Keep with the forum , I'm not time served but I never found the 5 week post offensive . I've gone down the c&g 2330 route myself and I have found the sound advice on this forum both friendly and very helpful. There are many people on the forum that have had their training through various routes from time served in the military/ civilian and part time courses . All it means is that the longer you spend training and the more qualifications you have the broader your horizon and of course the experience you gain on the tools