[LordOpie]

upwards of 70 hours per week... ok, not what I want, but for a year? hell, I could take a full year off from work afterwards.

graphic design in MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint... ugh, but whatever.

oh... must be available to work directly with Commanding General in Iraq. Are you available for transfer to Iraq on April 26, 2006?

 

[Transcend]

I'd do it. Get a glock?

 

[BurlyShirley]

Dont do it.

 

[skinny mike]

whats more important to you? being happy and making the same amount of money or most likely being unhappy and making lots of money? if it was for a very short period of time(like a week or two) i would go with the latter but for long term things i prefer the former.

 

[jimmydean]

They say it's for a year knowing good and well you won't make it past 3 months. Just make sure to leave me as your next of kin and you'll be all right

 

[BurlyShirley]

Dude. You're talking about getting married. Going to Iraq for that long will put that in jeopardy, no doubt. That and for a cause I know you dont support? Money isnt everything.

 

[Echo]

Would you have to go to Iraq? F*CK THAT.

 

[BurlyShirley]

Hey, if you are about to be beheaded on camera, you better not go out sniveling and begging like a little baby. You better get your shots in at least.

 

[LordOpie]

I'd do it.

Yeah, but you live in Canada.

Dude. You're talking about getting married. Going to Iraq for that long will put that in jeopardy, no doubt. That and for a cause I know you dont support? Money isnt everything.

Agreed. I'm not remotely considering it.

whats more important to you? being happy and making the same amount of money or most likely being unhappy and making lots of money? if it was for a very short period of time(like a week or two) i would go with the latter but for long term things i prefer the former.

agreed.

They say it's for a year knowing good and well you won't make it past 3 months. Just make sure to leave me as your next of kin and you'll be all right

as in, I'll quit and go home or I'll go home in a bodybag?

I'm jew, I'm sure I'd get beheaded within a month

Would you have to go to Iraq? F*CK THAT.

That's word for word what my girl said.

 

[geargrrl]

some of those jobs have you staying in a compound, what is the living situtation, and tax situation on that $170K. Room and board?

 

[formermtboarder]

Woot iraq, while your there visit israel. See how quickly you can die!

 

[Toshi]

could you live with your conscience if you worked as a propaganda shill for the govt (or for a contractor of the govt, same thing)?

 

[BurlyShirley]

could you live with your conscience if you worked as a propaganda shill for the govt (or for a contractor of the govt, same thing)?

I do...

 

[Westy]

They love both jews and Americans over there. People would be kicking down your door to get to know you.

 

[SK6]

Dude, a friend mine KIA November 17th, 2005. I say no.

 

[jaydee]

$170,000 is not enough to spend a year working with MS Word.

 

[Changleen]

I do...

New Custom Title! "Propaganda Shill for the Govt"

 

[Changleen]

$170,000 is not enough to spend a year working with MS Word.

You should try Microsoft CMS 2001! Fack! Time to upgrade already people!

 

[BurlyShirley]

New Custom Title! "Propaganda Shill for the Govt"

Thats what my profile says, I think. Or at least it used to.

 

[Changleen]

Thats what my profile says, I think. Or at least it used to.

Did you see the Porn thread for you?

 

[BurlyShirley]

Did you see the Porn thread for you?

no...

 

[Changleen]

no...

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148260

You'll need your special glove...

 

[Reactor]

I do...

Lord Opie has a conscience.

 

[Reactor]

I was approached to see if I'd like to earn a huge salary in Iraq, right after the invasion. After I expressedmy views on several items, I was left alone. I have enough trouble sleeping at night, I don't need any more.

 

[stevew]

upwards of 70 hours per week... ok, not what I want, but for a year? hell, I could take a full year off from work afterwards.

graphic design in MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint... ugh, but whatever.

oh... must be available to work directly with Commanding General in Iraq. Are you available for transfer to Iraq on April 26, 2006?

A friend of my brothers has been back from Iraq for two months now at a VA hospital. Seems like he has a bug he can not get rid of.

 

[maxyedor]

I here that the bar scene sucks, but on the upside, working 70 hrs a week and there being no real comerce over there, you have no time/ nothing to spend money on so that 170k will last awhile. Also the first 80k you make is tax free. I would consider going as a journalist, with a lot of body armor and guns. But you're engaged and would have a shtty job over there so in your situation I would say no.

