Officer Needs AssistanceI was employed with the state of Texas as a Trooper for 5.5 yrs. I recently took a position as a Special Agent for Union Pacific Railroad Police. It was a pretty considerable pay increase, 45K to 61K. However, now I am having second thoughts. The level of satisfaction with the state was very high, although it wasn' t getting the bills paid very well. I keep thinking that maybe it was my spending habits, because the pay increase has only left me with a few hundred dollars extra per month. I don' t like to make career decisions based on money alone, but the railroad has such good benefits, (ie., 401K matched by the company, excellent retirement, annual bonuses, expense account, etc.). The state is quite different when it comes to taking care of you. My main issue with the railroad is the working conditions and job satisfaction. I really don' t feel like I' m making a difference. I know I can' t save the world, but there should be some type of feeling that you' re making your mark in the world. With the state, that feeling was easy to come by on a daily basis. Being a police officer is a thankless job in the first place, and it has become worse for me. I keep trying to convince myself that this is the best decision for my family, but I don' t want to end up regretting years down the road. I have two years to return to the state, but I don' t think I want to wait anymore. My marriage has suffered since I took this job, and I just recently figured out that it may be the job. I was underpaid as a state trooper, but I was extremely happy. I loved going to work. I miss that feeling. Backup has arrived! Since you need to know your Partner, here' s a quick note on me: I' m a CPA , Finance person by profession. However, I spent 10 years as a city police officer, working on a part time basis (Full Academy, fully certified, my own unit, and my own zone, just part-time). And I admit I was good at it. I started when I was 30. Mine was a small agency. Here are my ramblings which I hope will help: I always thought I would like being an LEO, and after getting into it, I wish I had started right out of college. I was making way to much money though as a CPA , and decided I would not go fulltime. That' s only because of the money and my well established career. Contrast that with a friend of mine who started as a patrol officer in a large metropolitan city and who is now the Assistant Chief -of-Police, making the big bucks. Go with your gut, which I know is the Trooper job. You don' t want to have to go through the certification process a second time. If money is an issue, consider doing the things that will promote you to higher levels, or maybe parley your experience into other LEO areas later. If you have found that your new higher paying job is not creating the extra cash you thought, look at the paycheck deductions and see what is different. Are you having the right tax withheld? Are you putting too much into the 401K. I don' t know anything about the Railroad Police or if that is a true LEO job or not. I also don' t know the career opportunities at the railroad. Maybe it' s a jumping off point to Homeland Security or something else - I don' t know. You may want to be a Chief of Police or County Sheriff someday, or maybe you will always love Patrol work. But I get the sense that the Railroad job may be the wrong track (sorry, I had too). I have a good business career and make good money, but I have never done anything as satisfying as Patrol work, and can' t imagine being able to top that. And if your spouse supports the decision, you are golden. You can always work on the money situation, but you can' t pretend about your happiness.
While your current job sounds interesting, the more I read about finding happiness in one' s career, the more I learn that there' s a lot more to it than just money. While it' s important to have that balance of happiness and financial reward, I can appreciate what you' re experiencing in not getting anything out of your new job. I, too had a decent paying job, but dreaded going to it every day. It must have been a great feeling to get the immediate feedback in your trooper' s job to know that you' re making a difference. And, if you can confirm that it is in fact the job that' s creating trouble in your marriage, no job should be worth that sacrifice if you value your relationship. Could you get back into similar police work at a city or county level agency that might give you similar satisfaction in your work that your state job did, but possibly pay more? Or, would you consider moving to an area that is paying more to attract troopers or police officers? I know it' s easier said than done, but people are moving all the time for better jobs and pay. While I know with our fine property tax rates and costs of living, it may be a wash in the end, but here' s a glimpse of the salary schedule for troopers here in NY:
And now, ladies and gentlemen: the Devil' s Advocate. You said you recently took this position, but didn' t say how recently. You were in your last job a good long time; about twice the average time people stay in jobs these days. I' m wondering if it' s still too new and different from your last experience, that you haven' t gotten "into the groove" yet, and maybe need to give it a little more time before you know if it' s really for you or not. You' ve got a great security blanket in being able to go back to the state, so maybe you need to just give it a little time. Good luck in whatever you decide. For what it' s worth, while it may be a thankless job, there are plenty of us out here who are grateful that people like you are willing to do the kind of work you do for our benefit. | |
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