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Just out of curiosity, do you want to join the CAF through the ROTP program (going to the Royal Military College in Kingston Ontario for a full 4 year university degree all expenses paid) or through the DEO programme (you go to university on your own and join the CAF after graduation). Either way, you need a full 4 year university degree before you can become a pilot as it is an officer position.
It sounds as if you may still be in High School grade 11 or 12. If that is the case, you are likely ~16-18 years old in which case you can still join cadets (up to 19 years old). From as early as 17 with parental consent you can also join the reserves but you may not meet the requirements for it yet due to medical issues. Look into it either way. It can be a good way to get experience with military life and is good for some extra income while you are in school or working (usually just 1 evening a week plus training).
You have Medical Officer for your second choice which requires that not only you complete your pre-medical 4-year degree entirely on your own (there is no ROTP plan for medical officer) but you also must at least have unconditional acceptance into medical school (the CAF will pay for your school if you get to that point). Getting unconditional acceptance to med school is no small feat, you need to really work your but off in university to get to that point (and acceptance into med school requires more than just good grades, there are interviews and a very difficult pre-entry test as well, the MCAT).
You have military police as you third choice. That too has a lot of extra requirements and is very competitive. Read around the forums a little, but from what I was seeing, they are looking for candidates with full 4 year degrees in a criminal justice-related field and experience in the police or RCMP as a plus (I am not as familiar with the MP requirements, so someone correct me if I am wrong).
Essentially, you are applying for about the most stressful, competitive and/or highly educated trades in the CAF outside of internal only trades. If this is what you want to do though, definitely go for it, but you ARE going to have to work really hard for any of those jobs and overcome your medical issues to a degree even many people with no previous psychological issues would find overwhelming. Either way, you will need to declare your medical history to the CAF before you join and you need to be honest. They will likely ask for a letter from your psychiatrist (or A psychiatrist) confirming that you have successfully stayed off your medication and have not suffered from depression or any other conditions as a result.
Be sure to go to
http://www.forces.ca/en/jobexplorer/browsejobs-70
and look only at NCM jobs (put a check mark in NCM in the search function) if you do not intend on getting a full 4 year degree before working for the CAF.
Officer jobs (pilot, medical officer, MP officer) pay more, but they ALL require a full university degree (2 or 3 year diplomas do not cut it) and are reportedly much more stressful than NCM trades.
I wish you success in your efforts as it is always a noble cause to strive to improve one's self.
Note: I am just an applicant, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I have been reading these forums everyday for about a year religiously soaking up as much information as I can before I made the decision to join. Go read about the experiences of those who have already joined the trades you are interested in on these forums.
It sounds as if you may still be in High School grade 11 or 12. If that is the case, you are likely ~16-18 years old in which case you can still join cadets (up to 19 years old). From as early as 17 with parental consent you can also join the reserves but you may not meet the requirements for it yet due to medical issues. Look into it either way. It can be a good way to get experience with military life and is good for some extra income while you are in school or working (usually just 1 evening a week plus training).
You have Medical Officer for your second choice which requires that not only you complete your pre-medical 4-year degree entirely on your own (there is no ROTP plan for medical officer) but you also must at least have unconditional acceptance into medical school (the CAF will pay for your school if you get to that point). Getting unconditional acceptance to med school is no small feat, you need to really work your but off in university to get to that point (and acceptance into med school requires more than just good grades, there are interviews and a very difficult pre-entry test as well, the MCAT).
You have military police as you third choice. That too has a lot of extra requirements and is very competitive. Read around the forums a little, but from what I was seeing, they are looking for candidates with full 4 year degrees in a criminal justice-related field and experience in the police or RCMP as a plus (I am not as familiar with the MP requirements, so someone correct me if I am wrong).
Essentially, you are applying for about the most stressful, competitive and/or highly educated trades in the CAF outside of internal only trades. If this is what you want to do though, definitely go for it, but you ARE going to have to work really hard for any of those jobs and overcome your medical issues to a degree even many people with no previous psychological issues would find overwhelming. Either way, you will need to declare your medical history to the CAF before you join and you need to be honest. They will likely ask for a letter from your psychiatrist (or A psychiatrist) confirming that you have successfully stayed off your medication and have not suffered from depression or any other conditions as a result.
Be sure to go to
http://www.forces.ca/en/jobexplorer/browsejobs-70
and look only at NCM jobs (put a check mark in NCM in the search function) if you do not intend on getting a full 4 year degree before working for the CAF.
Officer jobs (pilot, medical officer, MP officer) pay more, but they ALL require a full university degree (2 or 3 year diplomas do not cut it) and are reportedly much more stressful than NCM trades.
I wish you success in your efforts as it is always a noble cause to strive to improve one's self.
Note: I am just an applicant, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I have been reading these forums everyday for about a year religiously soaking up as much information as I can before I made the decision to join. Go read about the experiences of those who have already joined the trades you are interested in on these forums.
