After the Military, College, Work?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted By: GumbyJarvis
Originally Posted By: Benzed
Quote: "With my contract ending in a few years or so"


I think this pretty much sums it up.



You just got in and are already looking to get out?


this comment.
reasons like this are why I rarely ever come to BITOG anymore.
2016 I Get out. Early 2016.
I served my time, did a tour in Afghanistan,
Do what I do, then judge me.



Don't worry about him...that was his third post!
 
Originally Posted By: InhalingBullets
Originally Posted By: GumbyJarvis
Originally Posted By: Benzed
Quote: "With my contract ending in a few years or so"


I think this pretty much sums it up.



You just got in and are already looking to get out?


this comment.
reasons like this are why I rarely ever come to BITOG anymore.
2016 I Get out. Early 2016.
I served my time, did a tour in Afghanistan,
Do what I do, then judge me.



Don't worry about him...that was his third post!

Gumby,
even our resident grumpy old man Pop_rivit talked good to you.
and you have (as of now) 20 responses in the thread and only one negative...
I think we still like you to have a visit from time to time...

Thank you for your service.
 
I don't know if you've posted or said what your MOS was, but that might play a big part in your decision. You took a lot of history classes - they're great, I liked the subject, but it's hard to make a living on purely lib arts. Think about what sort of jobs you'd be happy doing, or at least put up with (not everyone gets their dream job on the first try). Consider what jobs are hot in the area you want to move as well. You could make bundle in the oil fields but that sounds like a miserable life.

Look at new/expanding fields. Health care is becoming increasingly dependent on technology and the technicians that go along with it. A friend of mine left the AF, did GI Bill and now works for some med equipment mfr as a field technician. He seems to like it, and the pay is good.

Originally Posted By: GumbyJarvis
Do what I do, then judge me.

As can be said by anyone, anywhere and from any time. Do yourself a favor and drop this phrase from your debate repertoire.

And just so I don't get accused of being of being anti-military/America because I don't agree with something he said
34.gif
34.gif
34.gif
34.gif
34.gif
34.gif
(was that enough)
 
^ the nice thing about having that pension is that he doesn't have to make a full living after the military. Liberal arts work and a military pension should easily be doable.
 
I was in your exact situation a long time ago. I cleaned up my education shortcomings and figured out my path forward while in community college on the GI Bill. I went on to a university with a clear path forward. CC is cheap and you can spend some time exploring your possibilities without wasting a lot of money. From there you can figure out if more school is the right thing for you or going into the trades is where you want to be. You can even learn trades at a CC. Then You don't need to be in a big hurry to get educated as long as you have a goal and an path.
 
just my idea. NO: Police/Fire. to dangerous. tech school: fine but not HVAC you in the heat in the summer, the cold in winter. computers great: you are in doors the year round. you can do bootleg work on the side. you can meet people that can help in so many ways. tax people, lawyers, HVAC people, the list is endless.
 
I served too. I admire the young man's looking ahead, but I also remember how we changed our minds so many times so quickly in the first 4 years. All I was saying was if he has "a few years left" (few usually means 3 or more) then he is barely out of basic training and should be exploring all the college, career, and lateral move offers the Army has to offer.
 
Bern in since Nov 2012. Will be out in 2016.
I am a 19kilo m1 Abrams crewmember. Not much civilian wise correlates with that.
I most likely will go guard after active
graduated osut in march 2013, deployed to afg that June.
just got back from afg a month ago
 
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Govt jobs will eventually kill the country. Your #1 contradicts your #2

I've found that a good tradesman (contractor, plumber, electrician, HVAC, mechanic etc) who is honest & good will always have to turn down work.

An honest day's work will pay more than adequately and give you self-esteem.

Depends on what the Govt job is, especially if you have to maintain some sort of clearance. Not everyone can do that and it pays well depending on what you do and who you do it for.

So lots of advice you received. Some good, some bad.
I spent some time in the Army then switched to the Navy, Submarines. You will be surprised at what your time in the Army qualifies you for. There is no more "Civil Service Exam", only 5 point and 10 point veterans when you log into USAjobs.

