Joining the Canadian Forces

Another issue is lack of competitive applicants. I know my local service has problems filling spots for every intake.

Everybody is still suffering because of the knock-on effect of the hiring freezes from the Rae government. It created a demographic and hiring anomaly which has meant that most services in Ontario have hired more in the past 3-4 years than they did in the previous 10 years. This in turn has caused experience gaps on the road.
Also many recent hires just see policing as a job, not a career. People quit to do other things these days.

I agree. Another problem they will face is that, right now, especially Ottawa Police, are hiring a lot of Direct Entries to save money on training. Well, if they just keep hiring people who are already police officers, it's going to hit hard when the baby boomers really start to retire. The recession caused many baby boomers to hold off for a bit, but now they are counting down the days 'till retirement, and all that many police services are doing is shuffling around the same people rather than recruiting more. They are just giving people who already have a badge a different badge. But I agree, EyeBrock, there is still extensive recruiting, but I have found that 2010 just wasn't a great year for Ontario, and perhaps beyond, because of budgets. It's not that there is no need.

With the Forces, I am concerned by the lack of funding, and pulling out of Afghanistan affecting my chances.

Well I got what I consider to be bad news: I contacted my file manager to get an update, and he told me that my application was complete, everything was good, and I was just waiting to be assigned a spot for the MPAC (Military Police Assessment Centre for those who don't know). The next class was October 20-26. I was really expecting to make it for that class, but I heard that I won't. They have the class every three months, so I may get the next one. It's just frustrating to wait, especially when you're not really sure how long you'll have to wait.

Benn, I am going for NCO, not officer, even though I have a degree. The degree they required was in the criminology field, but I have a degree in the communications and business field. So I am going for NCO with the hope of eventually working my way up as an Officer. I truly believe that it is better as you said since you get all the training, and just a better grasp of the position. It;s weird for me to understand how you lead when you have less training. So anyway, that's my plan. I hope it works out. Eventually.

Just watched a a few videos about basic training. Seems intimidating. I hope I can do it. Hopefully I will be on the list for the class after the next one! I guess now it gives me even more time to prepare for basic training.

Thanks so much! You're absalutely right. I am excited about basic training, and all the challenges that military life brings. I just want that chance to come.

Does anyone know any information about getting an education while with the CF? I have a undergraduate degree, but I am hoping that if I get hired, I could pursue possibly a Masters Degree, and even perhaps beyond that. I haven't asked recruiting much about this. I did bring it up once, but I got a rather ambiguous response. Do people who get a degree with the CF do it part-time, distance-ed? Kind of a crazy question, but just wondering as I impatiently wait for good news.

A graduate degree by distance education? Never heard of it, not through an accredited institution anyway. A Masters degree takes 1-2 years, and a PhD takes 2-4 years, of full-time work. Attempting to complete them part-time would take you a lifetime. If you decide to pursue graduate work, make it your priority and immerse yourself in your research. Anything else would be a half-assed approach.

There are masters programs available paid for by the Forces. I hear that compilation for the limited number of slots available is tough. It helps if your area of study is directly beneficial to the CF. Some are done at RMC while others are at other universities. My first CO did his masters in England so there's a chance that you may be able to study abroad. All of I just described is for officers I don't know much about NCM education in the CF other than it tends to focus more on the trades than university.

I'd have to disagree about your assumption that a B.Ed is easier than an BA. Being easier than a BSc...defifinitely. To begin with, a B.Ed is a five year degree, while general BAs or a BSc are often three year programs. In order for me to teach Highschool, I had to have teachable degree(History/Geo) and then the education courses and actual in class training related to the degree(something other degrees don't have to do unless they are in a co-op program).

To say my engineering degree was much more academically challenging than my BEd, is an understatement. But the work, intelligence, creativity and dedication required to earn a B.Ed is much more than can be expected for a degree in psychology, sociology, native or womens' studies, all BAs. In another year, I'll be able to add MA to my alphabet, as I've been working on an MA in Linguistics(Second Language Acquisition) for a few years while I work. But it's an easy MA because it's in a field of specialty that I've worked in for years as a teacher and as an ESL instructor.