Would a quiet introvert have a hard time in the air force/military?
I know the military revolves around a lot of socialization every day. Would someone who is naturally quiet, keeps to themselves, has a small circle of close friends, and just generally an introvert have a difficult time being in the air force or military? Like what is the typical day for the average soldier on base or during their jobs?
Introverts in the Air Force?
I am an introvert. A 17-year Master Sergeant -- who started in a field of electronics. The military lifestyle builds confidence and you find yourself amongst friends. In turn you can grow and develop to lead others and speak your voice. It takes practice and work, but can be obtained. I am still an introvert...but I have led many groups of people -- up to 40, through organizational units and hard times in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Is the military NOT a place for introverts?
Hello Charlie, Intoverted people find changes in their lives for the better when they are in the military. People only holler in your face at basic training! It's a game to get you to pay attention and to respond quickly. No body hates anybody. Sure, you can be a "room rat" and stay in your room after your work is done. But, that is not "really" experiencing all that the military has to offer you. You don't have to "talk" much. But, it is a "gift" to be able to listen to others and be around others and learn and observe and make the changes in your life that you are comfortable with. Basic Training is what it is for a reason. Once you survive that; it is different in the military. What branch are you thinking about joining? I do advise you to join the Air Force because you will have more of the "quiet time" you are seeking - so you can study and reflect on your interests and abilities. Sure, you will be "social" when you are at work. But, that's not like a "constant hang out in the play ground at recess." You do your job as you are assigned to do. But, you will become friendly with those people whom you work with. You don't have to be friends with 3,000 people on your base. Just those whom you work with daily. When I was in high school I was fairly quiet and to myself. But, once in the military I grew and developed my personality and saw that my skills could make me a better respected person and bring me greater achievement in life. What military branch are you interested in and what kinds of jobs are you leaning towards? Best wishes, Larry Smith Senior Master Sergeant, USAF (Ret.) First Sergeant P.S. Most of the people above are Army types. And, they are accustomed to being in "groups" all the time - going places together and etc. I served 16 years in radar maintenance in a radar tower. We only associated with 2 - 3 people when we worked rotating shifts. When on normal days we associated with no more than 10 people. After work, we didn't all hang out together. I went my way and spend my time with females whom I dated. You don't have to be a 'party animal' in the service. People respect each other's times and privacy.
Joining the Canadian Forces while being introverted/shy/quiet/social anxiety?
So I was really interested in joining the Canadian Forces Air Force. I am currently a University so I'm probably going to join the Reserves first right now, and then after getting my degree, join full-time through the Officer Training Program. The thing is though, I'm a pretty introverted, shy, quiet guy who somewhat has social anxiety. I was wondering if it would be difficult for me to fit in, and if joining the forces well make me a more social and extroverted person. I'm already pretty disciplined and consistent.
What do introverts do in their free time?
I’m a fairly introverted person, I suppose, in that socializing usually feels like work to me. Enjoyable work — but work, not relaxation.Music and the arts are my career, seven days a week much of the time, so I don’t have hobbies related to those fields. Those are my fields. I wouldn’t have it any other way. The guitar is my “slacker” instrument, so to speak, so I knock around on it for fun now and then, and I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the years.I play a lot of video games, and have since I was a small child. Having been born in 1980, I’m right on the older threshold of people who don’t know what it’s like to grow up without gaming. I enjoy all kinds, but open-world adventures and sandboxes are my favorites. Minecraft is basically the best thing ever for me: I love building enormous, elaborate structures for no reason whatsoever. That’s relaxing, if anything is.Reading is great, but I have to be careful because if I get really interested in something, I simply do not have the discipline to put it down. I like to read books of all kinds: history, science fiction, fantasy, philosophical treatises, you name it. I do have a preference for established literature when it comes to fiction; it’s difficult for me to read most contemporary fiction, with just a few exceptions, because I quite easily become irretrievably hyper-critical of the writing.I’m a good cook, and cooking for myself or my friends is one of my favorite leisure activities. For this reason I would be a terrible production cook. It’s not something I would ever want to turn into work under pressure. I imagine many people who do music for a hobby feel the same way about playing an instrument.I’m fairly outdoorsy by nature — the reason I’m not a monster gamer is because I have trouble sitting still for long periods of time. Hiking and camping are the ways I really “deep clean” my head when there’s too much going on up there.And then there’s Quora!
Is being an introvert beneficial or bad joining a military branch?
Depends on the job, the branch. Some of the best aviators I knew were of the introvert persuasion. This peculiar turn of mind and it's accompanying personality traits served them well as we plied the sky's over Vietnam. That's where we’d learn on the job in a B52 in the late 60’s and early 70’s.Extroverts, on the other hand, often gravitated toward the Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) crew position. Their job was discovering then defeating the missile electronic signals attempting to find us,blow us up and prematurely end our mission.These EWOs were whirling dervishes. As they worked, they randomly twisting an entire panel of frequency band width knobs, levers,rheostats and pedals. They also eyeballed and manipulated the deadly SAMs incoming signals on several large cathode tube displays.All the while, they'd be yammering on the interphone, keeping up a running dissertation on what,where,why and how things were happening. When you heard them excitedly say, “SAM Uplink” you knew the combined talent of Soviet Union scientists and North Vietnam operators was enjoined to make your day, at best, very miserable.So here you have the pilot’s introverted single-mindedness and calm professionalism giving you confidence that the mission will definitely succeed. Likewise, the EWO’ s frenetic maneuvering and verbal posturing leaves you feeling the same way. You are confident his job knowledge and extroverted demonstration enhances your survivability.
Can an introvert be an officer in the Armed Forces of India? Would an introvert be recommended by the SSB?
You asked 2 different questions , but only if one gets recommended he can be an officer . If you are an introvert , following are the problems that you may face in your selection at SSB :If you are a fresher then you can survive in PPDT otherwise in repeater’s batch it will be a fish market and you will be out on the very first day.If by chance you face main SSB ( leaving 1st day) , you will have trouble finding friends and sharing their knowledge , you may lack behind in some cases.If you have less number of friends at SSB , no one will support you during task like GPE and other outdoor activities.May be IO can ask you about your roommates during SSB and that might lead you into trouble .No need to be a shy person there , everyone is like you . Remember , an officer commands from the front , their voice is bold enough to lead people and they know everyone in their battalion.
How would an INFJ handle being in the military?
An INFJ can handle the military just fine. I am an INFJ and have been in various components of the AF for 26 years. You just need to be selective. I enjoyed the structure and discipline, meeting people from all over the country, doing things that most of the population don't get to do, traveling, camping (har-har), and most of all contributing to my nation. The military needs us. I've surprised many a leader at how useful I am to have on the team.Some bits of advice:+Study for the ASVAB test. The higher your scores are in the different areas of aptitude gives you maximum choice in the career fields that you may want. +Enlist into a specific profession. +Look at professions with a high mix of women to men. Usually it is in Intelligence, Medical, or Administrative. I don't think female INFJs would like high male environments in the military. They get kind of piggish in groups.+Take a veteran with you to the recruiting office.I enlisted as a cryptolinguist. I had dreams of eventually working in an embassy or for the UN. I ended up completing two languages back to back due to political changes and loved it. The Presidio is a great place to be stationed and you are surrounded by a lot of bright and interesting people. Unfortunately, I didn't truly grasp the details of the job until crypto school. I graduated from that school and then opted to get out. The government was downsizing due to the end of the Cold War. I think I would have been unhappy doing that job, but I'll never know. My career has taken me many different directions but I've enjoyed it every step of the way.