MARS Training [Merged]

[Boudreas]

I have applied as MARS Officer under the CEOTP. I have been reading as much as I can on the NAVY as well as the training. Not only does it look intensive but rewarding.

My question concerns doing an under-grad degree while all the while doing all this training, deployments, on-shore postings etc... By what I gather it takes approx. 40 courses to finish your run of the mill arts degree. If you have 8 years to do it (I say 8 because I see your first year as a write off getting accustomed to Navy life) thats 5 university courses a year done through distance learning.

While at sea do you have internet access to do research for assignments as well as get them in. Or are you left to get as much as you can when on land? If anyone is reading this has gone through this process I would very much appreciate your experiences...

Also say I end up waiting a year to get in (which I highly doubt due to the demand for the trade, but you never know) and I decide to get a head start on my degree, is the cost still covered?

Either or I am excited about the program and am going to bust my *** to make it work...

 

[aesop081]

My question concerns doing an under-grad degree while all the while doing all this training, deployments, on-shore postings etc...

With CEOTP it is your COs responsability to ensure you are provided the time to complete your education obligations.

 

[Hastings]

First off.  I apologize for posting this here, if it is the incorrect place to post this.  I'm not familiar with how to properly file posts on this site.

On the forces.ca website it says under the MARS MOC description "Rapid Career Progression".

Does this mean that MARS officers tend to climb the ranks faster than other officer MOC's.  IF two people are just as good at their jobs and one is an INF O and the other MARS O is the MARS O going to be a Leut. Commander prior to the INF O becoming a Major?


Any insight into this would be appreciated if people who are in the know have experience with this.

 

[ModlrMike]

Apples and oranges. Officers and NCMs compete amongst others of their MOCs, not directly against each other in different MOCs. Much depends on the number of available promotions each year in each MOC, which is highly variable. It is very difficult to measure the speed of promotion in different occupations by direct comparison. "Rapid Career Progression" is a nice phrase, but very very subjective.

 

[Hastings]

So the speed at which one could potentially advance through an officer MOC depends on the saturation of the MOC.  So if there weren't many MARS OFFICERS and the CF was trying to beef up its numbers in that MOC that would suggest that it would be easier to "progress".

Do I understand this correctly?

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

So the speed at which one could potentially advance through an officer MOC depends on the saturation of the MOC.   So if there weren't many MARS OFFICERS and the CF was trying to beef up its numbers in that MOC that would suggest that it would be easier to "progress".

Do I understand this correctly?

It also depends on how well you grasp your phase courses as a MARS Officers.

 

[Hastings]

By "grasp your phase courses" you mean the quality of officer you are and the skill that you have?

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

No....you have differnet levels you must pass before being even considered a MARS officer. You fail one and they may not allow you to move and may release you or remuster you.

 

[Hastings]

Ah... so you are saying. You can't progress the ranks if you don't pass the 12 months of training in Esquimalt and Halifax.

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

Where did you get that? Read what I said....search for MARS Officer training here and other sites and you will get your answer.

 

[ModlrMike]

So the speed at which one could potentially advance through an officer MOC depends on the saturation of the MOC.  So if there weren't many MARS OFFICERS and the CF was trying to beef up its numbers in that MOC that would suggest that it would be easier to "progress".

Do I understand this correctly?

No, I don't think you do. A smaller MOC would have proportionally fewer promotions in a given year, so movement would therefore be slower in that MOC than in a larger one. However, larger MOCs have more people to comtete against. Promotions are based on merit within one's occupation. Merit is a combination of performance, training, experience, and potential, to name but a few factors.

 

[aesop081]

You can't progress the ranks if you don't pass the 12 months of training in Esquimalt and Halifax.

Yes. If you dont pass MARS training then you are not qualified. If you are not qualified, you cant progress. Seems rather intuative wouldn't you say ?

 

[Monsoon]

Ah... so you are saying. You can't progress the ranks if you don't pass the 12 months of training in Esquimalt and Halifax.

You'll be constantly evaluated at various levels throughout your career as a MARS officer; the phase training is really only the beginning. Because there's currently a relative shortage of senior MARS officers (thank you, mid-90s Force Reduction Plan), if you are extraordinarily quick to grasp the training and happen to be very capable at the various different and unrelated things that will be expected of you at the different ranks, theoretically you could be rapidly promoted. For the hypothetical superman in question, this would mean achieving command of a heavy and being promoted Commander after - again, theoretically - as few as 13 or 14 years in. But for all practical purposes that just doesn't happen.

Now, having crossed all those hurdles and made it that far, you would definitely have a better chance of making it to, say, Capt(N) or Cmdre than your Log or Int counterparts. But I would suggest that the average entrant is likely to make it to LCdr or Cdr sooner as a LogO or Int O than as a MARS officer. It's just that those trades plateau quickly after that.

 

[dapaterson]

Because there's currently a relative shortage of senior MARS officers (thank you, mid-90s Force Reduction Plan),

Um, no.

FRP saw an increase of 2-3% in releases, a marginal impact - it essentially paid out a lot of extra money to folks who, statistically speaking, were going to get out anyways.

The problems we're now seeing are because FRP didn't work - so to hit the reduced Reg Force strength targets, we essentially shut down recruiting for the better part of a decade.  That's where today's shortages come from.

 

[Monsoon]

Touche. Guess that should have been "plan to reduce the forces" rather than "Force Reduction Plan". Either way, we're still dealing with it.

 

[ltmaverick25]

In my opinion the MARS MOC is the hardest trade to hit LCdr/Major level in the CF.  MARS officers have many more requirements they have to do before LCdr then other trades do.  However, other trades like Int or Log often get stuck at two bars due to the nature of the trade.  They are not command related trades so you wont see many senior officers in those trades.  I would think you have a better shot at hitting 2.5 bars as a MARS officer then you do Int or Log, but, other line officer trades likely move a little faster then MARS does. 

 

[gcclarke]

With CEOTP it is your COs responsability to ensure you are provided the time to complete your education obligations.

I do know at least one MARS subbie who is soon to run up against his deadline. That having been said, I don't believe that it's the CO's fault on this one. More so lack of initiative on his part and personal circumstances intruding upon possible study time. Still, overall CEOTP seems like a bit of a risky proposition to me.

 

[aesop081]

I don't believe that it's the CO's fault on this one.

I never said anything about "fault". I said "responsability. There a difference.

More so lack of initiative on his part

The COs responsability would have been to properly re-motivate the person.

 

[gcclarke]

True enough, mea culpa. I guess the point that I was trying to get across was that IMHO, CEOTP shouldn't be entered into lightly. Success requires a strong drive to keep yourself motivated as well as the time management skills to be able to fit in your courses around the normal requirements of duty. A minimum number of outside distractions can't hurt either.

 

[navydiver]

Of course everyone knows the only reason anyone would consider taking the MARS program is to become a hard ass navy diving officer! Granted being a CLDO is still technically considered being a MARS Officer - barely...
When I consider my time as a D-Level Above Water Weapons Officer in the heavies before going over to the dark side, there is absolutely no comparison with the level of responsibility and adrenaline based activity you enjoy as a "Rubber Freak" - even compared to later in your potential career.
Hoo Yah Deep Sea and Strength in Depth!
Navydiver sends