Is Canadian Military pay good? Do civilian workers earn more in geenral?

[Level100MafiaBoss]

I am in the recruiting pipeline at the moment but recently I have been wondering if joining the military is a solid financial choice. I applied as a Direct Entry, I have a degree in Computer Science but it took me the whole degree to realize that I have little to no interest in working in the tech industry. Even though tech jobs pay more I made the decision to join the military because it seems like a good fit for me.

Looking at officer pay, it seems like they start at a normal amount and scale up decently but is the money good enough? Will I be able to live in a decent house, drive a Lexus and buy avocados 7 to 10 years from now?

 

[daftandbarmy]

I am in the recruiting pipeline at the moment but recently I have been wondering if joining the military is a solid financial choice. I applied as a Direct Entry, I have a degree in Computer Science but it took me the whole degree to realize that I have little to no interest in working in the tech industry. Even though tech jobs pay more I made the decision to join the military because it seems like a good fit for me.

Looking at officer pay, it seems like they start at a normal amount and scale up decently but is the money good enough? Will I be able to live in a decent house, drive a Lexus and buy avocados 7 to 10 years from now?

Have a look at the pay scales and then you can tell us:

Military pay - Canada.ca

This page displays information about pay for Canadian Armed Forces members.

www.canada.ca

 

[Level100MafiaBoss]

Have a look at the pay scales and then you can tell us:

Military pay - Canada.ca

This page displays information about pay for Canadian Armed Forces members.

www.canada.ca

How long does it take to go from Officer Cadet to Captain? How about Captain to Major? 4 years to reach captain and then Major is another 4 years?

 

[CBH99]

How long does it take to go from Officer Cadet to Captain? How about Captain to Major? 4 years to reach captain and then Major is another 4 years?

So in terms of how long it takes to get promoted up the ranks, that's something that is unique to each individual.

Some of it will depend on which trade you go into, and the vacancies that are open for each rank.

Given how short staffed the military is across the board right now - id argue there probably isn't a better time to get in than right now, especially if you have the personal qualities they look for when promoting. (Right now, I would suggest the sky is the limit with a lot of trades)

Which branch are you thinking of going into? (Army, Air Force, Navy?) Do you have a specific trade you're thinking of?



If you are fairly self sufficient, personable, get along with others, and have some practical solutions to some of the challenges the military is facing going forwards - the number of years to go from one rank to another is merely a rough guide...

I've seen some really self motivated & switched on people soar through the ranks in relatively short order.

I've also seen some absolute stumps remain at one rank for a majority of their career, because that's just what they seemed to enjoy or where their growth seemed to end.

 

[dimsum]

Looking at officer pay, it seems like they start at a normal amount and scale up decently but is the money good enough? Will I be able to live in a decent house, drive a Lexus and buy avocados 7 to 10 years from now?

Depends where you're talking about.

If you're looking at the GTA, very few people (let alone higher-middle-class pay folks like most CAF officers) will be able to afford a house in the Toronto area.

Whether it's a solid financial choice is completely up to you. Most folks will move fairly frequently so you're at the whims of the Canadian housing market. There is a small bit of compensation for housing loss but it's not guaranteed to cover everything (ask anyone who left Edmonton or Cold Lake a few years ago). The pension is good but if you are comparing it to pay in Tech (understanding that you have no interest in it), it's not the same.

Frankly, if financial considerations are the top of mind, I don't know if I would recommend the CAF. There are too many variables (moving, housing, etc) but there are opportunities to deploy and get tax-free money. How often that happens is completely dependent on what trade you get and if you're at the right place/right time to deploy.