Age Limits to Join

[Neolithium]

Yes because there's definately not guys out there doing physical labour work with no education requirements making close to or over 6 figures a year, I have to stop making imaginary friends.

It's been a while since I've heard all the blithering about how it's impossible to be successful in life unless you graduate high school. I'm not saying it's an easy route to take, or even the best. I just find it funny that it has been eliminated as an option completely in some people's minds.

He stated it was a significant obstacle not an impossible one.

 

[HeadLamp]

I was using it in a sarcastic manner which generally means I'm over exaggerating it. I'll refrain from using that sort of writing style in the future to avoid confusion of the point I was trying to make. I was trying to refer to the fact that it's pretty common depending on your location to find a good number of jobs requiring no more than Grade 10 education that pay out more than minimum wage. And if you are talented enough at what you do there is always opportunities to move up or learn a new trade with the company footing the bill.

Edit: Basically all I'm saying is it's not as significant as people make it out to be.

 

[Yeahman90]

Hey guys I am not waving your posts bye bye, I am not ignoring them, I actually am taking your people's advice and taking it into consideration trust me, I'm not a dumb kid, and the thing is when I join something I never give up, or quit, I talked this over with my parents and said I would take English 12 in my Second semester in grade 11 and take English 11 in my first semester so I will be able to graduate early, I will talk to my schools councelor about this also, so yeah I have decided to finish highschool because sooo many people say I should!! which is obviously the best thing but if I do graduate early at the end of my grade 11 year I'll still be joining the military at 17 ....


Well thanks to everyone for all of the great advice

 

[McD]

That is a plan. Good on ya!! Playing the corners instead of all in on red.

 

[1feral1]

Hey guys I am not waving your posts bye bye, I am not ignoring them, I actually am taking your people's advice and taking it into consideration trust me, I'm not a dumb kid, and the thing is when I join something I never give up, or quit, I talked this over with my parents and said I would take English 12 in my Second semester in grade 11 and take English 11 in my first semester so I will be able to graduate early, I will talk to my schools councelor about this also, so yeah I have decided to finish highschool because sooo many people say I should!! which is obviously the best thing but if I do graduate early at the end of my grade 11 year I'll still be joining the military at 17 ....


Well thanks to everyone for all of the great advice

It's your life, but if you're BSing us, and plan to quit school anyways, you're only fooling yourself.

Good luck and I hope you finish GR 12, but remember talk is cheap.

OWDU

 

[Yeahman90]

It's your life, but if you're BSing us, and plan to quit school anyways, you're only fooling yourself.

Good luck and I hope you finish GR 12, but remember talk is cheap.

OWDU

This is not BS many people in my High school do this and graduate in grade 11 and just take your only required grade 12 course in grade 11 second semester, it is graduating, i'll be getting my diploma, and finishing my grade 12 year...

 

[1feral1]

It was not that this act cannot be accomplished, but will you accomplish it?

I do hope so, as its your future.

Best of luck.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Yes because there's definately not guys out there doing physical labour work with no education requirements making close to or over 6 figures a year, I have to stop making imaginary friends.

My dad was a labourer all his life many years ago, and made a good (but gruelling) living.  How many people in their 40's-50's do you know doing "physical labour work with no education requirements" raising families  on "close to or over 6 figures a year"?  I'm guessing not too many.  Which is why having more education = having more options for the day when one may not want to/be able to do "physical labour work" any more.

If you mean skilled trades, they're called "skilled" for a reason - I don't know how many such trades allow apprenticeships without a Grade 12 or equivalent.

 

[HeadLamp]

Which is where the upgrading once you're already in a company comes in. If you don't have the ambition to try and move up in a company or take advantage of their offers that's a personal decision. Nothing is stopping someone from taking distance education or correspondence on your own terms. You can easily pay for those and still have a significant net gain in funds as opposed to taking strictly the going to school route. If you're good with money you can come out on top of someone who spends 6 years going to school and now has to pay off their debt or just barely broke even, and you have a decent principal making decent returns.

