Career for you
VIP Member
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,632
From: Yokosuka, Japan
Car Info: 2008 EVO X/1991 Nissan Skyline GT-R32
Registered User
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 207
From: Fremont, CA
Car Info: 2015 WRX Limited
That's the current base pay chart for all pay grades, pay is per month and goes up yearly. Starting off in basic training you would be an E-1. Other things to consider beyond your base pay are that your medical and dental expenses are covered completely. You are provided with a place to stay on the government's dime, BAH (get money to live on the economy), Barracks, live on a ship etc. Your food is paid for also they either provide food for you or they give you BAS (money). If you live in an area without much military around you tend to get a cost of living adjustment, otherwise there are enough exchanges around to more than make up for the lack of one. You get access to credit unions like USAA that have incredible deals and services for you. You get discounts with many companies worldwide including cell phone service.
These are just for while at home, when you deploy you get even more incentives. Imminent dange pay and tax free for being in high risk areas. Seperation pay if away from dependants. I got somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 extra a month with all my pay tax free for just being on a boat in the middle east.
Registered User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,686
From: I was up above it, now I'm down in it
Car Info: New Government Motors SUV!
Registered User
iTrader: (5)
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,301
From: San Jose, CA
Car Info: http://kiva.org/invitedby/brett4254
No, I just find it hard to get a straight answer in most cases.
It looks like an E1 basically makes about $17000/year and than there are a bunch of minor adjustments. Yes the health & housing are worth a good amount of money.
I'm not saying the Military isn't a great service to our country... But I feel like a lot of the time people are not given the full picture of what they are signing up for.
Stop-loss for example, or the "We'll station you in Hawaii as part of the Marine Band"
Nothing personal against you, I'm not saying you do these things; but it happens and it makes more nervous to send people that way.
It looks like an E1 basically makes about $17000/year and than there are a bunch of minor adjustments. Yes the health & housing are worth a good amount of money.
I'm not saying the Military isn't a great service to our country... But I feel like a lot of the time people are not given the full picture of what they are signing up for.
Stop-loss for example, or the "We'll station you in Hawaii as part of the Marine Band"
Nothing personal against you, I'm not saying you do these things; but it happens and it makes more nervous to send people that way.
Forester Specialist
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,985
From: Sonoma County
Car Info: '98/'04 Foresters (S & XT)
Our bunk space was in the forward spaces of the ship one deck below the flight deck on the centerline of the ship. Only the Anchor Room was more forward than we were.
Registered User
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 207
From: Fremont, CA
Car Info: 2015 WRX Limited
No, I just find it hard to get a straight answer in most cases.
It looks like an E1 basically makes about $17000/year and than there are a bunch of minor adjustments. Yes the health & housing are worth a good amount of money.
I'm not saying the Military isn't a great service to our country... But I feel like a lot of the time people are not given the full picture of what they are signing up for.
Stop-loss for example, or the "We'll station you in Hawaii as part of the Marine Band"
Nothing personal against you, I'm not saying you do these things; but it happens and it makes more nervous to send people that way.
It looks like an E1 basically makes about $17000/year and than there are a bunch of minor adjustments. Yes the health & housing are worth a good amount of money.
I'm not saying the Military isn't a great service to our country... But I feel like a lot of the time people are not given the full picture of what they are signing up for.
Stop-loss for example, or the "We'll station you in Hawaii as part of the Marine Band"
Nothing personal against you, I'm not saying you do these things; but it happens and it makes more nervous to send people that way.
As an E-5 here in the bay area I take home somewhere in the neighborhood of $50k a year, but it would take around $75k or more a year in a civilian job to have a similar quality of life here. I could easily obscure this amount even more if I used the exchanges and online shopping more, but convenience and ready availability of stores next to where I live is what I prefer. And to make it even worse in a civilian job the health care, dental and life insurance coverage aren't even on par with what the government covers from what I have been offered at previous jobs.
How about retirement eligibility at 20 years? You can collect retirement for the rest of your life by the age of 37 if you enlisted at age 17 as well as disability if any of your health degrades from work as well as continuing to use military services for health care, gym, exchange etc for the rest of your life.
It's too easy to keep going on and on about what all they give us. Most people tend to dwell on the negatives and not the positives. Part of the problem is people often don't read or understand what they are getting themselves into, ie the stoploss thing. For the Coast Guard (and I think all DOD branches are the same) you enter into an 8 year starting contract with them regardless of how long you enlist. This contract states that you must serve your term of enlistment active duty and then fullfill the rest of the 8 year contract in the inactive reserve, meaning if you are needed you can be put back into service or prevented from leaving active duty until your 8 years has been met. What this means is you are a civilian after your enlistment ends unless you are recalled due to needs of the service.
Right now though there is not much need for concern for stoploss due to so many people joining and/or staying in the service with the unstable economy.
Registered User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,686
From: I was up above it, now I'm down in it
Car Info: New Government Motors SUV!
MM in the AC&R department, Engineering Division. For Superglue WRX, Our offics was located just forward of the galley, one deck below, on the starboard side of the ship.
