How do you know... this is what you want?

[aesop081]

Daniel,

I'ma say it again. Finish High School. If you must, join a Reserve unit while in High School, but finish High School. If you decide the service is not for you, you will still have the option to go on to college/university, or find a job. But finish High School, above all else.

Did I mention that I think you should finish High School?

agreed

 

[paracowboy]

see, Daniel?

aesop thinks you should finish High School.
I think you should finish High School.
That's two very smart people who think should finish High School.

You should probably finish High School.

 

[Roy Harding]

Finish High School.

 

[exsemjingo]

This is an off topic correction for Hoover.

Hate to say (I really do!) but Mormons would not send anyone off with a cross.  Look at their steeples, and you will see a stake.  This is one of the many differences, the rest of which are more important, and not to be discussed on this paticular website.

 

[spr. mackinnon]

Well I can speak from personal experience, I am currently 17 years old and am in grade 12, I have been a reservist for about a year and 5 months, and I haven't looked back.  You can't put a number beside maturity, I know people in their 30's and older who are immature, and I also know people who are 15,16,17 who are well beyond there years when it comes to how mature they are.  Out.

 

[Fusaki]

IMHO, if you're going to join the army then its better to do it fairly young. But before I go any further, I want to make one thing clear: GRADUATE HIGHSCHOOL!!!

Now, on to my point...

The military is a good place to build maturity, make a bit of coin, and decide what you want to do with your life in the long term. The way I see it, there are plenty of kids who go to college/university right out of high school with NO idea what they want out of life. They go because their parents want them to go. They choose courses that they think they might like. But they really they just end up pissing mommy's and daddy's money away at frat parties simply because they don't have the maturity or discipline to excel.

If you've always been interested in the army, and you have a strong sense of duty towards your country, the army is a great place to sort yourself out. The army has a great way of teaching you that hardship is NOT forcing yourself to study. Hardship is actually more like forcing yourself to not quit when you've been digging trenches, not sleeping, and being cold and wet for days on end. It really puts things in perspective. ;D

No one says that you need to make a career out of the army. If your place in life is to be a cop, teacher, or any other valued member of our society and the army has helped you in your goals, then the army is maintaining its own goal of a safe, stable, and prosperous country.

Take a friend of mine as an example: He graduated high school and went to college, but after a year or so he decided he wasn't ready for school. He thinks the Infantry would be pretty cool, signs up, and off to basic he goes. Now, his contract is up in a few months and has accomplished the following:

1) Provided outstanding military service to his country.

2) Payed off previous student loans.

3) Saved enough money to pay for further post-secondary education on release (accepted to Carleton U in Ottawa for September).

4) Gained the maturity and discipline from military life he needed to reach his full potential as a civilian university student.

5) He's under 25 years old, and will enter into the civilian workforce at a comparable age to his peers.

I'm not saying "Join the army to get an education". The LAST thing I want is to work with guys who's heart isn't in it. I'm saying that the experience of being a good, solid troop can help to get your life on track.

Good luck!!!

 

[scoutfinch]

Finish high school.  If you are able, continue your education.  Don't learn for the sake of getting a job, learn for the sake of learning.... it is a big world with tons of history and culture. 

Join the reserves for now.  The reg force will be around 4 years from now.  You will bring a wealth of book learning to the military and there is nothing wrong with that.  You will have a better sense of what you are able to offer the military in a few years. You will have also learned a ton of stuff with the reserves that you could learn nowhere else.  4 years may seem like a tremendously long time right now, but take it from someone who has been around a while... 4 years goes by like the blink of an eye later in life.

Just don't wait until you are almost 40 to apply 'cause Basic sucks when you are 40!

(Can you tell I have recently had this very conversation with a 17 year old in Grade 12)

 

[chrisf]

Just don't wait until you are almost 40 to apply 'cause Basic sucks when you are 40!

Dunno, a buddy of mine did it twice, once in his 20s, and once in his 40s... said it was much better the second time around...

