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I worked in the Marines and am now a software engineer at a large tech firm. The biggest joke in the military was danger pay, which was $7.50. $7.50 if I was w

by kodah 5y ago

I worked in the Marines and am now a software engineer at a large tech firm. The biggest joke in the military was danger pay, which was $7.50. $7.50 if I was working in an active warzone that day. I still stood in formations, pointlessly, for hours. I still watched people who shouldn't have been promoted get promoted over people who should. I still watched people fuck each other over. I still sat though pointless and grueling training videos. I still had 8-12 hour workdays. I still lived with the idea that my life would end early through mental or physical health issues. I could go on. The biggest difference I have is pay and the security to try and improve the system myself. I know if I get fired for trying to do the right thing that I'll find another job, whereas in the Marines as a four year corporal with one year total combat experience I made $20k and had no career prospects should the military see that I am a problem.

ferryman 5y ago
This is really eye opening. Thank you for sharing! Though I feel the military & the Marines specifically might be an outlier and not a valid comparison
- kodah 5y ago
  They may be, tangentially, my experience resonates with blue collar and union workers that I know. Those were the negative examples. More positively, engineers are motivated by many of the same things Marines are and I use these aspects in my day-to-day leadership as well. I exercise transparency, when I know the team is shouldering a burden I acknowledge it and steps were taking to minimize it over time. Marines and engineers like knowing their purpose and place in the world. They both desire a framework that establishes a domain for their autonomy. They both desire leaders who are scrappy enough to fight in the trenches but with the tactical persuasion to have vision from above while leading from the front. They're both willing to put in whatever it takes to accomplish the mission but they want to be recognized for doing so, and not necessarily monetarily. Again, I could go on.

by kodah 5y ago

ferryman 5y ago

This is really eye opening. Thank you for sharing! Though I feel the military & the Marines specifically might be an outlier and not a valid comparison

kodah 5y ago
They may be, tangentially, my experience resonates with blue collar and union workers that I know. Those were the negative examples. More positively, engineers are motivated by many of the same things Marines are and I use these aspects in my day-to-day leadership as well. I exercise transparency, when I know the team is shouldering a burden I acknowledge it and steps were taking to minimize it over time. Marines and engineers like knowing their purpose and place in the world. They both desire a framework that establishes a domain for their autonomy. They both desire leaders who are scrappy enough to fight in the trenches but with the tactical persuasion to have vision from above while leading from the front. They're both willing to put in whatever it takes to accomplish the mission but they want to be recognized for doing so, and not necessarily monetarily. Again, I could go on.