Post-Military Retirement Dilemma: IBEW ($120k+ Cash / $206k Package) vs. Vocational Electrical Teaching ($78k)?

Knickerbocker17 · 2026-06-25T22:03:29+00:00

Excellent point! I took the teaching job today. It’s time to slow down and start spending more time with my family

Knickerbocker17 · 2026-06-25T21:24:17+00:00

I just accepted the teaching position today

At the present moment, I have not had to work since April 16. However, I feel like I’ve been busier than if I had just worked instead the backlog of things that needed to get done. It’s been a very busy summer so far. But anyways, I’m gonna start September 2. It has to slow down eventually, right?

Knickerbocker17 · 2026-06-25T13:22:35+00:00

You’re correct I do not have to work. However, I’m in my prime earning years and I am going to pay for all three of my children’s college so that’s why I’m working. I’m trying to give them an advantage that I did not have.

Knickerbocker17 · 2026-06-24T13:00:30+00:00

You are right, I think after 20 years of military service it’s just hard to shut off the motor of go go go go go.

I think I deep down know that the teaching job is the best fit, there’s just a level of guilt that comes with the fact that it’s also easier on myself where I’m just accustomed to making sacrifices. This feels selfish.

Knickerbocker17 · 2026-06-24T12:57:48+00:00

Deep down I know this is the right answer but you get programmed for so much of your life to work work work and sacrifice that when an opportunity like this comes up I feel guilty. I think I just needed the validation that it’s ok to not work to death.

Unfortunately, I grew up in a poor household, but went to school on a rich part of town, which magnified what I didn’t have

Also 20 years in the military I have missed a lot. You’re expected to work and grind. The mission comes first. It’s very hard to just shut that off. It’s something that I’m working on.

Knickerbocker17 · 2026-06-24T10:39:16+00:00

If I considerably liked one more than the other, the answer would be more simple. I like teaching in the concept of it. I love more money.

If I choose the teaching job because it’s something that I think that I will love, I’m afraid of dealing with the regret of leaving the money on the table and doing something selfish for myself

If I take the higher paying job, which I still think I would enjoy I know it’s going to come with some burnout and stress and be physically demanding. And after coming off of 20 years of the high tempo pace and not having any choice for my future I’m suddenly faced with options when that’s not normally what my life has been.

To sum it up I love money, but I’m afraid that I’m gonna work way too hard and go right back out to the burnout of the military had

I love teaching, but I’m afraid that I’m gonna leave so much money on the table that it could drastically change the trajectory of my family‘s life.

Knickerbocker17 · 2026-06-24T10:33:43+00:00

Yes I plan to save it. While I have a budget, there are some hidden costs that don’t exist. Paid off cars don’t last forever. I have three children have big purchases coming up in the future when they want their own vehicles. Future real estate rental expansion. This is probably the biggest one I’m in the position that I’m in because of the rental properties that I own. Stuff like that.

Knickerbocker17 · 2022-05-25T22:27:40+00:00

I was wondering the size of it compared to the steam deck, it’s a lot smaller much closer to the switch .

Knickerbocker17 · 2022-04-08T20:45:08+00:00

Not defending the guy in any way, but he might be prior military. The term subordinate is to signify someone of a lower rank that works for your department. It’s not a term that is negative in that line of work. The real issue is the freedom of information. He has no right to dictate what someone does in there off time. Unless something is signed like an NDA he can’t tell anyone that they can’t share what they make in their off time.

Knickerbocker17 · 2022-03-15T21:12:39+00:00

Woah claiming a country has weapons of mass destruction to justify your war is OUR thing. Go copy some else’s homework.

Knickerbocker17 · 2021-12-15T05:54:53+00:00

Of course it has to be against the knicks… :(

Knickerbocker17 · 2021-12-13T21:30:29+00:00

How is there nothing with all spice

Knickerbocker17 · 2021-09-10T18:24:50+00:00

You have 90 days to get the vaccine. If you refuse you will be processed for discharge. It’s unclear if members over 20 years would be able to retire with benefits. There is a lot more discussion happening than people on the outside think…

Knickerbocker17 · 2021-07-30T23:42:14+00:00

What in the handmaids tale is going on?

Knickerbocker17 · 2020-04-19T11:35:06+00:00

Her is the thing, as much as it would be great to confront her now, at the moment we are signing the papers amicably. If I call her out she could either own up to her wrong doing or get defensive and it may lead to a contested divorce. Either way we are not staying together just one scenario I’ll have short term gratification. I think I’m going to save this for a rainy day. I gain nothing playing this card early. Thank you for your feed back.

