Officer or Enlisted?

[King]

This same discuusion is going on in the American Army SF Form, I wanted some Canadian feedback so I decided to start here.

Looking for you opinions on whether to go officer or enlisted? Attending university shortly and joining the militia, enlisted of course. But afterward I had been planning to join as an officer. Yet I hear many things about the boring staff work that officers often do, how they spend less time in the field.

Another thing. As someone who would like to eventually go onto try out for the JTF2 I am curious on an officers role in that unit. I heard from some of the Americans that officers in the SF or Delta only get command of a troop for about 18 months. Then it's on to other staff duties.

As someone who would rather spend time in the woods rather then in an office.

Thanks.

[FNG]

Sounds like you already have your decision made already.

The job of the officer is to command. That means they will naturally have to do a lot more of the behind the scenes organization that goes on with training and everyday running of the military. You will have lots of responsibility, and may not be able to have as much 'fun'...

As an enlisted soldier, you will be tasked with carrying out the orders detailed by officers and senior NCOs. This leaves you with less 'desk' work obviously.

For a lot of people in your situation (joining reserves in university/college), they join as an enlisted into the militia to see how things are for themselves. If they like to be an officer, they can always sign up for officer school. However, I have yet to know an officer going into the enlisted ranks... so it seems that starting enlisted first and then going up may be a better idea.

[Enfield]

An officer officer's job in the Canadian Infantry is what they make it - they can be complete bags of shit that their troops never see, or the toughest soldiers in the unit.
Firstly, officer training is harder than NCM's training, and is far more comprehensive. Once in the unit, as you move up in rank and command, you will have less time in the field up front, but you'll still be doing interesting and stimulating work, if you make it that way. Platoon and Company Commanders spend as much time in the field as their troops, usually under the same conditions.
Officers won't be playing with machine-guns, or breaking down doors, or doing recce's (not small group recce's) and manning OP's, but they will be planning the operations, spending a lot of time with maps.
Like FNG said, go for enlisted in the Militia, you will gain a huge amount of experience, and if you buck for officer, will be better for it. There's no question in my mind that the best officers are those that come from the ranks.
Another note, a piece of advice a sergeant-major gave us, for university students,"do your time in the reserves in the ranks, then move up. The pay is better, and promotions come a lot faster, and there are a lot of good officers out there and we can always use more".

Enfield