Our bunk space was in the forward spaces of the ship one deck below the flight deck on the centerline of the ship. Only the Anchor Room was more forward than we were.
Our bunk space was in the forward spaces of the ship one deck below the flight deck on the centerline of the ship. Only the Anchor Room was more forward than we were.
I was an FC2, part of combat systems and also slept one deck below the flight deck. I will forever hate harrier jets.
Registered User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,686
From: I was up above it, now I'm down in it
Car Info: New Government Motors SUV!
This tends to be a lot more obscure picture to paint that most anyone paints it or realizes and these adjustments aren't exactly small. Justifying it as a clear cut and dry amount of pay is almost impossible. To give you an idea as long as I've been in no two months of pay have been the same amount. Also you aren't an E-1 for long, most branches advance to E-2 upon graduation of basic training. You advance at different rates in different branches, in fact I have met people who have made E-7 in about 4 years in specific jobs in my branch of service.
As an E-5 here in the bay area I take home somewhere in the neighborhood of $50k a year, but it would take around $75k or more a year in a civilian job to have a similar quality of life here. I could easily obscure this amount even more if I used the exchanges and online shopping more, but convenience and ready availability of stores next to where I live is what I prefer. And to make it even worse in a civilian job the health care, dental and life insurance coverage aren't even on par with what the government covers from what I have been offered at previous jobs.
How about retirement eligibility at 20 years? You can collect retirement for the rest of your life by the age of 37 if you enlisted at age 17 as well as disability if any of your health degrades from work as well as continuing to use military services for health care, gym, exchange etc for the rest of your life.
It's too easy to keep going on and on about what all they give us. Most people tend to dwell on the negatives and not the positives. Part of the problem is people often don't read or understand what they are getting themselves into, ie the stoploss thing. For the Coast Guard (and I think all DOD branches are the same) you enter into an 8 year starting contract with them regardless of how long you enlist. This contract states that you must serve your term of enlistment active duty and then fullfill the rest of the 8 year contract in the inactive reserve, meaning if you are needed you can be put back into service or prevented from leaving active duty until your 8 years has been met. What this means is you are a civilian after your enlistment ends unless you are recalled due to needs of the service.
Right now though there is not much need for concern for stoploss due to so many people joining and/or staying in the service with the unstable economy.
As an E-5 here in the bay area I take home somewhere in the neighborhood of $50k a year, but it would take around $75k or more a year in a civilian job to have a similar quality of life here. I could easily obscure this amount even more if I used the exchanges and online shopping more, but convenience and ready availability of stores next to where I live is what I prefer. And to make it even worse in a civilian job the health care, dental and life insurance coverage aren't even on par with what the government covers from what I have been offered at previous jobs.
How about retirement eligibility at 20 years? You can collect retirement for the rest of your life by the age of 37 if you enlisted at age 17 as well as disability if any of your health degrades from work as well as continuing to use military services for health care, gym, exchange etc for the rest of your life.
It's too easy to keep going on and on about what all they give us. Most people tend to dwell on the negatives and not the positives. Part of the problem is people often don't read or understand what they are getting themselves into, ie the stoploss thing. For the Coast Guard (and I think all DOD branches are the same) you enter into an 8 year starting contract with them regardless of how long you enlist. This contract states that you must serve your term of enlistment active duty and then fullfill the rest of the 8 year contract in the inactive reserve, meaning if you are needed you can be put back into service or prevented from leaving active duty until your 8 years has been met. What this means is you are a civilian after your enlistment ends unless you are recalled due to needs of the service.
Right now though there is not much need for concern for stoploss due to so many people joining and/or staying in the service with the unstable economy.
This
The pay is not so cut and dry. You'd be surprised not only how much disposable income you have with no rent and free meals, but you also advance through the first few ranks fairly quickly. I made it to E-5 in three years which increased my pay exponentially.
You need to keep in mind, everyone enlists into the military as a complete n00b. You can't apply for assistant manager or senior engineer. Everyone is a n00b and goes through the required training/education for their position. If you accel at your position, you'll find that advancing through the ranks happens pretty quickly compared to any civilian job.
You have to take into account all of the other differences going on besides comparing paychecks.
Registered User
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 207
From: Fremont, CA
Car Info: 2015 WRX Limited
Registered User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,686
From: I was up above it, now I'm down in it
Car Info: New Government Motors SUV!
Registered User
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 207
From: Fremont, CA
Car Info: 2015 WRX Limited
General Pimpin'
iTrader: (7)
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,019
From: Knee deep in beer. subabrew crew, ca.
Car Info: MY04 aspen wrx wagon.
lucky... you're only doing a 20?
Man if I would have stuck it out with Pacbell/SBC/AT&T I would have retired at 45 with a 25 hitch and a fat pension. Grrrrr. I should try to get back and see if they'll let me start with my 7.5 already in. haaaa.
Man if I would have stuck it out with Pacbell/SBC/AT&T I would have retired at 45 with a 25 hitch and a fat pension. Grrrrr. I should try to get back and see if they'll let me start with my 7.5 already in. haaaa.
