Hoax at St. Olaf's

Everything cultural, pop or otherwise. Books, movies, music, comics, poetry, random cultural geekery.
User avatar
skb12172
Posts: 7310
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:45 am

Re: Hoax at St. Olaf's

Post by skb12172 »

You know, I am in complete agreement with what you wrote from STEM to the end.

Regarding cops, all the local departments are desperate for recruits right now, because

1) It is no longer considered hazard duty with the 20 year retirement.
2) They have gone from defined pensions to 401K.
3) Suddenly, people all over are now seeing anyone wearing a badge as a target shooting opportunity.

I did 2 years of state LEO after 10+ years in Education. I wouldn't go back to either in this environment.
There must be an end to this intimidation by those who come to this great country, but reject its culture.
User avatar
Vonz90
Posts: 4731
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2008 4:05 pm

Re: Hoax at St. Olaf's

Post by Vonz90 »

Jericho941 wrote: The military is not a jobs program and I wish that myth would die. It's almost as bad as the "pressure your shitty kid you couldn't raise right to enlist, that'll fix 'em" myth. I did six years in the military. I learned some pretty sweet and specialized avionics knowledge. You know where that got me? Finding out my best prospects were going back to the Middle East, then waiting on Boeing for an extra 4 months after the interview to tell me "never mind, the Saudis aren't willing to commit to anything right now. Keep our number, yeah?" God help anyone who does a stint as a grunt or cop and wants to do anything but be private security for the rest of their life.
There is no such thing as "the military". Each service is different and the different rates are different. Some are very applicable to civilian careers and other are not at all. (I have seen aviation maintenance guys, ET's, FC's, etc. getting offers while they were not even close to EAOS). Sea-bees move right out into construction jobs fairly often too. Boatswain's mates, MS's (I guess CS's now) and others, not so much directly.

Even with O's, some companies love getting ex-military and others avoid them.

What it does do, is give someone a level of maturity and self responsibility to go out later and do something successfully. (At least the Nav, the Army seems to allow a lot less independence for their enlisted to what I have seen.)

As they say, choose your rate, choose your fate.
User avatar
MiddleAgedKen
Posts: 2871
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:11 pm
Location: Flyover Country

Re: Hoax at St. Olaf's

Post by MiddleAgedKen »

When Bob Nardelli was the Home Depot CEO, they were panting after ex-military for manager positions. Dunno about now. Nardelli sort of wrecked Home Depot. :|
Shop at Traitor Joe's: Just 10% to the Big Guy gets you the whole store and everything in it!
User avatar
Jericho941
Posts: 5180
Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2008 8:30 am

Re: Hoax at St. Olaf's

Post by Jericho941 »

Vonz90 wrote:There is no such thing as "the military". Each service is different and the different rates are different. Some are very applicable to civilian careers and other are not at all. (I have seen aviation maintenance guys, ET's, FC's, etc. getting offers while they were not even close to EAOS). Sea-bees move right out into construction jobs fairly often too. Boatswain's mates, MS's (I guess CS's now) and others, not so much directly.

Even with O's, some companies love getting ex-military and others avoid them.

What it does do, is give someone a level of maturity and self responsibility to go out later and do something successfully. (At least the Nav, the Army seems to allow a lot less independence for their enlisted to what I have seen.)

As they say, choose your rate, choose your fate.
Fair, but I think my wording was still appropriate as a response to the broad-stroke "join the military and learn a trade" concept. And there is a silver lining I forgot to mention; if it turns out whatever trade you learned in the military isn't in demand, or its employers aren't interested in hiring based on military experience, there's the post-9/11 GI Bill, which can be applied to trade schools if you still don't want to go to college.
Old Grafton
Posts: 1576
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 4:07 am

Re: Hoax at St. Olaf's

Post by Old Grafton »

The two brothers who used to work for me joined the USMC, learned pipefitter/welder/Union after they got out and are now earning more than I ever have....and God bless 'em both. I'm proud to have had a small hand in raising 'em....
I'm not old--It's too early to be this late.
User avatar
First Shirt
Posts: 4378
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:32 pm

Re: Hoax at St. Olaf's

Post by First Shirt »

Have a co-worker who learned the electrician's trade in Air Force Civil Engineers. He's grossing just over 120K/year, with no further schooling, and not working silly amounts of overtime. But my employer is big on hiring vets, whether their service training is applicable to making steel or not. Right now, out of 720 employees, 83 of them are veterans.
But there ain't many troubles that a man caint fix, with seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six."
Lindy Cooper Wisdom
User avatar
Odahi
Posts: 700
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:21 am

Re: Hoax at St. Olaf's

Post by Odahi »

I've been out since 1998. I had a manager from NASA Ames call me in Germany and offer me a job, sight unseen, based on my resume alone. MY MOS? 68N, Avionics Mechanic. I had a great gig, and would probably still be working there if I hadn't met Mrs. O online. After making my way here (she refused to move), I worked as a data cabling and fiber optics technician for about three years. Had to pay the bills somehow, you know? Then it was back to aircraft maintenance for another four years or so. I've been building satellites ever since. I LOVE my job, and no way would I be here, doing what I'm doing, without the Army. I was an untrained drunk when I enlisted. I was driving cab, and working as a pizza delivery guy to make ends meet. My ex-wife was tending bar. I got sick and tired of working shit jobs for shit money, and took the "join the Army to get training" path. I turned 32 in Basic, and stayed in almost ten years. Yeah, cooks and truck drivers are pretty much the same anywhere, but I didn't HAVE the cash to pay for trade school, not and eat too. It cost me a lot, but it gave me a hell of a lot too. So, again, as in so many things, different people have different views and different results. My nephew went 11B, infantry, ETS'ed as an E5 after three tours in the sandbox, and is in trade school now. His mileage varied, as all ours does. No one is identical to anyone else. I'll admit I've been one of the luckiest men alive in a lot of ways, but part of it is due to careful choices and not burning bridges. Space is an even smaller world than aviation, and when someone you've never even met offers you a job when you're 1000 miles from home, ready to launch your latest project, on word of mouth alone, luck may play into it some, but hard careful work plays a part too. "White privilege" my flat pale ass. I have worked HARD to get here, and I pretty much feel anyone who does the same can still make a decent life. Maybe that doesn't include "join for a job" for everyone, and never has, but it's still not impossible to do, even now. My two cents, worth about what you paid for it.
Birds gotta swim, fish gotta fly, assholes gotta ass, until the day they die.

"Common sense" is an oxymoron.
User avatar
Netpackrat
Posts: 13983
Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:04 pm

Re: Hoax at St. Olaf's

Post by Netpackrat »

Odahi wrote:I turned 32 in Basic,
Your real name's not Carl, is it? :mrgreen:
Cognosce teipsum et disce pati

"People come and go in our lives, especially the online ones. Some leave a fond memory, and some a bad taste." -Aesop
User avatar
Odahi
Posts: 700
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:21 am

Re: Hoax at St. Olaf's

Post by Odahi »

Nope, I'm not Carl. I also have no evil twin. I AM the evil twin! :evil:
Birds gotta swim, fish gotta fly, assholes gotta ass, until the day they die.

"Common sense" is an oxymoron.
Precision
Posts: 5268
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:01 pm

Re: Hoax at St. Olaf's

Post by Precision »

"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson
My little part of the blogosphere. http://blogletitburn.wordpress.com/
Post Reply