RE: military overcompensation

[the1stmac]

I have to start looking at the date of posts

OVER COMPENSATION!?

@#$(%*@#$(%*@#$(%*@#$(%*@#$%(@*#%$(@*%@( #%*@(#$%*@#$(%@#*$%(@#$*%(#@$*%


sighs there -- that way i wont' get dubbs... ARE YOU INSANE!?

[ShortfuseMarine]

Originally Posted by Lubaolong

Yes, a perfect example. A military officer with a useless degree in basket weaving (that might only earn him $30,000/year on the outside) will retire making $150k a year in the military.

Thats what I call smart!!

[the1stmac]

Thread was from 7 months ago

[Polynikes]

edit

[Lubaolong]

Originally Posted by the1stmac

most officers get degrees in phycology sociology or something like engineering by the way. Officers and soldiers are not stupid people.

an engineer doesnt have to get worried about being shot, or their plane going down of which they have no choice of getting on.

Besides stop crying about an engineer not making enough they make more then enough

Psychology and sociology degrees are next to useless. I've never met an officer with a technical degree. I'm sure they are out there somewhere, but none of the hundreds of officers I've talked to had any degree that could earn them a living on the outside.

[Lubaolong]

Originally Posted by ShortfuseMarine

Thats what I call smart!!

I agree. All these unemployed college graduates are stupid to take jobs flipping burgers over this.

[Cujo_Trey]

Originally Posted by Lubaolong

There's nothing wrong with being in the military. It is a noble job. The pay and compensation is just too much.

Compare Joe that joins the military at 18 to Timmy that goes to a good university, gets an engineering degree (the most challenging, highest paying bachelor degree) :

Joe, age 22, married, Army Seargent, hanging out in Hawaii, surfing having a good time:
Yearly Regular Military Compensation: $61,016.32
(Basic Pay+BAS+BAH+COLA)
http://www.dod.mil/militarypay/pay/calc/index.html

Timmy, age 22, college graduate, Electrical Engineer:
Average Yearly Starting Salary: $52,009.00
http://money.cnn.com/2005/04/15/pf/c...ex.htm?cnn=yes

Tell me why someone that joins the military with a high school education should earn that much more than one of the highest paying, most technical college degrees? They shouldn't.

After 8 years, do you think maybe the engineering degree will pay off?

Joe, age 26, married, SFC, still surfing his life away:
Yearly Regular Military Compensation: $80,652.96
same site as above

Timmy, age 26, 4 years professional experience, working on his master's, Electrical Engineer, also in Hawaii:
Medium Yearly Salary: $72,205.50
salary.com

Again, why should Joe that maybe went to a 6 week training course to teach him to type numbers into a database be making more? It's ridiculous.

those are bogus inflated numbers put out by the DOD and reported by various news agencies to keep people in and convince other suckers to join. Being in isn't anywhere near that good. a LARGE % of that money you never see at all. Plus even if you did get that cash money up front for the year (which you sure as hell don't even get CLOSE), you can't generally stay in Hawaii for more than 2-3 years before you have to move back to the CONUS where the pay sucks! This notion of "surfing your life away" in the military is ridiculous and shows the anti-military bias from which you are probably coming. It's more like sErfing your life away.
That same engineer can stay in his field and as he gains experience and markets himself his earning potential would trump the military guy in a second.
Interesting post though Luba.

[Lubaolong]

Originally Posted by Cujo_Trey

those are bogus inflated numbers put out by the DOD and reported by various news agencies to keep people in and convince other suckers to join. Being in isn't anywhere near that good. a LARGE % of that money you never see at all. Plus even if you did get that cash money up front for the year (which you sure as hell don't even get CLOSE), you can't generally stay in Hawaii for more than 2-3 years before you have to move back to the CONUS where the pay sucks! This notion of "surfing your life away" in the military is ridiculous and shows the anti-military bias from which you are probably coming. It's more like sErfing your life away.

They aren't inflated in the least. I was in the military for 6 years and I think they are pretty spot on. I was getting around $80-90k in Hawaii when I separated as an E-5. My MOS, along with some others there, could stay there indefinitely if they chose just because of the limited duty assignments available. I just think it seems unbelievable to a lot of people because they don't see all this extra money. They live on base and eat in the chow halls and don't see all the hidden money they are getting for housing, insurance, food, etc. I lived off base though so I collected all the money.

[Cujo_Trey]

Originally Posted by Lubaolong

Psychology and sociology degrees are next to useless. I've never met an officer with a technical degree. I'm sure they are out there somewhere, but none of the hundreds of officers I've talked to had any degree that could earn them a living on the outside.

I've got to throw the BS flag. As someone who used to be in the military for a few years I didn't even know hundreds of officers, (if you were in then MAYBE)and neither do you, or have you. However having been in the AF, I assure you that a good many of them have "hard" degrees in things such as meteorology, physics, aeronautical engineering, on and on. I've met these men/women and worked with them. To assume that because you knew two douche bags from your local HS who joined the Marines or Army with a basket-weaving degree, and project that on to all services and conjecture that most officers are dirtbags with "soft" degrees is ludicrous.