This was my dream as a kid. Went to school for criminal justice and interned with the USDoJ (Interpol). But in the mid-2000's all the FBI wanted were accountants and candidates that speak Arabic so I took a different path.
So yeah, I guess learning Arabic and moving forward with my plan, haha.
I was accepted into an art school and engineering school. I chose engineering, but my dream was to paint. I also really wanted to start a family. I don't regret the decision, but if I knew I could support a family....
I learned the hard way that earning an honest living though study and hard work is for suckers. One needs a good scam. I would put NFL Draft Analyst at the top of the list. No credentials needed, no accountability, just makes things up and state it with a lot of confidence. Ask Mel Kiper.
I learned the hard way that earning an honest living though study and hard work is for suckers. One needs a good scam. I would put NFL Draft Analyst at the top of the list. No credentials needed, no accountability, just makes things up and state it with a lot of confidence. Ask Mel Kiper.
I was waiting for an academy date back in 2010 right after I left active duty during the budget crunch. After getting my conditional letter after 18 months of application/hiring process, they informed me that they had no idea when they would hold another academy. They were pretty backed up so they gave me a range from 6 months to a year for me to get a date. At that point, my wife and I didn't want to keep our life on hold for another year+ so we decided to go another route.
Having tons of friends, who are special agents in various federal agencies, I'm glad that we made the decision that we did despite the jobs looking interesting (although they are not as exciting in real life from what they tell me). The uncertainty of scheduling, assignments, and other obligations make the military life look like a walk in the park in comparison. That life isn't conducive to a stable family life at all, at least not if you want to have dinner with them each day.
And oh yeah...NCIS was another one that I had similar experience with with regards to FLETC date due to the budget issues. I guess it's always all about timing.
I learned the hard way that earning an honest living though study and hard work is for suckers. One needs a good scam. I would put NFL Draft Analyst at the top of the list. No credentials needed, no accountability, just makes things up and state it with a lot of confidence. Ask Mel Kiper.
You also have to yell and wag your finger to let people think you're an expert.
One of my real good friends (with a very generic name of Mike Smith) from the academy, who was an FA-18 pilot became an entrepreneur for climate solutions. Talk about a talented dude leading one of the most important work for the future. Renew West - ( New Window )
a police officer and not just because I find it a noble profession that interests me, but because every year when you look at the highest paid employees in my town (and many towns) the top n (5 or more) are all police officers.
Plus you have decent benefits and pensions.
Anecdotally I know more than a few people who right out of college became policemen and got in their 20 years to kick in their pension and benefits, and then went and got a job with another force in leadership and are close to spending 20 years there and getting a second pension. which is nice.
More honestly though, rather than change my profession which while not a passion of mine growing up is very lucrative and not digging ditches, but I would try and influence my wife to change profession and have her be a teacher or other civil servant (she is a physical therapist).
The reason is most jobs like teacher IMO are tough to have as the primary bread winner in a family, but the benefits are great (pensions, healthcare, schedule, etc.) so I feel like one parent (either one doesn't matter) in every family should be in a job like teaching or equivalent and the other parent if they have a different corporate skill set should be the bread winner.
and in CT. Ended up starting my career in sales while waiting for the testing process but things started going well and I didn't move forward with the police process.
Agree on the profession, noble job and pays well (if you put the time in). But on that note its a rough life. To get that $200k you basically don't see your family. Lots of divorces and regrets from some of the cops I know.
a police officer and not just because I find it a noble profession that interests me, but because every year when you look at the highest paid employees in my town (and many towns) the top n (5 or more) are all police officers.
Plus you have decent benefits and pensions.
Anecdotally I know more than a few people who right out of college became policemen and got in their 20 years to kick in their pension and benefits, and then went and got a job with another force in leadership and are close to spending 20 years there and getting a second pension. which is nice.
More honestly though, rather than change my profession which while not a passion of mine growing up is very lucrative and not digging ditches, but I would try and influence my wife to change profession and have her be a teacher or other civil servant (she is a physical therapist).
The reason is most jobs like teacher IMO are tough to have as the primary bread winner in a family, but the benefits are great (pensions, healthcare, schedule, etc.) so I feel like one parent (either one doesn't matter) in every family should be in a job like teaching or equivalent and the other parent if they have a different corporate skill set should be the bread winner.
and in CT. Ended up starting my career in sales while waiting for the testing process but things started going well and I didn't move forward with the police process.