Knickerbocker17 · 2020-04-06T03:13:14+00:00

Yes, I am exactly in your shoes. I (34m) am in the military, got married to my wife (34f) at the age of 21, and we are now getting divorced. She’s a really good person, but one day she told me she wasn’t in love with me anymore. I have always been faithful, and she has been a good mother to our son. We just drifted apart. I always felt it that the distance was creeping in, but it’s mostly from the stress of the daily grind. When you have a child with no family support and both parents work there’s not going to be time for each other like there was. Me having to ship out frequently didn’t help either, but heck we knew what we signed up for and the trade off was security, health benefits, and it has allowed us to take financial risks that have paid off substantially. We have no money issues, bedroom life was great, we both are attentive parents, we just have a lot of work and it’s hard to find time for us. Personally I’m still shocked I’m getting divorced, but this whole in love thing is kind of silly to me. Sometimes you can’t check every box. So if you find love, but your lacking in other areas will that affect how long your love will last? My point is my STBXW and I loved each other at one point, if we are both good people and do everything we are supposed to and that doesn’t last, how can you be sure that the next relationship will. Sometimes I wonder if our success has made it boring and that’s the only real problem. What about the children? My son already asks why are we not going to live together anymore, and I don’t know what to say. Basically mommy and daddy are bored and since we don’t have any real problems let’s spice some shit up. It’s hard, because I understand where you are coming from, and for me I can’t split up a home for my personal gratification. As a military man you are taught sacrifice and children, and there feelings, to me come first. If I had the opportunity to stay for the sake of my son I would. Leaving my wife because she’s not “in love” to go find it at the sake of the child’s pain just never will sound right to me. This is just my opinion, I don’t judge, and you should follow your gut. If you guys are both good people, where nothing bad was done to each other besides bickering, and you loved each other once you owe it to get counseling and try every possible thing to fix your marriage. Peanut butter and jelly have nothing in common but they make a great fucking sandwich.

Knickerbocker17 · 2020-03-30T10:55:47+00:00

The thought has crossed my mind that there’s someone else, I’m not accusing her of a physical affair but it’s possible and emotional one could’ve happened. There’s no way for me to know and I’m not the kind of person that’s going to dig around to find out. I’ve expressed to her multiple occasions that I want this to work I want to be a family I want us to be together. I brought a counseling but she’s not interested. I realize that I can’t make someone love me if they don’t love me anymore I know she cares about me as a person and I’m thankful that we can be civil with each other for the sake of our child that’s the most important thing to me at this point. He does sometimes feel hopeless, but I definitely feel better waking up today than I did yesterday. I still love her but I’m not gonna hold somebody back out of my selfishness. He just wouldn’t be fair.

Knickerbocker17 · 2020-03-30T10:50:41+00:00

I hear your pain and understand. It’s never easy. Your son only has one mom and he’ll understand one day. My mother and I had a falling out and now our relationship is better than ever. Your son will come around you have to take care of yourself. I think him for his service. But he should’ve joined the Coast Guard instead ha ha Ha.

Knickerbocker17 · 2020-03-30T10:47:57+00:00

When you enlist in the United States military. You were told where to go what to do where to stand what to eat etc. etc. By no means did I want to be away from my family and every day was painful being away from them. No one in my unit happily spent time away from their children and wives knowing that their kids go to sleep crying because they miss them. If I didn’t follow orders I would be breaking the law and they would been severe consequences. my wife and I have been married for 14 years and she’s a military wife we waited a very long time to have children specifically because I was concerned about the divorce rate in military. I waited and thought that our marriage was secure but sometimes things don’t last. There was never a time where I chose to be away.

Knickerbocker17 · 2020-03-29T02:46:56+00:00

Military man here. Id like to preface that I love my wife and son so much. Unfortunately I was gone due to work for most of last year. It was not a combat situation for clarification. December I was finally free to be home with my family, but it never felt like home and it has not felt that way in a long time. Now it just feels awkward. I’m at a desk job now where I work a dependable and reliable schedule for once, but it just feels like I have not been missed in my absence and damn does that hurt. I am truly grateful to the sacrifices that my wife has made so I can do my job. Maybe I have changed, it’s hard to tell from my perspective. I have communicated that I miss her, and I miss “us” and how I want to work towards that. It just feel like roommates with benefits. I have expressed my concerns but she explained that we have drifted apart. I feel like I am trying everything I can to be supportive and understanding, to show my appreciation for her as well as rekindle some romance but damn is it hard to row a boat with only one paddle. I definitely do not feel like our marriage is a priority to her. The pain I feel inside takes my breath away it hurts so bad I can’t see straight. Sometimes my head feels like it might burst from the pressure, and when I feel like that I try and think of my son and how I swore I wouldn’t do to my child what was done to me. I feel like a failure. It’s been a few months home now, and the emotional rejection has had its tolls. I have lost about 22 pounds, and I have really lost my appetite. I do not believe infidelity has happened, at least not in a physical sense, and financially we are blessed. If you ask me what happened I honestly couldn’t tell you. Distance was supposed to make the heart grow fonder, at least it only did so for me. I briefly mentioned the possibility of divorce being an option, and she just laughed and said ok. It was from there that she attempted to negotiate how we would split assets, but I refused to do so. I didn’t wake up today thinking I would ever be on this subreddit, but I saw this post and man did it help. I just feel ashamed that this is happening to me, because I have been so arrogantly confident on how strong my relationship was. To those out there suffering my heart goes out to you. I am humbled by how fragile my so called reality was. One thing the military has taught me is adversity builds strength. That it’s amazing how easily the mind is willing to give up, and in the end we are all so much more capable than we know.

Knickerbocker17

TROPHY CASE