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Aranan
May 21, 2007

Release the Kraken

Vahakyla posted:

Well the Army decided to loving shaft me today.

gently caress. gently caress.

gently caress.

Not even in yet and you're already getting a taste for how it is. Impressive, Army. Impressive.

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Mustang
Jun 18, 2006

“We don’t really know where this goes — and I’m not sure we really care.”
If you had gotten in before they noticed that you would be doing bitch work for however long it takes for them to sort it out before you would continue training. Happened to a few guys I went to BCT with. One of them was still doing bitch work at HHC waiting for his security situation to get worked out after I had commissioned from OCS.

Godholio
Aug 28, 2002

Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?

Typical Gnu posted:

I found an AF recruiter I can work with, took the ASVAB pretest he gave me-- according to him it functioned as a real test and I just have to take a short "verification"-- and I scored a 99. I read on some small forum a month ago about an option available at MEPS to people who score >96 where they are allowed to hold off and wait for their first pick to become available, but I'm a fool who only bookmarks useless things, so I can't find anything about it now. Has anybody heard about this? I have 10 jobs I'm interested in, but I still have leftover money from my job, so if I have an option to wait I think I'd take it.

They don't own you yet. You don't have the "option" to do poo poo because EVERYTHING is entirely up to you. You can go to MEPS and walk out the door if you want.

Don't take a poo poo job just because they push you to. If you're going to sign away 4-8 years of your life, do it for the job you want. They don't care what job you want or what job you get. As long as you sign for something they get credit for it; if what you want isn't available, WAIT. They won't be happy because it means you don't count in their "win column" yet, but gently caress that.

Vahakyla
May 3, 2013

Mustang posted:

If you had gotten in before they noticed that you would be doing bitch work for however long it takes for them to sort it out before you would continue training. Happened to a few guys I went to BCT with. One of them was still doing bitch work at HHC waiting for his security situation to get worked out after I had commissioned from OCS.

I'd get paid to be there though.
Me and my wife are out of a job now and have to scramble back.

Vahakyla fucked around with this message at 00:39 on Apr 5, 2016

Victor Vermis
Dec 21, 2004


WOKE UP IN THE DESERT AGAIN

Vahakyla posted:

I'm amazingly frustrated and I'd go to the Marines but but I imagine the checks there are the same.

Hekk please pull some strings for this man if he promises to go back through his posting history and changes any mention of "limb shots" to "crushing skulls and eating babies".

Arc Light
Sep 26, 2013



Vahakyla posted:

Well the Army decided to loving shaft me today. Informing that my ship out date of 11th april is pushed to the 1st of september due to security checks of green card holders being backlogged.

I quit my job already and my teacher wife didn't take a school year contract for next year.

I'm amazingly frustrated and I'd go to the Marines but but I imagine the checks there are the same.


gently caress. gently caress.

gently caress.

Getting the green weenie already, and you're not even pulling a paycheck. Sorry to hear it.


Godholio posted:

They don't own you yet. You don't have the "option" to do poo poo because EVERYTHING is entirely up to you. You can go to MEPS and walk out the door if you want.

Don't take a poo poo job just because they push you to. If you're going to sign away 4-8 years of your life, do it for the job you want. They don't care what job you want or what job you get. As long as you sign for something they get credit for it; if what you want isn't available, WAIT. They won't be happy because it means you don't count in their "win column" yet, but gently caress that.

Godholio's on point, as usual. Gnu, until you actually ship you can walk at any time. If you're a strong enough candidate - and if your recruiter isn't inept - you can work that to your advantage. In addition to the usual "open" career fields (open general, open electronic, etc), there will be a number of available AFSCs, released to regional recruiting offices on a regular basis. If you're dead set on only doing a job, you absolutely need to make that known to your recruiter. I scored in the 99th percentile on the ASVAB. I wanted to do some kind of computer system job, and I wouldn't sign for anything else. My recruiting region didn't have any comm jobs available, but another region did. My recruiter's flight chief worked a drug deal with the other region, and traded available jobs.

