Thinking about joining (Cadet)

[Starbird]

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, but here goes:

I am a 15 year old guy wondering if I should join CAP.  I am looking to find a way to serve the U.S. while developing life skills, meeting new people, and finding a sense of hard earned accomplishment.  The aerospace education program also appeals.  I am already taking flight lessons, but the orientation flights sound like an excellent opportunity also.

I guess my main concern is whether starting at 15 is too late to get the most out of the program.  Would it be possible for a person starting late to put in enough hard work to catch up with other cadets of my age as far as rank and experience is related?

Also, how much military knowledge should I know before joining?  Will I be taught or will I be expected to know?  If anyone could point me towards appropriate training documents it would be greatly appreciated.

On a final note,  I plan on this being all or nothing.  Either I will join and commit to working hard at this for a few years or I will not join at all.

Thanks,

Dan

[JayT]

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, but here goes:

I am a 15 year old guy wondering if I should join CAP.  I am looking to find a way to serve the U.S. while developing life skills, meeting new people, and finding a sense of hard earned accomplishment.  The aerospace education program also appeals.  I am already taking flight lessons, but the orientation flights sound like an excellent opportunity also.

I guess my main concern is whether starting at 15 is too late to get the most out of the program.  Would it be possible for a person starting late to put in enough hard work to catch up with other cadets of my age as far as rank and experience is related?

Also, how much military knowledge should I know before joining?  Will I be taught or will I be expected to know?  If anyone could point me towards appropriate training documents it would be greatly appreciated.

On a final note,  I plan on this being all or nothing.  Either I will join and commit to working hard at this for a few years or I will not join at all.

Thanks,

Dan

I joined at 15, and I got a lot out of it. I could of gotten more out of it but work, school, and life got in the way at my late teens.

Although I ended up staying out of the military for a number of reasons, it did put me on track to a career as a paramedic. Which is the best job in the world.

[Ned]

Dan,

I joined just before my 16th birthday, still managed to complete the entire cadet program and had a great time!  Made friends I still enjoy being with years later.

No military knowledge is required before you come in the door -- you will get everything you will need at your local squadron.

CAP gave me both flight and college scholarships, plus an a trip to Asia for three weeks on the International Air Cadet Exchange.  (Which is only two weeks these days.  Budget cuts -  what are you gonna do?)

I did wind up later going through ROTC and accepting an Army commission.  My CAP experience really, really gave me a leg up on my military training.

By all means go down to your local squadron and check things out.  Some units are more active than others, but all offer a quality program.

Let us know if we can answer any more questions.

Ned Lee
Former Cadet

[Capt Thompson]

Hi Dan,

I joined 2 months before my 17th Birthday. In some ways, being a little older will be beneficial, promotions and duty assignments are partly based on maturity, and a 15 year old should possess a bit more than a 12 year old. You should progress through the ranks a bit more quickly than a younger Cadet.

The only disadvantages are that you will also have to have the maturity to realize that someone younger than you, who has already been a Cadet for a while, may be in a position of authority over you.....and if you wish to complete the program (Cadet Colonel) you will have a few years less than a Cadet that joined at 12.

As others have said, you will have many opportunities, and you've still got a lot of time to be a Cadet. You may qualify for scholarships to finish your flight training, as well as money for college and advancement if you decide to go into the military.

I joined late, but I've never regretted the decision to join.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Some of the best cadets I've known (both, as a cadet and now as a senior member) joined at 15-16. They had more defined goals, understood their time is more important, and if they really wanted it, they went out and got it.

[Starbird]

Thank you all for replying.  I will contact my local squadron and then get back to you all.

[Private Investigator]

^ roger that. Looking forward to it and have fun