Either way I was just offering a different perspective that wasn't so negative, yet true. I'm going to duck out of this conversation now.

To the OP: Just remember there's lots of different routes to take and which one is best for you only you can decide. Best of luck on whichever route you opt to take.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Headlamp, you're throwing out a lot of slim possibilities as if they were competitive options for the average disaffected student. How many high school dropouts actually out-pace high school/university/college/trade school graduates and in what fields? Where is your data substantiating this, or is this mostly wishful thinking? 

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Which is where the upgrading once you're already in a company comes in. If you don't have the ambition to try and move up in a company or take advantage of their offers that's a personal decision. Nothing is stopping someone from taking distance education or correspondence on your own terms. You can easily pay for those and still have a significant net gain in funds as opposed to taking strictly the going to school route. If you're good with money you can come out on top of someone who spends 6 years going to school and now has to pay off their debt or just barely broke even, and you have a decent principal making decent returns.

Now your backpedaling.  He's talking about high school, not a secondary education and a student debt.
Great that you think someone can "move ahead" in a company, too bad I know of almost zero that would even look at that resume for a job that had "move ahead' potential.


To the original poster, both myself and my wife got VERY lucky and have managed to carve out a decent life with our GED's however, even disregarding the fact that today a high school diploma is the lowest common denominator, both of us now see the things our children are doing and we wish that we had had the chance to do these things.

Don't worry,...........school is finite, it ends someday, work does not.

 

[ambush]

since im only 17 and are applying for the reserves once i graduate will it be easy for me to make the switch to reg if that is still what i want to do ?

 

[mariomike]

I would never suggest anyone drop out of school. Especially if you prefer clean, inside work with no heavy lifting.

Some blue-collar guys do ok:
"Worker at centre of abuse storm paid more than mayor":
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/06/03/mississauga-abuse.html
Mayor Hazel McCallion — "the highest paid mayor in Canada."

Not all of the Chiefs in Emergency Services have the benefit of a lot of formal education. They all hired on like the rest of us, and were promoted through the ranks.

since im only 17 and are applying for the reserves once i graduate will it be easy for me to make the switch to reg if that is still what i want to do ?

http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/12797/post-273129.html#msg273129
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/17678.75.html

 

[Alea]

since im only 17 and are applying for the reserves once i graduate will it be easy for me to make the switch to reg if that is still what i want to do ?

Ambush,

Get in touch with a recruiter. Better yet, write down all your questions and go to the recruiting center of your area. You will be answered there, very clearly.

Here's a few links for you:

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/30351.0.html
http://army.ca/forums/threads/135.0.html
http://army.ca/forums/threads/25311.0.html
http://army.ca/forums/threads/17678.0.html
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/34010.0.html

Alea

 

[HeadLamp]

Now your backpedaling.  He's talking about high school, not a secondary education and a student debt

"Which is why having more education = having more options for the day when one may not want to/be able to do "physical labour work" any more."

I took that as having more education not just High School, so I gave an example of beyond.

Great that you think someone can "move ahead" in a company, too bad I know of almost zero that would even look at that resume for a job that had "move ahead' potential.

This all comes down to "you know, I know". I was just passing on situations of friends who have the same level education as me and have been offered courses such as heavy machine operating with no grade 12 education and are making far more money than I am in the forces. I know people who have been fortunate enough to get their welding tickets with no gr. 12 and are again making a lot more money than what "studies" (If you can call them that) say the average University graduate is making.

Everything I stated was as a possibility not a fact or percentage of how many people can land those jobs. Maybe I just know a very fortunate crew of guys who dropped out of High School. Regardless I would rather be in some of these peoples positions than my own or that of a good number of people I know who moved on to graduate High School.

I'm not even going to bother viewing this thread anymore because it's just another thread on how it's so unlikely to be successful in life unless you have your High School education. All those people who have made it extremely far up the financial ladder who have dropped out of High School must be kicking themselves for dropping out and must be extremely disappointed for how their accomplishments were luck and not due to their own actions.

