Help me pick my MOS

[qwjune]

Hey there, not sure if this should go in combat arms or recruiting but i'll post it here and see if i can get one or two replies.

Im a 21 year old thats very intrested in joining the canadian military. Post military i hope to become a civillian firefighter. Heres where I'm stuck..im not sure what job in the canadian military is right for me. I've been back and forth from the recruiting centre trying to figure it out with them but there answers seem limited so i thought i would come on here for a change. First off i thought i wanted to join through Infantry then i re-thought the decision and figured medical technician was a better option for firefighting afterwards. I went to my recruting centre and realized i would need 5-6 courses for the credit requirement for that to be a possibility. They figure that would take me close to one and a half years to complete all the courses. Then i went over a new plan of attack..i narrowed down some choices to ammo technician, search and rescue (which shortly after i realized is not a possibility due to needing your primary care paramedic), combat enginner (i like the idea of eod work) or back to infantry. I just have a few questions..

1.) I want to be a civillian firefighter after my time in the military, is there any job they would look higher upon besides medical technician and of course firefighting (military) or would every job be on the same playing field?

2.) I want a job on the ground, not in the navy or air force but at the same time i dont want other peoples bloodshed on my hands if possible, at the same time im determined to serve my country and help others. What job in particular could be suited for me? (Thats what led me to search and rescue or possible eod work, the fact of helping others)

3.) Does every MOS get the same amout of time off yearly?

4.) What job keeps soliders the most physically fit as thats a big part of my life and always will be


Just kind of stuck right now, not sure what would be best suited for me as i want to fully enjoy the experience and make my contract time with the MOS worthwhille. Any answers would help before i go and sign any papers for something i wouldnt be giving 110%, thanks guys 

 

[Retired and Broken]

I don't have an answer for you but the Sar Tech trade has ceased it's direct entry program so it would not matter  if you were PCP qualified anyways.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Cbbmtt]

1.) I want to be a civillian firefighter after my time in the military, is there any job they would look higher upon besides medical technician and of course firefighting (military) or would every job be on the same playing field?

2.) I want a job on the ground, not in the navy or air force but at the same time i dont want other peoples bloodshed on my hands if possible, at the same time im determined to serve my country and help others. What job in particular could be suited for me? (Thats what led me to search and rescue or possible eod work, the fact of helping others)

3.) Does every MOS get the same amout of time off yearly?
4.) What job keeps soliders the most physically fit as thats a big part of my life and always will be.


Just kind of stuck right now, not sure what would be best suited for me as i want to fully enjoy the experience and make my contract time with the MOS worth while. Any answers would help before i go and sign any papers for something I wouldn't be giving 110%, thanks guys 

1)Why don't you train the be a firefighter w/o going to the Military?

2)Search and rescue requires schooling
Primary Care Paramedic Certificate from a program accredited by the Canadian Medical Association and a current license or registration to work as a Primary Care Paramedic from a provincial regulatory body.

If you want to be a fire fighter, go study that as most of the jobs in the forces, you will have people depending on you and you just stated you don't want their fate in your hands.

3)www.forces.ca

4) You are responsible for your own pt in most postings after BMQ and training

It seems that you want to go to the military to become a fire fighter, if that job is not available, going to the forces so that you can become a fire fighter isn't really direct choice. You should just be researching being a fire fighter and start doing some community service and getting fit.

I'm not here to tell you what to do, I'm an applicant myself. However, from what you have written here a lot of the guys on this site will just tell you that they can not make the choices for you and the fact you don't want to be held responsible for others is just not very smart.

 

[mariomike]

I want to be a civillian firefighter after my time in the military, is there any job they would look higher upon besides medical technician and of course firefighting (military) or would every job be on the same playing field?

If you want to work for TFS ( as an example ), you must get into the Enhanced Stream, rather than the General.

"Candidates must have successfully completed one of the following to be considered for the enhanced stream:
1. OFM/OAFC Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training Program Certificate
2. NFPA 1001 – Firefighter I & II Certification
3. Ontario Firefighter Certification (OFM)
4. Full-time Structural Firefighter Experience"

There is no mention of military experience, but CF Firefighter would likely satisfy #4.

( The general stream of the hiring pool will not exclude an applicant, but those in the enhanced stream are called first. )
http://www.toronto.ca/fire/recruitment/pdf/2012_job_ad.pdf

Edit to add.

If you want to be a municipal firefighter, you could apply to a composite department ( one that employs part-time / volunteer and full-time / career firefighters. )

Often when a full-time position(s) becomes available, qualified volunteers already on the department get hiring priority over candidates from off the street.

EG: "...in the event the Employer hires additional full-time firefighters within the bargaining unit of the XXXXX Professional Firefighters Association, a percentage of the positions available will first be offered to the volunteer firefighters, provided they meet the general criteria for hiring into this job classification."

 

[Franko]

You don't want other people's bloodshed on your hands.....bluntly put - the Canadian Armed Forces isn't for you.

Simply put, this isn't some Scout troop you want to join. Our job is not for the faint of heart nor a pacifist either.

EOD get dirty when required and I've seen them take down Taliban with the best of them.

Go and be a firefighter on civy street....although, even then you will probably be dealing with death there as well.

 

[Tralax]

At the end of the day OP, nobody can make your decision for you.

Whatever you decide will be your choice. 