 

[MudGrrl]

I've known plenty of people get offers to go to the sandbox....

a lot of money....



fck that.

 

[partsbara]

you can make that much there (and more) as a bus driver... i ve met a few folks who come in here (ramstein - germany) for a short break from the madness...

least ya could be in a nice expensive coffin...

 

[JohnE]

Its kind of sick that you could go over and play with with computers and make that much $$$, but those who volunteerd to serve their country and actually expect to go into harms way will make less than 1/4th what you would get in a year. Be thankful you have the option...

 

[Toshi]

Its kind of sick that you could go over and play with with computers and make that much $$$, but those who volunteerd to serve their country and actually expect to go into harms way will make less than 1/4th what you would get in a year. Be thankful you have the option...

thank you for explaining the difference between skilled and unskilled labor. and no, he shouldn't be thankful for the opportunity to write pure swill for the benefit of an occupying force.

 

[binary visions]

thank you for explaining the difference between skilled and unskilled labor.

 

[JRB]

Wow - I know you are joking, but to call the military "unskilled labor" is a pretty ****ty thing to say. :nuts:

 

[binary visions]

Wow - I know you are joking, but to call the military "unskilled labor" is a pretty ****ty thing to say.

Joking? I have nothing but the utmost respect for those in the military, but the fact is skilled vs. unskilled labor is what it boils down to. There are those that earn high pay grades in the military, who are performing skilled labor. Those that aren't earning the higher pay grades are generally not doing the same kind of work.

In a happy, perfect world the people in the military should be earning more. But the fact of the matter is, people with special skills get paid more. Boot camp can take a completely unexperienced person and provide them with a good, solid physical foundation and many basic skills - enough to serve in whatever division of the armed forces they've chosen. You could not train a completely unexperienced person how to program in the same amount of time.

 

[JohnE]

BV, you show a common lack of knowledge regarding the military. Your pay grade tells nothing of your ability to perform "skilled" labor. As a matter of fact, most of the labor is performed byt those in the lower pay grades. As one moves up in grade, whether officer or enlisted, one moves into the management tier. There are jobs in which officers perform parts of the labor, pilots most notably, but most of what you call labor (Be it ditch digging or computer programing) is performed by younger enlisted folks. My Officer in Charge (OIC) is a Captain, and he cannot perform my daily taskings without supervision. Conversely, I would be lost doing the admin end of what he handles daily.
Pay grade simply indicates that you have been around awhile, or that you earned a college degree and answered the right questions on all the commisioning tests and decided to make a commitment to your country.
And you are right, we should be paid more!

 

[JRB]

Joking? I have nothing but the utmost respect for those in the military, but the fact is skilled vs. unskilled labor is what it boils down to. There are those that earn high pay grades in the military, who are performing skilled labor. Those that aren't earning the higher pay grades are generally not doing the same kind of work.

In a happy, perfect world the people in the military should be earning more. But the fact of the matter is, people with special skills get paid more. Boot camp can take a completely unexperienced person and provide them with a good, solid physical foundation and many basic skills - enough to serve in whatever division of the armed forces they've chosen. You could not train a completely unexperienced person how to program in the same amount of time.

I disagree, respecfully, that you can't teach someone to program if they understand logic. I could have learned how to program more quickly than I could learn to shoot at people or how to rebuild an M1 or to jump from a plane. It's all subjective on what skills are, but to call those guys unskilled is demeaning and just doesn't seem right. I see your point, and know that you are not looking down, but others will and that is wrong.

 

[Transcend]

BV, you show a common lack of knowledge regarding the military. Your pay grade tells nothing of your ability to perform "skilled" labor. As a matter of fact, most of the labor is performed byt those in the lower pay grades. As one moves up in grade, whether officer or enlisted, one moves into the management tier. There are jobs in which officers perform parts of the labor, pilots most notably, but most of what you call labor (Be it ditch digging or computer programing) is performed by younger enlisted folks. My Officer in Charge (OIC) is a Captain, and he cannot perform my daily taskings without supervision. Conversely, I would be lost doing the admin end of what he handles daily.
Pay grade simply indicates that you have been around awhile, or that you earned a college degree and answered the right questions on all the commisioning tests and decided to make a commitment to your country.
And you are right, we should be paid more!

Ok - how about a grunt do a graphic design job for the day, and I'll fire a grunt's m16. I have a little experience with guns, and I am sure he'll have a little with computers.