This manifests in the form of an Air Force Form 3007, Guaranteed Training Enlistment Agreement. You sign it at MEPS to confirm your job offer. I've heard of some recruiters playing fast and loose with paperwork at MEPS, so if you do this, MAKE SURE you're only filling out the part of the form that promises the job you want. Leave the other sections blank and cross them out. This is important because it also guarantees you the option to quit if the Air Force can't follow through on its promise after you've already shipped to training. The example below was the form I signed back in the day. The form was updated slightly in 2010, but the substance is the same. Make sure that any promises are in writing, or else they're worthless.



Edit: and for God's sake, don't ever believe a recruiter if they tell you to go in Open General, and that you can somehow get a job you want later.

Typical Gnu
Mar 4, 2013

Godholio posted:

They don't own you yet. You don't have the "option" to do poo poo because EVERYTHING is entirely up to you. You can go to MEPS and walk out the door if you want.

Don't take a poo poo job just because they push you to. If you're going to sign away 4-8 years of your life, do it for the job you want. They don't care what job you want or what job you get. As long as you sign for something they get credit for it; if what you want isn't available, WAIT. They won't be happy because it means you don't count in their "win column" yet, but gently caress that.

My understanding has become that, while I can leave any time I want once I get to MEPS, there's no guarantee that a recruiter will get me another MEPS date after I leave. Regardless, it seems like what I was talking about was called EWQ, and it was discontinued a few years ago. The jobs I have on my """""""Dream sheet""""""" are all appealing to me, meaning that either I'd enjoy them, or whoever was tasked with marketing them did their jobs properly. I'm looking at Intelligence Application, Imagery, Signals Intelligence, Electronic Intelligence, Electronic Systems Security, Cyber Security, Cyber Systems Operation, Spectrum Operations, and 9S100, which sounds like it's become my new #1 choice.
I bring it up just in case there's some red flag job in there that I should stay the gently caress away from.

Godholio
Aug 28, 2002

Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?
It's in your recruiter's best interests to get you another MEPS date if necessary because that's the only way you count as someone he recruited. If you're a douche about it, or you keep wasting these appointments, that's one thing, but if you make it known that you want Job X or either X Y or Z, and you make it known that you won't accept anything else, he has no reason to be a dick about it. He wants you to sign the papers. That is his job. Don't let him do so in a way that fucks you.

Edit: I can't weigh in on those career fields, though.

Hekk
Oct 12, 2012

'smeper fi

Vahakyla posted:

Well the Army decided to loving shaft me today. Informing that my ship out date of 11th april is pushed to the 1st of september due to security checks of green card holders being backlogged.

I quit my job already and my teacher wife didn't take a school year contract for next year.

I'm amazingly frustrated and I'd go to the Marines but but I imagine the checks there are the same.


gently caress. gently caress.

gently caress.
You might be able to pull the wool over your previous employer's eyes by having your recruiter tell your work that you are protected by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994. Have him gen up some bullshit paperwork on your behalf and call your employers for you. That may help you land your old job back or at least something to hold you over until you ship out.

Feel free to join the Marines but only if you promise to post in here about how much you hate your life afterwards. Practice these words "Butter Butter Jam!!" "Die Motherfucker Die!!" because those are what you will be screaming at the top of your lungs instead of actually getting to shoot real rounds. Now that there aren't battalions in Afghanistan or Iraq anymore, all of the training money is getting dumped into the Marine Expeditionary Units (units that deploy on Navy ships). No one else has funding so unless you get slated to be the Battalion Landing Team for a MEU, you get to shoot pretend bullets and walk lots of places.

Hekk fucked around with this message at 12:09 on Apr 5, 2016

Aranan
May 21, 2007

Release the Kraken
Fyi, there was a lot of yelling "bang bang bang!" in Army BCT/AIT as well.

