Am I making the right choice....plus more questions...

[Crown-Loyal]

Hello everyone I am new here but have been reading posts for some time now. I am deeply in love with the military, every day i check the military news on dnd website. I just turned 19 in January and have already completed my first test in the RCMP recruiting process ( the RPAT ). For a long time i have been debating whether to join the military or the rcmp and have so far fallen into the rcmp recruitment. I do not know if I am making the right choice. I am addicted to the military, everytime I see a soldier or military vehicle i get excited haha. I live in BC and everytime i go over to the island on the ferries i get excited because i love the ocean and being on ships....i guess now would be a good time to say i was considering the naval arm of the forces. I want nothing else but to serve my country as both the military and the rcmp do but I get frustrated over which to join. My goal is to be high in the ranks in the RCMP - maybe an inspector or superintendent ( higher would be great  ) and command a detachment or be in the navy and command a ship. I have always been a leader whether it has been for my rugby or hockey teams and think i can be of valuable service to my country. I am prepared to do whatever is neccessary in either force to accomplish my goals. The main reason i am going with the rcmp right now is because unfortunatly i am a vegetarian, not by choice, I just can't eat it, makes me sick. So being in the rcmp i can always go to a restaurant and get my salads and my other staple foods like fries, KD macaroni....and beer  .  My question is what does the navy have in place for screwed up eaters like me? also any insight to my delema of which force to join would be great...although i assume it will be bias towards joining the military. I hope it does not sound like I am spoiled or whatever when i state that i would like to command but it is a goal i have come to accept. And seeing how there is very few ships in the navy i am assuming there is a long line of qualified persons to command them so the chances might be higher for me in the rcmp to command. But in the rcmp i wont get to see the world as much. I love the police and what they stand for... but the navy has such a bigger and menacing presence. I just wanted to get some retired ( or serving ) members insight to my moral dilemma.

 

[Melbatoast]

Vegetarianism isn't that big a deal.  My ship has a couple, and has had others in the past.  While the cooks won't whip you up a special meal every night, you can cobble together something, and as often as not one of the meal choices will not have meat (there are normally two choices per meal).

To command a ship you'll need to be a MARS officer, and I can tell you that one of the best choices I ever made was not becoming a MARS officer.  I applied twice - once while in university, where I closed the application when I unexpectedly got a good civilian job, and the last time my entry plan was closed prior to my file being complete (CEOTP).

As an NCM in my trade I spend a great deal of time on the bridge as a special sea dutyman, and interact with a lot of MARS types otherwise, and can genuinely say I would have been miserable.  Make sure you know what you are getting into.

As a 19 year old, I expect you don't have a university degree.  That limits your entry options.  You could go to the Royal Military College through ROTP, or you could try CEOTP which doesn't require a degree for entry.  I suspect if you are a good, realistic RCMP candidate at 19, ROTP wouldn't be a problem;  there is a lot of ROTP information on this site to check out yoyrself.  A third option is to join as an NCM and apply under the University Training Plan for Non Commissioned Members, but you need to serve a certain amount of time prior to application and I feel the standards are higher for that plan than ROTP, and further you may discover that MARS officer is not for you (as I have!).

 

[Crown-Loyal]

thanks for the insight. I have looked into RMC and was going to do the ROTP to be a mars officer, i believe Bridge Watch keeper is the first position. i will definitly scrounge around the sight to see what i can find out about the position and about rotp. you would have been miserable eh? i will check into it thanks.

 

[Melbatoast]

thanks for the insight. I have looked into RMC and was going to do the ROTP to be a mars officer, i believe Bridge Watch keeper is the first position. i will definitly scrounge around the sight to see what i can find out about the position and about rotp. you would have been miserable eh? i will check into it thanks.

I would have been miserable - I can't speak for anyone else, and lots of MARS officers love their jobs.  In my situation, it would have been a case of expectations not matching realities.

 

[cobbler]

I would have been miserable - I can't speak for anyone else, and lots of MARS officers love their jobs.  In my situation, it would have been a case of expectations not matching realities.

Could you please elaborate?
Do they get treated any worse than other officers?
I am applying for to be the equivelant in the RAN and have heard similar things. I'd like to know more to have a better idea of what im getting myself into, though to be honest i dont think it could change my mind.