Keep in mind that the minimum starting contract for CF is 3 years.  You do not want to get into a trade that you don't want, or don't want to give 110% every day.

 

[Teager]

If your looking at EOD be prepared to stick around the CAF for a lot longer than 3 years. You won't become an EOD operator right off the bat as there are many courses and experience you will need before reaching that level. As far as combat engineer goes if you don't want bloodshed on your hands rethink the CF as a whole. I am a combat engineer and can say I've had my fair share of blood on my hands.

 

[Jammer]

Go cook...you can put out kitchen fires too. FML... :facepalm:

 

[Teager]

Go cook...you can put out kitchen fires too. FML... :facepalm:

He could cut his finger...more bloodshed

 

[Jammer]

...and get posted to a ship....bad juju all the way around.

Forget the military...go be a mortician.

 

[Jacky Tar]

Main thing to remember is every member of the CF is a soldier first; any one of us can be tasked to grab a rifle and engage. Or as it was put to me longer ago than I care to admit "when you strip off all the crap, our job is to break shit and kill people."

 

[qwjune]

Thanks everyone for the replies besides Jammer. I asked a simple question and i only asked it because i know one to many of my close friends and family who have gone in infantry and came back with a completley different mindset when returning, not the right mindset if you will. I was basiclly just looking for some input between the 3 jobs, ammo tech, infantry and combat enginner and weighing out there differences. I know everyone in the military is a soldier first and thats fine. If its defense for this country then im all for it, maybe i mis worded when i made that statement. I was just looking for some answers....

 

[Teager]

qwjune just know that no matter what trade you do you can always find yourself in a situation thats life altering. Everyones abilities is different and no one really knows or can tell what can cause someone to have problems with there mind. The CF tends to deal with the dark side of humanity and we don't get to go to countries that are vacation like. All you can do is try to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. If you are afraid of seeing things you don't want to see or getting PTSD then maybe the CF or emergency services aren't for you as that is part of the risk that comes with the job.

 

[Cbbmtt]

Thanks everyone for the replies besides Jammer. I asked a simple question and i only asked it because i know one to many of my close friends and family who have gone in infantry and came back with a completley different mindset when returning, not the right mindset if you will. I was basiclly just looking for some input between the 3 jobs, ammo tech, infantry and combat enginner and weighing out there differences. I know everyone in the military is a soldier first and thats fine. If its defense for this country then im all for it, maybe i mis worded when i made that statement. I was just looking for some answers....

I suggest taking a course in English. Then I would seriously rethink your career choices if you don't want to get your hands bloody.

 

[Jammer]

Awwwww....No thanks to Jammer make Jammer sad for rest of day.....awwww.

 

[Smirnoff123]

Have you gone to school for firefighting?

While being in the military may be looked upon favourably by fire departments, it is still extremely unlikely for them to hire you if you do not possess the required certifications, e.g NFPA I and II, Proboard, OFM etc. These are obtained through civilian colleges, firefighting schools, like FESTI or Texas A&M or through working in a volunteer department.

Those are only the minimal requirements for most departments, lots of applicants will also have more advanced courses such as, high angle rescue, forest fire fighting, confined space courses, hazmat, DZ licence etc.

It is very competitive to get in, but I wish you luck.

 

[JM2345]

If its defense for this country then im all for it

Remember that the Canadian Forces isn't just about defending Canada. You may be told to go kill someone who has never even heard of Canada, and poses no threat to anyone in Canada and never will. You don't have to want to kill people, but before making your application, I would say to make sure that you can honestly tell yourself that you CAN kill someone and that you can live with that.

I watched a few documentaries before I made the final decision to apply, including 'The Battle for Marjah' (Follows US Marines) and 'Armadillo' (Follows Danish Soldiers), and those kept me up for hours and gave me good insight to what the job CAN be like under wartime conditions for the soldiers on the ground (combat engineer, infantry, med tech are mostly covered in those films).

So give those movies a viewing, and maybe they can help you make your decision better. Are those movies a typical day in the life of a soldier? Of course not. But that's what you should be prepared to step up for if you want to be one of the guys on the front line. I'm not a member of the Canadian Forces, just an applicant right now by the way.

 

[JFM]

Awwwww....No thanks to Jammer make Jammer sad for rest of day.....awwww.

Wow you're so edgy!!11! SO HARDCORE MAN 2EDGY4ME

 

[Towards_the_gap]

Take the advice on this board and go to college, get your NFPA 1001/Pre-service, and start applying like the thousands of other hopeful firefighters.

Don't waste time with the military if you can't see that sometimes, bloodshed=helping people. This is a nasty horrible disgusting world where life is cheaper than a $0.06 AK round, and you, should you deploy, may have to partake in that nastiness, and moreso, be nastier than the bad guys you are trying to beat.

But be warned that as a firefighter you will then have to transition to cleaning up the after effects of this nasty brutish world, and day-in day-out bear witness to tragedy, hand over the scene, clean up, and then be ready to go again. Day in, day out.

By the sounds of your posts I don't think you realise what you may be getting yourself into.

 

[Tralax]

Main thing to remember is every member of the CF is a soldier first; any one of us can be tasked to grab a rifle and engage. Or as it was put to me longer ago than I care to admit "when you strip off all the crap, our job is to break shit and kill people."

I know I'm not a CF member (yet hopefully), but this made me laugh when I was having a bad day.  Thank you.