01SOMm6

iTrader: (4)

Well I ETS in Nov and im pretty ready to get out. Deployed once to Diyala Province and did infantry ****. Ive never done my MOS. Couldnt tell you one thing about it(13R).
Id possibly stay in if there is a super sham, nondeployable MOS. LoL alot of peoples dream right.
Thought about recruiter..
Basically 3 Years in possibly coming up on my 5 soon what should I do?

Killemall

DO NOT GET OUT OF THE MILITARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!

Look man....I had the shittiest job known to man...Army Infantry....OK OK Im being harsh...Ive always been above average physical fitness so really for the most part I enjoyed the job.....

I did 7 years of it and then pushed a medical issue ( hearing loss) I got hearing aids and then was given a choice...

Change MOS to somthing EXTREMELY SHAM ( as having a P3 profile ment zero field time) or get out and get a severance pay check of 30K...

Guess what my dumb *** did....

Heres the breakdown...

I was a 24 year old SGT with 7 years in...

-baseE5 pay was- 2,200.00 per month
-cost of living expenses was $500.00 per ( Have a wife and 4 children)
-Basic allowance for substinance was $300 per month
-Basic allowance for housing was $1400.00 per month

I was making $4,400 per month and only getting taxed on the $2,200.00 base pay...

every 2 weeks I brought home $2000.00 AFTER TAXES This was back in 2004 at 24 years old

But I gave up that GREAT JOB for a measily 30K...Ayear after I got out the housing market boom happenned and peoples Basic allowance for housing went from $1400.00 to $2000.00

So basically if I were still in Id be at my 12 year mark with only 8 years left and be a E6-E7 with a base pay around......

- base pay $3000.00
-COLA.......$600.00
-BAS.........$400.00
-BAH.........$2000.00

So Id be making 6,000 per month right now and taking home 2 week checks of 2,700.00 AFTER TAXES....If Id stayed in....


But again I took the measily 30 K because I was only 24 years old and figured hey....If Im making this kinda money at only 24 years old in the Army imagine what I can make in the civilian world by the time Im 30....

Got out at 24 years old and took a year off...Had that 30K severance pay plus money I had saved up over the years plus my wife was doing pretty well financially..So I raised my kids from 24-25 years old..

Got the best job I could land at 25 after aplying for many many differant federal civilian posistions..

13 bucks an hour building kitchens..Yep I went from the 24 year old SGT bringing home 4000.00 a month after taxes to the 26 year old kitchen builder making $1600.00 per month after taxes...

Did that for 4 months and then just couldnt look in the mirror or my wallet anymore..

Said screw it and took another year off...So I took from 25-26 off and stayed home with my kids again..Luckily my wife was financially doing better than ever..But things were still tight...

At 26 years old my kids were now all in school and their was no excuse about staying home to raise them....I landed a job as the head of security at a private school....Only $2400.00 per month after taxes ( but still a lot more than building kitchens) and I only worked 9 months a year but still got a check every month....
This was only suppossed to be a 6 month thing as I was suppossed to make the Honolulu Police Department staring off at 46K per year but with over time an EASY 60K a year job that would put me around the $1700.00 per check mark..Just $300.00 per check shy of what I made in the Army at 24 years old.....But I would have rather took home the $1700 per check as a police officer than the $2000.00 per check as a Infantry man....

GUESS WHAT...I didnt make it into the Police Department...1/2 wat through the hiring process I was a little to honest about past events that there was no record of...

So I spent from 26-27 at that private school...Then at 27 I had a friend hook me up with a job at a federal prison....45K start with 50-60K available in overtime....I passed everything and then again was too honest..Admitting to smoking weed 8 years prior..No record or anything I just tought to be honest...And in that instant all my dreams were flushed away....

I was sheduled to start FLETC in 3 weeks ( Federal law Enforcement training Center) instead I went back to being the head of security at the school....And had all but given up on any type of Law enforcement or money like I made in the military...

Then a friend started talking to me about my past experiance and Veterans preferance ect. and that theirs no was the Goverment civilian jobs shouldnt want me.. he recommended that I pay someone to write my resume and resubmit for the goverment jobs I was after...

Then my wife told me to not give up and since it had been 2 years since I applied for the Honolulu police to go try again..

