Quiting CAP

[AnonCADET]

Well, im stumped. i dont if I should quit cap, or take a break. I do the boy scouts. and getting my eagle( Highest rank in the BSA)is important to me. I also live on a farm, so i have lots of farm work to do, plus i have school, and some church activities. In cap im in the Rangers, and im Ranger team sgt, and a flight sgt. But my squadren is putting a lot of stress on me. and i have a bunch of tests to do. If i quit, I know im gonna make my mom a little dissapointed and sad. i come from a military family, im still gonna join the army and do army avaition. but im realy stressed out. I have way to much work to do. Should I quit or just take a break from it.

[a2capt]

Spread stuff out, nothing says you must promote every 58 days.

FWIW, the Mitchell Award opens the possibilities of advance promotion for the Army, too. Which are you closer to? Might be wise to concentrate on one over the other, or under the same premise, if you've got time, keep alternate avenues open and shoot for both.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

There is also the Army Cadets, if you would be more into immersing yourself into Army culture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Cadet_Alliance

It sounds like you are overextending yourself WAY too much.  If you're too stressed, your mind and body are trying to tell you something.

I once had an informal talk at a meeting with a CAP cadet who asked me about the same thing (which was a great honour and surprise to me, that she trusted me enough to talk to me).  She was involved in CAP, school athletics, orchestra and church activities...kind of the classic overachiever.  I remember asking her "when do you have time to breathe?"  She laughed but got the gist of my statement.

You have to have some downtime, and you can make best use of that when you're young and not burdened with a ton of responsibilities.  Take it from an old guy like me, once it's gone, there's no getting it back.

[SarDragon]

I think the ACA has had some significant legal issues recently, and has lost much of its upper level leadership. Where's Nin when you need him?

Regarding the OP, you need to align your goals and priorities. Which activities provide the most help for achieving those goals? Spend more time doing those, and less on the others. You don't necessarily need to totally give anything up, but just cut back on your level of involvement. Remember, it's all voluntary.

[NIN]

I think the ACA has had some significant legal issues recently, and has lost much of its upper level leadership. Where's Nin when you need him?

Right here. I'm not needed. 

[rustyjeeper]

I am just wondering if someone can provide further information on the army cadets program and what its issues and challenges are/ or were?
I recently joined many other people in leaving CAP out of frustration with the good old boy network and politics.
As I left I made the suggestion to NHQ that exit interviews might not be a bad idea.
I am currently researching other worthwhile organisations to lend my support to, where hopefully it is appreciated. If anyone has info on similar things to CAP a pm would be appreciated.
thanks much!

[Private Investigator]

As I left I made the suggestion to NHQ that exit interviews might not be a bad idea.

Exit interviews would be very enlightening.

To paraphase Napoleon; "There are no bad CAP Squadrons; there are only bad Squadron Commanders." If I was guessing, I would say 50% of membership leaves because the Squadron Commander is lame. I know I was in a situation where a better Squadron was 10 minutes down the road, I will make the drive. If nothing decent is close by, I could get more involved in the American Legion.

[antdetroitwallyball]

I am just wondering if someone can provide further information on the army cadets program and what its issues and challenges are/ or were?
I recently joined many other people in leaving CAP out of frustration with the good old boy network and politics.
As I left I made the suggestion to NHQ that exit interviews might not be a bad idea.
I am currently researching other worthwhile organisations to lend my support to, where hopefully it is appreciated. If anyone has info on similar things to CAP a pm would be appreciated.
thanks much!

Sure, there are a ton of other organizations out there. Try "that other auxiliary," for starters......

The real issue is that a lot of people expect these organizations to be free of GOB networks and politics. The reality is that any organization with 30,000+ volunteer members is going to invariably have the same (more or less) degree of issues. Especially, those organizations that tend to assist government agencies.

Don't ever look to others for a sense of appreciation. You'll never truly be happy doing that. If you can't get enough satisfaction out of simply knowing that you've done something small for the greater good of society ---- if you actually need anything more than that from a volunteer agency ----- then large scale volunteer organizations are just not for you.

It's always possible to remain with an organization and simply choose to be less intensely involved, or find involvment in a different area.

Best of luck to you, but you might need to re-consider involvement in larger volunteer organizations.

[SJFedor]

As I left I made the suggestion to NHQ that exit interviews might not be a bad idea.

Exit interviews would be very enlightening.

