officer or not?

[shootergurl]

I have a diploma in Civil Engineering and a degree in the Arts.   I am worried about taking a position as a Officer in the direct Entry because of the leadership role.   i consider myself more of a follower.   i know that I should be qualified as an officer, but how does it work with selecting a trade?

I hope that someone else can help me here.   What does the leadership role for the engineering trades involve?   I would prabably be going into the reserves.

Thanks :-\


edited to fix thread title

 

[arctictern]

http://army.ca/forums/threads/17073.0.html

On this page there is a section all about officers.

 

[McMan]

Sorry if I'm wrong about this, I'm not an engineer but I do have an arts degree. It is my understanding that you would require an engineering degree (not a diploma, I'm assuming you went to college for the engineering?) to become an engineering officer of any kind. From what I understand from your thread is that you could become an officer for pretty much anything else with your arts degree, but to become an engineering officer, you would be required to upgrade your diploma to a university degree. So where you stand, you could enter as a NCM, that way you wouldn't have to take on a leadership role and concentrate on more of an engineering aspect of the profession. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's how I understood it.

 

[ackland]

Glad to see you are concerned about your leadership skills. That is a good question to ask yourself before becoming an OFFICER.
Next question you should ask is How do I spell OFFICER. ( your thread subject ) 

 

[Pieman]

Maybe test the waters a little bit. Take up a position as a coach or assistant coach for a soccer team or something like that. You may surprise yourself on your leadership abilities, or you may find it is not for you at all.

 

[ackland]

Maybe try being a cadet office for awhile. That may let you see how you do as a leader

 

[NMPeters]

Good to see that you are questioning your leadership abilities before entering. The option that no one has mentioned yet is that you can enter as an NCM where you will slowly be given leadership roles and over time if you feel that you want more of that, you can always request to take your commission. Just because you have a degree, does not mean you have to be an officer. When you go to the recruiting office, find out all the information that you can about both officers and NCMs and make your choice based on that. But I'm thinking that if you're questioning your leadership ability at this point, your best bet is to join as an NCM, get a feel for it, observe what the officers and Senior NCMs are doing in their roles and you can make an educated decision from there.

 

[Garbageman]

Maybe try being a cadet office for awhile. That may let you see how you do as a leader

See what happens when you critize someone else's spelling?  Seems like we're all human after all.

 

[arctictern]

Ha-ha, I hate it when people feel that they just got to correct your grammar or spelling or whatever.

*Spidy senses are tingling* this is going to get ugly?

 

[Michael OLeary]

*Spidy senses are tingling* this is going to get ugly?

No, it shouldn't, one of the moderators should review the thread and remove all of the "grammar and spelling" comments that waste bandwidth and do not contribute to the discussion. (Including this one.)

 

[ackland]

See what happens when you critize someone else's spelling?   Seems like we're all human after all.

I am but an NCO LOL they don't learn us how to spell. I wasn't learnd how te spell. I wasn't really critizing Just being a Smart A** guess I look smart know.

 

[humint]

I hope I don't ruffle any feather here, but here goes ...

Don't bother with cadets. Learning to lead 12-18 year-olds in NOT the same as being a Platoon Commander in the RegF or ResF. You might wear the uniform, but the environment is completely different, you don't learn tactics or weapons, and you don't get paid.

My suggestion is to just get in there and do it. You will receive leadership training on your Basic Officer Course, and will develop that knowledge base and the skill sets (that make you a good leader) as you have more time-in.

Not all people who join the military as officers are the naturally-born 3-B (Big Brass Balls) types who take charge of every situation like Patton or some Hollywood Roman General. All sorts of people are needed. However, and this is a fact, you will become a leader with experience.

Not sure if you want to go RegF or ResF, but you should also seek-out a Cmbt Eng Res Unit and speak to the officers. They will give you the low-down on what to expect.

You may also want to do a year in-rank first to get an idea on what it's like to be a troop and an officer. And, after you have that experience, you can commission from the ranks (CFR)

 

[Garbageman]

Don't bother with cadets. Learning to lead 12-18 year-olds in NOT the same as being a Platoon Commander in the RegF or ResF. You might wear the uniform, but the environment is completely different, you don't learn tactics or weapons, and you don't get paid.

You're entitled to your opinion on this, and I would wholeheartedly agree that the two positions are indeed quite different.  Just wanted to clarify the pay issue though.  Officers of the CIC receive 23 days pay per year, plus pay for any training or summer employment.  CO's of Cadet units receive an additional 10 days pay for a grand total of 33 days/year.

 

[humint]

I stand corrected on the pay issue. Sorry about that.

And, as a pre-emptive strike -- I wasn't trying to knock the CIC.

It's just that the person (who originally posted) was interested in the ResF/RegF, so I didn't want her to spend time in the CIC (although the leadership and instructor training is useful) learning leadership principles that are directed to/at an entirely different audience.

Also, since her goal is the Army, time spent in the CIC would be time lost on MOC training.

Again, the environments of CIC/Cadets vs. ResF and RegF are completely different (in terms of stress, expectations, role, responsibilities). That said, it's often hard to compare ResF to RegF.

 

[shootergurl]

Thanks for all of your help.  I am currently a teacher, but absolutely HATE IT!!!  I'm sure dealing with adults is a bit different than a bunch of mouthy unruly kids.  I will probably visit a recruiter in the near future, but I will check out the recruiting sites to find out some more.

 

[jabraun]

that depends if you run into anyone like me;d hehe good luck

 

[CF_MacAulay]

Shootergurl, if your a teacher go for it, you are in a disiplined area, and being a teacher will give you a good edge on things, you will know how to keep control of things much better, just go for it in the ResF, if you dont like it, quit, no harm done, u added a new expirence to your life, and you made alittle cash on the way, i dont see any negatives...

 

[hammerz]

I have applied for Reg. armour , infantry, officer training. After reading all the posts, I am kind of bummed out! I am really looking forward to joining the CF, and figure it is more difficult to be excepted as an officer. If I don't get an offer as a officer cadet in November, I'm thinking of re-appling as an NCO? Wise?