Topic: Logistics Training

[MJP]

You do realize that you're going to the Canadian Forces SCHOOL of Administration and Logistics?  Don't turn your brain off.  You still have some studying to do...

Wow I don't think it escaped him that that was the case.  Rather like many fourth year students he is getting bored with university studies and wants to get on with his career.  Talking to people in their fourth year of subsidized education it seems that most folks feel that way.

If you are implying that taking the course at CFSAL is the equivalent (and to be fair I don't really know why you posted what you did) of going to university, that is absurd.  They are, as many people know two completely different things.  There are some commonalities but the two lay at different ends of the education spectrum.

[Pusser]

Wow I don't think it escaped him that that was the case.  Rather like many fourth year students he is getting bored with university studies and wants to get on with his career.  Talking to people in their fourth year of subsidized education it seems that most folks feel that way.

If you are implying that taking the course at CFSAL is the equivalent (and to be fair I don't really know why you posted what you did) of going to university, that is absurd.  They are, as many people know two completely different things.  There are some commonalities but the two lay at different ends of the education spectrum.

I understand that.  However, one of the things that has been noticed at CFSAL, particularly amongst the ROTP folks on summer training, is that there is a tendancy to treat university study as "real" and training at CFSAL as not much more than a hindrance of one's summer vacation.  The reality is that CFSAL deals specifically with one's profession and so is pretty important.  If you don't take CFSAL seriously, the consequences will be serious.  If you don't learn to wade through the QR&O, CFAO, DAOD, FAM, etc effectively, it really doesn't matter how well you did at university.

The poster to whom I was responding said he was getting tired of school.  I was simply pointing out that school is not going to end just because he has a shiny new degree in hand.  There's more to come and although some can argue that the work will be easier, I would argue that the expected performance will be higher

[SentryMAn]

I went through CFSAL in the log O program.

It was harder then any university course(other then my CS courses) and was easily hands down the toughest exam I have ever completed.

7 hour exams are excruciating to write, glad I only needed to write it once.

[MJP]

I understand that.  However, one of the things that has been noticed at CFSAL, particularly amongst the ROTP folks on summer training, is that there is a tendancy to treat university study as "real" and training at CFSAL as not much more than a hindrance of one's summer vacation.  The reality is that CFSAL deals specifically with one's profession and so is pretty important.  If you don't take CFSAL seriously, the consequences will be serious.  If you don't learn to wade through the QR&O, CFAO, DAOD, FAM, etc effectively, it really doesn't matter how well you did at university.

The poster to whom I was responding said he was getting tired of school.  I was simply pointing out that school is not going to end just because he has a shiny new degree in hand.  There's more to come and although some can argue that the work will be easier, I would argue that the expected performance will be higher

Fair enough.  I am in the same category as original_brad in that I just want to get on with it.  I don't equate CFSAL to university, but rather the start of professional training.  It certainly is not meant to be taken lightly but rather with a view of furthering professional knowledge within the logistics field.

[original_brad]

I was more saying I'm sick of university, not learning.  I just want to get on with it, actually learn something that will be useful in my career instead of another random university course that has nothing to do with what I will be doing in the forces.  I consider university my time off from summer courses  .

I also just bought What the Thunder Said: Reflections of a Canadian Officer in Kandahar, supposed to be a great book for insight into the world of Log. Any one read it?

[Wookilar]

SentryMAn has a number of good suggestions, and his point on difficulty level is spot on.

LOCC is like being fed with a firehose. The exam sucks, hard. The time constraints you will be under, you have likely never experienced before (even if you had served in the ranks or in a previous trade).

You will work long days, you will have a great deal of homework and reading to do and you will have group work/presentations to do as well. If you are not proficient in powerpoint or comfortable speaking in front of large, potentially very critical crowds, try and work on that.

Let's put it this way, we had multiple ex-WO Chief Clerks on my course, they found the course and the testing to be challenging. One ex-MCpl failed and was sent home.

Is the course do-able? Absolutely, or I wouldn't be sitting here in the position I currently hold. I was a Veh Tech previously. I knew how to look through parts book and repair manuals, but CFAOs and DAODs were pretty foreign to me (other than 9-13 lol).

My advice, have a look through stuff like this. You don't have much time apparently lol:
http://www.admfincs.forces.gc.ca/cfa-oaf/index-eng.asp

As for the networking comments, truer words were never spoken. Not a week goes by that I am not emailing someone that I went to course with, especially LOCC. I am a TN guy, so my Fin and Sup are not the best, but I know lots of people that did take those specialties. We help each other out all the time.

Just be prepared as best you can, but don't get uptight. The staff will give you more  than enough rope.

Wook