I wish my mind could be so closed.

Just to point out: Not once did I say it was a good idea for the OP to drop out of High School. You're right though, just telling him not to do it hoping he doesn't is way better than showing him other avenues that can lead to a successful life in case he decides to drop out regardless.

 

[Michael OLeary]

I wish my mind could be so closed.

You're right.  Everyone who comes here saying they are thinking about dropping out of school to join the Army should be supported in that decision because YOU know a guy who dropped out and makes more than you as a welder.

How could we have missed that?

Silly us, but it's obvious, as adults none of us know as much as the average teenager.

 

[GAP]

Boy, they should move out, get a job, preferably as a welder, and work hard for 5 years.

The change will be absolutely amazing!!!

Come back in 5 years and see how much your parents have changed!!

 

[2010newbie]

All those people who have made it extremely far up the financial ladder who have dropped out of High School must be kicking themselves for dropping out and must be extremely disappointed for how their accomplishments were luck and not due to their own actions.

I wish my mind could be so closed.

I feel that I am one of those "few" that have been very successful after dropping out of high school (i finished gr. 11 - when there was a gr 13). I'm 9 credits short of my HSD. I chased money for many years and I am lucky that I was able to find a job with a company that allowed me to work my way up the ladder through skill and determination (with just the right amount of luck thrown in). 12 years later I am a senior manager with a global engineering consulting company. I regret my decision to leave high school constantly. In grade 11 I was making okay money and I felt I would never need school. I could accomplish whatever I wanted regardless and if thinigs didn't work out, then I would go back to high school in a couple years. Guess what never happened.........

My dream has always been to be a pilot in the CF. A couple of my uncles were in the Air Force; one was a Major General and the other a Colonel. When I was about 9 or 10 years old they took me an a walk through of a C-130 at CFB Trenton and then I was hooked. I got sidetracked by chasing money in grade 12 and 15 years later, I have spent the last 4 years taking university classes part-time to be able to have enough education to go back and apply. If I would have had my HS diploma at least, I could have applied 4 years ago and been that much farther ahead.

Money doesn't equal happiness. Regardless of the things that I have acheived in my life and how far up the "financial ladder" I have progressed so far, I regret not staying in school to finish those 9 credits.

Now I'm opening a new chapter (maybe even a whole new book) of my life and I'm able to follow my dream. Again, delayed by at least 4 years because I didn't finish high school............

 

[Jarnhamar]

I wish my mind could be so closed.

Blessed is the mind too small for doubt 


One can always find exceptions to the rule. Bill gates dropped out of highschool (?)  Albert einstein failed math. Some multimiullionare on the infomarcials failed business.
It's a big hug fest when a highschool dropout makes it big. "I dropped out and made it" stories are good but people should still never entertain the idea of quitting when they are fully capable of passing.


A lot of people are hot and horny to join the army as soon as possible. I'm 16, you don't inderstand I NEEEEEEEED to join the army next year!

You're gonna look 12. Chances are you won't be very big muscular wise. You can't even deploy overseas yet. Technically not allowed to even drink until your 19 (Which is getting enforced more and more). Bottom line is waiting 2 years isn't going to kill anyone.
Life experience isn't a bad thing. Joining the army at 17 as a private gives you a lot less life experience then you'd think early on.

 

[HeadLamp]

You're right.  Everyone who comes here saying they are thinking about dropping out of school to join the Army should be supported in that decision because YOU know a guy who dropped out and makes more than you as a welder.

" Just to point out: Not once did I say it was a good idea for the OP to drop out of High School"

Nor have I said any of you should.

I thought they taught students how to follow and understand a conversation...

I forgot this was the internet and we all are suppose to take on the whole "What I say is always right and if anyone says anything that isn't exactly what I said or in my current views/values I'll just not follow the context of their posts and make comments that don't even relate to the viewpoint they hold"

  You wont be seeing me around here anymore, I prefer having discussions not arguments that hold no water.

Enjoy your times