Kids becoming Firefighters and Cops

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m trying to remember if a child dressed up as an accountant or computer scientist ever showed up at our door on Halloween.

No, but that’s why they don’t choose careers until they are adults.

Make sure you teach them about the value of a pension, being paid for every minute you work, and early retirement. Luckily the youngest among us will see the deleterious effect of AI on careers in time to make more stable career decisions.

You’re assuming the pensions and early retirement will still be offered to new hires in 15 years or so. That’s a big assumption.

Many of the best paying and prosperous jobs for those kids are likely not even understood yet.

Like plumbing?

Plumbing being gobbled up by PE, low paid for the PE-owned firms, and you're physically broken by age 50.

The only plumber I know with a pension works for the state of California. Very good union wage and benefits. But again.....government job seems to be the answer.

Are you unfamiliar with unions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m trying to remember if a child dressed up as an accountant or computer scientist ever showed up at our door on Halloween.

No, but that’s why they don’t choose careers until they are adults.

Make sure you teach them about the value of a pension, being paid for every minute you work, and early retirement. Luckily the youngest among us will see the deleterious effect of AI on careers in time to make more stable career decisions.

You’re assuming the pensions and early retirement will still be offered to new hires in 15 years or so. That’s a big assumption.

Many of the best paying and prosperous jobs for those kids are likely not even understood yet.

Like plumbing?

No, I’m talking about jobs that don’t exist yet or are in their infancy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m trying to remember if a child dressed up as an accountant or computer scientist ever showed up at our door on Halloween.

No, but that’s why they don’t choose careers until they are adults.

Make sure you teach them about the value of a pension, being paid for every minute you work, and early retirement. Luckily the youngest among us will see the deleterious effect of AI on careers in time to make more stable career decisions.

You’re assuming the pensions and early retirement will still be offered to new hires in 15 years or so. That’s a big assumption.

Many of the best paying and prosperous jobs for those kids are likely not even understood yet.

Like plumbing?

Plumbing being gobbled up by PE, low paid for the PE-owned firms, and you're physically broken by age 50.

The only plumber I know with a pension works for the state of California. Very good union wage and benefits. But again.....government job seems to be the answer.

Are you unfamiliar with unions?

“Using the closest official occupation category, “plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters,” about 115,000 workers were union members in 2025, out of about 518,000 employed, for a union membership rate of 22.2%. If you include workers covered by a union contract whether or not they were members, the figure was about 119,000, or 23.0%”

So yeah, close to 80% are non-union.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m trying to remember if a child dressed up as an accountant or computer scientist ever showed up at our door on Halloween.

No, but that’s why they don’t choose careers until they are adults.

Make sure you teach them about the value of a pension, being paid for every minute you work, and early retirement. Luckily the youngest among us will see the deleterious effect of AI on careers in time to make more stable career decisions.

If the only jobs are government jobs like police or firefighters, who is paying taxes to pay for those government jobs? Likewise, most trades people don’t hire out for repairs, they do their own, so demand will collapse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m trying to remember if a child dressed up as an accountant or computer scientist ever showed up at our door on Halloween.

No, but that’s why they don’t choose careers until they are adults.

Make sure you teach them about the value of a pension, being paid for every minute you work, and early retirement. Luckily the youngest among us will see the deleterious effect of AI on careers in time to make more stable career decisions.

If the only jobs are government jobs like police or firefighters, who is paying taxes to pay for those government jobs? Likewise, most trades people don’t hire out for repairs, they do their own, so demand will collapse.

I never said there would only be government jobs left, but there will always be government jobs.

I do believe there will always be first responder jobs. That’s my point. EMS doesn’t pay as well as it should, but police and fire are jobs you can make decent money doing.

[Anonymous]

From WJLA:

“None of them signed up because they wanted recognition,” Howard said. “They didn’t do it because they wanted to be thanked and patted on the back and receive an award. They did it because they have a servant’s heart.”

That sense of purpose is something Glenn Swain knows well. The battalion chief with Loudoun County Fire and Rescue was among those honored for his role in a lifesaving response when a golf cart overturned on a woman —an experience he describes as the culmination of years of preparation.

“Into the job, it’s a lifetime of training,” Swain said. “It’s class after class, promotional exam after promotional exam.”

But when the moment comes, he said, there is no time to reflect on that training—it simply takes over.

https://wjla.com/news/local/loudoun-county-valor-awards-first-responders-honored-firefighter-recognition-police-ems-heroes-lifesaving-community-safety-honor-hero-recognition

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP to add, and as long as teachers are paid far less, they can keep their pensions. But when we pay cops three figure entry level salaries?? They don't need a pension!! They can have LTC and disability if injured.

What if I told you our twenty-something son makes six figures, has a pension, a 457(b) with match, a personal Roth and high five figures in a high yield savings account? He’s eligible to retire at 50 but will probably work until 55 to maximize his pension.

six figures has not been a thing in 30-40 years. Today six figures at 100K you are at eating at the food bank living with roomates in a dumpy apt in HCOL areas or you could be making 999K and living in a Park Ave Coop or Chevy Chase md.

