WBS
I'm not decrying the service life - you for one have done very well out of it. But you have to admit that there are true points in what I said.
For what it's worth I probably wouldn't have been in my position if it hadn't been for the great redundancy situation of 95 - it enabled me to pay for my ADC and get my foot on the ladder, so for that I thank the MoD.
I, however, would have preferred not to have been in that position. I passed aptitude testing but ended up having to compete with others who through dint of better assessments were selected for courses - and in quite a few cases
failed (I was talking to one of my ex-colleagues only a month ago. Passed JATCC, failed validation, back to Cpl and took another 4 years to get back to Sgt as an OSM). I'm glad how things have worked out - and not just for the size of pay packet
(At least double what I would have been earning if I'd stayed) but for the fact that my career prospects and quality of life are far better than if I'd stayed in the RAF. Had I stayed in I would probably have been leaving next August with little prospect of a decently paid aviation job, and having to adjust to doing something totally different.
CM
[ 26 November 2001: Message edited by: Chilli Monster ]