# Career Options



## Guzman (13 Feb 2003)

hello everyone

im looking for some information on becoming a recruiter,drill sgt.,airborne instructor ect...

im planing on going in as a NCM infantry.initialy i was planing to retire as an infantry-man,ive also thought about being in the infantry for,say 10 years and then going into some sort of "teaching".im pretty sure that time in has some say as to what u can and cant do in this type of field,so some advie on that would be great also.

also,what would be the path taken to lead a reserve unit.wether it be high brass or again some sort of instructor?

thanks in advance


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## Illucigen (14 Feb 2003)

Well, if you intend on being "high brass", you intend on getting a commission, which means becoming an officer. Reserves dont just put anyone in charge, contrary to popular belief 

Figure out if you want to be a soldier or a leader. A goal is good, but I think anyone will tell you dont have to high expectations going into the forces, many things factor in on your career (your motivation, forces requirements, your medical fitness (this affects A LOT!), where you get posted, and who your initial leaders are, and if they give you opportunities or not.)

As far as instructing at the NCM level, as much as I know, it comes down to experience and knowing your ****.. and getting an officer to notice that and promote/post you somewhere to make use of that experience....

From what I know, there is no MOC "Instructor" unless you are talking about CIC, and I dont even wanna start with them


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## Guzman (14 Feb 2003)

thanks for the info.
would u be able to tell me more about the MOC


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## Guzman (14 Feb 2003)

thanks for the info.
would u be able to tell me more about the MOC refferd to?

if that is an MOC,is it not possible to change trades during your career?

again,thanks for the information
anyone eles with something about this please share


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## combat_medic (14 Feb 2003)

If you want to be a drill Sergeant or "brass" then you need to join the American military.

If you want to be an Airborne Instructor, you might want to build a time machine, because the Airborne was dispanded almost a decade ago. And the people currently teaching at the Canadian Parachuting Centre in Trenton have upwards of 800 static line jumps. 

If you want to be in a Jump Instructor, then you have to join the infantry, get in incredible shape, wait for a position for basic Para, get the course, find a vacant position in a Jump Company, get your Jumpmaster Qualification, your Jump Instructor qualification, and wait a thousand years to get a position at the CPC. Don‘t count on any of this happening before you‘re 30.

Unlike other countries, you have to serve as a regular soldier for a long time before you get the elite positions. You might want to talk to a recruiter first, and find out the difference between the US and Canada, before you continue to talk about the Airborne, or Rangers, or Marines or the like.


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## Jungle (14 Feb 2003)

> .. and getting an officer to notice that and promote/post you somewhere


No officer has ever posted me anywhere... The person posting us is the career manager (also called career mangler) and he is a CWO. The annual promotion board is made up of COs and RSMs and deals mostly with promotions. The career mgr has a lot of lattitude when it comes to postings.


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## Illucigen (14 Feb 2003)

I would think the performance reviews your officer puts on file for you would matter, no?


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## Guzman (15 Feb 2003)

thanks for the info,special thanks to combat_medic.

p.s. combat_medic: what is your  problem with the U.S or "american terms" and apperently anyone who uses them,wich in this case was by mistake.if i knew all the corret terms and answers,then i wouldnt be asking now would i?
i appologize if i hurt your canadian pride by using "american terms" .


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## muskrat89 (15 Feb 2003)

Guzman - it‘s a little hard to explain, but people in a given circle usually need to "earn" the right to toss slang and lingo around. If you were on a law enforcement board, you would have the same resentment, or a hunting/fishing board, etc. To have your questions accepted at face value, I find they need to have a little humility attached. Tossing jargon in attaches almost a bravado, that immediately turns people off... "this guy is showing off how much he knows - if he‘s so smart, he can figure it out himself". To use jargon incorrectly really turns people off - not saying it‘s right, not saying we old folks are not a little oversensitive to it - I‘m saying that‘s the way it is. If you feel slighted that easy, you‘ve got a long row to hoe, in this army - you‘ll be getting tons of jabs, prods, corrections, criticisms, etc. Grin and bear it is the way to go; sarcastic retorts will get you nowhere.


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## Guzman (15 Feb 2003)

point taken,but im not yet in the army.im asking someone that is,and wich i respect for it and im asking as a civilian.i dont see the point of being so sour about it.


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## Jungle (15 Feb 2003)

It means you should‘t try to talk the talk if you don‘t know it, or walk the walk if you haven‘t been taught. The Military has it‘s own culture. If you don‘t like it, I suggest you stay out.


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## Michael Dorosh (15 Feb 2003)

Jungle is incorrect here; actually all the participants should be a bit ashamed.  The military certainly has nothing against civilians - in fact, isn‘t combat_medic a civilian for everything but 3 hours a night on Wednesday and 1 or 2 weekends a month?      Seems to me I was a civilian up until I was 18 years of age; I‘d say that‘s accurate for any soldier, give or take a couple years.

Fact is, the military does not have it‘s own culture, it reflects the values of Canadian society as a whole - supposedly the best parts of Canadian society - hard work, respect, devotion to duty.

I didn‘t realize that cutting down misinformed but curious people on the internet was part of our "way of life".

Guzman, good luck with the recruiter - hopefully your entry into the Canadian Forces will be painless and you will be all that you aspire to being.  If you need assistance, don‘t be afraid to ask here - though apparently, some would have you be very careful about how you say it....    

I can honestly say I was a bit put-off by the use of the terms "drill sergeant‘, but I also realize it comes from a typical Canadian unawareness of military tradition - something easily forgiven, especially if the person unaware is aspiring to learn, or even, as is the case here, wanting to enlist.

