• Thanks for stopping by. Logging in to a registered account will remove all generic ads. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Army Communication & Information Systems Specialists (Sig Op, Lineman and LCIS Amalgamation)

  • Thread starter Thread starter JBP
  • Start date Start date
Old EO Tech said:
You have had a very different experience from myself and many LCIS tech's I know and have supervised.  I have never told them how to fix radios.....but I do tell them how to sort out their DRMIS Work Orders that most LCIS/ACISS CST are not terribly good at.  And not to order ECL items on a WO :-/

And not to derail the current discussion but most LCIS tech's here in 1 CMBG would rather work for Maint Pl(RCEME) as they do in a couple units like Svc Bn and LdSH, than work in Sigs Pl's.  It makes co-odinating vehicle inspections and EMO's much simply when all maintainers work for the same boss.

I have dealt with DRMIS alot, and have the Army Maintenance Supervisor course for it. I will admit, when dealing with full vehicles, it works great, (swapping parts of the System for others,) however, when you pull that piece of kit apart for 2nd and or 3rd line it falls apart. Sigs world had already spent a fortune on TACIS, and a tonne of work went into its database, and nowhere near the amount of work went into the DRMIS side of the Database and quickly became a sloppy mess.

Strayed off topic there a bit.....
 
Spec Pay is/was approved by Treasury Board for the CST Sub-Occ, is being held back until the appeal for IST, LST, and Core can be completed.


PiperDown said:
I wonder what happened to " I'm confident we will hear a decision on spec pay in the next couple of months" that an email received from the branch back in September indicated ?
After years and years of waiting for an answer, why doesn't anyone in the leadership have the balls to say " spec pay is dead. We ****ed up " instead all we get fluff and BS. A "NO" answer at his point would give more credibility than the constant " a decision is forthcoming...we are working very hard.....it's our number one priority "  garbage we have been fed for over 3 years.

Last year I personally asked the CFCWO what was happening with ACISS and he was under the impression everything was already sorted out. Now, that's gotta make ya feel special right ?
 
LCIS-Tech said:
Spec Pay is/was approved by Treasury Board for the CST Sub-Occ, is being held back until the appeal for IST, LST, and Core can be completed.

Not to sound rude, but, source? Is there a message or is this word of mouth?  ???
 
LCIS-Tech said:
Spec Pay is/was approved by Treasury Board for the CST Sub-Occ, is being held back until the appeal for IST, LST, and Core can be completed.

Interesting rumor, but I've heard the same story told about 4 different ways with no one getting it, then CST getting it and then CST and IST getting it with the branch still fighting for the whole trade and I've heard that the branch gave up on LST and Core and now are just pushing CST and IST. Which version you get typically depends on who's telling the story

It's all just rumor until an official message gets cut.
 
IST Joeschmo said:
Some of the people we've promoted in the Sigs corps is the very fault in our entire branch. I think it's one of the critical factors that has made Sigs terrible for years.

I've had leadership that has outright lied to my face about simple and complex things. Leadership that was so ignorant of the work we do or what even needed to be done that their very orders were setting us up for a grand cascading failure. Multiple times. I've seen leadership at many levels whom outright dismissed dire warnings about personnel issues and blatantly stated they do not care for the welfare of that or those troops... Just 'get the f**king job done I don't give a s*it what it takes or who breaks over it!"... I've also gotten a lot of training and experience out of 1 Sigs I'll say. It formed the basis for my career and helped build me into a 1st generation IST in the 'old school' way and I've moved on and modernized.

That is what has made the Signal branch so bad for years... Finally, our generation of 'new' leadership is emerging and is starting to influence the chain and support the subordinates. I've noticed a change already in a few places...

If the Jr leaders can shield the boys and influence the chain to our advantage, things should start to get better.

I dont see this happening. I know a few that have been promoted in the past two years, some techs, and some operators. No way these people would of been promoted pre MES.

LCIS-Tech said:
Spec Pay is/was approved by Treasury Board for the CST Sub-Occ, is being held back until the appeal for IST, LST, and Core can be completed.
I heard this as well, which is absolute BS.
 
