Not sure what any of this has to do with the parking rates, but since we are comparing our jobs to our civlian equivilants, lets look at what I did lately: two weeks ago I had a massive Cormorant helicopter hovering about 15 feet over my head while a couple of SAR techs sorta fastroped onto the deck of my ship and extracted a casualty. That was followed up shortly after by a small boat swarm "attack" with thunderflashes going off all around me and blank automatic weapons fire being traded back and forth. Just last week my .50cal gunners blew the $hit out of a small skiff, putting out about 800 rounds of lead in pretty short order. Next week I'm gonna go blow stuff up. Then I'm gonna go lob HE shells at an even bigger boat as fast as my guys and gals can reload the weapon, all the while doing manoeuvres with a couple of TICONDOROGA Class Guided Missile Cruisers, a bunch of frigates and an assortment of other kickass ships. At some point the boys and girls from SOFCOM are gonna come around asking if I can help them out with their training again. I walk down the flats of my ship and people literally get out of my way, and they just about come to the position of attention as well, although I require them to do neither of these things. When I get to the Bridge, the whole room DOES come to Attention and someon briefs me on what is going on without me even having to open my mouth. I get paid vacations to some really jammy (and some not so jammy) ports that other people pay to visit. While I am there I wear this pretty cool looking uniform that tends to gather a lot of pleasant attention from the local women and usually gets me free drinks.
Im not entirely sure what an ENG04 is, but I assume it to be a civlian engineer of some sort. I envision this person as some poindexter-looking guy who works for NASA and who wears white socks with black pants, a tie with a short sleeve shirt and brings their lunch to work in a sad brown paper bag. (I am quite sure this ISN'T the case for most Engineers, but from where I sit and given what I do, it makes little difference). What, of the things I listed above - which is by no means the neatest stuff I have ever done - did this ENG04-person do in the same period?? When is the last time - or first time - someone moved out of HIS way? When was the last time he fired a heavy machine gun with ACDC playing in his ear?
If this sounds like a pompous, narrow-minded POV and an unfair characterization of others, well, it is supposed to. It is a ibt toungue-in-cheek, if also a bit a**hole-ish, certainly. What I, indeed all of us in uniform do, is f***ing COOL. What a LOT of other folks do...isn't. It continually takes my civlian friends to remind me of this, but they do, and often. When I go to parties with them, THEIR jobs ar never the topic of conversation.
If I was to reduce my job to dollars and cents, then granted, I might not be doing it. But dollars and cents and bennies isn't what gets me off - living out my childhood fantasy does. I suppose if I couldn't do this, then dollars and cents and bennies would HAVE to be my goal to numb the pain of sitting in a cubicle cloock-watching the day away waiting for the weekend.
Just do whatever makes you happy. If your job isn't cool, well that sucks. You probably shoulda looked for one that was. If the lack of vacation and moving and parking fees is really the 9th gate of hell, then for the love of everything unholy, GTFO..lol. I know I would if I felt that way.
You will have to excuse me, the sun is setting and it is about time for a tracer-loaded night time .50cal heavy machine gun shoot. So cool.