To paraphase Napoleon; "There are no bad CAP Squadrons; there are only bad Squadron Commanders." If I was guessing, I would say 50% of membership leaves because the Squadron Commander is lame. I know I was in a situation where a better Squadron was 10 minutes down the road, I will make the drive. If nothing decent is close by, I could get more involved in the American Legion.

In all seriousness, consider your local rescue squad/fire department/EMA, if you like to actually be out in the community doing work n whatnot.

[LSThiker]

Sure, there are a ton of other organizations out there. Try "that other auxiliary," for starters......

Well I ran across the Air Force Explorers group.  So the CG Aux may loose some attention if this Explorer program gets out of Arizona. 

[pierson777]

As I left I made the suggestion to NHQ that exit interviews might not be a bad idea.

Exit interviews would be very enlightening.

To paraphase Napoleon; "There are no bad CAP Squadrons; there are only bad Squadron Commanders." If I was guessing, I would say 50% of membership leaves because the Squadron Commander is lame. I know I was in a situation where a better Squadron was 10 minutes down the road, I will make the drive. If nothing decent is close by, I could get more involved in the American Legion.

Agreed.  Great leadership is vital to the success of a CAP squadron.  I've served in four wings, six squadrons, with 17 years in CAP (nonconsecutive).  Too many times I've witnessed a squadron commander loosely lead in a manner which I simply call "leaving the light on."  If the mission and the training is meaningless or not plentiful enough, then why would anyone want to stick around?  Back in my cadet days, I drove one hour each direction to participate with an "active" squadron with "active" leadership.

Back on topic  for this post.  Talk it over with your leadership.  Don't be afraid to talk to the Deputy Commander for Cadets or your Commander.  They would probably rather see you take a break and return when you're able or reduce your involvement to an acceptable level in the short term. 

Having the maturity to recognize that you can't do it all is a good sign.  Plus you seek advice.  I admire these traits and would hate to lose someone like you.  I encourage you to give this situation considerable thought before you quit.  I've known people that tried to do too much, and failed to do a single one of them well.  I call that "all afterburner, and no rudder."  Good luck with your decision, and I wish you well in whatever you decide.

[davedove]

Well, im stumped. i dont if I should quit cap, or take a break. I do the boy scouts. and getting my eagle( Highest rank in the BSA)is important to me. I also live on a farm, so i have lots of farm work to do, plus i have school, and some church activities. In cap im in the Rangers, and im Ranger team sgt, and a flight sgt. But my squadren is putting a lot of stress on me. and i have a bunch of tests to do. If i quit, I know im gonna make my mom a little dissapointed and sad. i come from a military family, im still gonna join the army and do army avaition. but im realy stressed out. I have way to much work to do. Should I quit or just take a break from it.

I don't mean to be flippant, but welcome to life.  Part of maturing is learning to prioritize what you want to do with your limited resources, in your case time, and remembering that you can't do it all.  Others have made suggestions, but you have to decide for yourself what is most important to you and cut back on your other activities.  You may not have to stop an activitiy, but reduce the effort you put into it.  That may be CAP, the Boy Scouts, or one of your other activities.  And, yes, sometimes we have to disappoint our parents, but if you explain it to them they should understand.

[Private Investigator]

As I left I made the suggestion to NHQ that exit interviews might not be a bad idea.

Exit interviews would be very enlightening.

To paraphase Napoleon; "There are no bad CAP Squadrons; there are only bad Squadron Commanders." If I was guessing, I would say 50% of membership leaves because the Squadron Commander is lame. I know I was in a situation where a better Squadron was 10 minutes down the road, I will make the drive. If nothing decent is close by, I could get more involved in the American Legion.

Agreed.  Great leadership is vital to the success of a CAP squadron.  I've served in four wings, six squadrons, with 17 years in CAP (nonconsecutive).  Too many times I've witnessed a squadron commander loosely lead in a manner which I simply call "leaving the light on."  If the mission and the training is meaningless or not plentiful enough, then why would anyone want to stick around?  Back in my cadet days, I drove one hour each direction to participate with an "active" squadron with "active" leadership.

Back on topic  for this post.  Talk it over with your leadership.  Don't be afraid to talk to the Deputy Commander for Cadets or your Commander.  They would probably rather see you take a break and return when you're able or reduce your involvement to an acceptable level in the short term. 

