Job Satisfaction or Large Salary?

[Nords]

Nords-
Sorry, this might derail the topic, but I think it's relevant to the OP's situation.
I've heard you say before that you wish you had not stayed 20 and I can't help
but wonder why. Do you really wish you had left at 10 yrs (I think you've said
that before) and gone into the reserves?
Wouldn't you say that your overall quality of life having been able to be retired for
the last several years is better because you stayed on for 20?
I'm not in the military, but I think if I hit 10 years (not necessarily 4 like the OP)
only serious marriage/family jeopardy would get me to leave before 20.
Again I'm not in the military, but in my own line of work, very few
folks with >5 yrs leave before 20 yrs on any kind of voluntary basis.
-LB

You make good points. I need to distill 20+ years of experiences into a few paragraphs. Let me do some writing and get back to this in a couple days.

 

[kcowan]

Actually, the situation is exactly opposite of that. ATC has certain requirements to get into it. There are age restrictions for new hires and over time my ATC experience will wear off and the ATC shortage will be disappearing. If I went into ATC first and got burned out, I could then go into corporate a lot easier than the other way around. I would be a former military officer with an MBA and x number of years as a controller, so stress shouldn't be an issue. Most higher corporate positions want experience as well as education. This is especially true if I eventually got an ATC supervisor or manager position.

If I'm going to make the wrong decision, it'd be best to start in ATC then try to move to business v. the other way around.

I don't get this at all! You seem to be saying that this $200k position is not really available to you ("Most higher corporate positions want experience as well as education."). A $200k position would not be available to you if you were a burned out ATC either!

When you get your facts straight, we might be able to help.

(I think you are looking for corroboration of the ATC position. Watch for Nords posting on life in the navy.)

 

[Sesq]

To the topic heading, I will note that my job satisfaction has increased when my salary went up. Work is still work, but a bigger bonus check cured a lot of what ails me. I used to think about retraining and switching fields, but now the golden hancuffs allow my wife to stay home and I get a lot of satisfaction from my family.

 

[Texas Proud]

I also was wondering how someone just coming out with an MBA could get $200K... as others have said, there are many MBAs who make half that...


As for what to do... we are not the people to help you... there are many things to think about when choosing a job.. and only one of them is money...

What 'job' is it that is $200 Are you expected to work 80 hours a week.. and travel all the time... or pull stints of 48 plus hours if needed.. when you start to figure out the cost to you to earn this possible $200... then maybe the smaller salary with known items might be better...

Also, do you work better in a job that is 'fixed'... IOW, you do the same thing over and over and over... some people are really good at this... others are bored in a few says... or do you like putting out fires... dealing with bosses that don't know crap that tell you to cut your budget 20% even though you are already cutting bone.... dealing with clients that want the revisions by tomorrow morning at 8AM... so you have to pull an all nighter... if you like this... the go for it..

To me, both jobs make more than enough money to pay for a very good lifestyle... and if it will not... then you need to look in a mirror to see the problem...

 

[Texas Proud]

OK... read more... it is tough to get one of those high paying MBA jobs unless you are in the top top school... are you

The burn out rate for I bank and consultants is probably higher than ATC...

With the recent problems in the finance industry... I doubt that those really high salaries are available now... like $1 mill in 8 years... the way the article sounds it is a given...


What does a top general make Why not go that route? To me, it is about the same as the article... lots of people try, but not many get there..

 

[usafLT]

I don't get this at all! You seem to be saying that this $200k position is not really available to you ("Most higher corporate positions want experience as well as education."). A $200k position would not be available to you if you were a burned out ATC either!

When you get your facts straight, we might be able to help.

(I think you are looking for corroboration of the ATC position. Watch for Nords posting on life in the navy.)

I believe 5 years as a military officer and x years as a civilian controller are work experience. If you aren't aware, military officers are managers, very often in charge of million dollar budgets and as many as 100 people very early in their careers. Not sure if you read this whole thread or not, but I already previously stated I have made my decision, so I suppose my last statement would be more favorable to ATC.

Again, not sure if you read the whole thread, I stated these are salary estimates. I said most military MBAs have an average salary of low 100's to a possible 200k. This is very accurate. I can post several sources on that. Yes, I admit that currently the financial system is between a rock and a hard place so it may be harder currently to find that job. Lastly, the point is that the MBA has a lot more potential for future earnings increases, whereas the ATC can max out fairly early on with increases mostly just to offset inflation. That is where I was going with this thread, not to verify the exact starting salary of a military mba.

But, this is all a moot point as again, I've already decided a direction I am heading in. I have appreciated all those with productive advice who have helped me think about the issue from a few different perspectives and lead me to make a decision.

On a side note, I think this thread is more burned out than an ATC with 25 years in.

 

[Milton]

I believe 5 years as a military officer and x years as a civilian controller are work experience. If you aren't aware, military officers are managers, very often in charge of million dollar budgets and as many as 100 people very early in their careers.

Unfortunately, many (most?) civilian employers have little respect for the managerial / leadership experience of ex-officers. Partly this is due to ignorance, and partly because the military environment is different from civilian employment in many ways.

Most military MBAs have an average salary of low 100's to a possible 200k. This is very accurate. I can post several sources on that.

I would appreciate it if you would please post those sources. Thanks in advance.

 

[DJRR]

IAgain, not sure if you read the whole thread, I stated these are salary estimates. I said most military MBAs have an average salary of low 100's to a possible 200k. This is very accurate. I can post several sources on that

You are naive about the private sector. I work for one of the largest defense contractors in the country, military MBAs would do well, but you need to be VP level to crack $200k. No one with 5 years experience and nothing in the business is going to get close to that unless they are a real rainmaker in new business with contacts that bring contracts.

The other jobs: investment banking is 80-100 hour weeks until you hit partner, if ever. Consulting is 100% travel if you can handle that lifestyle.

I think you are making the best decision.

 

[DivinDave]

In university we used to have a saying. Life is a $h!t sandwidge. The more bread you've got, the less $h!t you have to taste.

 

[Nords]

Watch for Nords posting on life in the navy.)

OK, LeftBucket and everybody else, here you go:
http://www.early-retirement.org/for...uld-i-go-very-long-post-49974.html#post931531

 

[friar1610]

I haven't read every post in this thread but I certainly get the drift of your dilemma. I recall there was a piece in the business section of the Sunday NYT about a month ago by a guy who had been in a high powered career (in the business world, I believe) and left it to become an ATC. If I recall correctly, he really loves the ATC job. I tried to search for it to give you a link but didn't find it right away. You may want to search for it more diligently than I did to get a perspective.

 

[lhamo]

One other major factor to consider that I am not sure anyone has brought up yet is the effect of job location/cost of living on your bottom line. If you could manage to snag one of those 200k/year MBA positions, it would most likely be in NYC, right? Well, check out the cost of 2-3 br apartments, daycare, private school (since it is increasingly difficult to get your kids into good publics in NYC), etc. Your 200k/year is not going to go very far. Contrast that to 100k plus in the places you are considering -- Detroit and Cleveland? You could probably buy a whole city block for what it would cost to buy a "junior one bedroom" (aka studio) in Manhattan. Not that you'd want to live in a neighborhood where things were that cheap, but I can't imagine a nice house in even the best suburbs in the midwest costing anywhere near what NYC housing costs.

Realize you already made your decision, but maybe this is a consideration that will help reinforce that choice.

lhamo

 

[rgarling]

Now that you have made your decision, you can rest assured that you were GROSSLY overestimating what you would likely make/achieve in the corporate world.