Mustang
Jun 18, 2006

“We don’t really know where this goes — and I’m not sure we really care.”
BCT still gets plenty of 5.56 blanks, arty sims, smoke and whatever for their FTX.

Only time I've ever had to yell "bang bang bang!" is if we were doing some kind of tactics training and we weren't at a range/training area.

Hamlet442
Mar 2, 2008

Typical Gnu posted:

My understanding has become that, while I can leave any time I want once I get to MEPS, there's no guarantee that a recruiter will get me another MEPS date after I leave. Regardless, it seems like what I was talking about was called EWQ, and it was discontinued a few years ago. The jobs I have on my """""""Dream sheet""""""" are all appealing to me, meaning that either I'd enjoy them, or whoever was tasked with marketing them did their jobs properly. I'm looking at Intelligence Application, Imagery, Signals Intelligence, Electronic Intelligence, Electronic Systems Security, Cyber Security, Cyber Systems Operation, Spectrum Operations, and 9S100, which sounds like it's become my new #1 choice.
I bring it up just in case there's some red flag job in there that I should stay the gently caress away from.

There's a military sponsor thread with people from some of those career fields that might be able to weigh in on those career fields. I'm a 9S; if you have questions, I can answer some.

Godholio
Aug 28, 2002

Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?
What the gently caress is butter butter jam?

Mike-o
Dec 25, 2004

Now I'm in your room
And I'm in your bed


Grimey Drawer

Godholio posted:

What the gently caress is butter butter jam?

It's what marine rifles and machine guns do because they can't afford any gun lube :haw:

Typical Gnu
Mar 4, 2013

Hamlet442 posted:

There's a military sponsor thread with people from some of those career fields that might be able to weigh in on those career fields. I'm a 9S; if you have questions, I can answer some.

I've only seen people saying great things about 9S, so my first question is: Where do they bury the people that don't like the job?
My second and third questions are: How much control would I have over my assignment starting out, and how often do assignments change? It sounds as though 9S is like playing potpourri scientist and, since there are so few people in 9S, you can at least request to work in a particular field.

Olothreutes
Mar 31, 2007

I met a few navy recruiters at a conference this past week, and they talked to me about a job as a Naval Reactors Engineer. I'm finishing up my master's in nuclear engineering. As far as I can tell the job is basically to be the NRC for the navy, to make sure that things don't break, new designs are safe, people aren't loving it up, and ensure the things that get built are safe. I'd like to know if that's correct at all.

They also had some things to say about the job that I'm not sure about. Like how you end up as a commissioned officer and never go underway, get paid on the GS, and don't wear a uniform (probably why you get paid GS). This is technically, I think, an active duty position. I talked to a number of people that day so my recollection of the specifics is a bit foggy, but the job seems really interesting as someone who is a bit older and doesn't want to go out to sea for six months at a time. Also you end up going through a 5 week ODS instead of through the full OCS, does anyone have any experience with that they can share? The guy at the table called it "fork and knife school" but I'd like the opinion of someone that hasn't spent 20+ years in the navy.

Basically I want to know more, because more data points is better.

Olothreutes fucked around with this message at 08:57 on Apr 6, 2016

Hamlet442
Mar 2, 2008

Typical Gnu posted:

I've only seen people saying great things about 9S, so my first question is: Where do they bury the people that don't like the job?
My second and third questions are: How much control would I have over my assignment starting out, and how often do assignments change? It sounds as though 9S is like playing potpourri scientist and, since there are so few people in 9S, you can at least request to work in a particular field.

