1. That the American military was completely shameless. Really, they'd been basically biding their time since he was in sixth grade, but when they finally pounced, their "offer" was extraordinarily unsubtle. And not a bluff, he discovered, after two universities and one private research institution rescinded their offers at the last minute. A friend at the second university passed on the rumor that a visit to the dean had scared them off of him -- imposingly hostile investigators who had "national security questions for Doctor McKay." And yes, yes, yes, the military had the best toys and money and so on. But it wasn't until he got to play with actual alien technology that he stopped feeling like he'd been strong-armed by the Mafia, and the gilding was shiny enough to keep him from wanting to leave his cage.
2. Okay, so he already knew the military was a bunch of jackbooted thugs. But really, within their ridiculous, regimented hierarchy, he expected some level of meritocracy, some sort of... of... objective evaluation of reports that would clearly show that Rodney had made a sound scientific call and shouldn't be punished by being sent to Siberia of all places, when he was so obviously needed at the SGC to provide a modicum of rational balance to Major Carter's hare-brained plans -- which were frighteningly close to guesswork, considering the fate of the world was generally in her hands. Or at least he should be at Area 51, where he analyzed important alien tech faster and better than anyone else in the compound -- not bragging, just simple truth. But no, apparently the military was subject to the same idiotic political gameplaying as any academic institution, and General Hammond had his pets -- O'Neill, Carter, Teal'c and Jackson -- and treated anyone who dared speak out for scientific sanity like some kind of... pit bull that had attacked his granddaughters. Really, it was horribly unfair.
3. Also? He learned he hated the cold.
4. Also? He learned Antarctica was even colder than Siberia.
5. But, eventually, he learned that when you're offworld -- desperately trying to get a hold of needed tech, arrows whizzing past your head -- sometimes the military is useful. And, after several missions with them, that not every member of the military is a completely witless baboon with a case of testosterone poisoning. And that while they might never reach his level of intelligence -- who can? -- some might be acceptably smart. And some might prove to be able to withstand his ruthless brand of honesty and turn out to be decent enough company, unlike the sniveling, sensitive whiners he's so often surrounded by.
Five things Rodney learned *after* grad school.
2. Okay, so he already knew the military was a bunch of jackbooted thugs. But really, within their ridiculous, regimented hierarchy, he expected some level of meritocracy, some sort of... of... objective evaluation of reports that would clearly show that Rodney had made a sound scientific call and shouldn't be punished by being sent to Siberia of all places, when he was so obviously needed at the SGC to provide a modicum of rational balance to Major Carter's hare-brained plans -- which were frighteningly close to guesswork, considering the fate of the world was generally in her hands. Or at least he should be at Area 51, where he analyzed important alien tech faster and better than anyone else in the compound -- not bragging, just simple truth. But no, apparently the military was subject to the same idiotic political gameplaying as any academic institution, and General Hammond had his pets -- O'Neill, Carter, Teal'c and Jackson -- and treated anyone who dared speak out for scientific sanity like some kind of... pit bull that had attacked his granddaughters. Really, it was horribly unfair.
3. Also? He learned he hated the cold.
4. Also? He learned Antarctica was even colder than Siberia.
5. But, eventually, he learned that when you're offworld -- desperately trying to get a hold of needed tech, arrows whizzing past your head -- sometimes the military is useful. And, after several missions with them, that not every member of the military is a completely witless baboon with a case of testosterone poisoning. And that while they might never reach his level of intelligence -- who can? -- some might be acceptably smart. And some might prove to be able to withstand his ruthless brand of honesty and turn out to be decent enough company, unlike the sniveling, sensitive whiners he's so often surrounded by.
In fact, some, few, might even be called friends.