Joining the Navy - Merged

[medaid]

You're already in eh? Well... I don't know, you don't seem to know much about our Navy's involvement in overseas missions. Also... heads up for you. I'm transfering to the Navy so I can get a BETTER chance at deploying 

Some how I don't think your plan'll work there guy. It may be better for you to stop and rethink your priorities here.

 

[PO2FinClk]

Getting awoken to bong bongs at 0230 to board a rat infested sewer, gas riddled, thing they call a cargo ship, and once the sun rises finding yourself wearing 45+ lbs of gear, dangling 8 sea containers upin the air at 55C hoping that none will shift and crush you. All the while hoping that none of the crew while round a corner opening fire. Followed by roaming the box at 5 knots waiting for the next boarding. Is there anything better?

 

[guns_and_roses]

I, for the longest time have wanted to be an infantry soldier. But i really haven't considered any other trades. I recently look up being a pilot, but its not my thing. I have recently thought of the navy. Now i looked at the recruiting site, and saw some jobs that caught my attention. 1) naval weapons technician, and 2) MARS officer. Anyone on here belong to any of these trades that can give me any insight? or if you have a different  trade and think i might be intrested in? I'm not good at math, just to let you know. I would like to be a commander of a destroyer or something like that, I'm a very good leader and can think on my feet.

 

[284_226]

I'm not good at math, just to let you know. I would like to be a commander of a destroyer or something like that

Man, are you in luck!  We're desperate this month for destroyer skippers that can't verify the OOW's navigation calculations!  ;D

 

[navymich]

I would like to be a commander of a destroyer or something like that, I'm a very good leader and can think on my feet.

No need to be on your feet to think, the commanders get their own chair to sit in.  ;D

On that note, and before too many people jump, check out the search function of the forums.  Type in "MARS" or "NWT" and you will come up with lots of information.  Or just start reading through the Navy sub-board.  Lots more to the navy then just the trade you pick.  Ready aye ready!

 

[dimsum]

Well, I can't say much about NWT, but I have a tad of experience with MARS.  Just PM me if you have any specific questions. 

Oh, and just so you know, MARS requires a LOT of quick math...while being pelted with all sorts of random other bits of info, usually by the Nav Comm during OOW Manoeuvres (*cough* like AirMich *cough*)

 

 

[navymich]

I guess i wasn't taken seriously...

Just did a search and found results

As a leader you will be expected to work with the tools* given to you and come up with solutions.  You were told to search and voila, you found your solution.  You're also going to come across alot of different personalities and opinions.  Learn to live with them and deal with it.  Weed through things, pick out the relevant information and carry on.  Good luck with your research and your potential career in the CF.

*can be in the form of people too  ;D

 

[CallOfDuty]

  Went to the NWT school with many of the boys.......TONS of math and Physics.  12 Months of it to be exact.  Then 12 months on your equipment phase. 
  Maybe you should stick with commanding a ship instead!  ;D
COD

 

[gunner065]

Hey, I've been a NW Tech for the past 12 years, give or take, and I currently am teaching the CIWS phase of the QL5 Common equipment Course at the Fleet School in Victoria BC.  So if you have any specific questions related to the training or the job itself, please do not hesitate to ask.

 

[IN HOC SIGNO]

Thanks alot guys 

To become a Commander of a ship you need: a university degree, about 15 to 20 years experience as a MARS officer, have passed a lot of grueling professional competency boards and be selected from among your peers to command the multi-million dollar asset that you will be fully responsible for (and for the 250 men and women who sail in her), even if someone in your crew runs it aground...you're still responsible. By the time you reach this stage you will have spent a lot of your career at sea for extended periods of time away from your family and loved ones, you will have probably done at least one tour of six months duration in the Gulf with a US Carrier strike force and completed Staff college (a one year posting to Toronto). You will likely have done at least one posting in Ottawa at NDHQ and then been posted to the opposite coast than the one you were at before Ottawa. If all of this (and more) sounds appealing and doable go for the gusto!

 

[matthew_bourque]

Just a couple of questions I hope someone can answer about the amount of time you may wait for a job offer in the Navy and what determines the wait.

Just for example if I pick a job that they only need 13 people for example, those 13 are going to be what? The top CFAT scores, high school marks etc?

Is 13 a low number that probably will result in a long wait?

And are the wait times in the Navy/Airforce longer or shorter than the Army?

My recruiter (I dealt with 2) both seemed very confident that if I did my CFAT this coming monday and my medical on Thursday, that I WOULD have a job offer by March, getting a job offer by the end of March would be 2 months and 1 week of wait time. is this realistic?

And also my job choices were as follows:

NCI OP #1 (Does anyone have a job number for this?)

NES OP #2

Sonar Operator # 3

NWT # 4 (Im not very good at Math (I can learn though) and I don't want to work 100% with my hands because I like computers, but i've heard this job is pretty awesome.

Does anyone have any input on my questions or any of the specifics of these jobs?


Thanks Alot!

 

[omgLiam]

Hey cool, my file will be in competition with yours!

