(after reviewing my ramblings, you might end up putting this in the 'soapbox' thread)
QPs
I take a different view on this; as for things working out equally due to zones of consideration being a year early for tech WO vs AV WO that is not the case when you consider SDAP and in some cases AIP...whereas the pay raise from promotion is a pittance by comparison.
IMO - As an SFWO you have to step in with your eyes open - It absolutely CANNOT be about the pay regardless of what the Army tries to do IOT incentivize SF NCOs to become WOs.
I've had the honor of serving in an LTC position for 2 years due to skill/experience I would never had obtained other than by being an SFWO - Yes, It sucks if I look at my peers' LES, but I'm the guy they come to when SHTF.
This is about something we continually complain about with the incoming generation, a turning away from 'selfless service'...
SFWOs should relish the thought of being the continuity, staying operational long after others have moved on to staff/school positions, maintaining institutional knowledge and ensuring new Commanders don't have to reinvent the wheel.
If it burns an SFWO after 15 years as an SFNCO and 1-10 yrs as an SFWO that your paycheck is a fraction of the new 8yrs in Army CPT you are now mentoring then I don't have any practical answers - and I'm not telling anyone to seek financial hardship if it were to be the case, but the facts/figures are there for all to see before making the leap.
I could opine for quite awhile on this topic - at the end of the day I can look back and say I never used the word or worried about a military "career" but instead concentrated on my service and was fortunate enough to get a decent paycheck in the process. SFWO's need to identify NCOs who are making the move for the right reason - pay IS a consideration, but certainly shouldn't be a priority.
v/r
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