PiperDown said:
I wonder what happened to " I'm confident we will hear a decision on spec pay in the next couple of months" that an email received from the branch back in September indicated ?
After years and years of waiting for an answer, why doesn't anyone in the leadership have the balls to say " spec pay is dead. We ****ed up " instead all we get fluff and BS. A "NO" answer at his point would give more credibility than the constant " a decision is forthcoming...we are working very hard.....it's our number one priority "  garbage we have been fed for over 3 years.

Last year I personally asked the CFCWO what was happening with ACISS and he was under the impression everything was already sorted out. Now, that's gotta make ya feel special right ?

Tell you what Piper, next time I see the RCCS CWO in the elevator, I will ask him.  Knowing CWO MacIsaac, he won't sugar coat it.
 
RADOPSIGOPACISSOP said:
Interesting rumor, but I've heard the same story told about 4 different ways with no one getting it, then CST getting it and then CST and IST getting it with the branch still fighting for the whole trade and I've heard that the branch gave up on LST and Core and now are just pushing CST and IST. Which version you get typically depends on who's telling the story

It's all just rumor until an official message gets cut.

Whatever the actual story is, the delivered truth was that a decision came back, D Sigs (D RCCS now??) said this is unacceptable, resubmit. Considering it took years to get the first answer, I'm sure I'll be a WO before we get the next one.
 
I was going to write the same reaction as the previous posters to the 'CST has been approved for spec pay"... Heard that before... No offence... And I've heard it about IST as well... And Line.... I've said it before and I'll say it again... I honestly (personal opinion) do not believe IST will get it. And I do not think any of the ACISS trades will get it at all. If anyone cares I'll do up an entire post of why I think those things but it's my opinion. So I'm not even waiting to hear an answer on the subject; it's decided in my mind. Moving on.

STATE OF THE TRADE: BUDGET CUTS GALORE. No one has funds. CF Wide, no surprise there. Even dental appointments are being pushed back due to lack of funding!

WTF: I and 11 other pers from CFJSR have been lucky enough to be loaded onto a very last minute Data Comms course at CFSCE across the street. Why all from the local area you ask? COST. Units outside the area didn't have the funding to send pers to attend trg @ CFSCE for this serial and said serial was actually cancelled before Christmas leave... Arrangements were attempted to recover training (CFSCE) thought of maybe covering costs of rations and pp&s etc... Can't afford it.

A bright officer who works at CFJSR approached myself and some of my peers and asked how valuable Data Comms is to our personnel and if we should try and send people on the training at 0 cost. One of my esteemed colleagues literally said he would run an excercise by himself and not sleep if it meant more training for the troops and anyone whom could attend! That's the short of it. We pushed from our end, putting up nominations to our chains etc... Our regimental trg talked to CFSCE and worked out that we would fill all 12 spots on course at 0 cost essentially...

Why am I telling everyone this? So they know that it's not directly their units' fault that training isn't happening or your name isn't 'being nominated'. It's a funding issue mostly... Are we spoiled and lucky at CFJSR right now because we're across the street; hell yes. Do we know that... YES! That's just one issue...

WTF1: DP1.1 for IST... Apparently the 'legacy' DP1.1 is now obsolete and the new DP1.1 IST is to be given to all new pers. Great, they revamped almost everything about it. Terrible: They disqualified pers whom took the OLD DP1.1 IST! We had a newly minted Cpl whom was taken off said Data Comms to go back on the 'new' DP1.1 IST course as he is forced to re-qual before going any further in his trade/career. Stupid, absolutely stupid but workable decision? Yes. Is an experienced jr IST who works daily with our equip going to gain anything from the new DP1.1? Maybe...

