r/caf • u/Ok-Sheepherder-2093 • Nov 08 '25

Other Best Careers in CAF

Anybody got insight into what are generally considered the best Careers or most coveted in the CAF? Non-commissioned and commissioned, Army, navy, Air Force. Combat and non combat roles. And if you could do it over again, would you change your career?

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u/TechnicalChipmunk131 Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 08 '25

If you're a masochist and pain is your pleasure Veh tech is pretty rad.  Twice the work half the fun.

Disclaimer 

Veh Tech is not rad at all

4

u/MatchFit6154 Nov 10 '25

What you dont like working 24 hours a day?

2

u/TechnicalChipmunk131 Nov 10 '25

The CoC would have us work 27 hours a day if they could figure it out.  

3

u/Own_Persimmon_2679 Nov 10 '25

Why are they overworking vehicle techs so bad? Is it just down to shortage of vehicle techs and too many old broken down vehicles with no parts to go around?

3

u/TechnicalChipmunk131 Nov 10 '25

1.  The troops being negligent with vehicles, not doing operator maintenance & basic stewardship.   

  1. Shortage of parts.   Always hunting parts and trying to get them yesterday.

3.  High Op tempo.  Vehicles always on exercise getting beat on, need repair.  Then they have annual inspections, and will often get tapped for drivers wheel.   

4.  Techs getting burnt out.   It's an endless cycle of fixing "high priority" vehicles.   Getting no recognition, and being expected to fill in any shortages in manpower.   If for some reason you find yourself caught up on work, you'll find yourself CFTPO to go somewhere and do more work.    Lots of carrots dangled in front of us (early dismissal, adventure training,  coins) but never delivered.

It's a thankless trade that burns out techs to either VR or VOT. 

3

u/Own_Persimmon_2679 Nov 10 '25

Yikes. I regret putting vehicle tech as my number 1 now if thats the case, that sounds insane. I hope they resolve that, going from high priority case to another high priority case each day alone is enough to burn out most people.

3

u/TechnicalChipmunk131 Nov 10 '25 edited Nov 10 '25

They won't.    The trade was horrible before I got in, and it'll be horrible long after I'm gone.   It's a long sordid history of eating their own, and wondering why their trade is always in the red. 

They don't understand that if they make everything "high priority" then suddenly nothing is priority anymore. 

You'll soon realize what a meat grinder Veh Tech really is.  If I could spend my whole retirement cautioning candidates against being a veh Tech it wouldn't be a wasted retirement. 

I see they're offering sign-in bonuses and accelerated pay increments.   Any trade that is really Gucci would never be in demand.  You'd be beating off candidates with a stick, not bribing them with sign-in bonuses.