Hello,
I am a 20-year-old woman who wants to join the CAF as a regular force member, and I would greatly appreciate some advice. I am completely new to military terminology, so please correct me where I have misunderstood how these trades and terms function. Also, I want to clarify that I have thought hard about this decision and I am taking it seriously, and I just want to ensure I am fully prepared before I apply.
When I first realized I wanted to join, I was initially intent on becoming a Signal Operator. Since I was around 14, I had an interest in shortwave radio (in a basic, hobby sense), so a trade that allows me to work with radios and antennas is highly appealing to me. However, after more research into Infantry and SigOps, I am now split between them. Currently, I am pursuing my Grade 12 equivalence and working on my physical fitness and diet. I won't be submitting my application until I have my diploma and am up to a certain physical standard (a standard where I can go into it with confidence that I'll be able to do what's asked of me physically); I've already begun bettering myself physically and academically with the military as a long term goal (and little short term goals along the way), working out and such.
To be clear about my preferences: I am drawn to the field aspect of the Army, like field exercises, rucking, drills, and the overall physical (and mental) discipline. I know much of what is seen in media is romanticized, but I am looking for an environment that challenges me physically and involves "roughing it," for lack of a better term. When looking at the SigOp trade, my goal was to ideally be attached to an Infantry unit (like 3 PPCLI in Edmonton). I want to experience the field lifestyle and tactical communications, but I want to be realistic about what the trade actually entails. If I'm being honest, my main interest lies with radios and antennas as a technology, which is why I'm putting so much emphasis on field work rather than IT and network administration. Maybe I have an older mindset regarding what a SigOp is, and I'm not realizing how intertwined modern military radios are with IT/how much a SigOps job is IT instead of radio operation (tactile buttons and dials).
I just want to make sure my expectations are realistic before I make any final decision, so here are my questions:
I am a 20-year-old woman who wants to join the CAF as a regular force member, and I would greatly appreciate some advice. I am completely new to military terminology, so please correct me where I have misunderstood how these trades and terms function. Also, I want to clarify that I have thought hard about this decision and I am taking it seriously, and I just want to ensure I am fully prepared before I apply.
When I first realized I wanted to join, I was initially intent on becoming a Signal Operator. Since I was around 14, I had an interest in shortwave radio (in a basic, hobby sense), so a trade that allows me to work with radios and antennas is highly appealing to me. However, after more research into Infantry and SigOps, I am now split between them. Currently, I am pursuing my Grade 12 equivalence and working on my physical fitness and diet. I won't be submitting my application until I have my diploma and am up to a certain physical standard (a standard where I can go into it with confidence that I'll be able to do what's asked of me physically); I've already begun bettering myself physically and academically with the military as a long term goal (and little short term goals along the way), working out and such.
To be clear about my preferences: I am drawn to the field aspect of the Army, like field exercises, rucking, drills, and the overall physical (and mental) discipline. I know much of what is seen in media is romanticized, but I am looking for an environment that challenges me physically and involves "roughing it," for lack of a better term. When looking at the SigOp trade, my goal was to ideally be attached to an Infantry unit (like 3 PPCLI in Edmonton). I want to experience the field lifestyle and tactical communications, but I want to be realistic about what the trade actually entails. If I'm being honest, my main interest lies with radios and antennas as a technology, which is why I'm putting so much emphasis on field work rather than IT and network administration. Maybe I have an older mindset regarding what a SigOp is, and I'm not realizing how intertwined modern military radios are with IT/how much a SigOps job is IT instead of radio operation (tactile buttons and dials).
I just want to make sure my expectations are realistic before I make any final decision, so here are my questions:
- If I join as a SigOp, what is the realistic balance between field exercises and static desk/computer network administration in the career?
- Is it naive/unrealistic to assume I can do more field work as I mentioned above, even as a SigOp, or am I just thinking of an Infanteer with a radio?
- How does a SigOp in a field unit compare to an Infanteer regarding the frequency of field exercises, deployment opportunities, and daily garrison routines?
- How likely is it that if I joined as a SigOp, I would even be attached to a field unit, as that's simply my idealistic dream and not guaranteed.
- Do Sig Ops in infantry battalions actually man-pack radios, ruck, and operate in the exact same field conditions as the infantry, or am I misunderstanding their role?
- After doing some reading, I noticed some people seem to have a low opinion of Signals, specifically regarding how it is run or its leadership. I would love to know more about that, or if I just ran into a few people with those particular opinions.
