Should you keep your job as a civilian? If no, what would make you stay in that field other than the pay?

PO2 Riva Norris - You have to evaluate what it is that made you take the job you have. It is different for everyone.
I love working with computers, so I have been working with computers in several different jobs.
If you took a job that you don't care for just for the money, you might feel unsatisfied.
You first need to figure out what things that you are interested in, could actually earn a living.
For example, if you are interested in video games, it will probably be a poor choice for a job.
If you are interested in programming, you might need to get a degree, but that could be a good choice.
Ultimate job satisfaction has nothing to do with the pay. Doing something that you love, that will make you happy. You just have to learn to live within the budget that your pay can provide.

PO2 Riva Norris
I would at least stay in a job that I was unhappy in until something better came along. In fact, that's why I left my last job. It was an easy job (NMCI Help Desk) but the pay wasn't all that great (about $18 an hour). I probably would have stayed with it until I got a lateral transfer but I got a cold call for a position out of state and haven't looked back since.

I love my current job, and it pays really well, but I'm actually leaving it at the end of the month for a new job that is more in line with what I want to do in the IT field. It also doesn't hurt that it pays $4K more per year and a regular Monday through Friday 9-5 type schedule. I currently do shift work, and I had enough of that in the Navy.

I stayed within the general field of COMSEC when I retired because I believed my experience was valuable and that it would have a positive impact on my earning power. Now I've working to expanding that subject matter expertise into related fields such as IT and Project Management. it's a strategy that has worked well for me up to this point, and i plan on continuing to improve myself to ensure I'm ready to move forward when the right opportunity presents itself.