I just hit 12 years with the Fire Department. I make good money (120k with about 175 hrs of OT last year.) Good money, not great in the Biden economy, but enough we’re comfortable with my wife’s salary (90k) and the extra I get from the NG.
I like what I do, but I don’t love it anymore. When I got hired I felt like I hit the lottery, but I don’t feel that way anymore. As a firefighter/paramedic I spend most of my time on a medic transport vehicle taking 15-20 runs a day, and dealing with the dregs of society is getting really old. Tons of homeless and an administration that won’t do anything to address the abuse of the EMS system. Getting off the medic is still many years away for me… Promotion is an option but that’s sort of like hitting the reset button with seniority. Plus watching who is getting hired these days I don’t feel like babysitting most of these folks.
At 15 years, I’ll be vested, which means 30% of my pay at age 48. 25 years would be a full retirement and 60%, going up from there if I stick around longer, to include doing the DROP program which is a huge chunk of money.
Someone recently said that pensions are modern day indentured servitude and being in a pension system I tend to agree. I feel trapped by it. It’s too good to leave but not good enough to stay.
To top it off, my wife and I have decided we really don’t like central Ohio. Columbus is a liberal hell hole that gets worse by the day. I find it soul sucking… It’s like a constantly growing amoeba that turns everything around it into suburban hell. We live in a rural area about an hr away. It’s nice, for now, but we have a massive intel chip factory getting built right down the road and we know it won’t be long until the city gobbles up everything around us and the Silicon Valley types move and bring their politics with them.
We would both love to move. Wyoming probably tops our list, followed by Idaho or Montana. My wife is already remote doing corporate retail so the only thing holding us back is my career. We love the outdoors, and there just isn’t a lot of outdoor activity here. Sure a few lakes, and Wayne NF is about an hr and a half away, but this is mostly private farmland. Great deer hunting, but not exactly a ton of places to hike around an explore, camp, backpack, etc. Not to mention western hunting is my passion and that is becoming harder to do every year as a non resident.
I’ve come to the conclusion that 3 years would be about the perfect time to move if we’re gonna do it. Vested in the pension, my son will be 6, so just starting grade school. If I wait to 25, he will be starting high school, which is much harder.
Financially I’d probably take a hit especially with regards to retirement, but I’ve learned that money isn’t everything. Life is too short to live somewhere you hate.
A little background on my resume… I’ve got a BSBA in management from a well respected university. I spent four years as a Tank Officer in the USMC Reserve. I went to Army Flight School after that and currently fly UH-60s part time. I kept my commission for a while and was a Company Commander for 3 years, but recently reverted to being a Warrant, mainly to have a better lifestyle for my family. I’ll probably attend the Aviation Safety Officer course in the next year or so which will pad the resume a bit.
So I’ve got a unique background to say the least. If anything, I think it’s pretty clear I’m trainable and capable.
I considered the airlines a bit due to the pilot shortage… I love flying and it’s something that has come very naturally to me, and the income potential there is huge long term, but I’m very hesitant to make that leap. I’d have to go get my commercial multi, take a pay cut for a few years, build time at the regionals, and even if I did make it to a major I’d always be tied to a big city even if I commuted. Bottom line, it’s just not a lifestyle I want with a family, and there aren’t a lot of domiciles in WY/MT/ID.
I’ve also considered PA school, but again going back to school full time with a young family seems like a terrible idea.
I’ve got a former NCO/crew chief who is fully remote with Raytheon and loves it. He’s at about 90k but can work literally from anywhere. 9-5, flexible schedule. I never thought I’d want to drive a desk but at this point in my life at age 36 I’m over doing the sexy stuff. I’m not sure how well my resume would translate to something like this but I’m very tempted… I feel like I need to start building my linked in profile, put my resume out there in another year or so and see what bites. In the mean time, I have a job, so no harm no foul if nothing works out. I’d probably take a pay cut, and I’d certainly have to work longer until retirement, but I feel like the flexibility would be worth it.
Putting this out there to rokslide for perspective… I’d love some input from an outside viewpoint. Is it doable to find a remote job with a decent salary given my resume? Have a lost my mind to consider walking away from the pension and a secure job to move and start a new career?
