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Old 03-08-2017, 09:45 PM
 
4 posts, read 13,643 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi,
I just recently medically retired from the Marine Corps after being in 10 years. I was an EOD tech (military bomb squad) and I am currently living in San Antonio and I am from Austin. This company called MAXAM is probably going to hire me and they even asked me to come out there next week to tour the work area and the town. I also just interviewed at Apple Headquarters in Austin for an iTunes Fraud Prevention Specialist job, and i personally know the boss of that office that i applied for, and he told me i probably got the job. The pay is around 35-40k, which i know is not very much for Austin, but we would be living in Leander which is cheaper than Austin proper. However, pay does not matter too much since i make 48000 a year from my VA disability check alone (Not Taxed). It would be nice to work in Austin, get my foot in the door at Apple and move up, but the MAXAM job is EOD related and has various growth opportunities as well. My passion is EOD but it is very hard to find anything that is remotely related to EOD or finding civilian EOD jobs that are outside of law enforcement (I will fail medical exam).
This would be a very easy decision if the MAXAM job was in a area that I was actually familiar with and liked, such as anywhere in central Texas. I have a wife and 3 kids (ages 10months,2yo, and 4yo), so schools and safe neighborhoods are a must. I have looked at websites, such as greatschools.org, and it seems like the elementary schools are pretty good but it seems like any of the middle and high schools suck. I do not know how much MAXAM will pay me, but I'm assuming it will be over 50k, so money really won't be a problem since the job is for supervising non EOD technicians disposing of various ordnance items. Sorry for that long story, but so the big question; should i drag my family out to Texarkana to live, or should deny the job offer and run away as fast as possible?Thanks in advance!

-Matt
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Old 03-09-2017, 08:11 AM
 
Location: Kaufman County, Texas
11,853 posts, read 26,872,645 times
Reputation: 10602
I say this as the wife of an Army Infantry soldier, who also loves what he does in the military. Think about this long term. What happens if the job in Texarkana goes away? (Company loses government contract, goes bankrupt, etc.) You are left with a skill with few applications in the civilian world, and your family is living in a fairly remote town with few major employers.

The schools in Texarkana are marginal. They aren't likely to get better any time soon. You are already aware of that.

Just keep those things in mind as you make your decision.
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Old 03-09-2017, 10:13 AM
 
4 posts, read 13,643 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks for your input! They said they have for sure work for the next 15 years and countless number of clients are coming to them for ordnance demilitarization, so I'm not too worried about being laid off or something like that. MAXAM is a major company that has locations all over the world so I dont know if they would actually ever go under, and it seems, after talking with them, that there is job growth potential as well. Do you know if there are any private schools there? Id really like them to grow up knowing public schools and have the experience, but i obviously want it to be a good experience, and I am not at all familiar with private schools since no one in my family has been to one. Thanks again!

-Matt
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Old 03-09-2017, 10:17 AM
 
Location: Kaufman County, Texas
11,853 posts, read 26,872,645 times
Reputation: 10602
Good news that the job and company are stable.

I don't know about private schools in Texarkana, but I bet you can google it. I actually live in DFW, but I've spent a fair amount of time in Texarkana due to visiting family.

Good luck with your decision!
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Old 03-09-2017, 10:24 AM
 
4 posts, read 13,643 times
Reputation: 10
Ok, well private school may be out of the question. I looked one up on google called Trinity Christian school that does pre-k through 12th grade. Seems like a really good school, but i dont know if I could afford 13k a year for all three to go to school
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Old 03-18-2017, 11:03 PM
 
23,688 posts, read 9,377,272 times
Reputation: 8652
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasEODTech View Post
Hi,
I just recently medically retired from the Marine Corps after being in 10 years. I was an EOD tech (military bomb squad) and I am currently living in San Antonio and I am from Austin. This company called MAXAM is probably going to hire me and they even asked me to come out there next week to tour the work area and the town. I also just interviewed at Apple Headquarters in Austin for an iTunes Fraud Prevention Specialist job, and i personally know the boss of that office that i applied for, and he told me i probably got the job. The pay is around 35-40k, which i know is not very much for Austin, but we would be living in Leander which is cheaper than Austin proper. However, pay does not matter too much since i make 48000 a year from my VA disability check alone (Not Taxed). It would be nice to work in Austin, get my foot in the door at Apple and move up, but the MAXAM job is EOD related and has various growth opportunities as well. My passion is EOD but it is very hard to find anything that is remotely related to EOD or finding civilian EOD jobs that are outside of law enforcement (I will fail medical exam).
This would be a very easy decision if the MAXAM job was in a area that I was actually familiar with and liked, such as anywhere in central Texas. I have a wife and 3 kids (ages 10months,2yo, and 4yo), so schools and safe neighborhoods are a must. I have looked at websites, such as greatschools.org, and it seems like the elementary schools are pretty good but it seems like any of the middle and high schools suck. I do not know how much MAXAM will pay me, but I'm assuming it will be over 50k, so money really won't be a problem since the job is for supervising non EOD technicians disposing of various ordnance items. Sorry for that long story, but so the big question; should i drag my family out to Texarkana to live, or should deny the job offer and run away as fast as possible?Thanks in advance!

-Matt
Personally, I would choose Austin area over Texarkana.What is your budget for housing?Thanks for your service to our great country,OP.
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Old 03-18-2017, 11:13 PM
 
4 posts, read 13,643 times
Reputation: 10
Ya, I am really leaning towards the Austin area. I should hear back from Apple at the beginning of next week. If they tell me i got it, then i will certainly move to the Austin area and build a house in the Leander area where my dad is. The job in Texarkana is a for sure thing though, so if Apple falls through it looks like we will be going to Texarkana and putting the kids in private school for a whopping 13k a year . MAXAM wants me and the family to come up this Thursday to look at the worksite, to take a tour around the town, and talk more about the day to day operations. Oh and my budget is 425k tops, and MAXAM starts me out at 27-28/hr with lots of overtime.
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