Should I Sign On?

During the CLM term, or even throughout the OCS process, there will be many occasions where army recruitment comes and give you "the talk". You know what I am talking about.

The talk where a regular will come and tell you about why you should join the military, what are your opportunities, different scholarships and how much money you can get.

Just to be clear, everyone has different circumstances, different career goals and objectives, and different life styles. The reasons for signing on and taking up a career in the military (or rejecting so) will be different for each and everyone one. However, I think that everyone should go through this thought process before you sign that contract.

1. Is this something I really enjoy and see myself doing it for the next 5 to 10 years?

• You only live once, and your first proper career will have a very big impact on where you end up and your prime years
• Only choose to sign on if you enjoy what you are doing in the military or else you will find it very challenging and potentially miserable in the long haul
• I also want to stress that at 19/20/21 years old you will not know the opportunities that you have after graduating or the different kinds of jobs out there (signing on my close all the doors that you don't even know exist)

2. What scholarship tier or career track are they offering you?

• Signing on usually comes with an academic scholarship that is tiered - e.g. SAFOS scholars will get their base pay and a monthly allowance while they are studying, they also tend to be those who will be promoted faster and to higher ranks
• If the scholarship or career track that they are offering you is something that you think will limit your career (or that you can do better elsewhere), perhaps signing on might not be the wisest decision

3. Do I know my other options?

• Signing on so that you can pursue your studies / or go to a university abroad? - Is becoming a regular for the next 5 years really worth it?
• Will you find another career that you really want to do after going to university and regret your decision?
• Can you find other ways to make the money for studies?
• The army will always be recruiting and it is highly possible for you to join as a regular after studies
• However, after you sign on, joining other career paths instead of the army would be a much more costly decision (bonds can go up to half a million or more)

4. Am I prepared for the risks?

• A career in the military involves occupational risks as seen from the recent death cases in Singapore - are you willing to dedicate your life to this service and take on these risks?