No matter how you look at it, the extra money you receive by staying in the military is pretty darn enticing, even if you’ve strongly been considering retiring. Deciding whether you should stay in the military or not is a really big choice, and when there’s a few grand staring you in the face, it’s pretty easy to be swayed. Don’t fall into the money trap! There are some great reasons to stay in the military, but there are some really bad ones too. You shouldn’t stay in the military if:

• You hate your job. Being in the military is hard work, not matter which branch you call home. However, most people find their jobs rewarding at the end of a hard day. If you don’t, it may be time to call things quits, even if you would get a bonus to stay.

• You have family obligations. Being a military family works for some people–but not everyone. Your children will grow up really quickly and trust me, no amount of money is worth missing hearing those first words or waving at the bus on the first day of school. Even if you don’t have children, family might be worth passing up the bonus. Having marital problems? Work them out by discharging. Elderly parents need help? You’ll never forgive yourself if you stick them in a nursing home.

• Your dreams are fluttering away. What did you want to be when you grew up? If you said a soldier, marine, etc, than you may be fulfilling your dreams already! Don’t let the military stand in your way of other dreams, however, If you joined in order to go to college, take advantage of that and get your education. If you always dreamed of building your own home or starting your own business, take some time to do that. If not, you could wake up one day to find that you’re 70 years old and never got around to pursuing your dreams.

There are occasions, of course, when it is a great idea to stay in the military for the bonus. If you really need the money, grab it! If you love your job, why quit? If you feel like the benefits of the extra cash outweigh the disadvantages staying in the military will bring, don’t discharge. The important thing is for you to listen to yourself and your loved ones so that you can make a decision that is right for you.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 26th, 2007 at 12:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized, Salary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.