I had 11 years in when I was deemed no longer medically qualified to go to sea on Submarines. I was pretty unhappy. Really liked Subs. I let the Navy pay for a degree which I don't use. I make more working with Submarines as a civilian. I suppose knowledge of Submarines is a rare thing to be found, but I don't mind because I really like them. I was a 91B in Army. Your MOS broken down qualifies you for more than you think. Have someone who writes resumes equate your Army experience to civilian experience. With my Navy and Army time I now have 21 years government service. In 20 years I will be 59 and will have 41 years of government service. If you decide to leave and get a government job, buy your time back so you are vested in social security. If not let the Army pay for a degree. You will be surprised at how many people will hire a Veteran for a few reasons. 1) They know you show up on time. 2) They know you most likely won't take sick days and 3) You are trainable. My first job out was at Air Products and Chemicals. Awesome company to work for with great benefits. I only left because all my military time counted for government service because I did not retire and I didn't want to lose almost 12 years.

It was hard to take college classes while on Submarines...You are gone ALOT, my first 5 years in the Navy I was under water for over 3 years. The rest of the time I was training or maintaining the Submarine. Not much college electives being finished there.
smile.gif
. You can get college done in the military, just depends on what your particular duty is.
 
As Pop Rivet suggested, I would go for whatever education you can while enlisted. It can't hurt. I don't know what options are available to you as I have never been in the military, but more legit education (ie, not internet diploma factories) can never hurt as long as ridiculous student loans are not involved.

Even though math isn't your strong suit, try to get some math in. Good paying jobs involve math. I avoided engineering in college because "too much math." I sincerely regret that. It isn't a strong suit for me either. It doesn't come naturally to everyone, but you need it for good technical jobs. Plus, it's a life skill that will benefit you no matter what. As much as I hated math and still do not enjoy it, I regret not trying harder at it and going for more advanced math courses than the bare minimum ones I needed to get my degree. I really screwed myself by avoiding it. I had to take out my phone today to figure out how many cans of $0.50 off Grizzy Wintergreen I could get for my boss with the $20 he gave me...granted, the store clerks guessed way wrong too. It was a sad, embarrassing scene. No wonder eastern countries are kicking our [censored] at this stuff. Calculators, in particular TI-83s, or whatever American kids use these days (phones?), need to be out of high schools and most or all college classes.

I nailed history, and accidentally ended up with a minor in American studies in college because I took so many history courses for the [censored] of it (my major was marketing/business administration - get drunk and skip class degree), but I can't do anything I enjoy with that, or at least haven't "found my way." Turns out, I don't like my major at all, I just found something that was easy to pass and didn't interfere with my partying. Now I am a college grad selling car parts...not that I hate my job, I actually like it, but I could probably be doing something I like at a higher pay scale had I taken school seriously. Now I am just a "wage slave" as some here call it, though at least I like what I do and have fun with it. And I take pride that some level of BITOG obsessiveness is present in my store...G-05? Got it. Pentofrost? Got it. Any OEM or quality aftermarket part you want? Can get it if we don't got it. Oil? Ha, what do you want? We even have Autotrac II and genuine Mercon SP and LV. Relatively awesome place to work, but too bad my pay still sucks. I could have done more by now and made a lot more money if I had really tried rather than said "just give me a freakin' degree that doesn't eat up my free time."

Emergency services may not be a bad idea. Some risk involved, but not more than you have already experienced. Government jobs tend to have good benefits, good pay, and reasonable life demands. Not that they are all easy, but the public sector can be much worse. If you don't need an adrenaline rush out of your job, maybe USPS? Don't laugh, it's a good deal for the full timers.

The problem with a lot of trades jobs is that while they can pay well, they have a tendency to chew you up and spit you out. Benefits may be minimal. The job may have long/odd hours and be hard on your body. I know some HVAC guys who are happy overall because of the pay, but always tell me the job kicks their [censored]. Most mechanics I know, and I know a lot of mechanics, are perpetually frustrated, mad, and hate everybody. Some seem to have found their niche and somehow stay positive and like what they do, but you have to be in the right shop, or your own shop. All the happy mechanics I know work for well respected indy shops specializing in high end cars or commercial vehicles, and they set the rules, not the customer. Their customers are fine with just leaving the vehicle for however long it takes and writing checks like it's nothing. Working for chains and dealers tends to be more stressful, sometimes way more stressful, but you have to cut your teeth somewhere. The really good indy shops won't just say "oh, you went to UTI? Great, you're hired!" They laugh at people fresh out of UTI. One of the British shops here has a mechanic from Britain...now in freaking Alabama...he refers to me as "matey." I don't know how he deals with this place, and if it wasn't for all the broken Land/Range Rovers he probably wouldn't.

I'm not saying this is your expectation, but a lot of people these days think "if I just get a degree in anything, I can do good in whatever." Nope. Find what you like and focus on it. Really focus on it. And take whatever classes you need to succeed, even if you don't like or excel at all of them at first. The competition, especially from overseas, is fierce and hungrier than we are. The easy pension jobs from previous generations are mostly gone, and people who think a quick and easy degree will get them ahead are getting taken. Find what you really want to do and go for it sincerely. Do not [censored] around. I had a lot of fun [censored] around, but it put me behind.
 
