Looking back.

As we come up on the end of the decade, I've been looking back at some of the decisions I've made in the past 10 to 15 years. I asked myself things like, "Should I really have moved away from Hawaii?" and "Was my MBA worth it?" and "Am I better off in the Army?"

Since I happen to have kept a record of all my paystubs since 1996, when I moved to Oahu, I looked at how much I took home (net pay). I was pretty surprised.

Let's first look at what has affected my take-home pay.

From 1996 to 2000 I worked at at restaurant in Waikiki part time. On a per hour basis, it paid well, but then again, it was part time -- I rarely put in more than 20 hours a week. In 1997, there was a brief rise because I was also working about 32 hours a week as a bank teller so that I could get in-state tuition the following year.

In 2000 I left my server job and started a full time position as a computer techinician at a law firm. I worked just under 40 hours a week, so there was very little stress, but it still wasn't the career-type job I was looking for.

In 2003 I left that job and moved to Korea to teach English on an E-2 visa. Though there was only a small rise in net pay, I didn't have to pay for my housing, so it turned out to be a significant difference.

In 2005 I received a scholarship to go to graduate school, which lasted through 2006. Although I went back to teaching English, my MBA got me about 50% more hour than before. Not only that, but this time I had an F-4 visa, so I was able to take on free-lance or part-time jobs at will. Those two factors account for the big jump.

My pay dipped in 2008 because I joined the Army and went through training as an E-4 Specialist. It was quite a pay cut, true, but more significantly, the student loan repayment program only issues payments after full years of service.

That first repayment caused 2009's pay to go up a lot, and no taxes were withheld. Not only that, but I got several thousand dollars in change-of-station benefits. Those two things changed in 2010 -- taxes were withheld and I spent my whole time at Fort Hood -- but I did get promoted halfway through the year.

If indeed I'll deploy in 2011, my monthly income will go up, I won't have federal taxes withheld, and I think I'll get another longevity raise mid-way through.

So now the questions:

1. Should I really have moved away from Hawaii? Yes, I think so. It opened me up to many opportunities I would not have otherwise have considered. Moreover, by getting married, it sort of kicked me in the tush to get a "real job" I could support a family with.
   
   
2. Was my MBA really worth it? Yes, but for reasons that haven't yet fully manifested. First, it got me better pay when I went back to teaching, despite the fact it wasn't really all that relevant. Second, I was able to take full advantage of the Army's SLRP. By getting my graduate school loans included, it was like getting an extra $30,000. Third, at least it's out of the way. Maybe I'll be able to use it someday, or maybe not, but it's an ace I can play if I want to look for another job somewhere else.
   
   
3. Am I better off in the Army? At the moment, yes. We'll see how things are at the end of my deployment, but for now I'm very happy with the way things are turning out. My student loans are getting repaid, I'm learning quickly how to lead, and I have a "family provider" type salary. If I want to get out in a few years, I'll be in a very good position to look for something else. At the very least, I will be better off having been in the Army.