WTF2! Here is the real kicker for our "State of the Trade"... Another guy whom I work with was slated to attend said DP1.1 IST course as he's always been 'core' and finally had all the paperwork to go through and officially be minted an IST. He's been doing the job for years and is a det commander, has operational experience etc... Etc... Knows his stuff to say the least. Whatever, we jump through the hoops and do our duty. Today, the day the course was supposed to start he was told he's been kicked off an not allowed to attend because he doesn't meet the pre-reqs for IST DP1.1... SAID F&CK WHAT?!? I needed to hear that another time before my brain would accept the BS I was hearing. He apparently didn't have the 'help desk' portion of OJT or training somewhere in his file to substantiate going on IST DP1.1... Best part, they said he can't PLAR this Helpdesk qual/DP1.0 type thing because it's non-existent now/defunct/obsolete. WHAAAAATTT?..... Where is the logic?!?! Trying to make ISTs is about as difficult right now as trying to start a fire under water!!!

&$#*$#@)@#*&: Who in hells half acre is making these retarded decisions? All I can say is W-O-W, you guys are really trying to get rid of people fast. Or killing everything in them that makes them want to excel at their jobs. *Slow clap* I have never seen people's morale destroyed so rapidly and effectively. Your KILLING the IST trade before it gets off the ground. At least the 2nd generation of it. I'm one of the 'first gen' who PLAR'd or were chosen into it because of doing the job for my entire career already.

If this was a range shoot, I'm pretty sure we'd be having a no duff, or I'd be kicking someone off the range at the very least.

If someone of substantial rank/position is reading this forum and can stop people from making terribad decisions for our entire trade, please for the love of ACISS (if there's any left) do something!!! You're going to loose people so fast you won't know what to do very soon if this type of thing keeps up.

I'm usually a really REALLY positive person but today when I found all this out it pissed me right off...

State of the Trade address over.

Thoughts? Opinions?

:facepalm:
 
IST Joeschmo said:
STATE OF THE TRADE: BUDGET CUTS GALORE. No one has funds. CF Wide, no surprise there. Even dental appointments are being pushed back due to lack of funding!

Noone has funds. Then why are we paying for forein nationals to train at our bases, take our courses (Pilots from singapore, Jamaicans on Datacomms to name a few), why are we paying for a brand new CIS system being installed into Some vehicles??

Why do we waste time with units like 202 DA?? that civilians rape and pillage OT on the communications side of the unit? because they can get away with it with an EME CoC that listens to all the bullshit that the civilians spew out of the mouths to keep jobs and keep the EME COC guessing? The highest Signals position there is a WO, and he isnt even in charge of the other sigs, he is an OPS WO with no pwer to say "hey thats not right, thats a lie" (i understand this is ADM MAT funding, but if we waste money in one spot, it means it cant go elsewhere, or be used for training, develop, new kit, deployment, health and safety, medical, dental)


The fact that someone completed a course and wasnt grandfathered to the next course is bullshit. Ill call it. RCCS is wasting huge amounts retraining members, when those members already have some TI and have the skills that they are being taught. LCIS QL5 was a joke and waste of 6 weeks, The ACISS 1.0 and 2.0 was just a cock fest for angry MCpl overcompensating for something. I sent several of my guys on that course and they came back angry frustrated and lost as to what the actual point of the course was (and these were top 1/3 candidates, not shit pumps) they understood they had to learn how to run a Radio Det, they didnt learn that, they learned how to take care of people that didnt give a shit for fear of getting extras. Even watched MCpl instructors set them up for failure, and laugh about it.

Signals wastes money all over, thats the problem.
 
rmc_wannabe said:
Not to sound rude, but, source? Is there a message or is this word of mouth?  ???

No need to be concerned about sounding rude. Yes, this is word of mouth, but it is word of mouth from those who DO know. You can blame them sending the files back to Treasury Board for further review on a certain Sigs Colonel who wanted "all or nothing" (again, no names, no pack drill...)
 
LCIS-Tech said:
No need to be concerned about sounding rude. Yes, this is word of mouth, but it is word of mouth from those who DO know. You can blame them sending the files back to Treasury Board for further review on a certain Sigs Colonel who wanted "all or nothing" (again, no names, no pack drill...)

