Delaying enlistment

[Scratch_043]

Okay, so I have recently started my process, with my CFAT this coming wed. and the rest of my testing and interview on May 4th.

But, I am also applying for college next year. (parent's wishes)

My question is this, if I have all my testing done, and get accepted for my first choice (which is related to the college program I applied for) and I also get accepted to College, what are my options.

Here are the related questions I have though of:

1. Can I tell the recruiter that I want to do school first, and will I still have the Job offer when I complete school? (July '06)

2. Would I be entitled to any extra benefits if I do my schooling first (My trade choice is 421, and I applied for Machining in College) and reapply after I'm done? (assuming the previous offer does not still stand)

3. If I have to reapply, do I have to wait for testing to be done again, or will my process be expidited?

4. Do I have a chance that the CF will pay for school, in whole or part?

5. Does going to school for Machining make me more qualified, and more likely to get the offer for 421 (Trade specific question)

Thank you to anyone who can answer one or more of these questions.

Regards,
Nic

 

[ROTP Applicant]

But, I am also applying for college next year. (parent's wishes)

If it's your parents' wishes for you to go to college even though you want to join the CF it seems as if they're making the decisions for you. Aren't you an adult who can think for himself?

 

[Scratch_043]

yes, I am, but it is also my choice to get an education I added that in brackets to reflect that that choice is prefered by the parental units (as opposed to going straight to the CF, and skipping school) who, for the moment, control my transportation, and living arrangements

 

[Scratch_043]

thanks, I think, I was looking for something more specific....

where is kincanucks when I need him?

 

[HollywoodHitman]

WHy dont you look at the Reserves as a way to get your foot in the door to the military. You can use the time to learn soldiering, get tuition assistance and start getting time in. Your application process will likely take several months to complete anyway, and your school year will be more than half over by the time you get fully accepted....The longer you wait, the longer you'll be 'what-if-ing' yourself to death......

 

[kincanucks]

I am here.

1. Can I tell the recruiter that I want to do school first, and will I still have the Job offer when I complete school? (July '06) - No.

2. Would I be entitled to any extra benefits if I do my schooling first (My trade choice is 421, and I applied for Machining in College) and reapply after I'm done? (assuming the previous offer does not still stand) - At this time No.

3. If I have to reapply, do I have to wait for testing to be done again, or will my process be expidited?  You will have to redo everything but the CFAT.

4. Do I have a chance that the CF will pay for school, in whole or part? - No.

5. Does going to school for Machining make me more qualified, and more likely to get the offer for 421 (Trade specific question) - Yes it may make you more competitve.

If you are going to college for sure next year then cancel your appointment and free it up for someone else or join the reserves.

 

[Scratch_043]

thanks kin, exactly what I was looking for

I think I'll still do all my testing now (makes good practice) but I will put my application on hold until I am done school (if I get accepted, if I don't, I will just go ahead in the CF)

 

[Pieman]

ToRN,

Going into reserves and doing University at the same time is not a bad way to go. You get the best of both worlds. I don't know from experience, but I was housed in a University residence with a few guys that were doing it. They always had positive things to say about it, and they had an absolute blast. In retrospect, their influence is probably what helped seed my desire to join the forces today.

yes, I am, but it is also my choice to get an education I added that in brackets to reflect that that choice is preferred by the parental units  

On the other hand, going to University simply because your parents want you to is absolutely the wrong reason to go. It is a lot of work, and I have seen countless people fail out or quit University in the first two years because they were there for the wrong reason.

If you do go, what are you going to study? Is it something you want to do? I have also seen people go to University and take a major just because they thought they would get a cushy job at the end. They usually end up hating it and quiting, or they stick it out and finish a degree that is only good for a job type they hate.

In the end, if they had waited a year or two before going to University they would have figured out something they liked, and then done that instead. I was one of the lucky ones where I knew what I wanted to do, and i really enjoyed University. It should be a fun, and enlightening experience (with some really hard work).

Anyway, think about it carefully.

 

[Scratch_043]

well, they would prefer me to get an education first, so that i can find a good job after I am done.

Don't get me wrong, I also want to go to college. I just never imagined that I would get in (not the greatest marks in HS) but now it is a reality because I have been out of school, so they look more at life experience than HS marks (lucky for me)
The program that I have chosen is for college, not University, and it is General Machining, which covers all of the schooling portion of an apprenticeship at once (44 week program) which means that I can apply any hours that apply durring my military career towards an apprenticeship, and get Journeyman qualified when I get out.

 

[Pieman]

The program that I have chosen is for college, not University, and it is General Machining, which covers all of the schooling portion of an apprenticeship at once (44 week program) which means that I can apply any hours that apply durring my military career towards an apprenticeship, and get Journeyman qualified when I get out.

College, or University the same thing I said applies. However, if you are intrested like you say then you have no worries.   Sounds like a nice trade to get into, I can see why you are a bit 'ToRN' between the two choices

 

[Scratch_043]

Yeah, I really want to get into machining, as it directly relates to a certain hobby of mine, and is something I have always enjoyed doing, I just never expected being this eager to join the CF either, I always figured that it could wait, but now that I am there, I don't want to stop in the middle of getting there. I suppose that I am also afraid that if I don't continue through now, and get my first choice (421) that it might not be available when I re-apply next june/july.

That was a horrible pun by the way

 

[Pieman]

That was a horrible pun by the way

I couldn't resist

 

[Meridian]

I'd like to thank Kincanucks for making a point that seems to have gone ignored..:

"Cancel the appointment and free it up for someone else....  "


Why would you continue to waste testing space even though you know you can't possibly accept the offer?

This board is rife with people complaining about waiting for processing, and here you are saying you are going to continue on testing, even though you know you will have to redo everything in a year because you wont be accepting an offer any time soon...
(if you decide to go reserves, thats different, but make the call).


my .02

 

[Scratch_043]

Sorry, I missed that, it was right at the end, and hidden by the scroll bar.

Thing is, that I don't for sure know if I will be accepted for College, and if I am, I will surely take a serious look at the res. so I do not at this time have a reason to cancel my appointments, because I will be shooting myself in the foot if I do not in fact get in to College.

 

[HollywoodHitman]

you can go through the application process and change your Reg App to PRes....All you will likely need to do is get a referral letter from the reserve unit saying they have the space and that they will take you. They'll also determine whether your CFAT score is suitable for the reserve unit trade you want.

 

[Bob the builder]

1. The easiest and smartest thing in the end would be to just join the full time army , get your training done through the army, and have a good life.

Or
2.  go to college for a year, join the reserves, try and component transfer (which will take forever and make you want to stab yourself in the face with a sharpened broom handle), and have a miserable time.

If you still plan on taking the second option, please PM me your address so i can kick you in the face until i knock some sense into you.

(Spoken from the mouth of someone that picked the second option for reasons just like yours, and now wishes he had given his address to someone so they could have kicked him in the face.)

 

[Scratch_043]

sure, my address is....

hey, wait a minute, no

thanks for your concern, but I really do want to go and get the education. It doesn't matter to me if it will take a few extra months for my process, either, as the college offers a 'job placement' at the end of the school term, which is optional, so I could do that until my transfer goes through, either that, or just start my process early

 

[Bob the builder]

I just had to give you a heads up, because I would have changed from reserves to regs if I had known what i know now.



BTW its now about 7 months since I handed in my memo to CT, and my medical and interview (the only two things i have to do)
are hopefully being booked next week.  Just to give you a time frame of when it would be a good idea to start your CT if thats what you end up doing.