#3 I was a Satellite technician in the USAF and I got my AA during my first enlistment through programs that were free or almost free in the mid 80's. I got out after one enlistment but joined the GA Air Guard and started using my GI Bill to take night classes in Computer Information Systems as anything computer was hot. Once I had my BS I got an entry level Help Desk job to get my foot in the door. Within a year I was writing or proofing COBOL routines which became mind numbing very quickly. I was making about what a two or three year school teacher made. The company I worked for would pay for IT certifications so I got the Microsoft A+ and Net+ cert, the Excellenet communication cert, Lotus Notes Admin cert, Cisco Router and CCNP certs, Oracle SQL cert, CompTIA Lifecycle cert, and the one I bet my career on the Certified Project Manager (CPM). I did this over 3 years while I was programing. Each cert bumped my pay but the CPM got me a Project Manager position in 95 and with the yearly and project bonus' I was making low 6 figures until 2001 when the IT market blew apart. I hadn't kept any of my certs current where a third of them no longer existed and the CPM was replaced with Project management professional (PMP). The CPM was worthless and I could not buy a job in IT. I spent two years Guard Bumming getting any Active Duty assignment working 7 months of the year for E7 pay which was less than half of what I had been making. By this time a top high school student knew more about the current IT market than I did. I retired Air Guard and got a job as a SatComm tech as an Army contractor. I worked the next 10 years doing comms before I retired early at 55 with a big bankroll and a 7 figure 401k. I was doing well until Biden. Now I am back working a $35k year job with a $700k 401k and I will start drawing SS this November. I have never touched the 401k. The wife is a retired school teacher and we can exist off her retirement. My military retirement is going into IRA's with an extra couple grand to max out our yearly IRA contributions. I have got to work another 4 to 6 years before I can go into full retirement if my 401k recovers to be 7 figures. My plans of retirement travel are not going to happen unless my 401k doubles, which is unlikely.
Put it here ... I can't wait to read it. I have the Captcha turned OFF but blogger insists it be there. You should be able to bypass it.
** Anonymous, please use a name at the end of your comment. You're all starting to look alike.
*** Moderation has been added due to Spam and a Commenter a little too caustic. I welcome comments, but talk of killing and racist (or even close to racist) are not welcome.
Everything is great, Odie. But Yoda was my favorite.
ReplyDeleteYou all be safe and God bless.
LindaG, it's good to have favorites.
Delete#3 I was a Satellite technician in the USAF and I got my AA during my first enlistment through programs that were free or almost free in the mid 80's. I got out after one enlistment but joined the GA Air Guard and started using my GI Bill to take night classes in Computer Information Systems as anything computer was hot. Once I had my BS I got an entry level Help Desk job to get my foot in the door. Within a year I was writing or proofing COBOL routines which became mind numbing very quickly. I was making about what a two or three year school teacher made. The company I worked for would pay for IT certifications so I got the Microsoft A+ and Net+ cert, the Excellenet communication cert, Lotus Notes Admin cert, Cisco Router and CCNP certs, Oracle SQL cert, CompTIA Lifecycle cert, and the one I bet my career on the Certified Project Manager (CPM). I did this over 3 years while I was programing. Each cert bumped my pay but the CPM got me a Project Manager position in 95 and with the yearly and project bonus' I was making low 6 figures until 2001 when the IT market blew apart. I hadn't kept any of my certs current where a third of them no longer existed and the CPM was replaced with Project management professional (PMP). The CPM was worthless and I could not buy a job in IT. I spent two years Guard Bumming getting any Active Duty assignment working 7 months of the year for E7 pay which was less than half of what I had been making. By this time a top high school student knew more about the current IT market than I did. I retired Air Guard and got a job as a SatComm tech as an Army contractor. I worked the next 10 years doing comms before I retired early at 55 with a big bankroll and a 7 figure 401k. I was doing well until Biden. Now I am back working a $35k year job with a $700k 401k and I will start drawing SS this November. I have never touched the 401k. The wife is a retired school teacher and we can exist off her retirement. My military retirement is going into IRA's with an extra couple grand to max out our yearly IRA contributions. I have got to work another 4 to 6 years before I can go into full retirement if my 401k recovers to be 7 figures. My plans of retirement travel are not going to happen unless my 401k doubles, which is unlikely.
ReplyDeletetsquared, so you're another biden success story. We have had to scale back our retirement also.
DeleteYoda nail it does. And I love the wall.
ReplyDeleteedutcher, have you reserved your place in line yet to piss on her grave?
Delete