Naval ranks and careers

[Born2Fly]

Well, since my time in university is just about up, i've started thinking about what to do afterwards... and for some, unexplained reason becoming a MARS is pretty damned attractive.

Well, if you consider the world is currently short something like 40,000 Naval Officers, there's lots of opportunity for you once you call it a career with the CF.

Damn another officer candidate (just kidding).

This is the Navy. That's Naval Cadet to you.     ;D

 

[Sheerin]

Well to be completely honest, the navy is one of about 20 different options i'm considering at the moment, although its in my top 3. 
1) Navy
2) continue on with anthro and get my Ph.D
3) Med School.

Now if I don't say so myself, thats quite the mix of potential careers.  I have the marks for all three, and i'm in pretty decent shape (although I could probably do with some more work).  I'm just not 100% sure on any of those... ah life, gotta love it.

 

[Born2Fly]

Have you considered the MOTP (Medical Officer Training Plan)?


That way, technically, you could go to Med School AND join the Navy.

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

This is the Navy. That's Naval Cadet to you.   

Was referring to him contemplating becoming an officer not his actual rank.

Sheerin...Born2Fly has a good point in looking at going MOTP bare in mind though the only doctors we have going to see are on the AORs and down the road the JSS. Onboard CPFs you just have Med-As and PAs.

 

[Born2Fly]

Was referring to him contemplating becoming an officer not his actual rank.

I know, it's just I spent a lot of time on an army base, and no one on the base had a clue what my rank was. I got "Private", "Corporal", "Seaman", "Navy guy", "Sorry, I don't know your rank". I was always used to correcting them.

though the only doctors we have going to see are on the AORs and down the road the JSS

Which is very true, and even then I'm sure those will be a hard posting to get. He can still wear a Naval Uniform if he wants, and hopefully serve on a Naval base, but actual time spent on ship will be very, very limited.

 

[Sheerin]

Well, the funny thing with the Med School option is, that for the better part of 10 years all I've wanted was to become an MD, however, roughly 9 months or so ago the blinders came off and I realised I had a million-and-one options.  I'm not sure what I'll be doing once I finish my degree, as I mentioned before, I have the marks for everything listed above, as well as many other things.  I may very well end up going to med school but I think I owe to myself as well as everyone else there who wants to be a doctor to only go for it if I'm 100% sure.  I can't think of many things worse (in the world of academia) than someone getting into a tough programme and then dropping out a short time later.  It wastes their time, the instructors time, and takes away a spot from someone else. 

I have a lot of thinking ahead of me. 

Now with that being said, if/when I go to med school I'm fairly certain I'll, at the very least, consider MOTP.  About the only draw back I can think of is the limited number of specialities that the CF offers.

Although, I could always do the MARS thing for a few years then go to med school, say in 8 years or so?  Thats always an option.
Thanks for your input guys, and please, feel free to keep it coming.  Its good to hear from people who know stuff about things. 
And on that note, please forgive any spelling or grammatical errors, but you know how it is

 

[Born2Fly]

Just a quick note on your reply above... When you have your interview with your PSO (Personnel Selection Officer... One of the guys who makes decisions about you), and you even breathe the word "Med School", I'm pretty sure he'll jump all over that, and talk to you about MOTP.

The advice on that is, make sure you are getting what you want from the CF. Don't let them put you into a job you don't want. If you want MARS, then you ask for MARS... Med School or not. I kinda got talked into a trade my first time around in the military, and while that had both good and bad results, I wouldn't recommend it.

First find out what you want, and when you know, make sure you let the CF know what that is.


Keep us updated.

 

[governorgeneral]

Which is very true, and even then I'm sure those will be a hard posting to get. He can still wear a Naval Uniform if he wants, and hopefully serve on a Naval base, but actual time spent on ship will be very, very limited.

So true.  I'm an A/SLt signed up in the MOTP, and it's pretty much a given I'll be posted to an army or air base for the first few years at least, and maybe have a stint in Halifax or Esquimalt only after the initial return of service (they try to save those popular spots for returning MOs).  Our B Surg here in Kingston's an LCdr I believe - we're one of those purple trades that gets shuffled around wherever we're needed, army, air, naval base, whatever.  Keeping my fingers crossed the JSSs will be up and running by the time I'm out and working...

Good luck Sheerin!

 

[Born2Fly]

You should check this video out as well. It was taken onboard HMCS Regina during OP APOLLO. Shows some great Naval Boarding Party footage:

http://www.combatcamera.dnd.ca/video/!2003/arabian_gulf/vid_apollo_e.htm

 

[Sheerin]

That's a pretty good video.  It, along with the other video's I've seen as well as hearing from people (especially on this board) make the Navy look all the more attractive. 
Oh out of curiosity, what exactly is level 2 and 1 data, as mentioned in the short movie?  And along the lines of Navy Boarding parties, how difficult is it to get into the training program?

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

There are only 2 officers per team and 20 on a team so it might be more difficult to get in a slot.

 

[Born2Fly]

Oh out of curiosity, what exactly is level 2 and 1 data, as mentioned in the short movie?

Join the Navy. You'll find out then. 

And along the lines of Navy Boarding parties, how difficult is it to get into the training program?

