3 yrs exp, but left trucking 4 yrs ago making $120K+, where do I pick up?

At no time is an O-6 Navy Captain going to call a boot E-3 to his off office to offer him some secret squirrel crap. Especially one who could not even go to BUDS because of a dope charge. If anyone believes this he has you going good.

 

He did say that he could kill a lion or a great white shark with his bare hands. Isn't that proof enough. LMAO

 

This dudes stories rock!! Shake the haters off Islander!! You are da man!!

 

I'm curious how a person can kill a lion or a great white shark with their bare hands. Just in case I ever run into a lion or if I'm ever in the ocean an get attacked by a shark. I'd just like to be prepared. Thanks in advance.

 

I liked subic bay where they had monkey meat on a stick and san migiuel beer (spell). And girls on the street asking me if I want boom boom. I cant remember what that meant, lol.

 

My head hurts from this thread.

To the OP, read this carefully.

I was in IT for a long long time. I still do some side work every once in a great while, still maintain about 10 websites for old customers. I am degreed in business and certified in a lot of different things, even though some have expired.

You have great expectations. You need a reality check and a serious one.

First off you better have the skills to do more than simple website/app coding. This is still a highly competitive and rather low pay world to be involved with. Where I used to make $1200 a week with a couple projects going on, if I return to this work I would make maybe a third of that with 5 or 6 projects going. I can't do the company thing any more, freelance held me over between my last job and getting into trucking - which I said would only last a few years. In the freelance world, competition is really bad, dealing with RFQ wI specialized in two areas, data and medical IT with some security/RM/BC behind me, I had the certs including PMP but I would be hard pressed to find a job that would make the money I made 12 years ago.here some Indian or Indonesian group would under bid by hundreds if not thousands is discouraging.

Second your competition may be the high school kid who is going to know more and do more with less energy on the open market (apps) but in the company setting it will be the degreed programmer who has the paper behind them who will get a job over you then advance and make good money. Forget SF or SV or even California, look at other places, even Arizona or LV or even Atlanta. Those other places have jobs that may be accessible for you as an entry (read low wage) person.

Third being a vanilla programmer is really bad now a-days. I specialized in two areas, data and medical IT with some security/RM/BC behind me, I had the certs including PMP but I would be hard pressed to find a job that would make the money I made 12 years ago. It just isn't there with the outsourcing that has been going on and still growing. A company can tap a temp agency or a couple of them without worrying about their FTE/PTE bottom line and that is an elastic resource, so it is a win for the company, but if you want to go there, you need to look at my first two points, competition is fierce.

I've considered going back into this because this more likely than not will be my last year driving, mainly because of the DOT physical crap I've go through every year (never had a simple examine). I am on the fence what to do, may just sell crap on eBay and Amazon, my money needs are less than they were two years ago so it is a consideration.

 

This thread is so full of fail.

 

For posterity and hilarity

 

Ah, yes, Olongapo and monkey meat. My favorite bar was the Seven Seas Club. "I think I love you, buy me drink." Take some rookie in there that's never been to a foriegn port and have some fun. The rookie didn't know you never leave your beer on the table when you go to the restroom. He comes back to the table and takes a drink and everyone laughs and looks at the bar girl, the one with the "deer in the headlights" look. She didn't adulterate the beer, but what she did to the beer bottle is XXX rated.
Later, back in port in San Diego, "No dear, I didn't hang out with those hard drinking womanizing sailors, I volunteered at the local church and visited museums."