So basically, here’s my problem. I have to make a decision that could affect the rest of my life but I don’t really know what to do.
So I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Criminology and Justice in April of 2013. Then in November of 2013, I decided to try and get into the Canadian military through the direct entry officer program and had my aptitude test around the 19th of that same month.
So I heard back on Tuesday, with not so good news. They told me I was not approved for my preferred occupations. I decided to call the Kingston Recruiting Centre (where my file is located) to see what happened. From what they told me, I did better than most of the other officer pool on my aptitude test but didn’t do as well on my self-assessment as the rest of my officer pool, so I was disqualified from the officer pool but I could still apply to non-commissioned member trade (so go in as a private). If I wanted to re-apply to officer, I’d have to wait til 3 years after my test was taken (so 2 years from now pretty much). While tgetting in as a private still isn’t guaranteed, I guess I should still consider it even though I’m not really interested. Since learning of my results, I’ve been weighing out my options to see what I should do and thought I’d come here to see what I should do, since I’ve always been grateful of the help I’ve gotten here.
So here’s what I thought of
Going in as a non commissioned member (starting off at private)
If I got in, I’d still be making more than what I’m making now, although it would be at something I’d be less interested in, which may hinder my ability to do well.
If I go this way, I won’t be putting my schooling to as good of use
Even if I do go in as a private, I’d still be able to apply to be an officer once I reach the rank of master corporal, which from what I heard can take anywhere from 5-8 years. So it’s either start at the bottom and try and get to officer or wait 2 years and apply again.
From what I’ve heard, non commissioned ranks involve more field work while officer ranks involve more paper work and desk work (which I think is more of my strength). I heard many people who go from non commissioned ranks to officer ranks end up going back to non commission since they enjoy that work more
I guess I should still be positive about I but going in as a private wouldn’t interest me as much, which may hinder my ability to do well
Waiting and going in as officer
If I wait the 2 years to apply again, I could try again and try and do better, although it still wouldn’t be guaranteed.
This way could put my abilities to better use and get me something I may be more interested in, which may encourage me to put more effort into my job
Desk work and paper work seem to be more of my strength rather than field work.
This way, I won’t have to spend years in ranks I’m over qualified for just to possible rank up to what I could have gotten from the start
If I choose to just wait the 2 years, I could also explore my options and apply to other jobs while I’m waiting, rather than taking something I’d be over qualified for just because it’s possibly there. If I do wait the 2 years, I plan on taking the time to most likely take the police tests I need and apply to the OPP and most likely the RCMP and Various police forces such as the Durham Regional Police, Ottawa Police and Toronto Police.
So, TL;DR, I didn’t do as well on my testing and got eliminated from officer contention, do I take a position I’m overqualified for and not especially interested in, or do I wait two years to apply again and explore other options in the mean time?
I didn't see the upside of going in as a private in the original post. It would guarantee a job, of course, but it doesn't sound like it's something you would love, pay is better but not great, and it isn't guaranteed to get you what you love - i.e., the transition from enlisted to officer is not guaranteed.
From what it sounds like you want, pursuing alternate employment now, then trying the officer route again later seems preferred. You may find that you love the alternate employment - i.e., being on a civilian force may turn out to be more attractive than the military route.
In the meantime, some research as to what the self-assessment is looking for might be beneficial. (I didn't see this on their website - do you have a link to information on the exam?)
yeah so I've been thinking about where I went wrong and what could help me in the future.
So I've been thinking that my main problem in life (not just in this application) is my level of self confidence and my ability to sell myself. So I've decided to take the time out to work on that and hopefully that gets me farther in life.
What led me to think this was a conversation with the (then)-president of the Community Policing organization I volunteer with around here. Basically he told me that He felt that I wasn't outgoing enough as I should be, which he felt that could hinder me in life. Basically, it took this to make me realize that maybe I could give myself more credit than I do in job applications (and job interviews) so that I could give potential employers a reason to choose me over other potential applicants
I think that's a keen observation - if you don't think you are the right/best person for the job, interviewers will tend to pick up on that, and may come to the same conclusion.
For quite a long while I thought that just having the right answer was enough (beyond college, even). Now I have come to believe that it's a combination of right answer (or right-enough answer) plus how that idea is packaged and communicated/sold to others. The phrase "we're all in sales" gets thrown around sometimes with some humor, but I believe that there is significant truth to that.
