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Originally Posted by leducreef
ya leduc is close
what trade did you take?
how did you find BMQ?
how fit where you when you went
i think the hardest thing for me will be drill !
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The trade I chose no longer exists actually, grrr. One of the things that peeved me off in the last few years of my career. It's actually not uncommon for service members to 'remuster' to another trade at some point during their service if they find they're no longer content or effective in their originally chosen occupation. It's not something generally encouraged, especially if you wish to remuster out of an occupation that isn't at the required manning level. Many non-commissioned members (NCMs) further their education during service and apply for Officer training.
Any idea at all of what type of occupation you're interested in pursuing?
Anyhow, the trade I chose was Instrument Electrical Technician MOC 551 and it no longer exists. It was an Air Force occupation. When I joined there were 13 different technical trades or MOCs (Military Occupation Codes) involved in aircraft maintenance. There are also a number of Officer occupations that run the show and of course the pilots. Those will require a University engineering degree and/or Military College.
Around about the year 2000, it was decided things would work more efficiently if the number of air trades was condensed down to three!! From thirteen!! IE techs had the choice of either being assimilated into the "Aviation tech" MOC, or the "Comm/Radar tech" MOC. The idea was to model the trade structure more after the civilian way of doing things to cut down on training requirements and save money. The cash crunch was on for government spending at the time. Not really room to get into too much more detail here and I still get a little irate when I start talking about this move. Totally misguided as far as I'm concerned. Military aircraft are called 'Weapons Systems' for a good reason. There's a little more involved working on a Weapons System as compared to a passenger aircraft. IMO keeping the trades more specialized is necessary to keep the expertise on given systems at a level conducive to proper maintenance. Same goes for the Navy & Army folks these days, they all deal with a lot of state of the art gear, even the infantryman. I don't think the Navy did anything like the Air Force with their trade stucture, maybe a Navy dude/dudette can chime in and provide more details in that regard.
BMQ? Ha ha, the service is full of acronyms, but not entirely sure I've come across this one. My visit to the recruiting office was quite a number of years ago. I assume it's something to do with your medical profile?
I was in fairly decent shape at the time since I was into some sports in high school and I was born with a slim build. When I joined I think I was just under 150 lbs soaking wet. After a couple of years in, I bumped up to around 165 and haven't moved much from there ever since. Sports & fitness are very much encouraged in the service, particularly in the land environment.
Yep, drill and discipline are two things you'll be dealing with at the beginning as well as throughout your service. They are part of military life that sets the military apart from many civilian pursuits. In a way, discipline is required anywhere if you wish to reach your goals and get ahead in life. No idea what the program at boot camp is like nowadays, but when I joined, there was no such term as 'politically correct' and I think it's safe to say, you won't be treated to some of the things I experienced early in my career. The trick is not to get too stressed out and take those things with the knowledge that they are trying to put the pressure on to see how you react, and after a few weeks, it gets a lot easier.
Finally, take your time choosing your occupation and do plenty of research before you sign the dotted line, particularly with regard to pension plans, terms of service etc. After getting as much info as possible, you may even decide in the end it's not for you. Personally I've never regretted any of it and have gained some very good friends over the years. Did not get wealthy in the process, but I have what I need, including a pension and I get to do the things I love to do, ski, canoe, play soccer, motorcycle .... and... grow my hair if I wish.