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TECO
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
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 Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 1:23 am Post subject: |
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| jlb wrote: |
| This is all just second-hand info and not really factual at all but I'll share it anyway. Back when I was hiking the West Coast Trail last year, I ran into a married couple who were in the miliatary. They both graduated from engineering and signed up. They got some crazy up-front bonus. |
Not that I have to worry about it but this is what it says on their site for bonuses:
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Incentives for Military Doctors and Dentists
In addition to existing recruiting bonuses for physicians of $225,000 (for a 4-year commitment) or $80,000 (for a 2-year commitment, renewable with a $100,000 bonus) and for dentists of $25,000, new pay improvements are in place:
Since such initiatives began in 1999, medical and dental officers have received significant salary increases; for instance, the pay of a medical Captain at Incentive Pay Level 5 increased from $88,704 to $159,948, an 80 % increase. These pay improvements established comparability for medical and dental officers with the net earnings of physicians and dentists in private practice |
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:48 pm Post subject: Re: Canadian Military - Good Career? |
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| Green Tea wrote: |
| I failed IT security with 64%. |
The don't test IT security they test general IT knowledge, and it's actually a pretty easy general computer knowledge test (maybe the test has changed format- when did you write it?) with questions like: which system recognizes differences in the cases (i.e. caps or no) of commands? Unix? Windows? both? neither?
The tough part- for those who have lived abroad- is getting the Top Secret clearance... |
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Green Tea
Joined: 04 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 6:09 pm Post subject: Re: Canadian Military - Good Career? |
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| Bulsajo wrote: |
| Green Tea wrote: |
| I failed IT security with 64%. |
The don't test IT security they test general IT knowledge, and it's actually a pretty easy general computer knowledge test (maybe the test has changed format- when did you write it?) with questions like: which system recognizes differences in the cases (i.e. caps or no) of commands? Unix? Windows? both? neither? |
No, it was not a general IT knowledge test. The test I had to write was about IT security and it was hardly general. |
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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Either the test has changed or we have different ideas regarding what constitutes IT security questions. They did ask questions like "what's the most insecure method of data transmission" (wireless) and "what's a popular data encryption program?" (pkzip) and "which of the following is NOT a programming language?" (can't remeber the answer but it was pretty obvious) but nothing tricky.
The real problem with getting a job at CSE is that even if you score 100% on all their tests, ace the interview and the psych evaluation, pass the polygraph... at that point they have to decide whether you are worth spending a year and $30,000 on to see if you can get a Top Secret clearance.
The longer you have spent abroad the problematic this equation becomes for you. To spell it out- researching the background of someone who has spent a few years abroad is generally more of a gamble than someone who hasn't, and furthermore if you have been teaching in Korea in a relatively unregulated 'fly by night' industry where distance, culture, language, and recent transliteration changes all contribute to increased logistical difficulties in researching your background for a security clearance.
That's reality of the situation for anyone interested in a career with the CSE, unless you also have phenomenal language skills in Chinese or Arabic (in which case you could get better paying jobs easier as a translator).
Last edited by Bulsajo on Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:02 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Wrench
Joined: 07 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Bulsajo wrote: |
| Either the test has changed or we have different ideas regarding what constitutes IT security questions. They did ask questions like "what's the most insecure method of data transmission" (wireless) and "what's a popular data encryption program" (pkzip) but nothing tricky. |
Pkzip is not encryption. Its a compression utility. |
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:05 pm Post subject: |
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Of course it is but it's still it's the right answer on the test as I'm sure you know pkzip has security/encryption features where the other choices listed did not. I can only remember one of the other choices: GIMP.
BTW, aren't you the lunkhead in this thread who wants join the RCA to get some merc skillz?
| wrench wrote: |
| Then again I don't want to be an officer either. Just a 3 year stint for me. Get in get out, go do merc thing and get paid stupid amount of money. |
And have you figured out how to spell "frigit" (as in "Canadian frigits are the fastest battle ready ships on earth") properly yet? |
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Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
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| Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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| My grandfather was in the Canadian Navy. |
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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Did he serve on a "frigit"?