I tried again for the police Department and learned to tell what needed to be told and blasted through 75%...Then at that point I got a letter from the Department of Defense offering me a job as a police officer starting at 40K ( 50 K a year after overtime ect)

A week later I got a letter from the Department of defense Marines offering me a job as a police officer starting at 50K per year ( 60K after overtime ect.)


I was put in a posistion were I got to choose from the three..And a month after I turn 29 In febuary Ill be graduating....

And while Im very happy to be back in a Uniform and to be getting good pay again....It still dosent hold a candle to the $6000.00 per month Id be making or the 8 years till retirement if Id just stayed in the army....

Everyones story is differant..Everyones location pay..number of dependents...rank ect. is differant...But if your even bringing home $3000.00 per month AFTER TAXES...Then I beg you to just stay in...You have no IDEA how hard it is to bring home 3000.00 per month after taxes when you get taxed on 100% of your earnings in the civilian world

StoleIt

iTrader: (3)

In this economy? Unless you have a sure thing waiting for you when you get out...I wouldn't seriously consider it.

OUTLAWZ RACING

iTrader: (9)

Hell no stay in bro, Im med retired and get bout 3,000 a month. The only jobs 4 u are contractor jobs and I just sighn on to one. Starting out state side for 25 an hour then up to 110k a year over seas. Bad thing is I got a 1 year old and I want to c her as mucjh as I can. Plus the over seas is a two year contract with 60 days max vacation.

The Manalishi

iTrader: (3)

Hell man I'm retiring as of March 1st and I know a LOT of people. If it wasn't for that I wouldn't have a foot in the door to get a job and I can tell you even with all the education and experience I have the job market is killer right now. I am pretty sure, 99%, I have a good job starting in about a week but that isn't a guarantee yet. If it wasn't for who I know and the expereince I wouldn't have that. I did 21 years and I could make it on my retirement if I had to bit it wouldn't be very cool. Stay in if you don't have a guaranteed job and some kind of pension. Just my humble opinion.

01SOMm6

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for all the replies. Im still looking at my options. Im going to talk with my retention nco see what I can get if I decide to stay in. I dont think I would have a problem getting out and getting a decent job while im going to school.

MUSTANGBRKR02

iTrader: (91)

you need to make a decision for you and your family. Do not stay in because you are afraid to get out. I have got out twice and although i miss it, i am glad that i choose to go both times. There are tons of jobs out there. You just have to search and put in the effort to find one and don't settle for something.

You make the decision not us. So that way you are deciding your future and so you can't blame somebody.

1gen

iTrader: (1)

I dunno if theres anything that sham, get a fobbit job. Supply or water guy something like that

brad8266

iTrader: (23)

If you can do something that pays well in the civilian side go ahead and get out. Everyones story is indeed different, I left the active army right after I turned 22 and started off at 45K/yr, not shabby for a 22 year old with no college degree. I now have a degree though and get get paid more $$.

Military pay + bas + bah is pretty damn good though once you have a some years in and some rank on your shirt. You wont get rich but you will keep a damn good steady paycheck and job security.

01SOMm6

iTrader: (4)

Im def not afraid to get out. Ive already started looking for jobs. Ive found some that would be good with benefits while im going to school, and supporting my little one thats on the way. The biggest thing thats stopping me from reup is deploying again, I dont want to throw away the first year or two of my son or daughters life because im in iraq/afghan. Plus im not married and prob not getting married so it would be hard to see my kid if im still in the army.

So with all that said and thought about I think Im gonna get out. Might try to do early sep for school?

danhr

iTrader: (18)

Food inspector

Killemall

Im just sayin man....

When I was an E4 back in 2001 I had a girlfriend and kids but wasnt married or collecting BAH or anything...

My checks were 900 every two weeks after taxes....

In that case getting a civilian job would be about equal..

But when I got married and claimed my kids and got BAH ect...I was getting 2000.00 a check after taxes...

Keep in mind that at a regular civilian job were you get taxed on 100% ..For every 33K you make a year after taxes ect. You will bring home 1000.00 per check every 2 weeks..

So you will make 33K but only bring home 24K in actual money in the bank per year...

So based off that math you would need to make 66K per year as a civilian to bring home 2000.00 per two week check after taxes right?????