I hope he falls hard on his sword when it gets sent back, again.
 
LCIS-Tech said:
No need to be concerned about sounding rude. Yes, this is word of mouth, but it is word of mouth from those who DO know. You can blame them sending the files back to Treasury Board for further review on a certain Sigs Colonel who wanted "all or nothing" (again, no names, no pack drill...)

This all or nothing will never happen. If he thinks its justifiable he might not fully understand the job scope of each trade......then its back at square one, and puts forward a larger problem.
 
211RadOp said:
Tell you what Piper, next time I see the RCCS CWO in the elevator, I will ask him.  Knowing CWO MacIsaac, he won't sugar coat it.

and...  whats the good word?  If you are going to do some name dropping, of who you chat with in the elevators , I am interested in the result.




 
IST Joeschmo said:
I was going to write the same reaction as the previous posters to the 'CST has been approved for spec pay"... Heard that before... No offence... And I've heard it about IST as well... And Line.... I've said it before and I'll say it again... I honestly (personal opinion) do not believe IST will get it. And I do not think any of the ACISS trades will get it at all. If anyone cares I'll do up an entire post of why I think those things but it's my opinion. So I'm not even waiting to hear an answer on the subject; it's decided in my mind. Moving on.

STATE OF THE TRADE: BUDGET CUTS GALORE. No one has funds. CF Wide, no surprise there. Even dental appointments are being pushed back due to lack of funding!

WTF: I and 11 other pers from CFJSR have been lucky enough to be loaded onto a very last minute Data Comms course at CFSCE across the street. Why all from the local area you ask? COST. Units outside the area didn't have the funding to send pers to attend trg @ CFSCE for this serial and said serial was actually cancelled before Christmas leave... Arrangements were attempted to recover training (CFSCE) thought of maybe covering costs of rations and pp&s etc... Can't afford it.

A bright officer who works at CFJSR approached myself and some of my peers and asked how valuable Data Comms is to our personnel and if we should try and send people on the training at 0 cost. One of my esteemed colleagues literally said he would run an excercise by himself and not sleep if it meant more training for the troops and anyone whom could attend! That's the short of it. We pushed from our end, putting up nominations to our chains etc... Our regimental trg talked to CFSCE and worked out that we would fill all 12 spots on course at 0 cost essentially...

Why am I telling everyone this? So they know that it's not directly their units' fault that training isn't happening or your name isn't 'being nominated'. It's a funding issue mostly... Are we spoiled and lucky at CFJSR right now because we're across the street; hell yes. Do we know that... YES! That's just one issue...

WTF1: DP1.1 for IST... Apparently the 'legacy' DP1.1 is now obsolete and the new DP1.1 IST is to be given to all new pers. Great, they revamped almost everything about it. Terrible: They disqualified pers whom took the OLD DP1.1 IST! We had a newly minted Cpl whom was taken off said Data Comms to go back on the 'new' DP1.1 IST course as he is forced to re-qual before going any further in his trade/career. Stupid, absolutely stupid but workable decision? Yes. Is an experienced jr IST who works daily with our equip going to gain anything from the new DP1.1? Maybe...

WTF2! Here is the real kicker for our "State of the Trade"... Another guy whom I work with was slated to attend said DP1.1 IST course as he's always been 'core' and finally had all the paperwork to go through and officially be minted an IST. He's been doing the job for years and is a det commander, has operational experience etc... Etc... Knows his stuff to say the least. Whatever, we jump through the hoops and do our duty. Today, the day the course was supposed to start he was told he's been kicked off an not allowed to attend because he doesn't meet the pre-reqs for IST DP1.1... SAID F&CK WHAT?!? I needed to hear that another time before my brain would accept the BS I was hearing. He apparently didn't have the 'help desk' portion of OJT or training somewhere in his file to substantiate going on IST DP1.1... Best part, they said he can't PLAR this Helpdesk qual/DP1.0 type thing because it's non-existent now/defunct/obsolete. WHAAAAATTT?..... Where is the logic?!?! Trying to make ISTs is about as difficult right now as trying to start a fire under water!!!