We have a couple jobs that people consider undesirable, but the beauty of this job is that every time you move to a new base, you're likely doing an entirely different job. By "entirely different job", I mean completely different. You can move from doing computer stuff, aircraft, R&D, special equipment maintenance, traveling the world, satellites, etc. That alone is what sold me on this career field. If you get bored, just do a good job whatever you're currently doing and start shopping around for different jobs. Your reputation carries a lot here, so what you do can make a difference for assignments. Typically you can change jobs roughly every three or so years, but some have been more and some have been less. I've seen people do the same job for several years, but that's mostly because they really love the job. One thing to consider is that this career field doesn't really deploy, so if you're looking to kill some baddies, don't look at 9S. Here is a link for a semi-active 9S100 AMA forum.

Red Crown
Oct 20, 2008

Pretend my finger's a knife.

Olothreutes posted:

I met a few navy recruiters at a conference this past week, and they talked to me about a job as a Naval Reactors Engineer. I'm finishing up my master's in nuclear engineering. As far as I can tell the job is basically to be the NRC for the navy, to make sure that things don't break, new designs are safe, people aren't loving it up, and ensure the things that get built are safe. I'd like to know if that's correct at all.

They also had some things to say about the job that I'm not sure about. Like how you end up as a commissioned officer and never go underway, get paid on the GS, and don't wear a uniform (probably why you get paid GS). This is technically, I think, an active duty position. I talked to a number of people that day so my recollection of the specifics is a bit foggy, but the job seems really interesting as someone who is a bit older and doesn't want to go out to sea for six months at a time. Also you end up going through a 5 week ODS instead of through the full OCS, does anyone have any experience with that they can share? The guy at the table called it "fork and knife school" but I'd like the opinion of someone that hasn't spent 20+ years in the navy.

Basically I want to know more, because more data points is better.

Yes, ODS is a fork and knife school - it's designed to give well-educated, working professionals a very mild introduction to the military environment. Yes, you live a barracks, you wake up early, and you do things in a boot camp-lite type atmosphere. It's a joke compared to boot camp or OCS. in the long run, your commissioning source is just a point of data about you and has no bearing on your career.

I don't know much about that particular field, but do be careful during the recruiting process: I have met a guy who applied to this program and was rejected, but was simultaneously accepted for the submarine officer program. The recruiter was deliberately vague about which contract they were signing and before this guy knew it, he was going to OCS for a job he didn't want. This is probably very rare and shouldn't deter you from pursuing this field, but still, keep an eye out.

Olothreutes
Mar 31, 2007

Red Crown posted:

Yes, ODS is a fork and knife school - it's designed to give well-educated, working professionals a very mild introduction to the military environment. Yes, you live a barracks, you wake up early, and you do things in a boot camp-lite type atmosphere. It's a joke compared to boot camp or OCS. in the long run, your commissioning source is just a point of data about you and has no bearing on your career.

I don't know much about that particular field, but do be careful during the recruiting process: I have met a guy who applied to this program and was rejected, but was simultaneously accepted for the submarine officer program. The recruiter was deliberately vague about which contract they were signing and before this guy knew it, he was going to OCS for a job he didn't want. This is probably very rare and shouldn't deter you from pursuing this field, but still, keep an eye out.

Thanks, I'll definitely keep an eye out. I'm 33 so I have the potential benefit of needing a waiver for any fleet positions, so that should hopefully make things easier to keep straight. Now I just have to figure out how much the job actually pays, I'm being told different things from different places. Someone today said it would be paid as an officer, as opposed to the general schedule. That's a pretty large difference, from O1 to GS13/14, GS13 base pay is basically twice what an O1 makes. That will matter for me.

ManMythLegend
Aug 18, 2003

I don't believe in anything, I'm just here for the violence.

Olothreutes posted:

Thanks, I'll definitely keep an eye out. I'm 33 so I have the potential benefit of needing a waiver for any fleet positions, so that should hopefully make things easier to keep straight. Now I just have to figure out how much the job actually pays, I'm being told different things from different places. Someone today said it would be paid as an officer, as opposed to the general schedule. That's a pretty large difference, from O1 to GS13/14, GS13 base pay is basically twice what an O1 makes. That will matter for me.