BZ |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 12:53 am Post subject: Re: Canadian Military - Good Career? |
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| Bulsajo wrote: |
| Green Tea wrote: |
| I failed IT security with 64%. |
The tough part- for those who have lived abroad- is getting the Top Secret clearance... |
M15, CSIS, name that stellar spy agency, the "secret" handshake is pretty much an imperative |
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 10:22 am Post subject: |
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Security clearances are a fact of life if you want work for the government in any capacity. If you want to equate them to Satanic Mason rituals the thought of whom wake you in the wee dark hours and give you the nightsweats and THE FEAR, then be my guest.
When Wrench becomes a merc I'm going to ask him what sort of discount he'll give me to have you "taken care of".
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TECO
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 3:47 am Post subject: |
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Anyone every write the CFAT for the CF?
What did you think of it - was it very difficult? |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 5:04 am Post subject: Re: Canadian Military - Good Career? |
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| sammi wrote: |
| I'm not in the military but my brother is currently serving in Afghanistan as a Corporal and he has just recently hit his 10 yr mark. |
Wow, 10 years and still a Corporal? Is that normal for the American army? This is not a slight against your brother, mind you. I just get the feeling the size of the Canadian army makes it such that there's not much chance of promotion. It's already reputedly one of the most officer heavy Western army. And as you say, you don't collect a pension until you're 20 years in. Not many NCOs at the sergeant level would quit, I guess. |
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sammi
Joined: 17 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 12:05 pm Post subject: Re: Canadian Military - Good Career? |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
| sammi wrote: |
| I'm not in the military but my brother is currently serving in Afghanistan as a Corporal and he has just recently hit his 10 yr mark. |
Wow, 10 years and still a Corporal? Is that normal for the American army? This is not a slight against your brother, mind you. I just get the feeling the size of the Canadian army makes it such that there's not much chance of promotion. It's already reputedly one of the most officer heavy Western army. And as you say, you don't collect a pension until you're 20 years in. Not many NCOs at the sergeant level would quit, I guess. |
He's not in the American military but the Canadian. He wasn't able to complete the Master Corporal course before going overseas for a # of reasons, one of them being the lack of people to do the training. Unless you get in officers training school you will always stay enlisted/NCO. He transferred to another unit out of the infantry completely because of his retirement in 10 yrs. He's getting a trade and will not only have his pension when he hits his 20 but will also have a good job (and be young enough to enjoy it). |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 3:29 pm Post subject: Re: Canadian Military - Good Career? |
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| sammi wrote: |
| mindmetoo wrote: |
| sammi wrote: |
| I'm not in the military but my brother is currently serving in Afghanistan as a Corporal and he has just recently hit his 10 yr mark. |
Wow, 10 years and still a Corporal? Is that normal for the American army? This is not a slight against your brother, mind you. I just get the feeling the size of the Canadian army makes it such that there's not much chance of promotion. It's already reputedly one of the most officer heavy Western army. And as you say, you don't collect a pension until you're 20 years in. Not many NCOs at the sergeant level would quit, I guess. |
He's not in the American military but the Canadian. He wasn't able to complete the Master Corporal course before going overseas for a # of reasons, one of them being the lack of people to do the training. Unless you get in officers training school you will always stay enlisted/NCO. He transferred to another unit out of the infantry completely because of his retirement in 10 yrs. He's getting a trade and will not only have his pension when he hits his 20 but will also have a good job (and be young enough to enjoy it). |
I was merely using the American army as a comparison. People I knew in the American army seemed to make the upper NCO ranks in 10 years. I was wondering why promotion seemed so much slower in the Canadian forces. Also, Americans seem to be able to muster out earlier and enjoy good benefits. The small size of the Canadian army, the longer term required for benefits, the general job market, etc. I imagine all mean people tend to stay put longer, hence chances for promotion are less. |
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Ilsanman
Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Location: Bucheon, Korea
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| Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Otherwise you start as a Lieutnenant and have to move up |
Actually, no. You start as Officer Cadet until you complete your training. Then you get promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. |
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