&$#*$#@)@#*&: Who in hells half acre is making these retarded decisions? All I can say is W-O-W, you guys are really trying to get rid of people fast. Or killing everything in them that makes them want to excel at their jobs. *Slow clap* I have never seen people's morale destroyed so rapidly and effectively. Your KILLING the IST trade before it gets off the ground. At least the 2nd generation of it. I'm one of the 'first gen' who PLAR'd or were chosen into it because of doing the job for my entire career already.

If this was a range shoot, I'm pretty sure we'd be having a no duff, or I'd be kicking someone off the range at the very least.

If someone of substantial rank/position is reading this forum and can stop people from making terribad decisions for our entire trade, please for the love of ACISS (if there's any left) do something!!! You're going to loose people so fast you won't know what to do very soon if this type of thing keeps up.

I'm usually a really REALLY positive person but today when I found all this out it pissed me right off...

State of the Trade address over.

Thoughts? Opinions?

:facepalm:

WOW! for a positive person you are sur sour about the state of the trade.  Like a great WO said to me once, "you have great ideas, bring them forward"  guess what i did and it was recognized by my higher up.  Have you brought these pout up with your boss?  Doubt it.  Oh ya by the way I'm at 1 Sigs the unit that you mentioned that was all out of waco... ;D  Ask yourself a question! was the problem really at the leadership level? and what level was that.  I a soldier who got posted at 1 Sigs 3 years ago and I can honestly say that they have been the best one so far...perhaps because the present leadership is doing very well at all level.  Everyone is involved in every issues and problems (technical, operational) are solved as a team.  Now for the state of the trade I agree that not everything is up to snuff, however I get involved in order to change things, and so far progress has been made.  I agree with you at 100% about MES, that cell does not fully fonction with the best of engine. Example, we have proposed that the MES manager be a point of presence at the school (CFSCE) in order to educate the new siggies about choice of sub-occ, instead of wasting 1 full year on trade trial when one knows already what he/she wants to do... ;)
 
Everyone has great ideas about the trade, and chances are if you've mentioned it recently it has been brought up many, many times before. Now if your CoC actually did something than that is another story.

1Sigs when Joeschmo (if he is who I think he is...) was awful(2008-2012ish). No RSM even wanted to work with the CO, an Engineer had to come and do it. The CO and CoC openly admitted to keeping good people off tour because they wanted exercises to run smoothly. A LOT of people VR or didn't resign. A job that pays double what you get in the military with less retardedness (that a word?) was a phone call away. Remember the cyber warriors speech?

What it is now I have no idea. But it has been a couple posting seasons since so the CoC has likely had a complete overhaul.

Which is a problem with our trade. People that are bad a promoted and posted until they get to the highest level of their incompetence. I have a WO now that won't even trust Sgt's on medical appointments, that micromanages everyone all the way down to the Pte's, that dictates how to park into a parking spot without it actually being a base SOP. I don't know anyone that works under him that would actually want to do a tour with him. And everyone knows it. Other units, other bases, other land areas. It doesn't matter. The majority of the trade knows he isn't good to work for, and laugh at you when you tell them you do.

Maybe it is a trade issue, maybe it is a military as a whole issue, but I seem to work for "out to lunch" CoC more often than not and it didn't seem that way when I worked with other trades.

/rant
 
Dancing Bison said:
WOW! for a positive person you are sur sour about the state of the trade.  Like a great WO said to me once, "you have great ideas, bring them forward"  guess what i did and it was recognized by my higher up.  Have you brought these pout up with your boss?  Doubt it.  Oh ya by the way I'm at 1 Sigs the unit that you mentioned that was all out of waco... ;D  Ask yourself a question! was the problem really at the leadership level? and what level was that.  I a soldier who got posted at 1 Sigs 3 years ago and I can honestly say that they have been the best one so far...perhaps because the present leadership is doing very well at all level.  Everyone is involved in every issues and problems (technical, operational) are solved as a team.  Now for the state of the trade I agree that not everything is up to snuff, however I get involved in order to change things, and so far progress has been made.  I agree with you at 100% about MES, that cell does not fully fonction with the best of engine. Example, we have proposed that the MES manager be a point of presence at the school (CFSCE) in order to educate the new siggies about choice of sub-occ, instead of wasting 1 full year on trade trial when one knows already what he/she wants to do... ;)

Many of us have brought up possible changes. I have been part of several dozen threads, questionnaires, surveys, AARs you name it with various thoughts and ideas put forward about how to fix it. The general response received is, That doesn't work, or that the system is not broken.