I'm not sure about the direct input nuclear folks, but a lot of other direct input officers commission at a rank higher then O-1. Possibly O-2 or even O-3. Still less then a GS-13/14, but not terrible especially after you factor in BAH.

piL
Sep 20, 2007
(__|\\\\)
Taco Defender
I have half a year of school coming up in San Diego (LCS pipeline). Is there anything stopping me from getting a gig barbacking on the weekends?

Alex433999
Aug 16, 2014
Any marines who've been through marsoc or are currently in marsoc? I managed to secure an infantry contract with a high ist and gt score on my asvab. Even though that technically qualifies me, i dont know much about it and would like more information like the school(s) that i have to go through, what roles are performed, etc. I would ask my recruiter but he doesnt have much info besides whats already on the marine corps website

CHICKEN SHOES
Oct 4, 2002
Slippery Tilde

Alex433999 posted:

Any marines who've been through marsoc or are currently in marsoc? I managed to secure an infantry contract with a high ist and gt score on my asvab. Even though that technically qualifies me, i dont know much about it and would like more information like the school(s) that i have to go through, what roles are performed, etc. I would ask my recruiter but he doesnt have much info besides whats already on the marine corps website

dude worry about basic training before you worry about MARSOC and poo poo

Victor Vermis
Dec 21, 2004


WOKE UP IN THE DESERT AGAIN

Alex433999 posted:

Any marines who've been through marsoc or are currently in marsoc? I managed to secure an infantry contract with a high ist and gt score on my asvab. Even though that technically qualifies me, i dont know much about it and would like more information like the school(s) that i have to go through, what roles are performed, etc. I would ask my recruiter but he doesnt have much info besides whats already on the marine corps website

I think it's basically school of infantry except you play with ropes, learn to scuba dive, and huff your own farts.

And then you pick up Sergeant after 3 or 4 years.

And then continue huffing your own farts. While also jerking off exclusively in a position which elevates pelvis over shoulders in order to better facilitate the shooting of your own jizz directly into your own mouf.

The alternative: Go 0300 open. If you're still deadset on huffing your own farts and gobbling down gleepy gloops of your own seed, try out for Scout Sniper Platoon, make the cut, and then huff your platoon sergeants' farts until he sends you to Sniper School.


Hillary Clintons Thong posted:

dude worry about basic training before you worry about MARSOC and poo poo

I think it's exclusively by contract now. Last I knew, anyways. Like.. 8 years ago. Not that I'd really know then, either.

Lazy Reservist
Nov 30, 2005

FUBIJAR

Alex433999 posted:

Any marines who've been through marsoc or are currently in marsoc? I managed to secure an infantry contract with a high ist and gt score on my asvab. Even though that technically qualifies me, i dont know much about it and would like more information like the school(s) that i have to go through, what roles are performed, etc. I would ask my recruiter but he doesnt have much info besides whats already on the marine corps website

Ask IDR.

Godholio
Aug 28, 2002

Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?
I think it qualifies you to be a smug rear end in a top hat while you call in air support from helicopters while you're balls deep in enemy MANPADS territory.

Volkerball
Oct 15, 2009

by FactsAreUseless

Alex433999 posted:

Any marines who've been through marsoc or are currently in marsoc? I managed to secure an infantry contract with a high ist and gt score on my asvab. Even though that technically qualifies me, i dont know much about it and would like more information like the school(s) that i have to go through, what roles are performed, etc. I would ask my recruiter but he doesnt have much info besides whats already on the marine corps website

do you even know why you would want to do it? marsoc was kind of a running joke in ranger bat, but it's probably a better quality of life than being regular marine infantry. i'd guess the graduation rate is below 50% in selection for force recon or anything like that, so it's something you're gonna have to be all in on just to have a chance.

Volkerball fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Apr 26, 2016

Melthir
Dec 29, 2009

I need to go scrap some money together cause my avatar is just sad.

