Hey Dross,
I said getting into reserves was a worst strategy, IF you are planning on going regs right away, and there is a reason for that. Not just in my case, but almost all cases I saw, whenever a reservist applies for a component transfer into regs (even same trade) It would take on average anywhere between 6 months to 3+ years. Recruiting process can be very long and weary. First step for transferring into regs is getting your unit to initial paperwork, collect all the info and pass it on to CFRC (really shouldn't take more than 2 weeks, but takes years sometimes, In my case 2 out of 3 attempts to initial paperwork never even made it past my old unit, not because I didn't provide them with right paperwork, but because it sat on someones desk for months collecting dust until someone had to clear up some space for new ones and mine was trashed, I was told it was lost).
Another thing you must remember is that for a civilian it is by far faster to get in regs because no one has to verify their time in and courses that might or might not count in regular force. If anyone asks me if being in the reserves was a good thing or not, I'd say it was good, I got a few nice courses out of it, and have seen a few places and mainly I got an excellent experience out of it, mostly from being a F/T Reservist. But if I could go back to the day I filled out paperwork for the first time, I would definitely put a checkmark in REGULAR FORCE box.
Cheers
