Who REALLY knows best?

[aesop081]

Okay now, piggyback question to that, is there a way that I can take my CFAT and go through that process prior to picking the desired trades?

No. Do your homework first...pick a trade...apply for that. CFAT and everything comes afterwards.

 

[ttlbmg]

I feel like I have researched a lot, but I will ask if there are any MP officers out there that could tell me a little more about how they feel about their positions. This is the trade that I am really taking into consideration as a choice, and replacing another choice. Any MP officers?

Also, if there are any TDOs that could tell me about their experiences with recruitment, it would be of great assistance as well. This is my number 1, the ideal. From what I have been told however, very competitive, and the chances of a position coming up is about as likely as finding a unicorn...

 

[jeffb]

There's no coincidence why this phrase fits the situation. Those who grasp at that low probability option and think they'll just suck it up for a few years and then get to transfer just by asking are often very dissatisfied with their first trade, and that leads to being an unlikely candidate to make selection for occupational transfer. Hard trades to enroll in can often also be the hardest to transfer into, when they do have openings they are usually looking to fill the trade from the bottom.

Due to this dissatisfaction it is also just as likely that they will not be successful on their phase training and find themselves out of the CF. Phase training takes a long time, 1.5 - 2 years for Artillery Officers for example. In that time you have to complete BMOQ, BMOQ-L, DP 1.1 and DP 1.2 for a total of about 44 weeks of training. If you are just marking time in a trade waiting for a potential OT, are you really going to be motivated to put in all the effort to be successful in the trade that you are "doing time" in? Lots of people do not make it through phase training and in my estimate 80% of those cases are due to the individual either quitting or passively quitting by not putting in the required effort.

It's been said already but I'm going to be blunt. If you don't want to be an Artillery Officer, Infantry Officer, etc... please don't enroll as such. The last thing we need is someone taking up space and getting in the way of people who love their job and their vocation.