 

[paracowboy]

IMHO, if you're going to join the army then its better to do it fairly young. But before I go any further, I want to make one thing clear: GRADUATE HIGHSCHOOL!!!

Now, on to my point...

The military is a good place to build maturity, make a bit of coin, and decide what you want to do with your life in the long term. The way I see it, there are plenty of kids who go to college/university right out of high school with NO idea what they want out of life. They go because their parents want them to go. They choose courses that they think they might like. But they really they just end up pissing mommy's and daddy's money away at frat parties simply because they don't have the maturity or discipline to excel.

If you've always been interested in the army, and you have a strong sense of duty towards your country, the army is a great place to sort yourself out. The army has a great way of teaching you that hardship is NOT forcing yourself to study. Hardship is actually more like forcing yourself to not quit when you've been digging trenches, not sleeping, and being cold and wet for days on end. It really puts things in perspective. ;D

No one says that you need to make a career out of the army. If your place in life is to be a cop, teacher, or any other valued member of our society and the army has helped you in your goals, then the army is maintaining its own goal of a safe, stable, and prosperous country.

Take a friend of mine as an example: He graduated high school and went to college, but after a year or so he decided he wasn't ready for school. He thinks the Infantry would be pretty cool, signs up, and off to basic he goes. Now, his contract is up in a few months and has accomplished the following:

1) Provided outstanding military service to his country.

2) Payed off previous student loans.

3) Saved enough money to pay for further post-secondary education on release (accepted to Carleton U in Ottawa for September).

4) Gained the maturity and discipline from military life he needed to reach his full potential as a civilian university student.

5) He's under 25 years old, and will enter into the civilian workforce at a comparable age to his peers.

I'm not saying "Join the army to get an education". The LAST thing I want is to work with guys who's heart isn't in it. I'm saying that the experience of being a good, solid troop can help to get your life on track.

Good luck!!!

somebody frame this and put it on the wall.

 

[cadet levesque]

I am currently an army cadet. All my life I have had a passion for the military. There is always a little voice inside me saying go join the army. Right now I'm at a dead end I'm only 13 and there is a lot of time to decide, but when I do decide I don't want to make the wrong decision. If anyone could give me some advice please do so.  

 

[SHELLDRAKE!!]

I hate to break it to you but what you are describing is life. Until you are roughly 18 you don't have enough life experience to make an informed decision on what interests you, and if at that time you chose the military, you are not commited for the rest of your days on earth.

My advice to you is to take alot of work experience and volunteer at workplaces that you think interest you, that way when you do have to work for a living you may have found the job for you.

 

[scoutfinch]

Take some time to grow up and mature.  Make the decision then. 

 

[Inspir]

If anyone could give me some advice please do so.

- Stay in school,
- Excel in school, then
- Go to College or University.

Also eat your fruits and vegtables  ^-^

 

[Pea]

Everyone is offering some very good advice about taking some time to grow and mature before making huge decisions. If I look back on when I was 11/12 years old I wanted to be an Olympic track star. When I was 13 I decided I would be a lawyer, but also wanted to do something in the Military. (the Cadet influence) I stuck with the lawyer idea until the middle of grade 12 when I decided that I would be a legal assistant for now so I could see what it would be like to work in a law firm environment. I went to College for a year for a legal assistant program and then worked at a law firm for a few months. I realized that I really hated it, and left the law firm. My year in college wasn't wasted though, as it taught me a lot about the business world and about technology. So I started work at a property management company as a receptionist. (Started at the bottom - but needed to get my foot in the door to the large company) Six months later I moved into a tenant services position where I took care of all of the tenants for our many properties across the city. Five months later and I have been offered a position to move to the leasing side of the company. I'll just have to see how I "fit" over there now.

I am just approaching 20 years old, and as you can see I am still trying to decide where my place in life is. I understand the feeling of wanting to know what it is you will do for a career as soon as possible. Believe me, I have had a few freakouts in the last year or so wondering what the heck I am doing, and will be doing 10 years down the road. Keep learning, and keep working hard, and eventually things will become a little more clear.