 

[JBoyd]

I am by no means an expert in this area but I will give you what knowledge I do have via my own recruitment process.

first off, if there are 13 spots available that could be very deceiving as I have been told (depending on what the 13 actually means).
However, as far as selection is concerned it is done off of the merit list, which I have been told is a list that puts you in a order depending on many different factors, CFAT score being one of them.

as far as wait time, well I applied for Comm Resrch. It is a purple trade, so there are spots available in Air Force, Army, & Navy. When I applied back in October there was 40 spots, Dec 3rd at my interview there was 22, 2 Army 2 Navy, 2 weeks later it was 19, and It was 19 still on the 11th of January when the last update was done (at least when I had asked it was). I received my offer and it was Navy. Depending on the trade 13 spots may still be a good number. It is my understanding as well that the new numbers are released for April for the start of the new fiscal year, so if by chance the 13 spots fill up and you are not one of them, hopefully more spots will come available shortly thereafter (for instance Comms Resrch had I believe 100 at the start of the fiscal year).

I unfortunatly cannot speak on any of your trade choices, however if those recruiters are confident I would trust them, The WO I talked to way back in October had said that if all goes well I could be in as early as Feb. Which is now true. As far as wait time, Due to other things I had to due complete my application process and get merit listed, it was a period of 1 month and 20 days between Interview/CFAT/Medical and my Offer.

Best advice I can give is to utilize the CFRC they are an invaluable resource and can answer many many questions., also hold in there, the wait will be worth it.

Good Luck.

 

[matthew_bourque]

right on thanks....i just have heard so much about crazy waiting times.

 

[JBoyd]

right on thanks....i just have heard so much about crazy waiting times.

Wait times are person-specific, what happened with me during my process may not happen to you, and visa versa. Do what you can, and don't give up, when I was talking to my MCC about my reliability waiver request he had mentioned he had a drawer full of files of people who have not gotten anything back to him yet.

 

[matthew_bourque]

So I went to the recruting office today, I began my process last Thursday so it's only been a week and 1 day, they said the first thing they needed was my Grade 11 and Grade 12 transcripts to count my credits...and I went to 2 different high schools those years so I had to immediately send a request form to my 12th grade highschool in Massachusetts where I graduated (Marks were all 85+ and mostly 90's) and they recieved the fax on Wednsday of this week, so the mailed copies are on there way. My 11th grade highschool is here, so I went and within 5 minutes I had the sealed envelope (Passed everything with 60's and some 80's) so I fullfilled my 7 credits and they said everything was fine as far as that was concerned, I sat down with the general and chose my 3 Jobs in order (Again) because I changed my mind, and he booked me for my CFAT this monday and my medical on thursday (As long as I pass). I told him I don't want to wait around for months and months and he said that if I pass the aptitude test that and I quote "HAHAHA you won;t be waiting around very much for these jobs in the Navy, so don't worry" So I was happy to hear that.

 

[omgLiam]

That's more or less what I heard as well. Shouldn't take too long at all to get this stuff done, so I'm fairly confident that assuming you pass the Med/CFAT/Int. process, I'll more than likely see you at BMQ.

 

[matthew_bourque]

So here is to continue my story, I went in for my test at 08h00 this morning and I was nervous because since I only applied last week, and I suck at Math and I heard the test had alot of math...I started practicing last night haha....So I get out of the test after a couple hours and I tell the other 5 guys that I probably qualified for Boot polisher or Carrot Peeler (No pun intended to those tradesman) and they laughed. So I go into the office and I qualified for every NCM job and was only 1 point off from Officer qualification (which doesnt bother me cause I have no university or college education) and the captain basically advised me that I could do anything I want and realisticly be gone to BMQ sometime in March.


What a crazy turn to what i though was gonna be bad.....So now it's medical time on Wednsday and as long as that goes by well, then I will be A-OK!

 

[matthew_bourque]

:threat:

So today (wednsday) I had my medical at 8 AM and I just got home now at 3PM, there was me and 6 other guys, all who had no problems as far as they knew..I went in for my medical and everything seemed fine, no pee test, no blood, no taking off my pants, just alot of questions and the color blindness test

that leads me to my problem, i did the CV test and the doctor told me to do it again, I did it again and he marked me as a CV 3......i said what does this mean, he said you unfortunately do not qualify based on this for any of your trades. So I was pretty pissed...i;ve had some eye troubles but never was made aware that I was basically fully color blind. And the doctor went on to tell me that i had a choice of about 5 NCM trades with only 1 being in the NAVY...since i was set on the NAVY I said i'll take it i don't care. So im a CV 3 and although i did very very well on my CFAT and im medically fit to serve, my CV 3 is restricting me to be a NAVY BOATSWAIN which i knew nothing about because it was closed at the beggining of my application so it was crossed off my list....although I have to take that job when it opens, I was told by 2-3 of the people in there that I could still do the officer training program based on what I do academically during my first 4 years and it shouldnt be a problem at all.


Anyway alot of the people in there told me from there experience the boatswain is an integral part of the ship and that since everyone is a sailor first and the boatswain is a pro sailor, that its alot of fun and theres alot of leadership and responsablilty involved...so not too bad. plus they becaome small arms specialists and maintain all the guns onboard and drive the small crafts as well as they are usually the assault guys on the boarding party...

None of that sounds too bad to me.

its closed right now but they all guaranteed me that it would open in 2 months tops due to the new fiscal year....but there was a guy with me this morning who applied 2.5 week ago and  is leaving sunday to become a boatswain so they said it could be as little as 2 weeks.

Not a bad end to a crappy story eh?

HAHHA

 

[omgLiam]

Sorry about the bad luck on the CV test, but congrats all the same on the Boatswain position. Hopefully it's a short wait, and it should definitely go faster once they have the new numbers.

Good luck!