When you are in one system that has adapted to work. that goes to another that affects your finances (Spec Pay) you are not going to be optimistic after 4 years of "we are not going to answer that".
a complete restructure was not needed. ONE singular trade was required to complete what they were after. 

Rushing with a broken system, the Sigs are now limping, there is a very large chunk of experience, knowledge and know how leaving the trades. All because no one could give them an answer. That loss of manpower is going to create a vacuum, you may end up with some rising stars out of it, some great sigs members that had some civi experience before hand, but those members in the 7-13 year range that are releasing/OTing, that junior leadership from a Senior Cpl to the Sgts is not going to stick around unless they are in a gucci spot, and not many are left. Many positions are being pushed to the Air Force side of the house, postings are on the downslide, promotions unless no cost moves, or necessity promotions within units are not coming.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy about majority of the time I had in. However in my short time in (compared to others, 9 years), I have seen morale in the Signals community plummet like a rock in water with no one trying keep it up. From my 3s there are 3 people left in, from my 5s, the same 3, and I know two of those have approached me about the release process already.

It will stay this way until people get answers. One way or the other. At least then they have a direction to go.

There are people happy still. not trying to take that away from them. Good on them.

 
Dancing Bison said:
WOW! for a positive person you are sur sour about the state of the trade.  Like a great WO said to me once, "you have great ideas, bring them forward"  guess what i did and it was recognized by my higher up.  Have you brought these pout up with your boss?  Doubt it.  Oh ya by the way I'm at 1 Sigs the unit that you mentioned that was all out of waco... ;D  Ask yourself a question! was the problem really at the leadership level? and what level was that.  I a soldier who got posted at 1 Sigs 3 years ago and I can honestly say that they have been the best one so far...perhaps because the present leadership is doing very well at all level.  Everyone is involved in every issues and problems (technical, operational) are solved as a team.  Now for the state of the trade I agree that not everything is up to snuff, however I get involved in order to change things, and so far progress has been made.  I agree with you at 100% about MES, that cell does not fully fonction with the best of engine. Example, we have proposed that the MES manager be a point of presence at the school (CFSCE) in order to educate the new siggies about choice of sub-occ, instead of wasting 1 full year on trade trial when one knows already what he/she wants to do... ;)

You're right. Normally I am a very positive person even through a heavy amount of adversity or difficult conditions. However, what really pissed me off lately is the effects that dumb decisions are having on people. Career implications. It's one thing to dangle spec pay or not, I never believed it would or will happen; it's another to drastically alter people's careers with horrible decisions. It's effecting great people I work with on a daily basis who are fantastic professionals whom are putting up with all this shit and shinning like great examples to the rest of the trade.

It's getting old, fast.

Also, as others have mentioned (thanks, and yes, some of you have me pegged on who I am IRL, no biggey! I talk the talk there too) I was at 1 Sigs during a crazy time. Just as I was leaving in 2013 it was starting to turn around but it started a little earlier for A and B Tp, not C unfortunately... Thank god that now it's waaaayyy better. I've spoken with some pers whom work there now and it's night and day compare to when I was there...

Furthermore, I have brought all of these things up the chain of command every... single... Chance I got. The last OC I served under at 1 Sigs was female. She (fantastic individual) retired after her post there, no doubt her boots full of the madness inherent of 1 Sigs at the time. I had her ear, that's an understatement, we had several private and public conversations about the trade, 1 Sigs and all the terrible things our chains did. I also took the opportunity to professionally blast the head of Signals at the time, a Col and his Chief when they visited us behind the LTF on a wintery ex. They asked my opinion and I very carefully explained my point of view and that of the subordinates I had at the time. They literally wrote things down... I wasn't the only one either.