I recall back in 1982 my Moms big Boss made 100K and he was rich. Today thats barely a garabage mans salary in a poor town.

My spouse and I earn 130k each, live in a single family home in an excellent school district in Fairfax county, take vacations in Europe every other year (thanks Chase Sapphire), no family help, paid off student loans and car loans, paid daycare for two children (one at a time,born 5 years apart) followed by aftercare, and we only made this salary by late 30s/early 40s. A little behind on retirement but have 850k in mid 40s after only starting 401ks 10 years ago. I think you are exaggerating a bit; two people with 100k salaries can manage. And we don't get pensions. So why should a cop getting 100k starting?

You make 260K not 130K. My Cop uncles all had stay at home wives. They worked long hours, weird shifts, two were detectives like you see on TV. And they mostly had 3-4 kids not just two. My Aunts went to school plays, graduations, weddings often by themselves.

I like to see you live your lifestyle if your husband made 130K as a cop and you have four kids.

Nowadays most cops and firefighters have working wives.

[Anonymous]

No computer scientists or engineers were praised repeatedly by dignitaries, politicians, journalists and news anchors for running towards the danger at the Correspondents Dinner last night.

Actually, a computer scientists was the danger. He failed miserably thankfully.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your BIL made $240k taking every overtime hour available and never saw his family. I made $500k sitting at a desk and picked up my DC's from school every day. Call me crazy, but I think that I won.

Guy I went to HS with did a similar path. Smart guy but just knew academics/white collar job was not for him. Went to a state school where he majored in phys ed. Joined FDNY at 22. Worked on the side as a plumber and eventually got his master plumber license. Retired after 20 years and now collects pension while running plumbing business full time. Easily top 5% outcome from that high school class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m trying to remember if a child dressed up as an accountant or computer scientist ever showed up at our door on Halloween.

No, but that’s why they don’t choose careers until they are adults.

Make sure you teach them about the value of a pension, being paid for every minute you work, and early retirement. Luckily the youngest among us will see the deleterious effect of AI on careers in time to make more stable career decisions.

You’re assuming the pensions and early retirement will still be offered to new hires in 15 years or so. That’s a big assumption.

Many of the best paying and prosperous jobs for those kids are likely not even understood yet.

Like plumbing?

Plumbing being gobbled up by PE, low paid for the PE-owned firms, and you're physically broken by age 50.

The only plumber I know with a pension works for the state of California. Very good union wage and benefits. But again.....government job seems to be the answer.

Are you unfamiliar with unions?

Are you familiar with working in the south or Midwest? There are almost zero unions.

[Anonymous]

My neighbors' dd became a cop. She works for a really nice, upscale town and started at 100k last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your BIL made $240k taking every overtime hour available and never saw his family. I made $500k sitting at a desk and picked up my DC's from school every day. Call me crazy, but I think that I won.

Guy I went to HS with did a similar path. Smart guy but just knew academics/white collar job was not for him. Went to a state school where he majored in phys ed. Joined FDNY at 22. Worked on the side as a plumber and eventually got his master plumber license. Retired after 20 years and now collects pension while running plumbing business full time. Easily top 5% outcome from that high school class.

I can’t think of a firefighter I know that is my age who doesn’t have a lake house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP to add, and as long as teachers are paid far less, they can keep their pensions. But when we pay cops three figure entry level salaries?? They don't need a pension!! They can have LTC and disability if injured.

What if I told you our twenty-something son makes six figures, has a pension, a 457(b) with match, a personal Roth and high five figures in a high yield savings account? He’s eligible to retire at 50 but will probably work until 55 to maximize his pension.

six figures has not been a thing in 30-40 years. Today six figures at 100K you are at eating at the food bank living with roomates in a dumpy apt in HCOL areas or you could be making 999K and living in a Park Ave Coop or Chevy Chase md.

I recall back in 1982 my Moms big Boss made 100K and he was rich. Today thats barely a garabage mans salary in a poor town.

My spouse and I earn 130k each, live in a single family home in an excellent school district in Fairfax county, take vacations in Europe every other year (thanks Chase Sapphire), no family help, paid off student loans and car loans, paid daycare for two children (one at a time,born 5 years apart) followed by aftercare, and we only made this salary by late 30s/early 40s. A little behind on retirement but have 850k in mid 40s after only starting 401ks 10 years ago. I think you are exaggerating a bit; two people with 100k salaries can manage. And we don't get pensions. So why should a cop getting 100k starting?

You make 260K not 130K. My Cop uncles all had stay at home wives. They worked long hours, weird shifts, two were detectives like you see on TV. And they mostly had 3-4 kids not just two. My Aunts went to school plays, graduations, weddings often by themselves.

I like to see you live your lifestyle if your husband made 130K as a cop and you have four kids.

I love when people talk about the cost of multiple kids as if conceiving them isn't optional.