Not sure if this has helped at all, but felt I would share "my story" as a way of showing how I know what it's like to be in such a hurry to figure "life" out.

 

[paracowboy]

you're trying to shoot at the 1,000 meter mark when you haven't zero'd at the 25, yet.

Don't worry about it. Right now, focus on graduating high school. Get the best marks you can achieve. Do as much extra-curricular activity as you can squeeze in - (Cadets is an excellent start), play sports, get a part-time job, volunteer for charitable works, chase girls, get in trouble (nothing serious, mind you, but get it out of your system.). Be a kid for now. Once that's gone, it's gone for good. Enjoy it.

When you graduate high school, THEN you can start thinking about the rest of your life. If you MUST enlist, then talk with your parents, and see if they will support you joining the Reserves at 16. Or wait until you are 17 - 18 and join the Reserves then. Get a taste of Army life. Maybe you won't like it. Maybe you'll love it. But, that's years away.

Don't grow up too fast. Enjoy today, tomorrow will be on you soon enough.

 

[canadianblue]

Before I went fulltime I was applying to the MP reserves, had a college accept me, and was offered a position with the RCMP's VSU, I rejected simply because I thought that going fulltime would give me alot better experience. In all honesty it doesn't offer as much as you'd think, my advice to anyone is to do post secondary if you can get it, as well as do reserves part time to see how you enjoy the military. Don't go fulltime unless your 100% sure thats what you want or else you might regret it later one.

 

[rjs]

I thought I'd offer a slightly different perspective. Obviously, there's no question that you should graduate high school first. However, I disagree with some of the suggestions about post-secondary education. Through my own experience, I pretty strongly disagree with the statement that you should get it if you can. If your heart's not in it. you won't do well, regardless of how smart you are. I've always been one of the smartest in my class but I have yet to find something that interests me to the point where I've been willing to devote myself to it on a consistent basis.

Frankly, I think you'll gain a lot more out of military life than dicking around in part-time jobs that offer you no real responsibility or chance to grow. I say this after doing the university thing for several years and still not having a degree (I've bounced around a lot). For my part, the only thing I've become certain of is that I don't want a normal job. I've had one for the past few years and I'm bored out of my mind. Sitting at a computer analyzing data and programming all day is driving me insane. I've been quite well paid and the job I do isn't a typical student job in that I have real responsibilities, but despite all that I'm willing to take a pay cut to become a regular in the infantry.

I'm not in the military yet so I can't comment on the army experience, however I can say that if you truely have no idea what you want. I think university is a potentially bad idea until you have a better idea of what you want to do. None of us here can say for sure because we don't know you, but if you're not in to it, you likely won't do well. It's really that simple. I can't imagine a worse scenario than ending up with a bunch of student loans and no degree.

It's really up to you to take a hard look at yourself and determine what you're willing to put a real effort in to. If I could roll back the clock, I think I would have applied to the army a lot sooner. I say that because despite what I've learned in university, I'm no closer to a career that I'd enjoy today than I was when I graduated high school. What I've realized over the past few months is that I don't want to be one of those people that wakes up every morning and thinks "f*ck, I have to go to work." You should do what you love and forget what other people think. That's a lot harder to do than it sounds. I've always loved history, but I've been blinded by the potential for more lucrative employment so I studied things like finance and biochemistry which I didn't have a true passion for. In the end it's been a waste of my time and money, and that's why all my effort is going towards enlisting asap.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[IrishCanuck]

I thought I'd offer a slightly different perspective. Obviously, there's no question that you should graduate high school first. However, I disagree with some of the suggestions about post-secondary education. Through my own experience, I pretty strongly disagree with the statement that you should get it if you can. If your heart's not in it. you won't do well, regardless of how smart you are. I've always been one of the smartest in my class but I have yet to find something that interests me to the point where I've been willing to devote myself to it on a consistent basis.

