teekay0 said:
I haven't been a reservist for long, what is an appropriate way to abbreviated Private? PTE?
Thank you for the list, I didn't know it would be so extensive. I will continue to learn and work hard in the Reserves, while researching specialist options. I'm hoping to join Reg ASAP, but can stay patient until then.
I've got about 9 years as reserve infantry, so I'll give you my take on it.
In the reserves we get budgeted 37.5 training days per year to work with, plus whatever you can land in terms of courses. You're not gonna likely get much chance to specialize. I give the greatest professional respect both up and down the chain to those who make a concerted effort to master the basics. Know your weapons and their capabilities in and out. Be able to navigate. Nail your cam and concealment. Be that guy who can actually move really quietly in the woods, or site that perfect trip flare, or what have you. Be fit. Be the guy that when I or a fellow NCO thinks "Who would I like to round out my recce patrol?" you come to the top of my mind.
If you stick with it, some day you will be brought to the point of being an NCO. Think of the term 'Master Corporal"- that right there shoudl tell you exactly what you aspire to in the early part of your career; master what it is we expect of being a private or corporal.
Once you're an NCO a lot of interesting doors open up- you start to see options like urban ops instructor (best course I've ever done) close quarter combat instructor, crowd control ops instructor, complex terrain instructor, unit demolition instructor, helicopter insertion isntructor, stuff like that. Those opportunities are there for guys who do really well. But nobody will lend you credibility as an NCO until you demosntrate that you're a kick ass soldier.
That list of courses below- most you'll never see as a reservist. In the reserves the courses I see guys getting outside of pure career path are the comms courses, rarely a basic recce patrol, occasionally basic para or basic demolitions. Basic mountain ops is occasionally out there... A variety of driving quals. That's about it. Anything to do with armoured vehicles you'll likely only see if you go on tour with a high readiness task force. As a reservist don't ever expect to see stuff like sniper, ranger, stuff like that.
The stuff open to you as a Pte/Cpl isn't glorious. It's not meant to be. The role of a reservist in the Canadian forces is to be able to be called up on short notice, and to bring a solid baseline skill set to augment higher readiness forces. If you become the soldier that any section commander knows he can put in his section and turn his back on and trust whilst dealing with other issues, then you'll have done very well. And then you will also be in the chute to begin to be trusted with soldiers. Trust me, from experience, earning *that* trust feels better than any jammy course or speciality they might throw at someone.