Yes, a bit of self-confidence goes a long way. Turns out people are more than happy to take you seriously if they see that you are taking yourself seriously.
I'm not a very outgoing person either, and a few years ago, I tried to start a business. At first, I didn't think that it would work (me? own a business?), but I took the plunge anyway. I talked to Realtors, Credit Unions, banks and even the government in order to secure a storefront and the funding I would need to start up (Mostly equipment costs). Everywhere I turned people thought I had a great idea, and took me seriously. In the end, it turned out my credit rating was the only thing that got in the way. That taught me to believe in myself more than I had in the past. Sp you can do it too, just have faith in yourself.
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yeah so I've been thinking about where I went wrong and what could help me in the future.
So I've been thinking that my main problem in life (not just in this application) is my level of self confidence and my ability to sell myself.
Well, if you don't have self-confidence, you cannot really be expected to lead men into combat, right? So I think they made the right call there, you weren't the right person for the job at the time you applied. That doesn't mean you never will be, and that doesn't mean you didn't bring a lot of good qualities to the table, but that means that at that point in time, you were not what they were looking for. The question is how do you go forward from here?
My advice would be not to rush into enlisting as a private, but instead to look at this rejection as a gift. Take these next two years to find out who you are, which is what self-confidence really is. Decide whether the officer thing is what you really want. In the meantime, try a different job. You graduated with honors with a degree in Criminology and Justice; that's pretty impressive. Surely there's some other government or private job that will want to hire you. Especially since you're obviously intelligent. If you didn't have aptitude, that would be a problem, but you scored very well, so you've definitely got something to offer.
And don't be down on yourself. First of all, that's not something you should ever be, it does no favors to you or anyone; but also, just speaking from experience, you're a year out of college? I was a total mess a year out of college. It wasn't until I was about three years out of college that I really started developing an appreciation and awareness for who I am. (Incidentally, that was when I was 25, which is supposedly when adolescence ends as far as brain development goes, so maybe there really is something to that.)
So I would choose to look at this as an opportunity to explore. You could have been tied down to a commitment to the military, but now you're free to do whatever you want. World's your oyster. In two years, if you really want to be an officer, you can reapply as a more mature adult with a greater sense of self. Alternatively, you might find a completely different career path that you will look back on as the one you were truly meant for. Think of the future as a wrapped box at Christmas (or Hannukah, or whichever holiday you celebrate). You can be anxious of the uncertainty, or you can be excited about it.
I think I'm just gonna do what High Roller says. I couldn't have put it better myself. I'm just gonna take a while to work on what I know I need to improve on. Hopefully I'll be better in 2 years but it will take some work, which I will put the effort into
I might look into joining the reserves to see if that can help me at all
so a bit of an update. think I might have gotten myself in a weird spot, really weird.
So I got them to reopen my file as non commissioned member, without really putting enough effort into what trades I wanted thinking they'd take a while to proceed with anything as it took them almost a year to tell me I didn't qualify for officer.
Basically, what happened was a few weeks after I did that, on December 12th I was told by the head recruiting group for the Canadian Forces that I'd be getting an interview and medical, which I found out a few weeks ago is on February 19th.
I mean, I'm getting an interview, which very well means if I do okay I could be going off to basic training in April when their new fiscal year starts. The thing is that I'm still not very interested in it.
literally the only thing that is upside for me right now is that it's more money than I'm making now and I'm not exactly doing well financially working part time at Wal-Mart
You need to figure out whether it is a good idea for you specifically, and given what I've seen that is very important here.
Some folk can work, and it doesn't matter what it is. They make money, support their loved ones. Done.
Some folk need to have work they feel is important to them. Otherwise, it is hard, wasted time.
Ultimately, it won't matter how you spend your time, as you're far more likely to vanish from history than exist as a footnote. But for you, now. That is the time you have to figure out. I can't tell you it is a good or bad idea, you need to discern for you. I know my priorities, I know who I will sacrifice for in order to provide a 'better' future, and I know what I will pass on in order to make that happen.
You don't have a 'wrong' choice in front of you. You have a choice you need to reconcile with your current, and maybe, future needs.
