Military Lifestyle vs. I-Banking

I'm in the US Army but thinking of going into i-banking. I welcome your advice, please compare and contrast my current lifestyle with what I can expect at an i-bank. For your info, here's a quick rundown.

Age: 25 Degree: Bachelor of Science, West Point Org.: US Army Rank: Captain Salary: After taxes,take home about $6000/month, $72,000/year. The Army has all these allowances that aren't taxed, such as money for your housing, some cost of living adjustments, incentive pays, etc.

Hours: 9-5 usually, but physical training at 6:30 am to 7:30 am. I wake up at 6 am most days except for when I have to put together intel briefings on Mondays and Fridays, then I get up a little earlier at 5:30 am. I rarely work Saturdays. If I go to the field on a training exercise, I work 24 hours a day for the duration but that includes sleep, eating, all that stuff. I'm at a strategic level assignment right now so no training exercises in the field for me.

Work Environment: I have a little desk with two computers, one unclassified, the other classified. I work in bunker so no windows, view, sunlight. I'm in military intelligence so the work is usually interesting. Have a lot of bullshit meetings to go to but my bosses usually go to them. Cool bosses, they let me have time off for personal stuff. If I need a three day weekend, I can usually get one.

Clothes: I wear the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) and desert boots. ACU looks cool with its pixelated camo and it has a shitload of pockets. It's really comfortable and I don't have to shine my desert boots. I usually carry a folding combat knife (Spyderco or Benchmade Nimravus)too. I also have to wear a beret, the gayest headwear ever created by man.

Downsides: People in Korea don't really like the US military but won't do or say anything. Having idiots in positions of power/authority. Working for bastards like Rumsfeld (glad he's gone). Plus, going to war and dying. The Army also contributed to ruining a long-term relationship that I had, the other part being that I was an inconsiderate bastard.

Lifestyle: People in the Army are a lot more laid-back than you would think. Coming from my urban, Northeastern background, I was surprised how southern and blue collar the Army is but that's not necessarily a bad thing. On weekends, I usually go drinking and partying with friends. Girls, that's a given, too easy. Getting laid is a daily event if you want it to be, no exaggeration.

I'm thinking of getting out of the Army because the guys at the top don't know how to manage their human capital, i.e., we get treated like shit. The Army's problems are institutional and a result of the massive bureaucracy borne of an attitude that the best way to solve a problem is with a policy, a regulation and more paperwork. On a local level, you have some good people trying to work within a fundamentally flawed system. Still, I see the writing on the wall and I'm getting out in a couple of years.

7 Comments
 

if I'm not messing around on the internet, watching a dvd or going out drinking (I almost never drink on a weeknight). If I'm with my girlfriend, I'll sleep when she sleeps. So I'll sleep from about 12 midnight till 6 am.

 
JimboAce, is that salary figure a typo? Seems much higher than I've seen for an O-3. Looks more like an O-6 or O-7

70 is more like the base of an O-5, but its the all-in of an 0-3; they get various cash allowances and tax credits.

 

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