Volkerball posted:

do you even know why you would want to do it? marsoc was kind of a running joke in ranger bat, but it's probably a better quality of life than being regular marine infantry. i'd guess the graduation rate is below 50% in selection for force recon or anything like that, so it's something you're gonna have to be all in on just to have a chance.

My cousin went through a while back. He said other than not getting injured just refuse to let your body quit is the biggest part nothing they ask you to do is impossible you just think it is due to lack of sleep/calorie deficiency from not eating enough or just being stupid. Not paying attention to the poo poo going on around you will gently caress you just as hard as an injury. That and not being physically prepared. Get in great shape ahead of time. But what the gently caress do I know I'm a grumpy Coast Guard powerlifter. The most demanding thing I have to do for my job is run a mile and a half twice a year.

CHICKEN SHOES
Oct 4, 2002
Slippery Tilde
so i'm dumb and just assumed MARsoC was like enlisting for army SF but


I dont know


all i know is that sitting there as a "vet" and having some kid tell you he was too elite for mainstream army was like a loving lol slap in the face.

CHICKEN SHOES
Oct 4, 2002
Slippery Tilde
every kid i put in for rangers or SF was like "gently caress THIS GAY poo poo" after basic

Volkerball
Oct 15, 2009

by FactsAreUseless

Melthir posted:

My cousin went through a while back. He said other than not getting injured just refuse to let your body quit is the biggest part nothing they ask you to do is impossible you just think it is due to lack of sleep/calorie deficiency from not eating enough or just being stupid. Not paying attention to the poo poo going on around you will gently caress you just as hard as an injury. That and not being physically prepared. Get in great shape ahead of time. But what the gently caress do I know I'm a grumpy Coast Guard powerlifter. The most demanding thing I have to do for my job is run a mile and a half twice a year.

Everyone who passes a course like that will tell you that it's not that hard, because the actual pass/fail poo poo is usually nothing too crazy. Failing an event or getting injured (as in, I am medically incapable of continuing with the course, as per the doctor) aren't very common things to have happen to you, and at least in RIP, those act of god type things meant you got recycled rather than outright booted from the course. So you still had a chance. All you had to do was not quit, and you gave yourself a great shot of making it. But if not quitting was so easy, we wouldn't have had 80+ people out of my class of over 200 quit in the first week of RIP. We lost well over half the class before we even made it to the first real pass/fail event. Ended up graduating around 60. I think we only had somewhere around 10 people who legit failed the course, and 1 or 2 of them ended up passing with the next class. So meeting the PT requirements and things like that are almost completely irrelevant to actually passing the course.

Just as an illustration of how this process works, for people who wanted to go Ranger, you had to be dedicated enough to it when you first signed up to demand the course option in your contract. To refuse to let your recruiter shuffle you into something else. Then after you've done that, you have to go through infantry OSUT and Airborne school. They are both like 99% pass rates, so they aren't really a threat to stop you from making it to the course. The issue is that over the months while you are dealing with those courses, you learn a shitload about the army since you're actually in it instead of looking at it from the outside in. Maybe you had some misconceptions about what leg and airborne infantry do, and in hindsight, you are fine with going to one of those units. Or maybe Ranger bat doesn't sound appealing to you anymore, or you've heard some rumors about the course and now you're afraid of it. You also have some shin splints or a tweaked ankle or something you've been nursing for a while, and might decide to just do the course "some other time." Between these rationalizations, you have a shitload of people who signed up for the course when they enlisted who've already quit before they've even been exposed to the course that has turned making people quit into an art form.

If you make it to the course start without quitting, that's when the pressure cranks up, and the vast majority of people who haven't quit already buckle under it. Everyone says that the most important thing is being in shape and studying the stuff for the paper test ahead of time, but that stuff is all secondary. The most important thing is that you have to have a reason not to quit. Everyone thinks they have a reason, but they don't understand that you are going to be facing some of the most miserable moments of your life, and that reason is the only thing standing between you and making all that pain go away with a snap of your fingers.