Having the maturity to recognize that you can't do it all is a good sign.  Plus you seek advice.  I admire these traits and would hate to lose someone like you.  I encourage you to give this situation considerable thought before you quit.  I've known people that tried to do too much, and failed to do a single one of them well.  I call that "all afterburner, and no rudder."  Good luck with your decision, and I wish you well in whatever you decide.

I agree, very good answer for the OP   :clap:

[rustyjeeper]

I am just wondering if someone can provide further information on the army cadets program and what its issues and challenges are/ or were?
I recently joined many other people in leaving CAP out of frustration with the good old boy network and politics.
As I left I made the suggestion to NHQ that exit interviews might not be a bad idea.
I am currently researching other worthwhile organisations to lend my support to, where hopefully it is appreciated. If anyone has info on similar things to CAP a pm would be appreciated.
thanks much!

Sure, there are a ton of other organizations out there. Try "that other auxiliary," for starters......

The real issue is that a lot of people expect these organizations to be free of GOB networks and politics. The reality is that any organization with 30,000+ volunteer members is going to invariably have the same (more or less) degree of issues. Especially, those organizations that tend to assist government agencies.

Don't ever look to others for a sense of appreciation. You'll never truly be happy doing that. If you can't get enough satisfaction out of simply knowing that you've done something small for the greater good of society ---- if you actually need anything more than that from a volunteer agency ----- then large scale volunteer organizations are just not for you.

It's always possible to remain with an organization and simply choose to be less intensely involved, or find involvment in a different area.

Best of luck to you, but you might need to re-consider involvement in larger volunteer organizations.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yes,
I realize that GOB issues and politics are a fact of life.  I was frustrated with much more than just my local unit. Mt former Squadron Commander is a good man and I respect him. My frustrations went thru the leadership level up at the  Wing level- thats why I chose not to simply transfer to another unit. Thanks to all who replied.

[Johnny Yuma]

Well, im stumped. i dont if I should quit cap, or take a break. I do the boy scouts. and getting my eagle( Highest rank in the BSA)is important to me. I also live on a farm, so i have lots of farm work to do, plus i have school, and some church activities. In cap im in the Rangers, and im Ranger team sgt, and a flight sgt. But my squadren is putting a lot of stress on me. and i have a bunch of tests to do. If i quit, I know im gonna make my mom a little dissapointed and sad. i come from a military family, im still gonna join the army and do army avaition. but im realy stressed out. I have way to much work to do. Should I quit or just take a break from it.

Before I did anything, I'd work on that spelling and grammar.

[Eclipse]

If there was money in being trolled, you guys would be broke.

[Cindi]

Well, im stumped. i dont if I should quit cap, or take a break. I do the boy scouts. and getting my eagle( Highest rank in the BSA)is important to me. I also live on a farm, so i have lots of farm work to do, plus i have school, and some church activities. In cap im in the Rangers, and im Ranger team sgt, and a flight sgt. But my squadren is putting a lot of stress on me. and i have a bunch of tests to do. If i quit, I know im gonna make my mom a little dissapointed and sad. i come from a military family, im still gonna join the army and do army avaition. but im realy stressed out. I have way to much work to do. Should I quit or just take a break from it.

Sounds like its decision time AnonCADET. Should I stay or should I go?
Be sure to let us know how it works out for you! Good luck! The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go

[MSG Mac]

Well, im stumped. i dont if I should quit cap, or take a break. I do the boy scouts. and getting my eagle( Highest rank in the BSA)is important to me. I also live on a farm, so i have lots of farm work to do, plus i have school, and some church activities. In cap im in the Rangers, and im Ranger team sgt, and a flight sgt. But my squadren is putting a lot of stress on me. and i have a bunch of tests to do. If i quit, I know im gonna make my mom a little dissapointed and sad. i come from a military family, im still gonna join the army and do army avaition. but im realy stressed out. I have way to much work to do. Should I quit or just take a break from it.

It seems there are two things you can't drop school and farm chores. So you have to balance CAP, BSA, and church activities. You might start by curtailing the Ranger team activities and concentrate on the Cadet Program until you're able to be more active. Don't quit! Getting the Mitchell Award is worth scholarship $$.

[a2capt]

The problem is "Ranger" has more letters than "Cadet", and sounds way more hardcool.

[Eclipse]

Seriously, the poster barely slowed down, and isn't coming back.

[a2capt]

It's just a discussion, with or without the initiator.