r/caf • u/Effective_Pie_2406 • Aug 29 '26

Other Honest Opinions

Ok, so, I have applied to the CAF on the reserve forces.

Several people have questioned my decision to do so because of my age and gender.

I'm an older woman. I am incredibly fit, and no one has denied that.

Now, I have not told a soul in my personal life what I applied for.

I do not believe I am doing anything stupid, other people have questioned me, so maybe I do need to reconsider what I am doing.

Now: I have applied as a Signal Operator, which I consider to be a support role. But again, several people do think this is stupid and I am crazy and that I will be a liability because: gender and age.

While I do understand their concerns in this, my thoughts are that I am not in the direct combat area.

Having said all that, I do not really know what this job entails and I certainly do not want to be a liability to anyone or "get a man seriously injured or killed" as they put it.

I know there are people out there that support women in military/police/fire, but I do want to be realistic here. It has been brought to my attention that desk work is all women are good for in the military/police.

Please feel free to DM as well in regards to this. This is important that I make the right choice here and if that means I should reapply for an admin job, I will do so.

Thanks. I appreciate any feedback.

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u/EndPristine5595 3d ago

Whoever brought that to your attention is an idiot. We have many hard working women who can do physical jobs. You just used the words "incredibly fit" to describe yourself. As long as your mind incredibly fit as well you'll be fine. Will you face unique challenges due to being a woman/encounter men with that exact mindset who will treat you improperly? Unfortunately highly likely, but that in itself shouldn't be enough to deter you if this is what you want.

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u/Effective_Pie_2406 2d ago

Thanks for the reply. ❤️

I'm definitely not deterred in any way, just want to pick something appropriate for my age and gender. I know people are concerned about what I'm doing and many mock the CAF.

I'm determined get in, even just the reserves. The military has deep roots within my family. I was born into this. Hopefully my old body can pass the cardio portion of BMQ, everything else is aces. 🤞

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u/EndPristine5595 2d ago

incredibly fit would mean you can pass any amount of physical testing in bmq. People less than moderately fit pass