We had an 8 mile ruck march to the location of our week long field exercise led by a college long distance runner, with no breaks. Once there, we got smoked all day. They (very transparently) teased us with 30 minutes of sleep, before we were surprisingly woken up by "artillery." Then we spent several more hours getting soaked in sweat until it was the middle of the night. We spent the rest of the night laying on the ground pulling security in a patrol base out in the woods, freezing in 30 degree weather. I'm fairly sure I had hypothermia, because I had long since stopped shivering. A few hundred meters away, the instructors made a huge campfire and ordered pizza. They'd swing by every hour or so just to remind everyone that all you had to do was quit, and you could immediately go sit by the campfire, have some pizza, and sleep on a bed indoors. Not one person did. Anyone who would quit in that situation had already been weeded out, because this scenario is the rule, not an exception. There was nothing special about it. I have dozens of stories exactly like it. This is the sort of mental gymnastics you play nearly every hour of every day in a selection course like this.

So Alex, I'll tell you what I tell everyone else. All you have to do is not quit, but that's irrelevant, because you will quit, whether you think you will or not. In all likelihood, you're just not cut out for that tier of infantry. Find something else.

Dead Reckoning
Sep 13, 2011
I wasn't special ops, but I've worked support for them a time or two, and I'd add that, even for line units in their deployment/alert bucket, go-loud trigger-pulling and Apocalypse Now heliborne assaults are <4% of the experience by my estimation. For every time we saw/heard assaulters taking a compound on a live feed, there were far more instances of the same dudes staging to parts of the world where running water is a novelty, and then getting stood down. Peacetime training cycles don't sound terribly fun either. If you want to take it on as a personal challenge, or to get that sick airborne/SCUBA badge on your dress blues, be my guest, but know that getting to run Hulkamania on terrorist masterminds is far from guaranteed, especially in an organization like MARSOC.

Volkerball
Oct 15, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
I wouldn't argue with that, but all of those issues are magnified when you're in a regular infantry unit. I don't know anything about MARSOC other than jokes, but SOCOM had stupid money. When I was in a regular airborne unit, we were doing mock training exercises in the basement half the time. SOCOM throws money around and it makes training a lot more of a memorable experience, although it's certainly more physically demanding. Plus there's a lot more schools and things like that open to you. Overall, it's a lot less boring and monotonous, and it's a cool environment to be in. I preferred it.

ceaselessfuture
Apr 9, 2005

"I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."
Apologies if this isn't the thread for this, but I think it is, so here goes!

I have an interest in joining the Canadian Forces. Something back-of-house, like Intel maybe. I'm 31, unemployed, recently graduated from University, and just coasting and drifting like so many others. I'm considering the military for financial reasons (~$50k is a pretty good chunk of money per year for me) but also to, hopefully, instill some kind of discipline/work ethic in myself that I can utilize later in my life, so I can stop being such a lazy rear end in a top hat. Politically, I have neither a love nor hate of the military and personally, if it helps me with structure and finances, it seems like a great option.

Would this be a good idea, or would this be the worst of all ideas? I came to this forum because trying to find real, firsthand accounts of Canadian military life has proven difficult for me. It's either CF OORAH JOIN US videos or YESSIR IM PROUD O MUH BOYS SERVIN parent accounts or whatever.

But yeah, any insight would be great, thanks!

Godholio
Aug 28, 2002

Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?
The Canadian detachment in Oklahoma makes an amazing drink called Moose Milk, so I vote yes so you can gather intelligence (their recipe) and report it to me (via powerpoint).

ceaselessfuture
Apr 9, 2005

"I'm thirty," I said. "I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor."
I shall take upon me this hallowed task with grace and humility.