Not the most useful advice. It is certainly not definitive. But I feel it is true.
You'll have a lot of choices in you life that matter little beyond you, but that is what you have to consider.
to me, starting off at the bottom when I've already completed university seems like a waste.
I know I won't be the first person with university education to go into the military as a private but it seems like such a waste when I could have actual power and start somewhat higher up
Will you have the opportunity to explain why you feel you're capable of more responsibility? If so, it may be helpful to list out things you think your degree will help with ahead of time. Why does your degree merit the higher position, how does it apply, etc.
If you don't feel confident selling yourself, you can sell the experience and the degree that are attached to you.
So I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Criminology and Justice in April of 2013. Then in November of 2013, I decided to try and get into the Canadian military through the direct entry officer program and had my aptitude test around the 19th of that same month.
So I heard back on Tuesday, with not so good news. They told me I was not approved for my preferred occupations. I decided to call the Kingston Recruiting Centre (where my file is located) to see what happened. From what they told me, I did better than most of the other officer pool on my aptitude test but didn’t do as well on my self-assessment as the rest of my officer pool, so I was disqualified from the officer pool but I could still apply to non-commissioned member trade (so go in as a private). If I wanted to re-apply to officer, I’d have to wait til 3 years after my test was taken (so 2 years from now pretty much). While tgetting in as a private still isn’t guaranteed, I guess I should still consider it even though I’m not really interested. Since learning of my results, I’ve been weighing out my options to see what I should do and thought I’d come here to see what I should do, since I’ve always been grateful of the help I’ve gotten here.
So here’s what I thought of
Going in as a non commissioned member (starting off at private)
If I got in, I’d still be making more than what I’m making now, although it would be at something I’d be less interested in, which may hinder my ability to do well.
If I go this way, I won’t be putting my schooling to as good of use
Even if I do go in as a private, I’d still be able to apply to be an officer once I reach the rank of master corporal, which from what I heard can take anywhere from 5-8 years. So it’s either start at the bottom and try and get to officer or wait 2 years and apply again.
From what I’ve heard, non commissioned ranks involve more field work while officer ranks involve more paper work and desk work (which I think is more of my strength). I heard many people who go from non commissioned ranks to officer ranks end up going back to non commission since they enjoy that work more
I guess I should still be positive about I but going in as a private wouldn’t interest me as much, which may hinder my ability to do well
Waiting and going in as officer
If I wait the 2 years to apply again, I could try again and try and do better, although it still wouldn’t be guaranteed.
This way could put my abilities to better use and get me something I may be more interested in, which may encourage me to put more effort into my job
Desk work and paper work seem to be more of my strength rather than field work.
This way, I won’t have to spend years in ranks I’m over qualified for just to possible rank up to what I could have gotten from the start
If I choose to just wait the 2 years, I could also explore my options and apply to other jobs while I’m waiting, rather than taking something I’d be over qualified for just because it’s possibly there. If I do wait the 2 years, I plan on taking the time to most likely take the police tests I need and apply to the OPP and most likely the RCMP and Various police forces such as the Durham Regional Police, Ottawa Police and Toronto Police.
So, TL;DR, I didn’t do as well on my testing and got eliminated from officer contention, do I take a position I’m overqualified for and not especially interested in, or do I wait two years to apply again and explore other options in the mean time?
I appreciate the feed back
From what it sounds like you want, pursuing alternate employment now, then trying the officer route again later seems preferred. You may find that you love the alternate employment - i.e., being on a civilian force may turn out to be more attractive than the military route.
In the meantime, some research as to what the self-assessment is looking for might be beneficial. (I didn't see this on their website - do you have a link to information on the exam?)
So I've been thinking that my main problem in life (not just in this application) is my level of self confidence and my ability to sell myself. So I've decided to take the time out to work on that and hopefully that gets me farther in life.
What led me to think this was a conversation with the (then)-president of the Community Policing organization I volunteer with around here. Basically he told me that He felt that I wasn't outgoing enough as I should be, which he felt that could hinder me in life. Basically, it took this to make me realize that maybe I could give myself more credit than I do in job applications (and job interviews) so that I could give potential employers a reason to choose me over other potential applicants
For quite a long while I thought that just having the right answer was enough (beyond college, even). Now I have come to believe that it's a combination of right answer (or right-enough answer) plus how that idea is packaged and communicated/sold to others. The phrase "we're all in sales" gets thrown around sometimes with some humor, but I believe that there is significant truth to that.