My low voltage license became valuable just as I got chopped from the telephone company. Low voltage wire is much easier on the body than electrical cable. I scraped together a BA in political science, and a month later, I started working as a carpenter in the ship yard. I worked there until it closed when I was 35, Then I got into telecom and security. Burg and fire systems have been careers 3,4 and 5.
smile.gif
 
I didn't read the whole thread but i wonder why you just got in the military you are planning what to do when you get out?
Why did you bother going in if you are not willing to give it a fair shot at being a career?

Young guys can make it a career, get an eduction and retire young then start another career.
Government service be it civilian or military is the best deal in town, get a pension and a paycheck at the same time. You could get a second pension and SS and be a triple dipper later.
 
Not to bring this Political but.
Army itself is cutting 100,000 personnel in the next few years. Reenlistments are getting harder and harder to get.

Military money isn't what it was 10 years ago, Bonuses are getting lower and harder as well.
 
If you leave active duty you can join the Reserves or Guard as a Biomedical Equipment Technician. I did this in the Guard (testing, repairing and calibrating medical equipment) and eventually worked for GE Healthcare as a manager.

The Biomeds in field service make very good money and you can go into different specialties such as Imaging (Xray, CT, MRI, Ultrasound or life support such as anesthesia, ventilators, cardiac ballon pumps, open heart perfusion equipment, .....etc, etc...).

There's good money to be made if after a few years you gain experience and go into medical equipment sales. I have a friend last year at GE sold over $5 million in patient monitoring / telemetry at hospitals in his region.

This is a field that is not really thought about when people think of healthcare, but no doubt is very important in any hospital / outpatient environment. I do know GE is now focusing on hiring more military veterans for their healthcare businesses.
 
Originally Posted By: GumbyJarvis
Not to bring this Political but.
Army itself is cutting 100,000 personnel in the next few years. Reenlistments are getting harder and harder to get.

Military money isn't what it was 10 years ago, Bonuses are getting lower and harder as well.


You're correct that the Army is cutting...a greater percentage than other services, in fact, and it will see re-enlistments become far more competitive.

But you're dead wrong about the "military money" part. Enlisted members are at 90th percentile for pay/benefits compared with civilian counterparts with similar training/experience. Officers are closer to 75th percentile.

That was not true 10 years ago. A decade of generous wartime raises, imposed by Congress starting in 2001, saw military pay rise from 25th percentile in the late 1990s to 90th percentile by 2008. The lack of economic recovery has kept military pay at that level in comparison to civilian pay.

In my 28 years of service (I was commissioned in 1986), military pay has never been better compared with civilian pay. I would anticipate that, as the forces of eventual economic recovery and budget balancing take effect, military will decline relative to civilian pay, but it's got a long way to fall before it reaches 50th percentile, or average.

Let me know if you can find a career on the outside with a defined benefit plan (regular pension payments), they are very, very rare these days.

Consider your options, but make certain that you're comparing apples to apples. It takes a lot in your 401(k) to equal a regular, or reserve/guard, retirement income...and if you had received a grade of 90th percentile on your SATs, you would have been ecstatic....90th percentile is nothing to sneeze at.

I would strongly recommend that you talk to some folks who got out 2 years ago for their perspective. Lots of soldiers (and sailors) like to gripe and they believe that the "grass is greener on the other side of the fence"...that is, until they experience the reality of living on that other side of the fence.
 
Last edited:
I was in your shoes a long time ago and my general advice would be to...

Take as many general education college courses as you can while on active duty. It's tough but taking two or three courses a year while you're in can really help you when you get out.

Start applying to schools so you have something lined up for soon after your ETS. Time off is nice but it's very easy to fall into the trap of "I'll start next year".

Join the National Guard and let the state tuition assistance money be used on top of your GI Bill (which itself is incredibly generous). Between drill pay, state money, and the Post-9/11 GI Bill, you'd be all set.

It's not a huge deal if you don't know what you want to major in. Don't discount your MOS when it comes to careers (I was 11B) -- There are many jobs that require field work and being ex-military can be an enormous advantage.
 
Are you able to cross train into another MOS at the end of your enlistment.... or does the Army make you stay in your current MOS ?

I would stay active duty for as long as possible, many veterans leaving the military are shocked at how dismal the job market really is, no matter what unemployment number are published monthly.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top