# Looking for advice/input on balancing a civilian life and a military career



## 2ndChoiceName (28 May 2014)

Hello all,

Let me preface this by saying that I have about 9 months in the PRes, and up to this date I have only completed my weekend BMQ. I am also 17 and graduating high school this year.

As of late, I have been getting increasingly frustrated with my position in the Reserves. For example, I was hoping to do my SQ and DP1 this summer, but due to school and other issues I'm only doing SQ. As well, I had the opportunity to go on an ex to California, but had to decline because I could not miss that much school. I am frustrated because I really care the most about my military career and keep having to sideline it due to school etc. I'm pretty much only able to work on it once a week and on weekends, which is infuriating to me. On my BMQ too, I just wanted to keep going and get it done so I could get on with my next course. 

Does anyone else experience this and how do you remedy/deal with this? I realize this may be because I a) have such little time in I haven't had enough time to get too salty, b) am 17, and c) haven't experienced too much outside of high school and the reserves, but I would still like to know others' experiences. 

I'm giving it till the end of my SQ this summer and then assessing where to go from there, whether I want to try for the Reg F, which was always in the back of my mind, but I thought I would wait until after university. Now it's seeming like more of a possibility.


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## dimsum (28 May 2014)

Everyone wants their training to finish and get on with the job, but I think you have your priorities backwards; finishing school (HS and/or Uni) is your priority, not the PRes.  

It will be there when you have more time to devote to it.  Finish school, then assess what you want to do regarding the military.


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## runormal (28 May 2014)

It really depends on your unit, based on the fact that you said your unit was offering to take you to California as a no hook makes me think you have a "good" unit. Some units give recruits as much ojt as possible and others won't touch you until you are trained.

Now onto your next point, getting qualified. I do understand were you are coming from about wanting to get qualified. Everyone's speed to get qualified is different, the year I joined we had two guys do sq + dp1 (3 months) in one summer the rest of us did it in two summers. All of us who took two years to qualify were in university and we had 4 months to give to the army a summer. The first hook was a very nice feeling to have but at the end of the day it didnt really matter yes there was a few tasks/weekends for trained ptes or cpls and above, but my unit still employed no hooks very frequently (and it sounds like yours does the same). Enjoy your time at each rank as they all have pros and cons.

Regforce and university...

I'll give you some back story on me I wanted to go reg force right away after highschool. After I was declined from ROTP I was given a few options:
A) go reg force as an ncm (which is what I wanted to do)
B) join the reserves and do university at the same time (which is what I ended up doing)
C) wait out and apply next year
D) do nothing

I really wanted to join reg force as a nav comm, but my mother "wouldn't let me" ( I was 18 at the time, so yes I could have). So I ended up doing the reserve + university route. It was very frustrating that on the way to university HMCS Montreal was in the harbour in Toronto. My mother and I stopped in, and talked to the sailors on the ship. Afterwards my mother told me "I feel a lot better with you joining the navy". Which was very frustrating at the time, but here we are now. 1 more year left of school, and I've already put in a component transfer to go regforce. The reserves have been an excellent experience and I can't wait to go regforce (whenever that may be). 

A few things you need to consider:
A) AFAIK If you release without becoming trade qualified you have to wait a year to reapply
B) AFAIK you need something like 66 class b days  to get a basic bypass if you ct
C) Putting in a CT is not a guarantee nor is releasing and then reapplying

You are lucky however seeing has you already have basic done and will have sq completed by the time you go to university which means you won't have to spend 5 months of your 1st year of school doing basic while in university (for both social and school reasons). Also should you get into a coop program you likely wont start until your second summer and you should be trade qualified by then. The reserves will also give you 2k a year for a total of 8k while in university through the ILP( Individual learning plan) program.

I have considered dropping out countless times and then just going regforce while in school. Once I looked at how difficult it was to transfer credits I decided against it. However now I'll have a degree to fall back on. 

Do what you want to do, but you might as well try university and go from there. 

Goodluck

Edit:reworded ilp portion


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## blackberet17 (28 May 2014)

Dimsum has it bang on. Finish school. The further you can take your education, the better off you will be in the long run.

Question: You said, "I'm pretty much only able to work on it once a week and on weekends". That's the PRes way...and short of summer taskings and going RegF, it's as much as most people will get at their PRes unit, unless they get their hands on a Cl B contract.

Relax, dude. You're just starting out. Enjoy the experiences as you go. And as runormal noted, doing your SQ and trade crses over the summer, will give you more disposable income towards your education, plus further funding for your education through ILP.

Don't be in such a rush.


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## 2ndChoiceName (28 May 2014)

Thanks for the replies. I know education, university, etc. is better for me in the long run, it's just infuriating when the Ops WO says "are you SURE you don't want to go to California for 20 days and drive around in Humvees and Strykers?" and I have to say no, I have to write an essay on Hamlet instead.


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## dimsum (28 May 2014)

2ndChoiceName said:
			
		

> Thanks for the replies. I know education, university, etc. is better for me in the long run, it's just infuriating when the Ops WO says "are you SURE you don't want to go to California for 20 days and drive around in Humvees and Strykers?" and I have to say no, I have to write an essay on Hamlet instead.



I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Ops WO wasn't actually serious - s/he would have at least an idea of the school schedule.  

Besides, Fort Irwin or 29 Palms (if that's where you were going) are not exactly what the postcards call "California".   :-\


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## 2ndChoiceName (28 May 2014)

My troop operates around the assumption that most of us are in university/college. The school year for university has been over for a few weeks, but the High School year (which I am still in) runs quite a bit longer, till late June, so I have good reason to believe he was serious. They often forget I'm still in high school.

Yeah I know, I was dying over here in 25+ yesterday, going to one of the hottest places in North America would've been...interesting.


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## blackberet17 (30 May 2014)

It sounds like an annual or biennial exercise. Your turn will come.

Your leadership will always try to get max pers to attend an ex. You can only do what you can, and your schooling - this close to the end of the year - and more so if it's your last year! - should be priority. If they don't understand that, they have their priorities a tad off.

Good luck with the Hamlet essay.


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## trustnoone73 (27 Jun 2014)

You are in year one and 17 years old.

Speaking as someone who is in year 22 and is 41 I would say you have lots of time left to get to California and do a few thousand other really cool things in the military reg or res.

By now I hope you knocked off high school.  University or Regs, either is a good option.  There is a lot of benefit to knocking a year or two off in post secondary and getting a few trade/career courses under your belt prior to CTing if you decide to go the full time route.

Enjoy.


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## The_Falcon (27 Jun 2014)

2ndChoiceName said:
			
		

> Thanks for the replies. I know education, university, etc. is better for me in the long run, it's just infuriating when the Ops WO says "are you SURE you don't want to go to California for 20 days and drive around in Humvees and Strykers?" and I have to say no, I have to write an essay on Hamlet instead.



Interesting choice of words yours Ops WO used.  It only works on new guys for a reason.  >


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