I'm not a very outgoing person either, and a few years ago, I tried to start a business. At first, I didn't think that it would work (me? own a business?), but I took the plunge anyway. I talked to Realtors, Credit Unions, banks and even the government in order to secure a storefront and the funding I would need to start up (Mostly equipment costs). Everywhere I turned people thought I had a great idea, and took me seriously. In the end, it turned out my credit rating was the only thing that got in the way. That taught me to believe in myself more than I had in the past. Sp you can do it too, just have faith in yourself.
Live streaming Casual Magic: the Gathering
Sundays at 7:00 PM Eastern Time / 4:00 PM Pacific Time
Follow along on Instagram (@kokoshomebrews) as I create casual tribal decks
and try to build around crazy combos, then play em on stream!
|| WBG || GW || GB || GWU ||
My advice would be not to rush into enlisting as a private, but instead to look at this rejection as a gift. Take these next two years to find out who you are, which is what self-confidence really is. Decide whether the officer thing is what you really want. In the meantime, try a different job. You graduated with honors with a degree in Criminology and Justice; that's pretty impressive. Surely there's some other government or private job that will want to hire you. Especially since you're obviously intelligent. If you didn't have aptitude, that would be a problem, but you scored very well, so you've definitely got something to offer.
And don't be down on yourself. First of all, that's not something you should ever be, it does no favors to you or anyone; but also, just speaking from experience, you're a year out of college? I was a total mess a year out of college. It wasn't until I was about three years out of college that I really started developing an appreciation and awareness for who I am. (Incidentally, that was when I was 25, which is supposedly when adolescence ends as far as brain development goes, so maybe there really is something to that.)
So I would choose to look at this as an opportunity to explore. You could have been tied down to a commitment to the military, but now you're free to do whatever you want. World's your oyster. In two years, if you really want to be an officer, you can reapply as a more mature adult with a greater sense of self. Alternatively, you might find a completely different career path that you will look back on as the one you were truly meant for. Think of the future as a wrapped box at Christmas (or Hannukah, or whichever holiday you celebrate). You can be anxious of the uncertainty, or you can be excited about it.
I might look into joining the reserves to see if that can help me at all
So I got them to reopen my file as non commissioned member, without really putting enough effort into what trades I wanted thinking they'd take a while to proceed with anything as it took them almost a year to tell me I didn't qualify for officer.
Basically, what happened was a few weeks after I did that, on December 12th I was told by the head recruiting group for the Canadian Forces that I'd be getting an interview and medical, which I found out a few weeks ago is on February 19th.
I mean, I'm getting an interview, which very well means if I do okay I could be going off to basic training in April when their new fiscal year starts. The thing is that I'm still not very interested in it.
literally the only thing that is upside for me right now is that it's more money than I'm making now and I'm not exactly doing well financially working part time at Wal-Mart
did I really make a terrible idea?
Some folk can work, and it doesn't matter what it is. They make money, support their loved ones. Done.
Some folk need to have work they feel is important to them. Otherwise, it is hard, wasted time.
Ultimately, it won't matter how you spend your time, as you're far more likely to vanish from history than exist as a footnote. But for you, now. That is the time you have to figure out. I can't tell you it is a good or bad idea, you need to discern for you. I know my priorities, I know who I will sacrifice for in order to provide a 'better' future, and I know what I will pass on in order to make that happen.
You don't have a 'wrong' choice in front of you. You have a choice you need to reconcile with your current, and maybe, future needs.
Not the most useful advice. It is certainly not definitive. But I feel it is true.
You'll have a lot of choices in you life that matter little beyond you, but that is what you have to consider.
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Sales Thread
I know I won't be the first person with university education to go into the military as a private but it seems like such a waste when I could have actual power and start somewhat higher up
Will you have the opportunity to explain why you feel you're capable of more responsibility? If so, it may be helpful to list out things you think your degree will help with ahead of time. Why does your degree merit the higher position, how does it apply, etc.
If you don't feel confident selling yourself, you can sell the experience and the degree that are attached to you.
Moderator Help Desk
Sales Thread