Jarlath
Apr 4, 2006

Typical Gnu posted:

I'm looking at Intelligence Application, Imagery, Signals Intelligence, Electronic Intelligence

From a bit ago but if you still have questions I was an Intel applications troop (1N0)for a few years and now supervise sigint imagery and Elint troops on the O side as well. Basically, as an Intel applications dude you translate all the nerd rear end Intel poo poo into something that pilots and commanders can actually understand and use, either in the form of the almighty PowerPoint or a written report. If that sounds dry, it kind of is, but it's also probably the most fulfilling kind of Intel work in my opinion since we steal all the credit from the other jobs.

Imagery is what it sounds like, look at pictures and make call outs based on what you see. Also includes full motion video stuff so if you wanna watch a dude gently caress a goat for twelve hours and then maybe see someone get blowed up (or blown) then this is the job for you.

Electronic Intel basically deals with radar emissions and gets into some real beeps and squeaks poo poo to identify them. It's the shortest Intel school (only 3 months) and in my opinion it's the least transferable skill outside the military but it is cool, complex and important in its niche.

Signals deals with basically everything that isn't a radar, a picture or a spoken language. They look at weird poo poo, try to make sense of it, and report out. Nothing they say makes sense to anyone else, which is why you need the 1N0s who marginally get what the gently caress they are on about.

You didn't mention linguists but that's the other enlisted Intel career field in the AF. They all basically hate their job, the school loving blows and is hard but hey, you'll be fluent as poo poo in a critical language so job skills right?

Oh Hell No
Oct 10, 2007

I've got the world on a string.


I'm enlisting in the Air Force with an ADHD diagnosis but haven't filled a prescription or taken any medication (Adderall) in three years, and I haven't seen a doctor for anything relating to the diagnosis other than going over my old paperwork and writing a new prescription in ten years. I've been functioning perfectly fine at work and in everyday life since I stopped taking meds, but the recruiter said I'd still need a letter from a doctor saying that I no longer have problems with ADHD. Would just any GP be fine for that or should I go see a specialist to confirm that I am no longer a spastic 12-year-old?

CHICKEN SHOES
Oct 4, 2002
Slippery Tilde

Oh Hell No posted:

I'm enlisting in the Air Force with an ADHD diagnosis but haven't filled a prescription or taken any medication (Adderall) in three years, and I haven't seen a doctor for anything relating to the diagnosis other than going over my old paperwork and writing a new prescription in ten years. I've been functioning perfectly fine at work and in everyday life since I stopped taking meds, but the recruiter said I'd still need a letter from a doctor saying that I no longer have problems with ADHD. Would just any GP be fine for that or should I go see a specialist to confirm that I am no longer a spastic 12-year-old?

If its an affordable option go for the Specialist. GP could be fine, but when dealing with MEPs sometimes you got to deal with the Chief Med Officer like its a court room. They're usually GPs and poo poo too, so they might be me more willing to debate a GPs stance, but a Specialist letter would trump a gps. Stupid, right? Ask your recruiter for an example letter. Our CMO would kick back doctors letters if they weren't addressed "DEAR MEPS DOCTOR" and poo poo, leading to the applicant wasting more of their and the doctors time.

CHICKEN SHOES fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Jun 6, 2016

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Oh Hell No
Oct 10, 2007

I've got the world on a string.


Hillary Clintons Thong posted:

If its an affordable option go for the Specialist. GP could be fine, but when dealing with MEPs sometimes you got to deal with the Chief Med Officer like its a court room. They're usually GPs and poo poo too, so they might be me more willing to debate a GPs stance, but a Specialist letter would trump a gps. Stupid, right? Ask your recruiter for an example letter. Our CMO would kick back doctors letters if they weren't addressed "DEAR MEPS DOCTOR" and poo poo, leading to the applicant wasting more of their and the doctors time.

I scheduled an appointment with a specialist just to be sure, then. It looks like I'll be going through a screening test of some kind, which will hopefully be enough for whichever CMO I eventually see.

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