I think that it's terribly sad to hear people considering asking to go ME or rotary just do avoid a bit of holding. We're talking about 1 year out of a career of perhaps 15. If people want ME or Rotary, fine, but don't rush to make a decision that you might regret.
But then again, the kind of person that would even consider giving up hope of FJ at the first hurdle almost certainly couldn't crack it anyway!!