In today’s post, I will share what I believe is the best part-time job in the world!
Everyone will benefit from having extra cash, especially in today’s “high inflation” world. Even if you have a great full-time job, with great pay, you may choose to do something as a “side hustle” to put some extra money in your pocket.
There are many ways to earn additional income. You have a wide variety of options when it comes to part-time jobs. Most part-time jobs are flexible, allowing you to work an additional 10-20 hours per week and earn an extra $10 to $20 per hour. Your hourly pay is dictated by your job, your experience, your skills, and sometimes your performance (sales jobs).
With all the choices you have at your disposal, I personally believe that serving as a Citizen Soldier in the Army Reserve or Army National Guard is the best part-time job in the world. In the paragraphs that follow, I will share my reasoning why.
The Best Part-Time Job in the World
There are many benefits to serving in the USAR and ARNG. I’ve covered that in another post. The National Guard and Army Reserve offer many things MOST traditional part-time jobs do not offer. That’s what I will focus on below.
# 1: Earn a Pension
I can’t think of ANY part-time job that offers a pension. Yes, they could exist, but I don’t know of any. The only exception is the National Guard and Army Reserve. You can work one weekend per month and two weeks per year for twenty years and earn a decent pension at age 60. That is in addition to the pay you receive for your work. That pension could range anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per month, depending on your rank, years in service, and retirement points.
If you complete a standard part-time term in the Guard by age 60, you could be eligible to receive monthly payments* based on serving one weekend per month plus an additional 15 days per year, for 20 years. This is on top of any benefits from your civilian career. You’ll still receive those and any other retirement funds you may have come. So, you can see how it all adds up. Serving part-time in the National Guard is like money in the bank. ~ National Guard.com
# 2: Four Days Pay for Two Days Work
As a Citizen Soldier, you earn four days’ pay for two days’ work. Each day of drill weekend is normally broken down into two drill assemblies. Each drill assembly is considered one day of Active Duty.
For a normal Saturday and Sunday drill weekend, you would earn four days’ pay. Of course, as a leader you will be expected to work some unpaid “off duty” hours to get things done, but for most soldiers there isn’t too much to do outside drill weekend (unless you are an NCO or officer).
# 3: Access to Low Cost, Quality Health Insurance
Health Insurance is expensive. Many families cannot afford health insurance, nor do they get health insurance from their civilian job. As a Citizen Soldier, you can purchase Tricare Reserve for yourself and for your family. This is quality health insurance at bargain prices.
# 4: College Education Benefits
One of the best things about the ARNG and USAR is the college education benefits. If you take some time to figure out how everything works, there’s no reason to pay even one penny out of pocket for your college education. Between the GI Bill, tuition assistance, scholarships and grants, you can go to college for free.
Yes, some part-time jobs help pay for college, but very few will pay for 100% of your tuition and expenses. Here’s what I found out about Tuition Assistance for the National Guard on Military.com.
The maximum amount paid for federal tuition assistance for ARNG members is:
- 100% tuition up to $250 per semester hour, up to 16 semester hours annually
- Not to exceed $4,000 per fiscal year
- Lifetime limit of 130 undergraduate semester hours
- Lifetime limit of 39 graduate semester hours
- May be used with the Post-9/11 GI Bill or MGIB-Active Duty (AD) for the same course
# 5: Personal Development
One of the best things about the USAR and ARNG is the personal development. As a soldier, you will learn new skills. You will attend professional development and job training schools. You will become a leader and get a wide variety of experiences you wouldn’t get in the civilian world. You will be challenged and do things you wouldn’t normally get to do. These SKILLS increase your value in the workforce, with your full-time employer, and with future jobs.
# 6: Personal Network
Yes, you can network in any job, even a part-time job. What makes the military different is the people come from a wide variety of backgrounds in many different occupations. You have entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, accountants, government workers, and countless other professions represented in the ranks. Many of these folks are successful and influential outside of the military. They are good people to know and network with.