WRONG....Since you make more money they would put you in a higher tax bracket...And you would need to make 70K a year as a civilian to bring home that 2000.00 per two week check after taxes...

I know many E3's and E4's who have 1 kid and live off post with their wife and they clear 2000.00 per check after taxes...

Somthing that a civilian usually needs collage to do as most civilians arent making anywhere near 70K per year...

Actually most college grads arent making 70K per year..

When I was an E5 in 2004 my cousin was a computer programmer..He was making 90K per year..

I brought home 4K per month and he brought home 4.8K per month

His mouth dropped when he saw how much military guys could make..


By the way PAC CLERK has always been one that I thought would be EXTREMELY easy....

Open at 0800 and close at 1530 like clock work everyday...More than capable of pushing your own paperwork...Constantly deal with and get to know big wigs at Division...And probally the best is that everyone wants to suck your **** to get you to help them or push somthing from enlisted to officers...

Only time pac clerks will do any infantry type stuff period is at basic or yearly rifle qualification

brad8266

iTrader: (23)

60K a year is the roughly equal to 2K per bi-monthly check, depending on tax deductions, credits and the such.

The only downside to BAH and BAS is that when you retire that is not a part of your retirement.

alc80

iTrader: (3)

dont stay in because of fear and dont get out without a plan.

nothing more pathetic than the "the economy is so bad you cant get a job so just stay in, its the safe bet" or "i dont have a job lined up yet but (insert company here) is always hiring".

dantastic01SS

iTrader: (10)

I talked to a few Patriot System guys and they were bitching about not getting deployed since we aren't using them much. Probably pretty sham since the thing fires itself. If there's any truth to what they were saying, I'd think about that job if I didn't want to deploy.
Recruiting sucks dude... don't do it. Imagine the gayest thing you've done in the Army, then having someone come along and tell you to do it a different, even gayer way, then having someone else come by and ask you why you did it that way and make you gay things up a little more... then having them make you wear a clown suit and sing YMCA at the top of your lungs when you do the gay thing. USAREC is a collection of "leaders" compiled of guys who mostly volunteered to do this job so they never had to deploy when the war started. If you want to see who's in charge of a recruiting station you can generally look for the fattest guy without a combat patch. That's just the first level of bullshitters you'll run into in the chain of command. They always refer to the mission we have out here in combat terms too... like we're "CHARGING MISSION BOX HILL", we're "OUT IN THE FOXHOLES EVERYDAY" and that our computer is a "WEAPON SYSTEM". That and you'll get called "SARGE" all the time and I hate that. We're all PV-6s out here. Dude if you can.. stay away from USAREC.

Chris Mineburg

Wow brother, i came across this post randomly through a Google search, and felt compelled to create an account just to reply to this post. Your responce is spot on, I'm almost exactly in the same position as you, except I was an 88m. I also tried the law enforcement route with no success due to that damn polygraph. I spent many years as an otr truck driver, making pretty good money but with no life at all just to feed my kids. I now have a top of the line local truck driving job that required at least 5 years otr experiance making a whopping 19 dollars an hour which is the highest paying one in my city. It's hard to support 3 kids on that. I'd give anything to get back in the army, but due to their new business rules they don't accept any prior service. To the original poster, please stay in till retirement, I promise you'll regret getting out. Don't be like us. Civillian world sucks. Think of it as one big support mos, but without respect. After all your only expectation as a citizen is to pay taxes and then die.

sean byrd

Hey guys came across this thread-I know it's originally from '09 but was recently bumped.
Anyways not sure how many military guys are on here but I got out last may after 10 years in the Army. Even though I was half way towards retirement I just didn't think it was worth staying in for another 10 years just to take turns leaving my wife(army also). After being in for so long I'm still having a hard time adjusting and although I just started taking some college classes I'm not sure what I really want to do.
Anyone have any input? Currently have a decent paying security job but its definitely not what I'd like to do longterm. I tried the Leo route but after being arrested in my younger days for running from the cops (dumb impulse move-no drugs or anything like that) I'm pretty sure Leo is no longer an option.
When I was in, the majority of guys couldn't wait to get out and I never thought I'd regret getting out.
Just looking for some input from guys who've been in these shoes.

hawk584

iTrader: (1)

I just separated.. stay in, stay in for as long as you can. Free healthcare alone is with its weight in gold