HALIFAX—The Canadian Armed Forces hosted an open house at the HMCS Scotian on Saturday to remind civilians that service with the CAF is much more than what you see in the movies.

“We do have over 110 trades in the military,” said Lt. David Kay, the detachment commander at the CAF recruiting centre in Halifax.

“A lot of people think that they’re just hard army trades, infantry, that sort of thing,” he said.

The open house, which ran from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m., had representatives from various army profession and trades speaking to the public about what they do. The armed forces recruited 5,032 Canadians in the 2017-18 fiscal year and are hoping to increase that number this year in order to keep the amount of people in the CAF stable.

“We’re always looking for people,” Kay said.

The recruitment officer for the local navy reserves, Petty Officer Second Class, Nathaniel Dusome, said that the range of positions available in the military is broad.

“I think there’s that misconception, I guess, that if you join the military you’re going to war,” he said. “It’s not necessarily the case at all. When you’re on a ship is a perfect example. We need to eat, we need to order supplies, so we have trades for all of that stuff. We have cooks, we have construction engineers.”

Dusome added that the naval-reserve duty in Halifax is a popular option with university and college students, since it offers opportunities that to build a skill set that’s applicable to civilian careers.

“I truly believe, myself being a reservist, that if I was to go into the civilian sector, I would be very employable … based on the very long resumé I have, based on the service that I’ve done with Canada,” he said. “The military is unique in that you’re a leader from Day 1. ... You’re going to be put into positions, at a younger age, of leadership and you’re going to start building those supervisor skills at a young age.”

Master Corporal Nickolas Petuhoff, a medical assistant reservist, agrees that serving in the military can open doors. Petuhoff is originally from Manitoba, where he completed a degree in English and theatre.

“I’ve just recently completed my paramedic program here in Halifax,” he said, “so I kind of focus between paramedicine, military work and then theatre as well, so it’s a bit of a unique combination.”

Petuhoff added that young people may not initially think of the military when trying to find a career but that service can open up opportunities that aren’t always considered.

“I think that, for me, what I found was that you always have to try and find opportunities that are a little bit outside of your comfort zone,” he said. “Going down that road where you’re taking a job with the forces, that pathway could potentially lead you to opportunities which you have never thought of before and could give you that job satisfaction.”

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