Re:CEO of Uber: Gig Workers Deserve Better
by gorbachev on Monday August 10, 2020 @01:20PM
(#24111654)
Armed forces pay is way, way less than the competitive pay paid to the same people to perform the same job as employees of private companies.
That's true of government jobs in general.
But what about total compensation, including all benefits?
You can't find a private job with a pension plan any more.
A pension plan isn’t magic, it is just a fixed-income security. You can buy them on the private market. A pension can thus be converted to a dollar value and compared to a private sector job.
Total compensation is decent in the military, but imo it’s definitely not work the risks to life and limb if deployed. Any good soldier could probably make a lot more in the private sector for the same amount of work hours and stress.
I don’t know that this is true for all government jobs... I know that California and especially San Francisco have (or had) lavish compensation programs.
Have you looked into what the armed forces pays? It’s not bad.
Even as a low ranking enlisted person, you get housing, healthcare and then a salary (albeit low, but it’s mostly discretionary). You can qualify for the GI Bill which pays for schooling once you get out. And if you’re in for 20, you get a pension and healthcare with the option of retiring at 40 if you went in at 20.
I believe you also get a housing allowance is you qualify to live off base and if you serve in a combat zone, a big chunk of pay is tax exempt.
I’m sure someone will be along to correct my inaccuracies.
If you add it all up, a military career is by no means a poor financial choice.