Uncop wrote:

The first piece of advice, get a college degree, it may not open a lot of doors but it will get you a second look sometimes, especially with the LEO/Mil. Degrees are easier now with technology and online degrees.

Good points buddy...

+1 on this.... the Post9/11 GI Bill, Chapter 33 is awesome!!!! Look into it.

This potentially is the best thread started in awhile here.

yeah GI bill is very good for todays vets, it was no where near as generous years ago. i think i got 10k for college that i didn't use and a VA house loan .

trick506 wrote:

Gents, It had taken me 2 long years of contracting and 1 divorce to realize that the contracting money is good, but some times not always worth it. So to those of you who are thinking of giving up that LEO or Active duty job for a piece of quick cash.... think long and hard about what you are doing.... money is nice, but it's not always everything. I'm only 24, and it's finally come back to haunt me. Contracting took everything I had.... My life, my family, EVERYTHING. So to those of you who have the option to re-up or leave tha LEO job, think twice... It may fuck you over in the long run.

Alright bro, I'm about where you are at. I'm about your age and have contracted for about two years. I DID have an awesome relationship (with a girl! ) even though I am single now.

I don't think people our age need to be fooling around with long-term relationships. People our age need to be barhopping in Thailand. It was nice having a reliable chic back home to help me take care of stateside issues while I was gone. But in retrospect, it put a lot of unnecessary emotional responsibility on me. Basically, I'm saying I don't think you need to be worried about a woman. You need to be worried about you (and your teammates). That's just my .02

Alright, now I'm going to call you out:

How did you spend your money?

Were you one of those guys that got all starry-eyed at that first paycheck? Did you exclaim "I'm a thousandaire!" then started dreaming about how that money can be spent? Did you buy a Corvette your first month on the job instead of paying off your credit card debt?

I ask because I have known a lot of guys that got carried away with their paychecks. Where I used to work we had a "Board of Broken Dreams" where some dumbass was trying to sell his half-million dollar waterfront property, Cessna airplane or Lingenfelter Corvette because he found out that he's not Rick James and he can't afford it. I know a guy that works on WPPS and STILL lives from paycheck to paycheck. He's a great guy, good at his job...but he can't spend money worth a .

If I had to go back and do it all over again, I absolutely would. Money is a tool that has helped me accomplish my goals and has made my life astronomically easier. Big money that can be made in contracting is somewhat similiar to the hazards of owning a big, brand new 4x4 truck. Yes, it is powerful and useful, helping one get to places and get stuff done. But one can get carried away with a big truck, flipping it over or getting it stuck in some god forsaken place.

trick506, I don't know you or what your life situation is. I could be barking up the wrong tree. However, I find it very hard to believe that you should get this chance of a lifetime and somehow end up regretting it.

BTW, I changed the thread title to a better description. This is a good thread and I don't want anybody searching for this topic to miss out on it later down the road.

I spent money very carefully at first, saving up and paying off all of my bills and being debt free. I had a nice chunk of change put away for emergencies. But me being a dumb ass and my ex-wife having POA and access to all the money, it dissappeared. Her and my daughter partied like rockstars while I was overseas. The wife got everything except my car and my guns.

I am lucky in a way however cause I did learn one thing from the Army. Have a back up to the back up plan. I'm in the Guard, using the GI Bill soon for a degree and doing some part time work at Sig.

If I could go back to my ETS date and decide to re-up or get out and contract, I think at this point I would have stayed in the Army. I would be 2 years farther ahead and have gotten a re-up bonus and have had a stable job. Now I feel like it was just a 2 year gap of nothing.

But don't get me wrong, I met some bad ass people. I had to live with OS71 and Wytac. And I also had some fun and it was a good thing to experience.

The biggest pain in the ass though was being at Victory at the same time as the unit I left. Seeing those guys roll out to go kick ass and take names and me thinking "what the fuck, I should be going with them"

I made my choice now, I reclassed my MOS and I'm headed back to active duty. I turned down a job with TC and Dyn. Am I crazy? probably, but all that money, for me- just isn't worth it.

Good Luck and Best Wishes on your decision,man. Most of us have seen alot of guys get completely stupid with money and spend it on all sorts of . (women, booze, drugs, cars, vacations) This profession takes alot out of you and you cant do it forever, it takes too much of a toll on your life in general.

trick506 wrote:

but all that money, for me- just isn't worth it.

And THAT is what it's all about. Only Trick can decide what's best for Trick. You're a grown ass man and it's up to you to command your destiny. We can give you our .02 and you can choose to factor that in, but ultimately you are choosing your path.

Good luck with your endeavors, bro!

Wow, really an eye opener. Nice thread, I'm trying to get into the business right now. I have thought about going back active, but those days have passed, and that page has turned.

Besides, you gave a marriage to the contract, and I gave one to active duty. I can tell you living in the same town as my ex-wife I still dont see my son as much as I should (not by choice). So I decided I'm still young and healthy, so here goes my shot.

Good luck with all you do.