Need advice on whether I should stay in or get out?

You do not want to be in the Civilian Job Market right now. Try like hell to stay the entire 20 and get every school option you can. The Educational opportunities that you have access to right now, you will never get in the Civilian market. Plus the longer you stay in, the more contacts you can make. Those contacts can help you when you do leave.

Staying in the army will definitely benefit you more right now. Plus your wife can go to school to get a good job while you slay away for the army.

Wish I had stayed in after 6 years 73-79. But I was lucky, my MOS had prepped me for a great job in electronics. But remember, that was 1979. Today there are 93 Million unemployed Americans. Maybe a new POTUS can bring back all of the jobs that major US companies have placed overseas but that's a year away (Darn it!) and will take several years to change. Stay in, TIS requirements along with TIG should get you to Spec 5 soon with a nice increase in pay and BAQ. I'm already retired but for you, right now, it would be tough going. Start your college education now, don't wait, those 7 mouth's you support will still need three meals a day if you ETS. Just sayin'.....

SPC Eaton, you can't look at arbitrary salaries. Did you get a boba fide offer? You also have to consider health insurance, life insurance, housing, etc. you may gain experience, training , and education in HR that could lead to a good civilian career.

looks like your stayin LOL, but for real , you got healthcare , and steady pay. I would stay

I'm grateful every day for having remain in the service for 21 years. My kids enjoyed seeing the USA & other countries. The money will be waiting after you retire.

i think you need to sit down and discuss this with your wife. No one can make this decision alone and only you can make this decision which is best for you and your family. All those salary quotes aren't real i can tell you that from experience. Some granted are (and yes they come with strings, Strings you probably will not like). Then again you have to ask yourself is the military the place for you, it isn't the life for everyone it does have it's risks as well. You and your wife must face that as well, You both know the possibility of the call of Duty for that blanket of security which it offers for your family.

I read your first sentence and didn't have to read any further...stay in! 6 kids? dang son.

I enlisted at 30 years old because of how bad it was in the civilian world. I had previously held a job with the State Department thinking that if I returned back to the US things would be better, boy was I wrong!!! You have no idea how many former military I ran into that did 1 or 2 contracts and got out thinking it would be better as a civilian. Most guys I met were working jobs that paid by the hour and did retail. The guy that sold me my phone at Target had a Bachelor's Degree he earned while in the Army and was a salesperson for 3 years because he couldn't get a better job.

If you have a family I would recommend staying in because of the healthcare for your family and knowing that no matter what, you get paid every 1st and 15th. When I went to AIT I had fellow battles who had 2 Bachelors, another one had a PhD, another had 2 masters degrees, several had associates and Bachelors degrees. You know what all of them had in common? They couldn't get a job in their field and most of them were stuck working at stores and gas stations.

Stay in, finish your 20, and collect your pension. Also, no training you receive in the Army is going to mean anything when you switch over to the civilian world unless you stay in the DOD and Federal world. Getting out and trying to get a job using Army skills is like a civilian trying to join the Army and use their civilian skills. Anywhere you will go to work you will have to start from the bottom and learn a new set of rules and skills. I recently saw a flyer at a Wal Mart of a retired Army SFC who was a manager saying he used his army skills to get his job. After doing 20 yrs in the military the last place I want to work is retail, I guess everyone to their own dream... I've held several jobs and the Army is hard at times, but it is a million ways better than the civilian world.

I can only answer based on your post, but it sounds like you are very uninformed about life in general. With that said, it further sounds like you are using the military as crutch. So, whether you stay in or get out is absolutely not the question. The question is, "What are you doing to further yourself in (military or civilian) life? Do you have skills that translate to civilian life that makes you worth more than minimum wage (ps every veteran puts intangibles such as leadership and reliability on their resume`s)? Do you enjoy and find military life fulfilling? Do you have a plan for pursuing a military career? Do you have a plan for life in the civilian world? Have you sat down with your family and gotten their sense on military life? Have you taken any self-improvement measures (college courses, job training)? The question as to whether to stay in or not is bogus. The question is what are you doing to make your life better? What direction are your plans taking you? Make yourself marketable, either as a Soldier or an honorably discharged veteran, but most of all, make an informed choice you have researched and feel good about.