,000 have been caught up in the criminal justice system.

Research revealed that around 12,000 ex-Army, Navy and Air Force personnel with criminal convictions are on the books of the Probation Service.

In addition there are an estimated 8,500 veterans in prisons in England and Wales.

That means there are more than twice as many veterans in jail, on probation or on parole than there are currently serving in Afghanistan. Nearly one prisoner in 10 is an Armed Forces veteran.

The numbers were published in a study by the probation officers' union, Napo. Its members reported that the "vast majority" of veterans did not receive adequate support or counselling when they left the forces. Analysis of 90 individuals on probation or parole showed that one in three suffered from chronic alcohol abuse and one in 10 was a drug abuser.

Just a reminder: plan your civvy life before you hand in your notice, and make sure you have all the qualifications and so on before you start terminal leave. The day you transfer to the reserve, you're out of support.