jb_008 said:
I fail to understand why my desire to become an officer is viewed solely as a goal to achieve power. The whole reason why there exists a DEO program is for people who have demonstrated the skills and technical knowledge to be selected and trained to lead our men and women.
No, I don't believe so. There is no technical knowledge in a Bachelor's degree. I believe that the DEO exists for people who have demonstrated the hard work, critical thinking, patience, and attitude that got them through schooling.
My educational background is one that can greatly benefit the Canadian military.
You originally wanted financial logistics. Your MBA may have been beneficial at that point. But pilot? MARS officer? I'm not going to debate the merits or follies of an MBA, but it's just that you KEEP bringing it up as if it makes you any better than someone else. It doesn't! I'm sorry to tell you, but studying market trends doesn't mean that you can fly a jet. Similarly, it doesn't mean that you can drive a boat either. And no, my English degree doesn't mean I can do either of those things. But at least I'm willing to fess up to that - that my 4-5 years finishing one bachelor's degree is all so that I can meet the CF's standards.
I qualify for the DEO program so why would I not want to pursue that option? Why would I not want to be excited and anxious to start working as part of a team? If the forces are prepared to employ me as an officer, then that is reality and a very good thing for me. I tend to be ambitious about pursuing good things.
You can work as part of a team at McDonald's or, like most people who follow up their B.Comm with an MBA, in some civvy business making great money. Also, some may disagree with this quote, but I keep it dear to my heart: "
A noble man compares and estimates himself by an idea which is higher than himself; and a mean man, by one lower than himself. The one produces aspiration; the other ambition, which is the way in which a vulgar man aspires." - Marcus Aurelius
You seem to believe that you can walk in the door and be an officer without training. You can't. You have to recognize that you have a lot to learn before you can "lead our men and women".
Judgements about my character are way off base, especially after only reading several paragraphs on a text based forum. I asked about wait times and expressed concern about waiting 7 years to learn a trade that has nothing to do with my education. I have already been waiting a year for the selection process to begin and I'll probably have to wait another. My life is not infinite, neither is my youth. Seven years is a long time to be qualified for a trade, simply too long for me. The recruitment officer failed to mention how long the wait times for Pilot were.
I can judge your character from only a sentence, and I guarantee you that the recruiters and interviewers can judge your character from only your posture. I may be younger than you, but I pride myself on my ability to discern one's character. I'm not saying that you're a horrible person, I'm merely saying that you're misguided, arrogant, impatient, undeserving, and that you float about with a sense of entitlement.
If pilot is what you were passionate about, then you would wait 7 years. If you really do want MARS officer, then you would willfully wait for the application process and then have to make it through the MARS training that lasts anywhere from 12 to 18 months, generally (and without failing). You have also missed the cap off for the NOAB which is next week or so, meaning that your application would go stale again waiting for the next NOAB... sometime in the fall. To sum that up: even if you go MARS, get accepted, pass the NOAB, etc. etc. ... you're still looking at a BMOQ of January 2011 at the earliest.
Also, don't send me personal messages. If you wish to say it, say it here. If you feel you have to whisper something in order to say it without rebuke, it is probably best to just keep your trap closed.
**Apologies to any who find that I'm being too harsh. I know that some may be sitting there wondering how some 22 year old kid who has only made it as far as the application process can preach to another applicant what qualities dictate a good officer. If you believe that I'm wrong in anything I've said, then please tell me so.