Agree on the profession, noble job and pays well (if you put the time in). But on that note its a rough life. To get that $200k you basically don't see your family. Lots of divorces and regrets from some of the cops I know.
agree - city cops have it rough, but when you read the police log of most MA suburbs the majority of crimes are car break ins, wild animals spotted, DUIs and wellness checks.
city vs suburban cops are night and day (IMO) - not saying being a suburban cop is easy, just it's not the city.
a police officer and not just because I find it a noble profession that interests me, but because every year when you look at the highest paid employees in my town (and many towns) the top n (5 or more) are all police officers.
Plus you have decent benefits and pensions.
Anecdotally I know more than a few people who right out of college became policemen and got in their 20 years to kick in their pension and benefits, and then went and got a job with another force in leadership and are close to spending 20 years there and getting a second pension. [bold]which is nice[/bold].
More honestly though, rather than change my profession which while not a passion of mine growing up is very lucrative and not [bold]digging ditches[/bold], but I would try and influence my wife to change profession and have her be a teacher or other civil servant (she is a physical therapist).
The reason is most jobs like teacher IMO are tough to have as the primary bread winner in a family, but the benefits are great (pensions, healthcare, schedule, etc.) so I feel like one parent (either one doesn't matter) in every family should be in a job like teaching or equivalent and the other parent if they have a different corporate skill set should be the bread winner.
Not sure if you were going for this, but two Caddyshack references in there, bravo.
Came on to scuba in my 30s and love it more than anything. Working now towards a Caribbean retirement from law as a dive shop proprietor but I might have cut out the law part.
Though, I gotta say that what I do is pretty amazing (representing families of special needs kids to get adequate therapies). So maybe I’d skip the decade of commercial litigation and go right into special Ed law and start my dive shop a bit earlier in the plan.
My life ambition was to play 3d Base for the Mets...
got recruited in HS as a pitcher, but never made the cut. My missed career; I regret never flying jets. I flew utility and scout helicopters (UH-1's and OH-58's) for the Army and while that was really fantastic, but I never satisfied the 'need for speed'.
got recruited in HS as a pitcher, but never made the cut. My missed career; I regret never flying jets. I flew utility and scout helicopters (UH-1's and OH-58's) for the Army and while that was really fantastic, but I never satisfied the 'need for speed'.
You joined the wrong service, my friend. But then again, you could have been screwed over twice if you would have become a naval aviator and flown a P3...being a squid and flying a bus?
Uh, well, my father when I was a kid, he took me to the bank and he lifted me up and he pointed to the teller and he said "Sonny boy, take a good look at him, that's gonna be you some day."
city vs suburban cops are night and day (IMO) - not saying being a suburban cop is easy, just it's not the city.
When I had just left active duty, we were living on the beach in Alabama (right where the hurricane just hit, actually) and I almost tried to become a game warden. I knew a guy who was one, and his life seemed pretty damned awesome to me, but the starting pay was abysmally low. This guy had been at it for 10-15 years at that point so he was making decent money, but it started at like $24K/yr. Even with the low cost of living in Alabama, that wouldn't go very far.
Particularly, one that does both the retail end (boulders, timbers, plants, etc.) and that also handles residential design work and installation.
My first job as a teenager was as a "grunt" at a local lansdscape outfit here in the deep south. Worked a lot during summers and holidays. Loading mulch, rocks, hauling stuff, Christmas trees, etc. Was backbreaking and paid like crap, but it was one of those "put hair on your chest" jobs that I really am glad to have done.
I love working outdoors, do all my own yardwork (with my 13 y/o son's help these days, thankfully) and planting, and I feel great when I can get my hands in the dirt and complete a project.
I'm a 20-year practing attorney (litigator) but always have in the back of my mind to do a 180 and get into that business at some point.
city vs suburban cops are night and day (IMO) - not saying being a suburban cop is easy, just it's not the city.
When I had just left active duty, we were living on the beach in Alabama (right where the hurricane just hit, actually) and I almost tried to become a game warden. I knew a guy who was one, and his life seemed pretty damned awesome to me, but the starting pay was abysmally low. This guy had been at it for 10-15 years at that point so he was making decent money, but it started at like $24K/yr. Even with the low cost of living in Alabama, that wouldn't go very far.
In my mind I'm going to be a park ranger or game warden - something like that - when I retire.
I always felt like I wouldn't be able to completely retire, I'd need something and those are jobs I'm interested in.
But realistically speaking someone not in their late 50's/early 60's (god willing I can retire at that age) would be better suited and more desirable than me for those jobs.
