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Help: Joining the Army.

General discussions on joining & training in the Territorial Army.
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Jordan_Smith
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Posts: 1
Joined: Mon 20 Aug, 2012 9:45 pm

Help: Joining the Army.

Post by Jordan_Smith »

Hey everyone, I don't know if Im posting in the right area but Im hoping someone can help me.
I'm 16, just left school and Im reflecting on my past to predict what my future could hold...and Im not happy with the results..I don't want to work in some office or cafe!
I want a career that's meaningful! something that will teach me what life's really like! give me perspective! a greater sense of moral!
I want to make a difference or at least feel like I am..so I'm thinking about joining the army!
I've been in foster care all my life and I will admit my past has knocked my confidence right away.
I see the army as a tough, no moaning career choice but I cant help but be scared not of death but of rejection and embarrassment.
I know it seems stupid but I really have no confidence and I haven't got the will to go into a army career place or sign up because my
lack of confidence is holding me back.
Any advice or suggestions of what I should do? I would really really appreciate them!
Thanks.
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Millar
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Joined: Sat 26 May, 2012 11:05 pm

Re: Help: Joining the Army.

Post by Millar »

Jordan_Smith wrote:Hey everyone, I don't know if Im posting in the right area but Im hoping someone can help me.
I'm 16, just left school and Im reflecting on my past to predict what my future could hold...and Im not happy with the results..I don't want to work in some office or cafe!
I want a career that's meaningful! something that will teach me what life's really like! give me perspective! a greater sense of moral!
I want to make a difference or at least feel like I am..so I'm thinking about joining the army!
I've been in foster care all my life and I will admit my past has knocked my confidence right away.
I see the army as a tough, no moaning career choice but I cant help but be scared not of death but of rejection and embarrassment.
I know it seems stupid but I really have no confidence and I haven't got the will to go into a army career place or sign up because my
lack of confidence is holding me back.
Any advice or suggestions of what I should do? I would really really appreciate them!
Thanks.
Firstly hard luck with your GCSE results, mine were also terrible, but I got a place on a College coarse at a slightly lesser desirable College on a low level coarse and worked my way up and eventually went to Uni and got a Degree, so bad GCSE results aren't the worst thing in the world, you still have other options that don't involve joining the Army.

Now if you are dead certain on joining the Army, you will need to work on this confidence, join any local Sports Teams you can or any Martial Arts Clubs, there's also the Scouts and Cadets, these are great places for meeting friends, gaining confidence and building up Team Work which are all key elements of a successful soldier, remember the Army is a difficult, demanding, challenging, yet rewarding career, so you want to make sure that it's defiantly for you first, do not just sign up because you got poor GCSE results as like I said, there's loads of other options available to you.

Go to your local Careers Office and have a word with a Staff Member in there, they're all highly experienced and qualified Soldiers, and they will be very friendly, polite and patient with you, they will not shout and scream at you (your not in the Army yet) they're only there to help you, so there's nothing to be scared about, they will not be asking you to sign any papers or hop on the next Bus to Army training, the application process is a very long process, you will have plenty of time to prepare, consider your options and they are there to help you along the way, if you join a Club that involves Sports or any sort of fitness that should be enough to keep you fit enough throughout the Application Process, alongside building up that confidence.

Another thing, you will not be the only person joining the Army with similar circumstances to yourself, maybe some worse, maybe some not so, but the Army will not treat you differently you will not be given any special treatment nor will you be discriminated against, but there are special civilian staff available for support, at all the Training Camps at hand to offer you counseling, mentoring or if you simply just want to chat, so be aware there's always someone to vent your concerns or frustration to, this is available to every Army personal.

I hope this helps, keep us posted with your progress and we will offer advice when and were possible, best of luck with your future and as I have said above think long and hard about your future, poor GCSE results are not the end of the World! :)
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