# 7: Career Opportunities
Another reason I believe the USAR and ARNG are the best part-time job in the world is because of the career opportunities. You can temporarily serve on Active-Duty, if you want to and your unit allows it. There are opportunities to apply for permanent full-time AGR positions. You can switch military MOSs/branches, several times if you want to, and learn new skills and have new experiences.
# 8: Serve Your Country & State
The final reason I believe the USAR and ARNG are the best part-time job in the world is your ability to serve your state and country. I understand some people hate our country and are not patriotic. And others only care about themselves. To each their own.
As a citizen Soldier you get the best of both worlds. You can pursue whatever civilian job excites you and a couple of days a month you can put on your uniform and do something great for your state and country.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, I believe that serving as a Citizen Soldier in the USAR or ARNG is the best part-time job in the world. It offers many benefits you won’t find in traditional part-time jobs.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with me? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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You are perfectly correct in that the National Guard and Army Reserve are two of the best part-time jobs available. Personally, I especially like the opportunities for skill growth, education, and professional development. I do see one single problem that might stop a lot of competent, qualified people from joining the ARNG and USAR.
For a lot of folks, that part-time job means the difference between putting food on the table or not. It means the difference between making your mortgage payment each month or going into foreclosure. Two days — even if it’s four days worth of pay — isn’t usually enough to make those differences.
And even if you do have another part-time job to help cover those expenses, you have the hassle of finding an employer that will adjust to your drill schedule. Sometimes that’s harder than it sounds.
Good points. I agree.
I would add dependent benefits, for spouses become eligible for job and training opportunities that otherwise would not be available, and there are a number of camps and activities for children that likewise would not be accessible. Access to bases is another bonus. The commissary alone offers better prices than at Walmart, and the sales tax break can add up too.
In addition, all military members are eligible for better financing options for homes, such as VA loans.
We used our VA loan and got a 3.25% APR fixed for a 30 year term with no closing costs. Talk about a great deal!
I am glad this provided you and your family with a great option for financing your home. Imagine if you could pay it off early–you might actually get your home for close to its purchase price. I hope that more soldiers are in a position to use the VA loan option to purchase homes for their families.
I think the financial aspect of joining the National Guard is truly what makes it the best part time job anyone could ask for. You get to go to school for free. College tuition prices are through the roof at the moment and they are only getting higher. It’s becoming harder and harder for someone to go to school without going into a catastrophic amount of debt. The GI Bill truly was a god send for me and I believe that if you’ve already gone to school, and you have student loans, you can take advantage of the loan repayment program.
Speaking of the loan repayment program, I think it is one of the best financial programs in the military. Some Army National Guard Soldiers can qualify for the College Loan Repayment Program. If you have lots of outstanding college loans, this is a great deal. Your key to success is to talk to a local ARNG Recruiter to find out what the current policies are to see if you qualify. I’ve known some Soldiers that had almost $20k in college loans paid for by the National Guard.
I didn’t join the Guard for the money (not many people do!), and I didn’t even join for the college, because I already had my B.A. when I enlisted (though the Army did assist some with my M.B.A.). All the benefits listed in this article are right on the money (no pun intended), and given the state of things today, the health insurance benefit is an important one. In April 2012 I was laid off from a job that provided health insurance through a major carrier with coverage for my entire family paid 100%–that was a cost of over $1,000 a month. My new job didn’t have that–family coverage would cost me over $250 every two weeks, and the benefits aren’t all that great. Fortunately, I had Tricare Reserve Select as an option, and for a little less than $200 a month I get insurance that pays very well. For example, generic medications are $5 a month, and if you get them through the mail-order pharmacy 90 days at a time, they’re FREE. Try to find a deal like that in the private sector.
For most people, the health insurance would be the biggest monetary benefit of part-time military service. When you shop around, you will find that most insurance policies (other than Tricare) are very expensive and have lots of out of pocket expenses.
Chuck Holmes