So, I'll probably do the job most of the old men around here do and work for the car dealerships driving cars back and forth. lol - mostly loitering around the dealership drinking coffee and gossipping waiting for you to be needed.
Doing radio play-by-play for a baseball team. Just think.....February & March in Florida for Spring Training, endless Clubhouse Buffets, catbird seats for every game, oh yeah, and 3 months vacay in Winter.
I did a radio show on the college station back in the day, that was fun. And I worked one summer for the Lakewood Blue Claws, that was fun too. One day, they even let me do the PA Announcer thing "Now batting for the Blue Claws, number 2" Bob Sheppard had nothing to worry about.
I would go back enroll in the Air Force- learn discipline and skills much earlier, then get out with military benefits and start multiple businesses dealing with buying and selling homes.
I had a chance to enroll in the Air Force and backed out of it (didn't know what I wanted to do) and I think that is a big regret of mine.
2. Join the Navy after college and get into Aviation, ideally being a pilot.
This was my dream as a kid. Went to school for criminal justice and interned with the USDoJ (Interpol). But in the mid-2000's all the FBI wanted were accountants and candidates that speak Arabic so I took a different path.
So yeah, I guess learning Arabic and moving forward with my plan, haha.
Or Anak.
Being a pilot during this pandemic has created the need for me to become an entrepreneur...
I was waiting for an academy date back in 2010 right after I left active duty during the budget crunch. After getting my conditional letter after 18 months of application/hiring process, they informed me that they had no idea when they would hold another academy. They were pretty backed up so they gave me a range from 6 months to a year for me to get a date. At that point, my wife and I didn't want to keep our life on hold for another year+ so we decided to go another route.
Having tons of friends, who are special agents in various federal agencies, I'm glad that we made the decision that we did despite the jobs looking interesting (although they are not as exciting in real life from what they tell me). The uncertainty of scheduling, assignments, and other obligations make the military life look like a walk in the park in comparison. That life isn't conducive to a stable family life at all, at least not if you want to have dinner with them each day.
And oh yeah...NCIS was another one that I had similar experience with with regards to FLETC date due to the budget issues. I guess it's always all about timing.
You also have to yell and wag your finger to let people think you're an expert.
One of my real good friends (with a very generic name of Mike Smith) from the academy, who was an FA-18 pilot became an entrepreneur for climate solutions. Talk about a talented dude leading one of the most important work for the future.
Renew West - ( New Window )
Plus you have decent benefits and pensions.
Anecdotally I know more than a few people who right out of college became policemen and got in their 20 years to kick in their pension and benefits, and then went and got a job with another force in leadership and are close to spending 20 years there and getting a second pension. which is nice.
More honestly though, rather than change my profession which while not a passion of mine growing up is very lucrative and not digging ditches, but I would try and influence my wife to change profession and have her be a teacher or other civil servant (she is a physical therapist).
The reason is most jobs like teacher IMO are tough to have as the primary bread winner in a family, but the benefits are great (pensions, healthcare, schedule, etc.) so I feel like one parent (either one doesn't matter) in every family should be in a job like teaching or equivalent and the other parent if they have a different corporate skill set should be the bread winner.
Agree on the profession, noble job and pays well (if you put the time in). But on that note its a rough life. To get that $200k you basically don't see your family. Lots of divorces and regrets from some of the cops I know.
Plus you have decent benefits and pensions.
Anecdotally I know more than a few people who right out of college became policemen and got in their 20 years to kick in their pension and benefits, and then went and got a job with another force in leadership and are close to spending 20 years there and getting a second pension. which is nice.
More honestly though, rather than change my profession which while not a passion of mine growing up is very lucrative and not digging ditches, but I would try and influence my wife to change profession and have her be a teacher or other civil servant (she is a physical therapist).
The reason is most jobs like teacher IMO are tough to have as the primary bread winner in a family, but the benefits are great (pensions, healthcare, schedule, etc.) so I feel like one parent (either one doesn't matter) in every family should be in a job like teaching or equivalent and the other parent if they have a different corporate skill set should be the bread winner.
Just don't do it in Portland.
I wanted to do that. Too much weed smoking in HS ruled me out.
Agree on the profession, noble job and pays well (if you put the time in). But on that note its a rough life. To get that $200k you basically don't see your family. Lots of divorces and regrets from some of the cops I know.
agree - city cops have it rough, but when you read the police log of most MA suburbs the majority of crimes are car break ins, wild animals spotted, DUIs and wellness checks.
city vs suburban cops are night and day (IMO) - not saying being a suburban cop is easy, just it's not the city.