 

[TAS278]

It is actually quite simple why they have a rough go of it. Each MARS Officer has a potential to have a command. Thus alot is required from them. So the "old man" works the hole off of them

 

[FSTO]

Things aren't as bad as they used to be...........you know the drill "When I was a subbie there was no such thing as Electronic Charts, enclosed bridge, and you did radar contact tracking by using a grease pencil! The old man wasn't happy unless he caused at least two subbies and a Lt to piss their pants before the forenoon watch. We always stood 1 in 2 back to back and the C&PO's always got the ice cream!!!!"

There is alot expected of you, but the new XO's and CO's are not as nearly as physco as they were 20 years ago.

 

[Melbatoast]

Could you please elaborate?
Do they get treated any worse than other officers?
I am applying for to be the equivelant in the RAN and have heard similar things. I'd like to know more to have a better idea of what im getting myself into, though to be honest i dont think it could change my mind.

It's not my place to elaborate but yes, they get treated worse than Engineering or Logistics Officers.  This is from my Wardroom mole, who has always been reliable.  I've seen one or two chewed out by the Captain on the bridge, in front of everyone, but that's rare.  It seems more passive/aggressive these days.

It is actually quite simple why they have a rough go of it. Each MARS Officer has a potential to have a command. Thus alot is required from them. So the "old man" works the hole off of them

Bingo.

 

[CallOfDuty]

  Hey there Crown-Loyal......Join the Navy........travel to places around the globe...see things you might have never had the chance to see.  If you change your mind, leave the Navy, and head to the RCMP.  I'm sure some more life experience would make you an even better police officer.
  Cheers
Steve

 

[NavyShooter]

Like Melba, I spend a lot of time on the bridge, closed up on the Helm for specials.

You couldn't pay me enough to put up with the tasks of a MARS officer.  I know their job is challenging and such, but the junior guys tend to get run around a LOT, not just at sea.  They have a lot to prove as just junior officers, not just at sea, but alongside.  The initial period on ship is REAL busy, and doesn't slow down until after your second full bar shows up.

Even then, there's a lot of inter-wardroom bickering that goes on, and CFR guys rate lower than RMC guys and the whole pecking order thing happens.  Not my ball of wax at all.  I'm glad to be where I'm at (except that it's now PER season)

NavyShooter

 

[Gino]

Like Melba, I spend a lot of time on the bridge, closed up on the Helm for specials.

You couldn't pay me enough to put up with the tasks of a MARS officer.  I know their job is challenging and such, but the junior guys tend to get run around a LOT, not just at sea.  They have a lot to prove as just junior officers, not just at sea, but alongside.  The initial period on ship is REAL busy, and doesn't slow down until after your second full bar shows up.

Even then, there's a lot of inter-wardroom bickering that goes on, and CFR guys rate lower than RMC guys and the whole pecking order thing happens.  Not my ball of wax at all.  I'm glad to be where I'm at (except that it's now PER season)

NavyShooter

I beg to differ.  Sure, there's a certain amount of good humoured crap chucking between different entry plans, but there is no "pecking order" and CFR guys are very much accepted for their abilities and experience.  That being said, someone who brings in a continual "when I was a Chief (or PO) attitude" is not going to make too many friends.  Being a MilCol grad grants you no special consideration or status in the Navy, and doesn't carry any extra weight with merit boards either.

 

[NavyShooter]

Sorry Gino,

I'll have to agree to disagree with you on this one. 

I may be a lowerdecker, but there is a bit of an attitude that I've seen over the years from ring-knockers.  It may not be official, but you see it now and then.

NS

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

Sorry Gino,

I'll have to agree to disagree with you on this one. 

I may be a lowerdecker, but there is a bit of an attitude that I've seen over the years from ring-knockers.  It may not be official, but you see it now and then.

NS

Unfortunately more often then not.

 

[Gino]

Sorry Gino,

I'll have to agree to disagree with you on this one. 

I may be a lowerdecker, but there is a bit of an attitude that I've seen over the years from ring-knockers.  It may not be official, but you see it now and then.

NS

You know you hear this all the time, but I would bet that it's mostly a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Someone sees a MilCol grad who is a jerk and they tar all of them with the same brush.  Also, there are sailors who think that all officers are arses anyway, so when RMC/ROTP is now the primary source of officers, it would follow that they think this especially about "ring knockers".  I would put to you that, on the average, they're no different than any other entry scheme.

It's also important to remember that until 1995 there were two other Military Colleges as well.  The programmes were similar, but the cultures were quite different.  For example, someone who went to Royal Roads would definitely not appreciate being called an RMC grad.