Seeking application/role advice

[mawatcha]

Hello,

I am new to the forums, please redirect me if this is the wrong place for posting.

As I approach my mid-20s, I am starting to feel stifled by the mundanity of office life where I work and am thinking about the Army or Navy, particularly as I have had family members in both.

I am interested in three positions right now - Signals Officer, Naval Communicator and Resource Management Support Clerk. I know that all three of those are very different but I find each to be really interesting. My background is in administration and I have worked at both a university and non-profit, with a degree in communications and certificate in Human Resources.

My main curiosity is around the difference between being an officer or non-commissioned member. If I didn't go for an Officer position, is it really difficult to advance in a non-commissioned role? I am not sure if my degree aligns with the Signals Officer requirement. I am also not expecting advancement opportunities right away, just interested to know if they are there.

Thank you for any advice anyone can offer, I am really excited to learn more.

 

[mariomike]

My main curiosity is around the difference between being an officer or non-commissioned member.

Officer/NCM differences 
http://army.ca/forums/threads/171.0
23 pages.

As always,  Recruiting is your most trusted source of information.

 

[dimsum]

I am interested in three positions right now - Signals Officer, Naval Communicator and Resource Management Support Clerk. I know that all three of those are very different but I find each to be really interesting. My background is in administration and I have worked at both a university and non-profit, with a degree in communications and certificate in Human Resources.

My main curiosity is around the difference between being an officer or non-commissioned member. If I didn't go for an Officer position, is it really difficult to advance in a non-commissioned role? I am not sure if my degree aligns with the Signals Officer requirement. I am also not expecting advancement opportunities right away, just interested to know if they are there.

Thank you for any advice anyone can offer, I am really excited to learn more.

As Mariomike says, definitely check with Recruiting but from what I gather, your degree isn't suited for Sigs Officer.  From the Recruiting website, this is what they do in a nutshell:

A Signals Officer is responsible for the operations and maintenance of all communications systems that are not built into aircraft, boats or ships. They may be employed in policy development, project management, systems engineering and network operation.

"Communications" in your case is closer to a Public Affairs Officer's job.  http://www.forces.ca/en/job/publicaffairsofficer-63b. 

 

[Lumber]

If you like admin and communications, then another option is MARS Officer, with a specialization in either Communications or Information Management in the early-middle of your career. Of course, it will take you about 7 years to get to that point (3-4 years if you join DEO).

 

[mawatcha]

Thank you for the responses, I really appreciate them.

What about positions that they're not hiring for right now (on website at least)? Can you still apply and just hope they'll have an opening?

Cheers!

 

[mariomike]

What about positions that they're not hiring for right now (on website at least)? Can you still apply and just hope they'll have an opening?

From Ask a CAF Recruiter,

Can I still apply for the trade that is "not hiring" at the moment 
https://army.ca/forums/threads/117765.0

As always,  Recruiting is your most trusted source of information.