Two days ago, Thak's big raise FINALLY got processed. They'd been talking about it for months, saying next pay period, and then the next. Corporate was dragging their feet, the managers were pushing it, and every tech in the shop thought it was BS that Thak was paid as little as he was. It seemed like there was nothing we could do but wait. Our savings are nearly gone from having to live on so little for so long. At drill this weekend, Thak started talking with a guy in his unit who works for the border patrol and said he could get him into one of the new shops that's opening when the federal hiring freeze is over. We had our feelers out for new opportunities, and it was "put up or shut up" time. When Thak went into work on Monday morning, he knew he would be talking seriously with his manager before the day was out, not to give an ultimatum or anything, but to find our for real, no ambiguity, WHEN he would get the raise that was promised for so long. From there, we knew we would make our decision on what to do next. When he left for work on Monday, I was half asleep in bed, nursing Chai, but I could tell we were both nervous. I wished him good luck, and he went off to work early just like always. Although I was nervous, I had faith in him. He's never failed us before, and I don't think he'd start now.
He called me at about 10, and told me that his manager beat him to the punch, and had asked him to come talk and fill out paperwork that afternoon. I was relieved because filling out paperwork meant that he got his raise. We didn't know exactly how much, and we wouldn't until he got done in the meeting that afternoon. I just kept thinking the best thoughts for him all day, hoping that it was enough for our family to live on. We don't need a ton, but we need enough, and that's all we were hoping for, that it was enough. Thak said he would call when he knew something, but the call did not come all day. As it turns out, he was on a big job and did not have a chance to get into the office until 5 pm. He came home after the meeting was over, and called me on the way.
It was good news. The raise is enough. Combined with his Reserve pay, we are living on about as much as we had when he was a Sergeant. That's not bad! We'll still have a couple tight years while we pay off our vehicles, but we have seen worse, and we will make it work, because that is what we do.
The amount of the raise was not the most important part of the meeting, though. The thing that was the best to us was his managers' explanations of why he got such a big raise, that puts him at a higher rate of pay than about half his coworkers, many of whom have been there longer than he has. They told him not to tell people how much he was getting, because it could cause issues in the shop (understandable) but that they agreed that this rate of pay is appropriate for him right now. They said the reason he is getting such a big raise (basically doubling his pay) is that not only is he a gifted mechanic, but he is always learning. He doesn't act like he knows it all already, and is great to work with. Because he is always trying to learn, he is becoming excellent at BMW's, and his customer satisfaction rate is nearly perfect. With his education, experience, and credentials, we would think a high approval rating would be implied, but apparently, Thak's is better than many. More than anything, they said that he is rare when it comes to veterans. Most military people (and mind you, his foreman who was in this meeting is former military, too) come in and want to start at the top, be paid unrealistic amounts of money, and just generally act like they know everything. They said they really appreciated that Thak wasn't like that, and that part of the reason he is getting this raise, aside from the fact that he's really good at his job, is because he has an uncommonly good attitude and a strong work ethic.
Personally, I agree with every word they said. He arrives early every day, only takes half an hour for lunch, and stays late every night. He never sees the same car in his bay twice because he gets the job done right the first time. Whether it's an oil change or a total engine rebuild, he does it right the first time, and he doesn't give his bosses any crap about doing the small jobs, or even really boring things like cleaning the shop, because he understands that everybody has to do it. He never turned down weekend work unless he had drill. He gets along great with everybody he works with (I seriously have not heard a single negative word about anyone) and is a good fit for the company. He did not come in and act like he's better than everyone just because he's a vet, and he paid his dues without expecting everything to be handed to him.
I think this is something a lot of military people should learn from. The unemployment rate among vets is really high, and while part of that is due to military skills not translating to civilian life, and to a lesser extent, bias from employers, I do believe some of it is also due to people getting out of the military and wanting the civilian world to just fall at their feet because they're a vet, or having unrealistic expectations of what they will make in the private sector. I have no idea why so many military people think they'd make more money on the outside. It's completely untrue, and if it weren't, then 99% of people wouldn't join the military in the first place. (Don't deny it. Everyone I know who's enlisted had finances as at least a small part of the reason they enlisted, sometimes the entire reason.) The fact is, when you get out of the military, you will probably have to start from the bottom with your company, even if you did go to college like Thak. Nobody gets hired in at CEO, and they don't care how many tours you have or how many medals you earned. Don't get me wrong. You may move up faster than people who do not have your years of experience, but you will pay your dues some way somehow. The thing that set Thak apart from a lot of vets is that he accepted that fact, and did good honest work without acting like it was BS that he had to start at the bottom.
We still have a long way to go before he is where we know he can be. We want him to be a Level 1 BMW Tech, the best there is. We believe he can get there in about four years. He's already taken all the classes for Level 4, except for one that he was supposed to get sent away to next month, but they couldn't get a spot for him. He's already begun taking the classes for Level 3, so that after he goes away to the last remaining class for Level 4, that he is eligible to go to the in-person classes for Level 3 as soon as they can get him in. He is working hard to move up, and he will eventually move up nicely, but the reason he's able to do that is because he is willing to do it their way.
The fact is, nobody made anybody join the Army. Nobody made Thak serve 14 years Active Duty and then get out. We make our own decisions these days. It is not the civilian employer's responsibility to come to you. It is your responsibility to learn how to do stuff their way, and if you're not ok with that, maybe it isn't time to get out of the Army yet. If you think you can give it an honest try at doing things the civilian way, then you've got a shot! Just be willing to pay your dues, just like Thak has, and still is. Because he has done things the way he has since getting out, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that we will succeed on the outside, even if it is hard at times.
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