Job market BLOWS!

Tom Heath wrote:

66gg1tnc wrote: If you like hot dry summers and cold dry winters....China Lake is hiring http://www.navair.navy.mil/nawcwd/nawcwd/employment/index.html Plenty of contractor jobs too. We can't get enough F/A-18 mechanics and average pay is $25+ an hour... http://www.ags.aecom.com/Careers/brassring.html

I've been to China Lake, we destroyed an Osprey (the mechanical kind, not the feathery one.) there. Very interesting place, lots to see if you keep your eyes open. How is real estate there lately? People underestimate the money to be made as a civilian contractor for the military. When we were on ship, the Boeing reps were making almost $1,000 a day in pay and benefits.

Real estate is pretty good. Lots of houses for sale and more getting built. There was a small boom due to BRAC that fluttered a bit. The base is growing (two new labs going up) check out http://www.swapsheet.org/ for house prices.

Pay depends a lot on the company holding the contract....what Boeing pays may be different than what AECOM, L3, Wyle or the other companies pay for the same job. I work in a tool Crib...$23.58 and hour is pretty good compaired to the national average. My company alone needs Airframers, Avionics, Admin and Plane Captains BAD! So anybody with Hornet experiance......

The base needs engineer types, Chemists, Scientists and so on. China Lake either grows on you or drives you away. It's not for everybody and that's why it can be hard to get people to come out here. I've been here 15 years.

Josh wrote:

914Driver wrote: http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/ I'm a civilian working for the Dept of the Army; my new position requires some travel but it's interesting, I work with a lot of engineers and bright young enthusiastic people that appreciate what I offer. It's nice to be appreciated but nicer to get $68k a year. Dan

I'm inclined to follow up on this one, Dan. I see listings in my area for Architects, and from what I understand with a 4 year degree and 2+ years relevant experience I'd be somewhere around a GS-7 to GS-9, which isn't a lot of money but more than I am making now (LOL).

Most gov't jobs don't start out high paying. they tend to make up for it in perks like time off, health benefits and retirement plans. My wife is making less than her job would pay in a private company, but accumulates personal time in a way I can't believe. I seem to have the only gov't job that doesn't accumulate much time off though the pay isn't bad.