I'll hit the target downrange, and probably have a pretty ****ty grouping. His graphic design would probably not make a community newspaper's sex shop ad.

This is the difference between skilled labour and the millitary. Sure, running a reactor on board a sub is a little more complex - except is serves no real world utility outside of the millitary. Don't all Nuke's have a college degree anyways?

As BV said, boot will give you a good fundamental knowledge for whatever your task level should be, but it will not get you any high end skills.

Edit: I am not saying the military is unskilled, clearly some are very skilled. Most Mil jobs have no real world value outside of the military however, and this is usually what people's pay is based on: demand.

Graphic designers and in high demand, a guy who can drive a tank isn't. When you join the military, you don't usually do it for the $ anyways now do you?

 

[JRB]

Goddamn Canadians. :mumble:

 

[binary visions]

I disagree, respecfully, that you can't teach someone to program if they understand logic.

I didn't say that. What I said was, your level of skills after the months in boot camp are going to be sufficient to perform many of the tasks set before you in the military. If I were to train someone unexperienced in the use of computers for that same amount of time, they would not be enough of a programmer to earn a living that way.

It's all subjective on what skills are, but to call those guys unskilled is demeaning and just doesn't seem right. I see your point, and know that you are not looking down, but others will and that is wrong.

Okay, I see your point here. However, as a generally rule, calling them "unskilled" is not an insult. It's a general category of labor. You can be a talented individual, smart, good at a job, etc. and still be performing "unskilled labor". The entire military certainly isn't made up of that anyway, but a large portion is - it takes bodies to run an army, not just skill.

JohnE, touche. I know only a little of the military's pay scales (though I am not totally ignorant of how it works). I realize that most of the higher level pay scales are going to officers. My point is that, while ideally people in the military would get paid more, I think it's a little silly to be taken aback by the fact that someone has developed a special skill, specifically applicable in the computer industry, and they are getting paid well for that. The location of your keyboard isn't what's important.

I would highly doubt that most of the low paid enlisted men have the specific skills that Opie is being offered such a salary for - and if they do have the skills, they are likely not being paid to do the job that he would be doing.

 

[JohnE]

Ok - how about a grunt do a graphic design job for the day, and I'll fire a grunt's m16. I have a little experience with guns, and I am sure he'll have a little with computers.

I'll hit the target downrange, and probably have a pretty ****ty grouping. His graphic design would probably not make a community newspaper's sex shop ad.

This is the difference between skilled labour and the millitary. Sure, running a reactor on board a sub is a little more complex - except is serves no real world utility outside of the millitary. Don't all Nuke's have a college degree anyways?

As BV said, boot will give you a good fundamental knowledge for whatever your task level should be, but it will not get you any high end skills.

Edit: I am not saying the military is unskilled, clearly some are very skilled. Most Mil jobs have no real world value outside of the military however, and this is usually what people's pay is based on: demand.

Graphic designers and in high demand, a guy who can drive a tank isn't. When you join the military, you don't usually do it for the $ anyways now do you?

Real world value? I know programmer types that have jumped out and went directly to work for Microsoft, and aircraft repair guys who jump and go to Boeing. Even a tank driver can jump in as a heavy equipment operator. How about a weather forcaster? Cook? Electronic installation guy? How about just learning how to work under pressure? Not the pressure from a demanding boss either.

And how long have graphics guys been in demand as compared to tank drivers?

 

[Transcend]

Real world value? I know programmer types that have jumped out and went directly to work for Microsoft, and aircraft repair guys who jump and go to Boeing. Even a tank driver can jump in as a heavy equipment operator. How about a weather forcaster? Cook? Electronic installation guy? How about just learning how to work under pressure? Not the pressure from a demanding boss either.

And how long have graphics guys been in demand as compared to tank drivers?

You'll notice I said some. Aircraft repair, programmers etc clearly are valuable. But I also said, you don't join the military for $, it isn't like they going in not knowing they could make 10x as much in the civilian field.

Also, the vast majority of guys are NOT aircraft/nuke maintenance people. They are grunts who's only job is to sling bullets towards the enemy as fast and accurately as they can. Sure it takes guts and it takes training and pratice but it isn't skilled labour.

And as for the last point..tank drivers - since end of WW1 with no training whatsoever. Graphic designers/typesetters? Well, someone created those posters to sell war bonds and get people to join the service at the beginning of WW1 didn't they?