The pay scales aren't amazing but they are workable. I doubt you'd be a MCpl after only 5 years in the regs, but the pay is comparable to other areas of the public service - which isn't surprising since the Treasury Board sets the pay for both the CF and the rest of the public service.
Four years ago, not only was I not in the army, but I wasn't even seriously considering joining. I was in my third year working for customs, and looking forward to going permanent there, learning more of the job, and moving up in seniority and pay. By the next year, I had become so fed up with some aspects of my job, and looked to the CF as a way of expanding the depth and breadth of my experiences, learning leadership and achieving positive goals outside of work that I could feel a sense of accomplishment for.
Fast forward to Sept. 2004 and here I am, conducting pre-deployment training for Op ATHENA. My family and friends have been very supportive over the past three years, and I think they can see that this is what I want to do, this is the contribution I want to make and I'm serious about it all.
Kmcc, your family and friends will come around, too. They will change their tune when they see that you are dedicated to helping yourself and others, learning new things, and serving your nation and its' citizens.
I find that here in Canada, we suffer from a sort of "crabs in the bucket" mentality -- the other crabs work together to keep the few from climbing out and escaping. You will encounter the other crabs, working to keep you from getting out of the bucket, the naysayers and gloom-and-doom types. But once you commit, once you show you are willing to make personal sacrifices, they'll come around, and they'll wish they had the personal drive and committment to follow your lead.
