Thursday, October 16, 2008
Lord help me, I applied for the military.
Yes, it's true.
Here's the scoop: if I get selected, the Canadian Forces will pay for my tuition and books, and pay me a salary to go to school. During school, I don't have to do anything except school. During the summer they will fly me out to Quebec for military training. I can finish my education at my wonderful college and I will graduate with no debt.
The catch? 5 years mandatory service. That, my friends, is all.
Let's weigh the options here.
Civilian: Graduate in 4 years with approximately $50,000 in debt, before interest. Work 22.5 hours a week while juggling school and those f'ing "extracurricular activities" that might make me worth a scholarship. Work for 5 years to simultaneously pay down said debt, put money to RRSP, put money to first house and car, and cross my fingers that I don't get knocked up in the process - 'cuz wouldn't that just be ducky!
Military: Graduate in 4 years with perhaps $25,000 in savings. Be in awesome shape from Basic. Be an f'ing Nursing Officer. Be deployed to various awesome places to administer medical aid to those who need it. Work for 5 years getting experience in floor nursing, and then either love it or leave it.
Now, some of you may be thinking yeah, ugrn, the perks are because you might, uh, die.
A valid point.
However, I might also die in a tragic car accident next week and/or get a stingray to the heart when I next go snorkelling. You just never know!
But really, Canada's bloodlust isn't exactly roaring these days and the Tories say we're supposedly pulling out of Afghanistan by 2012. Even still, I would be second-line and pretty unlikely, by military standards, to bite it.
So that's my news for today.
Here's the scoop: if I get selected, the Canadian Forces will pay for my tuition and books, and pay me a salary to go to school. During school, I don't have to do anything except school. During the summer they will fly me out to Quebec for military training. I can finish my education at my wonderful college and I will graduate with no debt.
The catch? 5 years mandatory service. That, my friends, is all.
Let's weigh the options here.
Civilian: Graduate in 4 years with approximately $50,000 in debt, before interest. Work 22.5 hours a week while juggling school and those f'ing "extracurricular activities" that might make me worth a scholarship. Work for 5 years to simultaneously pay down said debt, put money to RRSP, put money to first house and car, and cross my fingers that I don't get knocked up in the process - 'cuz wouldn't that just be ducky!
Military: Graduate in 4 years with perhaps $25,000 in savings. Be in awesome shape from Basic. Be an f'ing Nursing Officer. Be deployed to various awesome places to administer medical aid to those who need it. Work for 5 years getting experience in floor nursing, and then either love it or leave it.
Now, some of you may be thinking yeah, ugrn, the perks are because you might, uh, die.
A valid point.
However, I might also die in a tragic car accident next week and/or get a stingray to the heart when I next go snorkelling. You just never know!
But really, Canada's bloodlust isn't exactly roaring these days and the Tories say we're supposedly pulling out of Afghanistan by 2012. Even still, I would be second-line and pretty unlikely, by military standards, to bite it.
So that's my news for today.
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1 comments:
I accepted a full scholarship from a hospital and have to work two years for them after graduation. People thought I had gone crazy. It's not a huge trauma teaching Grey's Anatomy type hospital. Nursing students, in my experience, need the action even after school. But, in the end, I'll be without the extra debt on my shoulders. YOU have the added benefit of travel. Bonus.
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Thanks for your thoughts :)