# Contemplating military career



## T39 (5 Apr 2017)

Hello all. 

I'm hoping to get some info from anyone who's willing to contribute. My story is not a short one but I will do my best to condense it down for forum reading. 

I joined the reserves in 2006 as a NCM of an infantry unit. I joined for a multitude of reasons but was interested in having some of my education paid for like many other people. I was only in for a few weeks before I was convinced to put university on hold while I attended, what was billed at the time as, a "super course" ( bmq, bmq-l, winter warefare, driver wheel etc.) all in around 6 months and all during the school year, not in the summer. 

I very quickly fell in love with the course atmosphere (something I'd find out later many guys hate, preferring unit training. i.e. getting drunk on tue nights) 

I loved the challenge, both physical and mental and ended up as the tc for the whole thing. 

Fast forward. I ended up having a major knee injury once I returned from that course that kept me out of any meaningful training for the next 3 years. During that time I got married, bought two properties, started a business had a baby, just went on living life. At a certain point it felt like the reserves just didn't hold an important spot in that equation anymore and I ended up releasing. 

I've been out for a few years now and have continued to miss it. I'm at a point in my life where I feel like I would like to be permanently involved with the military, whether the reserves or reg force but from an Infantry Officer side. 

All of that is fairly simple. Here is the puzzling question and circumstances: 

I'm 30years old, want to finish 1 more year of an ongoing education degree, I have three young kids now and will most likely end up moving for family reasons in the next 2-5 years. I realize these are all poor reasons NOT to join. However, I'm still struggling with putting my family through the major changes that it would entail. 

Is it fairly common as a reservist officer to relocate to another unit? Or would I be better off re-enlisting once I make the move? 

Although never experiencing reg force life I can confidently assume that it would be much more structured (in terms of where your located) than reseves. My question here would be how much say if any do you have as a reg force infantry officer as to your living location in Canada. Obviously I know you go where your needed but do you have any input?  Also, what is your day to day job like as a junior infantry officer? 

Anyway, as you may be able to tell, I'm leaning toward joining in some capacity, but I have reserves about what it will mean for my family. 

Thanks in advance for any or all comments and info. 

For all of your consideration  

P.s. I wish looking back that I had of joined the reg forces years ago when I was younger, unattached and didn't have any of the same considerations I have now.


----------



## Loachman (5 Apr 2017)

Welcome to Army.ca, T39

I would recommend that you start reading through applicable older threads on this Site, especially those stickied at the top of their sub-forum. All of your questions have been asked and answered before - it's pretty hard, although not impossible, to come up with an original one.

By doing so, you will learn a lot more, probably finding answers to questions before they even occur to you, plus reduce the clutter already here, thereby making searches easier for others. We try and keep this site as organized as possible, but that has challenges.


----------

