Here’s the deal…my wonderful husband is in the military. He is an E5 and testing for E6 in a few days. The highest rank an airman can be is an E9. So he’s obviously got some rank on him. Here’s our dilemma. His term is up in December 09. At that point he will have been in for 11 years. We are trying to decide what is best for us. We can’t decide whether or not we should re-enlist or not. If he does re-enlist we will only have nine more years before he can retire if he wants and collect that lovely paycheck every month. Not to mention the free medical and dental for our family for life. But this also means that I am out of a job or at least a career. I would have to work doing something but I would just take a job that wasn’t a career path and just more or less a way to make some money. The other option we have is for him to get out and then me take over my fathers business. I would probably make around $70,000 per year but I would also be a full time career woman. This has never been my dream. I have always dreamt of being a mommy that works not a working mommy. You know? Another dilemma for that would be my man would then be the one who takes any old job here and there that he can. What do we do???
Military Career
Pros
Only nine more years
Medical and dental benefits for life.
The chance to see the world perhaps.
A guaranteed paycheck after retirement every month.
Military Career
Cons
My man could be gone for up to a year at a time away from me and his family.
It can be a dangerous job.
No stability- we won’t be able to purchase a house because you never know where you’ll be.
Uprooting our family when we have to.
Moving far from both our hometowns
**I also must mention that my man has a five year old daughter from a previous marriage. The little girl lives in TX with her mother. If we keep getting uprooted it may be hard for us to see her. Especially if we get re-located overseas**
WHAT DO WE DO????????
I would love to get both military and civilian feedback…especially military wives.
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Military Career Or Not? What Should We Do?3 comments to Military Career Or Not? What Should We Do?Leave a Reply |
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There are advantages to the military retirement, as well as some of the other benefits. And while the health and dental benefits are no longer free for life after retirement, the Tricare premiums are so affordable that you cannot afford to pass that benefits.
Given that there are 6 Air Force Bases in Texas unless your husbands specialty is so specific, he could spend most of the next 9 years in Texas.
You need to figure out how much you can make at $70,000 plus whatever your husband could make now in the area where your father’s business is located. Then look at the $60,000 he makes a year now plus what ever you could make if you worked. If you could make more at your falther’s business is it enough to equal the probable $25,000 he would make a year if he reitred at 20 years as an E-8 (using today’s dollar figures, there will be salary increases during that time of course so the $25,000 should be adjusted up 2 to 3% a year to allow for the pay increases. Remember to consider that when he passes away his retirement will be lost, (except for a percentage to you should he opt for SBP coverage).
He could be deployed, and he could be injured whether deployed or in CONUS.
He could also be hit by a car in an accident after he gets out. There are always risks.
Consider also that there is also a risk that you could have bad business years and not make enough to pay yourself $70,000 a year.
There are risks and benefits to both choices.
Good luck with your decision.
I recently got out and the final straw in my decision was was I happy going to work everyday of did I dread going. I was getting to the point of where I would stay up late because I didn’t want to go to sleep and have to wake up and go back to work. I also was an E-5 and was about to pick up E-6. Since I got out about a month ago I love going to work now. And if this job ends up being dread full I can quit and get a new job in a new city if I want. Also I hated asking the Military to try to station me somewhere I wanted to be vs where they needed a body at the time.
i think with only 9 yrs I would stay–but that is me–I don’t know what kind of career for you that you are talking about but you could think of trying ways to do it at home even part-time–you can buy a house–but then you would be there most of the time–had an uncle who made career out of air force–she stayed home because most places he was sent she wasn’t allowed anyways–write down a list of ALL pros and cons (both of you) and try to figure out from there. Good luck