Career Choice Questions

[MD8724]

A few questions here people. So, while I have two years until my EAS date, I only have two years until my EAS date. Now, Ive thought about staying in, with the economy and everything, and thought about getting out. I don't know yet, and I still don't know, and i won't for a while.

Now, did anyone read the story about the now SSgt who spent nine years in the brig for rape, just got out, blah blah blah ? Okay, for 9 years, he got 275k. 9 years - 275k. 90k of that was taken out for taxes. So, 9 years = 185k. I knew that we made **** before, but damn. Am I the only one who thinks that is bad ?

Anyways,

So Ill be in San Diego right ? Wife is a teacher. Now, *if* she has a teaching job out there when my EAS rolls around, what do you guys think about LAPD ? 4 years military exp = 62000 starting salary, plus you rate the GI bill while in the 6 month training school and like, 18 months afterwards. Wife could still work for California, both have good benefits, you know, all that.

Also, the Marine Corps is hiring civilians for PMO to work alongside Marines. Don't really know much about this though, and the site just says "competitive pay with civilian work force". Anyone have any more info on this ? I mean, Im sure my 30k a year is competitive to the 75k 9 month contract the civilian sitting next to me gets.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

The law enforcement jobs can be competitive. Nothing wrong with LAPD or LASO, but don't assume you'll just walk into the job. As the economy gets worse there will be ever more people looking to do things like that.

[Petz]

add the extra 24,000 non-taxable BAH which is like... 36,000 if it were taxed and you have about 72,000 dollars a year as a Sgt... plus base pay is going up.

now factor in the medical benefits and commissary and all that fun stuff... you save lots for being in... your wife can always stay in California if you go somewhere else and be a geo-bachelor... or you can just switch units/ensure you stay at your unit in california for your second enlistment as a "bonus"... you have options... keep that all in mind.

[Warbyrd13]

Pro for staying in.
Tax free combat pay.
Change of boss/where you live about 3 to 4 years.
Aswome looking uniform.

Cons
Combat zones means you or your buddy might not make it back.
You are told where to live,sleep and when to come to work and when your allowed to leave work.

Honestly there is much more but you and your wife need to sit down and discuss it. Becuase if you stay in and don't have the support of your wife then you will become one of those jaded single guys who believes "if the Corps wanted me to have a wife, then they would have issued me one" which is one of the lamest things I ever heard. Marriage is hard, the Marine Corps makes it more intersting most of time. It takes 2 mature adults who are strong in thier realtionship to make it work.

You could do what I did. Get out, have some education in the tech field with a my training and schooling. Land a nice job with great benafits and pay. I make more now than I would as a SNCO. I make more than I would as an officer. I work literly 2 wks a month. 12 hr rotating shift, get over time and my base salery is 48k, in 4 months ill be making 50k-54k after promotion test. 9 months after that I will be in the close to the 60k-65k range. After the last promotion test and goverment cert that I have to do in 2.5 years min I will be making 85k base with full benfits. Now this is as fast as I can go I have 3.5 to 5 years to be making this. Paid sick days, vaction and I get overtime. Jobs like this are out there, you just have to study and work to get them.

We have skill sets that the civ world wants. You get some education under your belt and you can make some nice money. If is that all you care about is money then get your education done, keep up you mentoring and leadership skills and get out becuase the money is out there.

[Apache]

Agree with previous
The two of you need to reach an agreement and live with it.

My 2 cents? you know what you got !

[StoneTheWeak]

Another question is, what about you and your wife? Would getting out make both of you happier because you could spend more time together and she wouldn't have to worry about you not coming back? I haven't been in long, I'm not married yet, so I can't say for sure that I know all this, but your wife is there now, and that's a life long committment, if you could do something that would benefit your relationship with her more, do it. You can't put a price on love, especially if the two of you have a great relationship. I couldn't imagine life without my woman anymore, she's the most amazing thing on earth to me, after I'm done with my contract, I'm making it so I have a stable life with her so neither of us have to worry.

[William Hardy]

Warbird13 gave some good advice...talk with your wife. Be really serious. I had a great first 4 years and reenlisted for 6 more. It was during the 2nd hitch that things began to get rough. Overseas tours - in my MOS they came about every 2-3 years. More rank, more time away from the family. Simple things like an inspection...(as a senior sergeant and then SSGT I would have to be there early and leave late to attend pre and post meetings. Never knew that during my first hitch. Those above you give you your orders on how they want the job done...afterwards you have to meet to see what happened and discuss ways to improve...etc., etc,....) It just got to the point where I didn't have enough time to devote to being a good Marine, father, and husband. Every family is different with different needs. Everything was going OK until my kids started in school and then time became increasingly harder to manage. Then in the middle of my second hitch, the Corps offered me a "special assignment" which was a 3 year tour in Germany with the Defense Communications Agency. I had to reenlist or extend to cover the shortage in time. I talked to the wife and we decided to go. (How often does an enlisted Marine get a chance at a 3 year accompanied tour in Europe?) I extended for 2 years. Things worked out since I was not subject to normal Marine Corps routines for the next three years, but I knew that was going to change, so I opted to get out upon returning. I never regreated leaving in terms of the family, but I sure missed my Corps family. It's a tough choice to make.

DO NOT REENLIST IN THE CORPS UNLESS YOU REALLY LOVE IT. If you reenlist simply because you think you can do certain things, or get a good bonus, or anything else you might get in your head, you are a fool and your next enlistment will be a failure. Reenlist because you and the Corps are a part of each other. If you and your wife don't come to an agreement that both of you can live with, your wife will leave you and it has been my experience that the split will be ugly. If your wife is a teacher (which I am also) she can easily get jobs at any post, but if your transfers come during a school year, you would more than likely be separated until school ends. If she quits in the middle of a school year, her prospects for rehiring become less and less. If you leave your wife alone too much due to work or deployments.....she has needs also and you have to be honest to yourself, even if it might hurt.....You have to think of everything you can before making your decision and I mean a plural your, you and your wife.

Good Luck and SF