Frankly, I think you'll gain a lot more out of military life than dicking around in part-time jobs that offer you no real responsibility or chance to grow. I say this after doing the university thing for several years and still not having a degree (I've bounced around a lot). For my part, the only thing I've become certain of is that I don't want a normal job. I've had one for the past few years and I'm bored out of my mind. Sitting at a computer analyzing data and programming all day is driving me insane. I've been quite well paid and the job I do isn't a typical student job in that I have real responsibilities, but despite all that I'm willing to take a pay cut to become a regular in the infantry.

I'm not in the military yet so I can't comment on the army experience, however I can say that if you truely have no idea what you want. I think university is a potentially bad idea until you have a better idea of what you want to do. None of us here can say for sure because we don't know you, but if you're not in to it, you likely won't do well. It's really that simple. I can't imagine a worse scenario than ending up with a bunch of student loans and no degree.

It's really up to you to take a hard look at yourself and determine what you're willing to put a real effort in to. If I could roll back the clock, I think I would have applied to the army a lot sooner. I say that because despite what I've learned in university, I'm no closer to a career that I'd enjoy today than I was when I graduated high school. What I've realized over the past few months is that I don't want to be one of those people that wakes up every morning and thinks "****, I have to go to work." You should do what you love and forget what other people think. That's a lot harder to do than it sounds. I've always loved history, but I've been blinded by the potential for more lucrative employment so I studied things like finance and biochemistry which I didn't have a true passion for. In the end it's been a waste of my time and money, and that's why all my effort is going towards enlisting asap.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

You don't know how true that rings for me. I too am attending university.. and I just feel like I'm working towards nowhere, and doing it just for the sake of getting a degree and making my parents happy.

I'm only 19.. but I've always had an attraction to the armed forces , a desire to serve in them, which I find both appealing and concerning because I have rarely felt strongly motivated towards such things in my life, ( sports have been the only thing to really get my full enthusiasm) while I do just fine in University without putting in much effort.. I want TO want to put more effort into it, and I can't find that motivation for more than a couple days at a time.  For this reason I plan on applying to the reserves by the end of this summer, so I can see if my enjoyment matches up with attraction and desire I have. If it does, I will be more than pleased.

 

[pipstah]

I've completed my university in something I dont even like now... but a that little piece of paper is useful. If you want to go pilot, you need to have a degree... That degree is giving you more options for your life and if you really joining the army, you will have options too after your career because you'll never know when your military career will end... recruit course? trade course? during a mission? getting out of the army for medical reason? I think it really worth it even if you really want to go in the army... you never know what life is reserving to you... 

 

[rjs]

I've completed my university in something I dont even like now... but a that little piece of paper is useful. If you want to go pilot, you need to have a degree... That degree is giving you more options for your life and if you really joining the army, you will have options too after your career because you'll never know when your military career will end... recruit course? trade course? during a mission? getting out of the army for medical reason? I think it really worth it even if you really want to go in the army... you never know what life is reserving to you... 

I don't think that anyone is going to argue against the value of a university degree, however I believe that everyone moves at their own pace and for some people, going to university right out of high school might not be a great idea. In a lot of cases I think it just ends up as wasted time. I've met just as many people with dead-end jobs that have a university degree as those that don't.

Intelligence and aptitude don't necessarily have anything to do with whether or not someone should go straight to university. Certainly if you ever want to earn more than 12 bucks an hour in the civilian world you need that piece of paper (or a technical trade), but for someone that doesn't have their heart set on going to school for the 4 subsequent years to graduating HS, I believe military service is one of the best things you could do. It would be FAR better than wasting it like most kids do these days. Your time in the military could transform in to a career or it could just provide you with the necessary perspective to make a good decision. What it won't be is wasted time. I don't think the discipline you acquire would be a bad thing either.

That's my opinion after spending way too much time in school transfering between programs because I couldn't find anything I that really liked. Personally, I'm looking quite forward to life as a soldier.