Like Ex said above me, those Officer positions are highly coveted, as is the entire team. NBP is one of the functions the Navy does, but it is also a very, very small part of Navy life.

 

[Sheerin]

Fair enough on both counts
And excellent, I love a challenge.

 

[painswessex]

If anyone wants to know what the Navy does Watch the Discovery channels HMCS WINNIPEG: ANATOMY OF A WARSHIP. It was done before we went to OP APOLLO.

Leading Seaman
M.W. Hart
2 SVC BN S&T COY CQMS

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

I agree with painswessex. Despite it was filmed on a west coastie ship its still a good show, that will answer a lot of questions.

 

[Inch]

You should check this video out as well. It was taken onboard HMCS Regina during OP APOLLO. Shows some great Naval Boarding Party footage:

http://www.combatcamera.dnd.ca/video/!2003/arabian_gulf/vid_apollo_e.htm

Anybody notice the Sea Hawk in this video? That's right, we didn't have a serviceable Sea King to send on the Iroquois. Not sure if there was one on the Regina or not.

Cheers

 

[MissHardie]

Sheerin,

I've got say, MARS is a huge challenge - a third of our class got cut on BOTC (that's a lot by Venture's standards...apparently they went 'St Jean style on us'.), and while I only did MARS II this summer, watching the MARS III and IV classes... ho boy.  Only 2 of 7 passed MARS IV and got their ticket, and on the MARS III course going on right now, 5 of 20 have already failed - and they haven't even gotten to the hard part yet! Be prepared to be up 'til 0200 planning passages and getting up at 0600 on MARS III to present them and be blasted on all your mistakes... (second hand info from friends who completed MARS III this summer).

That said, MARS training was the time of my life.  I can't wait for MARS III. Nothing is so fun or thrilling as conning a ship and learning how to be Officer of the Watch.  It's a great job.

Also, thought about the Reserves?  I'm currently in fifth year university, and joined the Reserves because while I wanted to join the Navy, I wasn't up for the 9 year deal for Reg Force, especially since I plan on getting a Masters or Law degree. (or both? we'll see.) There are too many things I want to do with my life - much like you, it seems.

 

[Dreadnought]

Hey I was reading your post and wanted to ask you a few questions.  When did you get sworn in as a naval cadet?  and did you start at your unit right away?  You said that reservist had BOTC correspondence in the fall, does this mean that it counts towards your real BOTC when you complete in the summer?  When do you get promoted to Acting sub lieutenant?  when you pass Mars IV? I have more questions but i dont want to bombard you with all of them.  If you could answer these that would be great.

 

[MissHardie]

I was solemnly affirmed (the equivalent to sworn in, just without the bible) last November.  Yes, I started straight away at my unit - not that there was much for me to do until I went off ot BOTC, but I picked up a couple things during the intervening months (such as how to scrub charts! They also put me in the NETP mod 1 course, which didn't further my training any but served to introduce me to some actual Navy regs and such).  NavResHQ split BOTC into two parts last year, so my class did BOTC inhouse for 10 weeks and then moved onto MARS II (NETP-O, they call it now.). They did the same thing with MARS II - so this fall I do BOTC part 2, which entails learning the ins and outs of military correspondance, instructional techniques and the art of the speech, and I'll do MARS II part 2 in the winter.  You have to do BOTC during the summer first, though, to do what I'm now doing at my unit.  You can only move onto MARS III once all four components are complete.

I'll be promoted to A/Slt once I finish MARS III, so next year, and then Slt once I finish MARS IV, the year after.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like! I remember going through the recruiting process and not having a clue as to what was going on or what I was getting myself into.

 

[RyanNS]

Sheerin,

I've got say, MARS is a huge challenge - a third of our class got cut on BOTC (that's a lot by Venture's standards...apparently they went 'St Jean style on us'.), and while I only did MARS II this summer, watching the MARS III and IV classes... ho boy.   Only 2 of 7 passed MARS IV and got their ticket, and on the MARS III course going on right now, 5 of 20 have already failed - and they haven't even gotten to the hard part yet! Be prepared to be up 'til 0200 planning passages and getting up at 0600 on MARS III to present them and be blasted on all your mistakes... (second hand info from friends who completed MARS III this summer).

That said, MARS training was the time of my life.   I can't wait for MARS III. Nothing is so fun or thrilling as conning a ship and learning how to be Officer of the Watch.   It's a great job.

Also, thought about the Reserves?   I'm currently in fifth year university, and joined the Reserves because while I wanted to join the Navy, I wasn't up for the 9 year deal for Reg Force, especially since I plan on getting a Masters or Law degree. (or both? we'll see.) There are too many things I want to do with my life - much like you, it seems.

I to am thinking about going MARS (DEO) when I graduate next April, but am getting kind of scared off by all this talk of failure rates and whatnot. Why exactly do so many people fail or not succesfully complete the course/training? Is it the academic work? Physical? Not being able to deal with military structure? I'm not the strongest when it comes to math/physics, having never taken it in high school, and am graduating with an Arts degree so I don't really want to get in over my head. Thats the only thing I worry about is that I may start having to do alot of that (math, physics etc.) and not be able to keep up only beacuse of that.