That’s the sign on bonus. The salary is around $22,000 a year starting. Abysmal, but you don’t have to pay for much. Food, and housing and insurance is covered.
Army wouldn’t be my choice, but my best friend did his 20 and out in the air force and climbed high enough in the ranks that he was making six figures. He got to retire at 38 with free Healthcare the rest of his life and gets like $60k a year and got to go to a lot of cool places (as well as shit ones, of course). AF or coast guard be about the only ones I’d consider.
Guy I worked with retired from the Navy as a captain and got whatever very generous pay came with that. Then used his veterans preference to get a job in my agency, did that for 20+ years, retired as a gs 14 so he gets that annuity plus his TSP savings plus social security in a few years. He’s still barely 60, so he is working as a consultant. I’m guessing he’s pulling down $200k with all the various incomes and maybe working 20 hours a week, and he’s got the Healthcare and other benefits for life. People trash talk the military and government but if you work the system right it can be worthwhile. Hell, I wish I’d joined just so I could get USAA.
I knew a marine growing up. Fully into all things marine, vietname vet. Right around the time I turned 18 he told me to not go into the Marines, go into the Air Force, go into anything except the Marines.
Maybe he didn’t like me, but I don’t think that was the case.
That’s the sign on bonus. The salary is around $22,000 a year starting. Abysmal, but you don’t have to pay for much. Food, and housing and insurance is covered.
Army wouldn’t be my choice, but my best friend did his 20 and out in the air force and climbed high enough in the ranks that he was making six figures. He got to retire at 38 with free Healthcare the rest of his life and gets like $60k a year and got to go to a lot of cool places (as well as shit ones, of course). AF or coast guard be about the only ones I’d consider.
Guy I worked with retired from the Navy as a captain and got whatever very generous pay came with that. Then used his veterans preference to get a job in my agency, did that for 20+ years, retired as a gs 14 so he gets that annuity plus his TSP savings plus social security in a few years. He’s still barely 60, so he is working as a consultant. I’m guessing he’s pulling down $200k with all the various incomes and maybe working 20 hours a week, and he’s got the Healthcare and other benefits for life. People trash talk the military and government but if you work the system right it can be worthwhile. Hell, I wish I’d joined just so I could get USAA.
I knew a marine growing up. Fully into all things marine, vietname vet. Right around the time I turned 18 he told me to not go into the Marines, go into the Air Force, go into anything except the Marines.
Maybe he didn’t like me, but I don’t think that was the case.
The odds of you being comfortable go up, while odds of dying go down, in the AF.