Plus you have decent benefits and pensions.
Anecdotally I know more than a few people who right out of college became policemen and got in their 20 years to kick in their pension and benefits, and then went and got a job with another force in leadership and are close to spending 20 years there and getting a second pension. [bold]which is nice[/bold].
More honestly though, rather than change my profession which while not a passion of mine growing up is very lucrative and not [bold]digging ditches[/bold], but I would try and influence my wife to change profession and have her be a teacher or other civil servant (she is a physical therapist).
The reason is most jobs like teacher IMO are tough to have as the primary bread winner in a family, but the benefits are great (pensions, healthcare, schedule, etc.) so I feel like one parent (either one doesn't matter) in every family should be in a job like teaching or equivalent and the other parent if they have a different corporate skill set should be the bread winner.
Not sure if you were going for this, but two Caddyshack references in there, bravo.
I was trying to weave in "I have sentenced boys younger than you to the gas chamber. Didn't want to do it. I felt I owed it to them"
but it would have seemed forced.
Though, I gotta say that what I do is pretty amazing (representing families of special needs kids to get adequate therapies). So maybe I’d skip the decade of commercial litigation and go right into special Ed law and start my dive shop a bit earlier in the plan.
You joined the wrong service, my friend. But then again, you could have been screwed over twice if you would have become a naval aviator and flown a P3...being a squid and flying a bus?
SERIOUSLY , I always wanted to be a pilot but somehow I got it into my dumb head that my less than 20/20 vision was a permanent no no.
SERIOUSLY , I always wanted to be a pilot but somehow I got it into my dumb head that my less than 20/20 vision was a permanent no no.
Yeah...depending on how old you are. In the early 2000's the military started allowing people to get PRK surgeries to become pilots.
Similarly, a position in coaching (particuarly baseball) at the college level.
I feel both require starting at a young age where you don't have the obligations that come later with life, and usually these jobs start with low pay.
I'd rethink this one if I were you.
When I had just left active duty, we were living on the beach in Alabama (right where the hurricane just hit, actually) and I almost tried to become a game warden. I knew a guy who was one, and his life seemed pretty damned awesome to me, but the starting pay was abysmally low. This guy had been at it for 10-15 years at that point so he was making decent money, but it started at like $24K/yr. Even with the low cost of living in Alabama, that wouldn't go very far.
My first job as a teenager was as a "grunt" at a local lansdscape outfit here in the deep south. Worked a lot during summers and holidays. Loading mulch, rocks, hauling stuff, Christmas trees, etc. Was backbreaking and paid like crap, but it was one of those "put hair on your chest" jobs that I really am glad to have done.
I love working outdoors, do all my own yardwork (with my 13 y/o son's help these days, thankfully) and planting, and I feel great when I can get my hands in the dirt and complete a project.
I'm a 20-year practing attorney (litigator) but always have in the back of my mind to do a 180 and get into that business at some point.
Quote:
city vs suburban cops are night and day (IMO) - not saying being a suburban cop is easy, just it's not the city.
When I had just left active duty, we were living on the beach in Alabama (right where the hurricane just hit, actually) and I almost tried to become a game warden. I knew a guy who was one, and his life seemed pretty damned awesome to me, but the starting pay was abysmally low. This guy had been at it for 10-15 years at that point so he was making decent money, but it started at like $24K/yr. Even with the low cost of living in Alabama, that wouldn't go very far.
In my mind I'm going to be a park ranger or game warden - something like that - when I retire.
I always felt like I wouldn't be able to completely retire, I'd need something and those are jobs I'm interested in.
But realistically speaking someone not in their late 50's/early 60's (god willing I can retire at that age) would be better suited and more desirable than me for those jobs.
So, I'll probably do the job most of the old men around here do and work for the car dealerships driving cars back and forth. lol - mostly loitering around the dealership drinking coffee and gossipping waiting for you to be needed.
Check out Little Egg and you'll quickly change your mind.
I did a radio show on the college station back in the day, that was fun. And I worked one summer for the Lakewood Blue Claws, that was fun too. One day, they even let me do the PA Announcer thing "Now batting for the Blue Claws, number 2" Bob Sheppard had nothing to worry about.
Either that, or Mattress Testing.
I had a chance to enroll in the Air Force and backed out of it (didn't know what I wanted to do) and I think that is a big regret of mine.