What they don't tell you

We're still figuring plenty out about this whole new job and things, and some of the stuff that I've recently learned is a little surprising. So far, nothing is a deal breaker, but I still wish I'd known it ahead of time.

To give you an idea . . .

The officer pays for his own uniforms before training. From two sources we've heard different numbers: $1,500 or $2,500. Neither one is chump change, right?

In the military, you get 30 days off each year (I think Rob knew that part, I forget). However, not for interns (that's how all social workers that are getting their LCSW are classified). Minor detail, right? For the first year, if we're lucky, he might get five days off (depends on the Commanding Officer - some give none). He does get holidays, and he does accrue the 30 days, but can't use any of them.

Because he doesn't get any official time off he has to stay within 300 miles (or maybe 200 miles?) of base at all times--including holidays. No family visits for us in the next year.

We still have a lot to learn. All that we have learned, in fact, comes from extraneous sources--thank goodness for them!

I'm ready to create a new blog dedicated to revealing all of the gems of infomation that the recruiter maybe could have considered sharing sometime in the very drawn out application process.

By the way, the security process has been kind of crazy. With Rob working his 2 jobs he hasn't had time to hunt things down. So I've been doing that sort of thing. Including numbers off his sister's "born abroad" certificate (or whatever it's really called), friends (personal references) he's known longer than 7 years, all of my parents info. I joke that soon they are going to need the name of my mom's first grade teacher. It's kind of crazy.