I recently decided to leave the military and due to my skill sets it is rarely "if" you find a job (even in a bad economy) but when and who are you going to work for.

1.. I had a friend refer me to a recruiter for a rather large defense contractor that sent me an offer letter the second they had an opening (I have signed this letter). The Salary is great, the work seems like it will be o.k. but in line with my skill sets (This comes from a former teammate that I will be working with). Although, contracts are year to year, you usually get to stay on if you do a good job, thus enabling me to realize my Lamborgini Dreams in a relatively short time.

However,

2. I applied to a government program almost a year ago that I had been interested in for a few years now and have worked very closely with quite a few guys from that program. The Salary absolutely sucks and will forever suck, but the job is completely in line with what I want to do with my life and offers enough variety to ensure that I will not only meet my career goals but most likely be well rounded enough to maintain a high level of flexibility. They worte me today asking when I was available for an interview

So The question becomes


Do you put the government on hold, take the money and keep your word?

Or

Do you say F&#$ it and go after the government job while possibly burning bridges with a potential lifeline in the future?

As of right now, my answer is on the first one (mainly because people in my profession always know someone who knows someone so it is like 2 degrees of separation). I do not want to be that guy that does not honor his promises, but damn this program took me over 500 pages of type written paperwork and hours upon hours of work to apply for.

Some of you guys may have been in a similar situation so I am just asking for your experiences and input if you are willing to share.

At the end of it all, I will end up working for the government to realize my career goals but socking away a substantial down payment on a house and being able to buy a nice car for the garage before I do so, definitely has some appeal to it.

Well not much of a 2 cents, since I'm still in the military and have like 3-5 different job opportunities lined up that I want to do/could do, but only 1 or 2 of them would be anywhere near profitable to being able to afford a lambo, lol.

So MY 2 cents would be go for what ever option can get you the lambo :P that dream car will make anybody really happy no matter what else there is.

Seems like one way or another you'll be working for government(s), defense contractors usually do. Follow your instinct, people are best in what they like most, so your wallet will probably follow. Good luck.

True on that one I will always be serving some kind of master, but then again, that is where the best work is. I have talked to my government side recruiter and he agrees with me honoring the contract I signed and interviewing in the middle of my term or prior to with the understanding that I will not renew my contract if I am accepted. We just have to get the coordinator on board with this course of action.

Having your cake and eating it too is such a pain int e ass, but well worth it if you can make it work.

All depends on what your "special" skill set is. I bought my first Lambo as a 2LT in the Army and have not looked back.

If you have a high level skilled job you should be able to find a well paying job. If you cannot find a well paying job then it is not as special.

I am retiring in July and have a bunch of cool skills, unfortunately most of them pay nothing because they are not really hard to obtain. The leadership and responsibility is one of the few that cannot be replicated.

My 2 cents are money is only NOT important to people that have it. If you do not have it, money is very important. Now if you cannot stand the job you have to take that into accoutn as well.

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Sold #FLA12191 in 2002
Currently
Jalpa #FLA12242 In NH as a parts car (waiting on another Jalpa sale for an engine and trans in order to be rebuilt and sold)

Jalpa #JLA12411 Possibly The farthest North Lamborghini in the World (having made it to the Arctic Circle in 2006!)

Jalpa #JLA12382 Being restored in NH.

I would honor your word, first and foremost. Money is not everything and some people tend to think that a Lamborghini is the "unicorn" that solves all problems. (I was one of those people) But remember that a man is only as good as his word. There is no guarantee that you are going to get the government job, correct? You are just going for the interview. If you turn down the offer and go to the interview you will have pissed everything away...Think of the saying "A bird in hand is better than two in the bush". It is ultimately your decision but never make a life or career decision based on the "unicorn". JMO

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1986 Jalpa Twin Turbo

I have already found a very well paying job that affords things like a lambo. I have also signed the contract with the company that made the offer. My beef is not with the money or if I will make it at all as that is a given if I keep my word with the company I have signed with. I was more or less questioning if I should break my word in order to pursue the lower paying job with the potential risk of not getting the job because the government work is actually better. I absolutely love what I do and the only reason I was getting out of the military was so I could pursue career opportunities (operational NOT monetary) that were not available to me in the Marines. If I would have reenlisted and combined my bonus with a little bit of money from savings I would have bought a lambo 6 months ago, but the work in the Marine Corps sucks at my rank (E-7) so I decided to push based on that rather than the money. You know the guys sir, those old crusty dudes sitting there counting days until retirement with absolutely no hunger anymore, no drive or focus because they are not happy and refuse to sacrifice comfort for happiness. I am not one of those and refuse to become one.

That was where I was going with this thread. The government job that I really want in the long term will not allow me to afford a lambo right away, but damn the work is good and I would have no regrets even if I never attained a lambo because I like what I do that much. My word is important to me and keeping it is the best course of action, so I am going to keep my word, and probably get to buy a nice car as a result.

I did get to talk to the coordinator for the government job last night and they are willing to put things on hold for 6 months in order to allow the interview to take place in the middle of my contract term that way I will have a yes or no answer towards the end of my contract and will be able to renew if I am not selected. That allows me to remain employed and not burn bridges to the point of permanent unemployment should I fail to be selected. This is perfect as I will get to sock away a substantial amount of money while still pursuing a long term objective. But if I should fail to be selected, I will have already established myself with my new company and will be able to transfer to another location or even stay in Iraq either way, it looks like this worked out and I can turn off the panic switch.

Thanks for the input gentlemen, sometimes the best input comes from guys who don't know you because they really don't care about your feelings when giving it.

At the end of the day when you look in the mirror all that matters is your name and what people have to say when they hear it. Follow your promises to others. If you gave your word then there is nothing else to even consider.

Very True..