Life after serving as a Combat Engineer

[Colin Parkinson]

I got to work with both 1 CER and the School of Military Engineering there. I have to say that CE are a great bunch of very bright and motivated people. If you apply yourself in that trade you will come out of it quite ready to take on whatever the world throws at you.

 

[SprCForr]

Dating yourself WRT Chilliwack would be Bernie and Red on Tuesday night.

 

[Kat Stevens]

Dating yourself WRT Chilliwack would be Bernie and Red on Tuesday night.

Miller Night!

 

[Towards_the_gap]

I think you're thinking of Towards the Gap

Don't know about you, but I never did like the taste of those desiccant packs. I was more partial to the ration water in my canteen cup....

Ahem...what what?

Correct, was a knocker, now with a large urban fire service in a city of 3 rivers (well 2 and a big canal).

I'll add that being a combat engineer is definitely good prep for any of the emergency services, particularly cops or fire. That said, by being a combat engineer I mean by at least putting 10 years in. Don't think you'll do a minimum contract, get out and have all the police/fire services tripping over themselves to hire you. There are literally boatloads of 5 year, 1 tour corporals applying for these jobs, and blaming it on the 'immigrants and women' when they don't get hired, not realising that they do not offer anything extraordinary to the recruiters.

My  :2c: anyways.

Kat PM Sent

 

[mariomike]

I'll add that being a combat engineer is definitely good prep for any of the emergency services, particularly cops or fire. That said, by being a combat engineer I mean by at least putting 10 years in. Don't think you'll do a minimum contract, get out and have all the police/fire services tripping over themselves to hire you. There are literally boatloads of 5 year, 1 tour corporals applying for these jobs, and blaming it on the 'immigrants and women' when they don't get hired, not realising that they do not offer anything extraordinary to the recruiters.

I remember seeing a line of Firefighter applicants at the Toronto Fire/EMS academy in 2008. TFS had 3,000 FF applicants that year alone.

That was just for Operations, not Prevention or Communications.

 

[ThomasRG]

Life after the Army, as a retired WO, Cbt Engr of 21 years I am now a business owner of a construction company. I was skilled labor with experience in many areas such as tools, various motorized equipment, all types of outdoor environments and weather conditions, planned and supervised work, people and equipment. The skills acquired after 20 years service are endless regardless of the trade your choose. I am successful in civilian life because of my drive and surrounding myself with good people. The service gave me  the designation of "skilled" in front of labor on my resume. It has instilled in me many attributes and life lessons that I am grateful for. Your choice of trades is your choice and whatever that choice be happy doing what your doing and don't put too much stock into what other people say.
Your choice of a red seal trade, bravo, there is work for those skill sets wherever you choose to hang your hat. A Cbt Engr is such a big trade your choice of specialty is yet to be determined. You will be exposed to many things, some of which you may like or not like. In my case I chose the heavy equipment specialty after 9 years and after retirement my skills placed me in a civilian engineer technician/technologist field of expertise. I would have had to do some more Ed upgrading at the local College and that's about it. You may find that your "niche" picks you in the engineer branch and if you like it go for it.
As a owner my preference is to hire someone who is skilled, personable. I can train someone to do a job but I can't train them to have a personality. Good people get good job and sell themselves. Slugs need not apply and are dispatched in short order if they don't make the cut. Hope that helps

Randy

 

[ConsideringCareers…]

Thanks for the vote of confidence, RG, I'll try not to disappoint.  My experience is as retired corporal with 23+ years as a combat engineer.  How successful you are as a former Sapper depends on a lot of factors, mostly to do with qualifications and rank attained while you served.  Many Sr NCOs and WOs get good positions with small to medium municipalities as public works directors and supervisors, also in the private sector as road and infrastructure managers.  My own experience as a retired Cpl is not so glamorous, but I do okay.  I was fortunate enough to get pretty much all the "Gucci" courses available to a Sapper, less the earth moving stuff that really wasn't my bag.  When I retired, I left the base on a Thursday, and was working as a service manager in a commercial water purification equipment company on the Monday. In the past four years I have spent my summers and a good chunk of the winters doing UXO\EOD work in Petawawa for the 450 MHLH Sqn, CSOR, and TAPV barn facilities land clearance projects there.  My results may not be typical, but neither are they unrealistic.

Wait, as a Cbt Engr you do not have to construction work and/or breaching for tanks? What did you focus on? Did you go straight for EOD and then only do it?

 

[Kat Stevens]

Wait, as a Cbt Engr you do not have to construction work and/or breaching for tanks? What did you focus on? Did you go straight for EOD and then only do it?

Because I had a wide range of qualifications, I was employed in a wide range of jobs. The quoted post was in reply to what I did POST military, not my service employment. But to answer your question, my early time was spent in a field troop, doing all the usual Sapper taskings. From there I went to a support squadron in the water supply section. I spent three years in a base posting in a training support role for the two schools that were in chilliwack at the time. From there I went to Germany for four years, and was in water supply, transport section, and armoured engineer troop, as well as a squadron HQ job in Croatia in 92. Back to Canada, more water supply, and then almost ten years in the armoured engineer troop. So yes, I’ve done a bit of breaching obstacles both by hand and by smashing into them with a bloody big machine.

 

[Roger123]

There is also a program called helmets to hardhats that helps military members find employment in the trades. I got into my trade through a relative, however when the union discovered I was a reservist, I was also put into the helmets to hardhats program which I assume helped push me along.

    I am familiar with the Helmets to Hardhats program through a friend. He joined the reserves towards the end of high school. Dont know how many years he spent as a reservist, but is now an Elevator Mechanic Apprentice working for the Local Elevator Mechanics Union through such a program. He makes a superb wage ( not even his full, potential wage as he is still training), works at commercial sites around the city during the week and attends night/ weekend school for about 9 months out of the year.

 

[ConsideringCareers…]

    I am familiar with the Helmets to Hardhats program through a friend. He joined the reserves towards the end of high school. Dont know how many years he spent as a reservist, but is now an Elevator Mechanic Apprentice working for the Local Elevator Mechanics Union through such a program. He makes a superb wage ( not even his full, potential wage as he is still training), works at commercial sites around the city during the week and attends night/ weekend school for about 9 months out of the year.

Interesting, I hadn’t heard about this program, I will go do my research (even though I intend on a full career in the forces)

 

[Colin Parkinson]

There is a shortage of elevator techs in Vancouver, just saying 

 

[Loachman]

Until "The Big One" hits.