A few thoughts on GS:It's a fair question. Of course, this isn't the place to disclose financials, but I'll make a couple points. Let's say I lose my job (again) and I'm tired of fighting and overperforming all the time to stay in good graces in this field and industry because of the reserve gig. So I go the "safe" route with a govie job. Almost every reserve officer I know in real life is a government employee, all great people too, so it seems like the common route. Let's say a miracle happens and I get GS-13 step 10 (highly unlikely) for my locale and we include the pension. This is the max I'll ever go without a PhD if I understand correctly. That's still less than half of my current compensation without including the very generous 401(k) employer matching either and many other benefits, how much less than half feel free to fill in the blanks.
Meanwhile in my status quo career, I'm still young and there's tons of room for title and compensation growth. Even if the highest I go career-wise is middle management in my particular field/industry, I'm looking at making well over half a million a year. It's a simple example of where I am and what's ahead for me since I'm getting long-winded but do the math.
Ever been passed up on a promotion that was communicated that you'd be getting and denied a very generous raise, bonus, and upwards of $100k in RSUs because of "concerns regarding focus" due to external activities (contrived, but what can you do)? That may have happened to me after commissioning.
TL;DR because this is getting long: While not financially ruinous, giving up making millions more than one otherwise would for the sake of a part-time gig is probably a questionable financial and life decision, and every friend and family member is more than happy to bring it up whenever the Navy gets brought up heh.
Yes agreed, that's what I more or less said to the other user in response to the implication that it takes 4-5 years to qual as an 1835. It's why I've seen that an ENS 1835 got a billet for MOB. He did his designator quals and then was free to MOB.
I juxtaposed this with another designator where it'll take a good ~6 years to qual (thanks to COVID) and before that point you can't do anything: no ADOS, no MOB, not even switching units outside of the program. Sometimes it's rolling the dice on reserve designators and finding out how much the PQS and simultaneous unit responsibilities are going to bite you. At least in my case, I was given some really incorrect gouge from officers in the community which had I known was false I'd absolutely have applied for a different designator, but I don't think I would have done a few of the cool things I've done so far in another designator so there's an upside.
-GS-13 Step 10 is not some magic ceiling you can never get past. It's agency and locale dependent but movement to 14 or 15 doesn't require a PhD. Also, make sure you're looking at pay charts include locality pay.
-GS comes with 401k matching, my agency is up 5%
-theres a pension.
