On the surface the military choice is very appealing. The recruiter will tell you what you want to hear. They befriend you to identify your hot buttons, its a game of psychology, a game you will not win. Take a step back, take a deep breath and consider the pay, contract, your silent goals and your growth potential.
Do the Math, do the military math, not the math in your civilian life. When counting the income, be sure to factor in the military work day. The military work day, if not deployed or in the field can be anywhere from ten to twelve hours. And don’t forget the 24 hour duty, you are required to do on a regular basis. There is a reason, military people are on a salary. Do not equate the military job to a civilian job, it is not a fair comparison.
Lets do the math: An E3 salary is approx. 2261.10 a month. After taxes that is 1808.88 a month. divide that by six, yes six it is not uncommon to work on Saturdays on a regular basis. The average day when factoring all the up and downs is 12 hours. Divide by a month of four weeks that is $452.22. Divide that by 72 hours a week and the grand total is $6.28 an hour.
Enlist in the military and you will Earn
$6.28 an hour
Something else to consider, is your pay could be reduced if you get into trouble perceived or real. In the civilian sector pay could be reduced if you are late for work to many times, you can find work to replace your lost income or get a new job. But in the military you could lose your pay at the current rate for months or years. for example being demoted from Enlisted Pay Grade 5 to Enlisted Pay Grade 3. The catch is, you can not leave the military if you get into trouble and have your pay reduced because of an Article 15 action, regardless if you committed the offense or not. For information on this look up the Feres Doctrine.
When you sit down and look at everything objectively, the truth will be revealed.
Recent Comments