The other points cautioning you on jumping directly into an "elite" unit are well stated and well taken, though - if you are thinking the Army is anything like a Rambo movie or video game, you will be sorely disappointed.   Be prepared for long periods of being bored, tired, cold, hungry, etc. - and for many years of paying your dues in a line company before graduating to other duties that are more glamorous but in the end no more important.


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## Pikache (15 Feb 2003)

More of a product of Yank-nization.

All the war movies shown in today‘s media is mostly American and maybe a sprinkling of British and German. (Gotta love Das Boot and Cross of Iron)

So, the general public will not be aware of how things are done in or what terms are used in the Canadian military. *shrug*

It‘s not much we can do about their ignorance, except somehow bombard the media with a good Canadian war movie.


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## McG (15 Feb 2003)

> More of a product of Yank-nization.


Actually, it is the product of North American entertainment Media (Canadian television is just as bad as American shows).  

It was pointed out by sgt.shmedly102, in "Get the name right!," that many of these phrases are not universal to the US military, other phrases are no longer used, and some phrases may never have been used.


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## Michael Dorosh (15 Feb 2003)

I‘ll bet you didn‘t know that I know that "Chimo" was the regimental march of the US 5th Cavalry Regiment, either, you Yankee wannabe!


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## muskrat89 (15 Feb 2003)

M. Dorosh - I am not a bit ashamed, and I even pointed out to young Mr Guzman that some of us may be over-sensitive; I also pointed out that it may not be right, but such reactions were typical. I also don‘t necessarily think it is from too many US war movies. I don‘t know if you do anything besides military stuff, but I assure you that in every other facet of MY life, at least, the same thing is encountered. I am a Millwright by trade - have a new guy swagger in and start using maintenance jargon, and he‘ll be branded immediately. The same with law enforcement boards, that I‘ve visited. The same with hunting and fishing forums, clubs, etc. Maybe you think this is a uniquely military behaviour - I can assure you that it is not.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (15 Feb 2003)

How right you are. In corrections the fastest way to get put " on the grease " is to come in with all the jargon and swagger  right out of a movie. Its a lot worse than the military where I think most people remember being the new guy.


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## Guzman (16 Feb 2003)

"It means you should‘t try to talk the talk if you don‘t know it, or walk the walk if you haven‘t been taught. The Military has it‘s own culture. If you don‘t like it, I suggest you stay out." -Jungle

that is very low and very sad.the point that you are missing is that i am on this board to ask questions and to learn about the canadian army.if i wanted to learn about the american army or any other army i would be on a different site.

its pretty sad that when anyone ever mentions airborne or any other type of "elite" unit or the like,they are judged to be a ignorant civie wannabe that think they can get there in a week.you are very wrong.the fact is that these are the people with a goal and dreams.we are looking up to you,reserves or regular for advice and guidence.instead we get put down and turned away by the very people we someday hope to serve with.
you are surely not the only person on this board with this type of attitude.i am also sure i am not the only person on this board that has been put down by people like you.
i will not accept the idea that the canadian millitary is full of arrogant people like this so please dont call it a "culture".i look forward to enlisting,learning all that i can and i for one look forward to giving advice and guidence to anyone who looks to me for it.

thank you for the information,and sorry to cause you any trouble.from now on id appreciate it if u didnt reply to any of my questions or comments.
good luck to you all.


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## Jungle (16 Feb 2003)

> from now on id appreciate it if u didnt reply to any of my questions or comments.


What ???!!! is that what you will tell your basic training instructors when they say something you don‘t like ? One of the first things you have to learn in the military is to accept criticism, whatever way it is thrown at you (unless it‘s delivered in an illegal manner, which you will be taught early in your career, earlier than using a rifle)
Some of you are getting way too "touchy-feely"... maybe we should arrange for a big CdnArmy.ca group hug somewhere...


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## Guzman (16 Feb 2003)

its intresting to see what part of that caught your attention.
no that isnt what i would say to an instructor,but then again your not my instructor and neither am i in the millitary yet.your right about something though,some are too "touchy-feely" but think twice befor you decide who.this all started because i used the term "airborne instructor" or was it "drill seargent" that hurt your feelings to the point where you found it apporpriate to labble and put down rather then to simply correct.

this is taking way too much of my time so im done with this.i guess i do have alot to learn about the millitary and the people in it.

good luck to you sir,and thank you.


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## Jarnhamar (16 Feb 2003)

"the military does not have it‘s own culture"

??
Of course the military has it‘s own culture. It has its own language,  has an evolving history.  People in the military interact with each other differently then they would with civilians.

This is a perfect example. Guzman here comes along and asks a question. To him it‘s a good question. To some of us its a bit silly because we know more about this stuff then him but people answer him anyways. Because of the military culture some of the answers may come off as rude or curt. Because Guzman is not used to the military culture, where you can get yelled at for doing the propper thing, he got defensive.

And defensive you did get guzman. I know you have a reason. You said he is not your instructor. Well in a sense he is. You asked a question and he answered. You didn‘t like how he answered the question. Relax a little. Why did you get that reaction when you asked about airborne instructors or whatever? Its like people at mcdonalds. People go to mcdonalds and ask for stuff from burger king and it annoys the people who work there because most of the time they assume you should know the difference between mcdonalds and burgerking.


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## Fishbone Jones (16 Feb 2003)

Well said Ghost! To the rest, I‘d say the point‘s been made, for and against both sides. I think it‘s time to put this one to bed.   :boring:


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