Quoted from necro_nemesis

Time to be the "grey man". If your WO figures out your having it too easy I can guarantee in heartbeat he will change that.

2nd that BIG TIME. and once you get done BMQ...its time for SQ.

SQ makes basic like like kiddy camp!

Quoted from Steph

Nortel outsourced ALOT of work to India and Beijing because it was "cheaper".

That bit them in the a** BIG time.

The workmanship was CRAP, the product quality went into the toilet,
the 12 hour time-zone difference forced alot of Canadian folks to work
night shift to "hand-hold" the new workforce, and when some engineer finally
got modestly efficient, he jumped ship to another company that offered 50cent an hour more.

Nortel took a beating over this, ...and look at where they are now....

The same is true of Cisco, Alcaltel and all the other greedy CEOs that
wanted cheap labor. It's not working...

Exactly, the smart businesses don't just look for the cheapest labour, they hire the best, and hopefully that means us! Plus the 12 hour timeshift is a real productivity killer, I know from first hand experience.

The problem with passing laws that force businesses  to 'Buy Canadian' is that they then force (yes, force) other countries to pass similar laws for their own country. Before you know it, no one's trading and the economy is REALLY in trouble!! This exact thing happened in the early thirties (they passed protectionism laws). It may not have 'caused' the great depression but it supposedly made it a lot worse, and last longer.

May not be going CF, I got a call from my "unimpressed" little brother last night to the tune of "What are you, retarded?". Seems my mother told him my plans.

He hooked his work up with my info, and they promptly called me this morning wanting a resume. They pay as well if not better than my previous job.
At least if I take that I don't have to deal with my family on my back about joining the forces. They all seem to fear the idea like grim death.......girls privates.

Here's my two cents..take it with a grain of salt

Option 1 start a business from your home, consulting, stuff like that. little to no start up costs, you must have a skill set that is in demand though, even if it is one you are newly trained in. I could get more into detail, but you are smart enough to do that on your own. Check merx, which is the government website for contracts, tons of consulting stuff on there, high paying as well, once you're in, you're in

Option 2 Seminars/ training, a take on option 1 , little to no investment, you go to your target audience ( Usually a company), and bore them to death with something they probably already know, but they want a " day off". Again, must be something sort of appealing. Sales and networking are the key here

Option 2A Open a biz in a  retail store or physical location. be prepared to stay there all day everyday, forever. You may end up being a slave to customers, but income can be good. Heavy regulation, taxes, monthly costs, etc. Somewhat rewarding if you are in a field you enjoy. Propensity to raise cash quickly, unlike salaried work.

Option 3 UXO technician. Unexploded ordnance technician. Pays well, hard to get into unless you have a military engineer or ammo tech background, but I know persons who have. There is a training program in Texas for civilians that is recognized in Canada. Internationally, pays extremely well, but commensurate with risk, domestic is pretty safe and you can make around what you are looking for. Downside is you have to travel, and the work itself is montonous , dirty, and always outside ( winter too)

Option 4 180 degree turn, retraining in a field that you are completely oblivious to, but pays well. Example financial planner, correspondence courses for licensing, and plenty of jobs around for it, including the bank. If you do well, great money. Downside is 100% commission and the work is quite stale, apart from, meeting people.

Option 5 Army.. Go combat engineer, don't bother with any of the rest of them,it is the best trade in the Army hands down skill set for higher ranks has civilian applications, in well paying engineer related fields. Can get something that is sort of on par with a p eng, called a CET certificataion. Downside, a bagdrive if you are older, physically demanding, probably the most physically demanding trade in the army ( Yes more than infantry).

Related trades , or ones who love to have you:
Cop
Fireman
Road construction
Water supply / infrastructure
Explosive ordnance disposal, civi
surveyor
heavy equipment operator
project manager
analyst
etc...

My two cents

Quoted from ken_cinder

May not be going CF, I got a call from my "unimpressed" little brother last night to the tune of "What are you, retarded?". Seems my mother told him my plans.

He hooked his work up with my info, and they promptly called me this morning wanting a resume. They pay as well if not better than my previous job.
At least if I take that I don't have to deal with my family on my back about joining the forces. They all seem to fear the idea like grim death.......girls privates.

Live YOUR life man. If they love you they will support you PERIOD.

I have no such problems as my dad was a Navy man and my step dad is retired Reg force (PPCLI) and is now a reservist WO.

Quoted from gjd

Go combat engineer, don't bother with any of the rest of them,it is the best trade in the Army

He is not a young man my friend, CE is NOT a good choice. As for best trade in the Army, I think not.

Lineman is a WICKED trade with MUCHO civi world jobs. Photo Tech is as "cush" as it gets.

Honestly, who wants to be playing with land mines and defusing bombs(CE)? not me for sure!

There are also a BUNCH of "the trades" trades in the CF that are a real good go. Inf, Artillery, armor and Combat Engineer are for young men who are not "broken" yet. Sig Op is as well to some extent, as a Sig you can be humpin it in a Inf Pl or chillin in a CP or message center drinking coffee, all the same pay. It just depends on the posting you get, however, you are almost GUARENTEED to go to one of the Brigades for you first posting to get "experience"

Have you always been a reservist or have you ever been in the Reg Force?

Yes I have been, but I have done multiple stretches at 2CER ( 6 mos), been invited to teach at the school in Borden( only res ever), instructing on reg force crses since 98( Not many get to do this), so I believe I'm qualified to comment. I also let you know personally my quals, which lets you know something about the calibre of soldier I am, whether reg or reserve( not to say that im a keener, but im not a bag either). It is not my fault I have always had something going on in civi life, and I don't appreciate your inference that I am somehow unqualified to comment.Bottom line is I know guys in their 40's who are corporals in engineering, on the initial engagment and they love it, and can handle it, although i agree it is not for everyone. As far as the trade of engineer not being the one that affords the most opportunity, I am qualified to comment on that, as I have either worked in, or been offered employment in everyone of the categories i mentioned, except cop and fireman, which a lot of guy s  I know with an engineer background, have went to. There is no trade, hands down, in the Army, that affords as much opportunity and different streams as engineering, for example you can be a heavy equipment operator, a bomb tech, a road construction guy ( HE) , a project manager, an int guy, an analyst, a consultant, a door kicker, an armoured guy, a construction guy, and many others. Changing from the CP to the field does not qualify in my opinion as a variance in work or skill sets, just location, and the bottom line is you will always be a specialist in one field, rather than many.

Oh yeah, could have been worse, you could have called me an officer!

Ex coelis

You should look into ACS tech.

These guys have all the tools in the world and are building all sorts of things out of every conceivable material all day long. If you like to build and refinish things, from what I have seen it seems like the ideal job.

If you like working with electronics AVS. Aircraft mechanics then AVN.

Might go over better with Mom.

Electricians and plumbers make lots of money. Auto mechanics are also never too far between jobs.

Any skill where you can market to people who own things they either don't know how to fix, or don't have the time to do so will always make you money.

Not really concerned with that necro, it's the about-face my wife has done. She wasn't against it.......until this job opportunity came along. I know my daughter is going to be pissed if I'm away from home more than a day. She was mad when I had to work nights for a month last summer.

Weighing my options right now, can't do much more.