Red tape only knows what's happened with all the hot air I and many others have blown up the chain. It really didn't fall on deaf ears with my last OC; she drastically tried to implement change and I think she and the engineer RSM who worked with her were the catalyst for the change at 1 Sigs. I think it's where it IS right now because of them and I only hope the rest of the chain followed.

Another thing... I know a lot of people have read this thread and keep track of it... All I can say, is I voice my opinion for everyone else. I've been lucky. I do not represent everyone in the Signals community nor do I presume to think I know what's best. Again: I don't promote the idea of spec pay. What I mean to say is, I've actually had a good career in the Signals world and the Canadian Army. I've gotten everything I was told I may get and I honestly have gotten almost every single goddamn thing I asked for. Curse and blessing that is can I tell you! I've gotten literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of IT training both in-house (CFSCE, 1 Sigs etc...) and outside (paid civilian courses)... I've gotten incredible training and operational experiences (Op Athena, TAV's, TLD Staff, European ex's) and had experiences I'll never forget in my career so far. I know I've gotten lucky and had it good... ESPECIALLY compare to some people, hence I cannot IMAGINE how people feel who haven't had it good. That's what makes me so damn mad when I see things go downhill like a freight train on fire without any brakes because of stupidity and ignorance! I'm still at a very low level (MCpl) and obviously don't have the view of things from somewhere in NDHQ where the Col of Signals sits but from MY perspective, almost everything wrong with our trade can be fixed... That's what's so horrible about it all. It's the dinosaurs and 'great idea fairies' who stagnate everything by not allowing change or forcing through really bad changes.

So yes, I've become a little bitter since 2008 when I created this thread. That being said, I'm going to keep trying to do things the best I can, where I am at this time, and make things better for the ISTs and personnel I work with. I implore everyone else to attempt to do the same!!!

PS> Somehow, logic somewhere prevailed and the guy whom wasn't allowed to go on his 'new' DP1.1 IST course because he didn't meet the pre-req's was allowed on it the day the course started! So, although he's face ANOTHER setback, he's now getting it done. Jumping through yet another hoop...

PPS> Leaving on a positive note: Due to budget cuts, a lot of departments ran out of funding for the end of the year (entire Q4 actually it seems)... This left us in my shop without much support, our direct instructions from my chain of command was to 'make it work then'... In a good way. If they can't give us a solution (Ottawa/engineering etc) then we'll work out our own. How is that positive you ask? FREEDOM. Before, it would be "NO GOD DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING! CALL OTTAWA, YOU CAN'T CHANGE ONE BIT!!!!".... Now it's... "Well we're screwed if this doesn't get fixed... We're literally N/S... . So yeah, kick ass, take names and make it work!"... The guys I work with and I are planning some awesome technical things for our net. Maybe for once we get to be the 'good idea fairies' and make things actually work better. Or maybe we'll break shit. Either way, I'm in uniform, it's all our gear, it's in our hands, the gloves are off!

That's the one thing that seems to stay the same in our trade, we're the 'make it work' people. When the chain of command fails us, when people fail us, when the institution we signed our lives too fails us in some aspect, we still make it work. Somebody save the army when we don't!
 
ixium said:
IF the the spec pay was linked to the position that the person held then whatever.

But there are IST/CST guys doing the exact same job as a core. And there are core guys that are forced into IST jobs in regiments and even do IST courses.

I work in a desktop tech support shop.  We have people in our shop (ATIS & Core) who simply should not be in a tech shop.  They're 'doing' IST jobs - very poorly; they spend most of their time playing minesweeper or texting on their phone.  I think spec pay should be linked to goals and incentives for a shop/unit.  That way our CoC would have incentive to replace dead weight instead of keeping them around for general labour.

 
Back
Top