Then midway through my training, I walked past an army recruiter at a trade expo. Knowing that I struggled academically, I thought that joining the army might be out of reach. The recruiter told me to take the tests and he'd see what career options there would be for me. He gave me three tests: a literacy test, a maths test, and a general trade test. I failed the literacy test, failed the maths test, and I just passed the trade test. The recruiter said, "Mate, you did terribly. But there's something about you I like." Three months later, I was on a bus to Waiōuru to complete my basic training.