I am considering taking a job in Iraq recostructing with an operators licence

Question

i am cosidering taking a course that is $8,000 to get my operators license

so that i can go overseas to make $96,000 for one year's work. Does any one have any insight on the idea, or has any one already done the same.

Answer 1

Your insane.Do not go there. Is your life worth 96 k? Want to know what is going on there, find an Iraq veteran and they can tell you.

Answer 2

The high pay is partially due to the insanely dangerous working conditions and lack of long term care.  If you are wounded, killed, or come back with a psychological disorder (like PTSD), you will not be able to get support from the VA system and the US government will owe you nothing.  The company you are working for will offer only limited support for a short period of time.

Just know that you will earn every cent you make.

Answer 3

Nobody with any insight at all would take the idea of an American reconstructing Iraq very seriously. Last I heard the American military were busy grinding the remains of the ancient city of Babylon to dust by using it as somewhere to park their tanks.

Answer 4

Just be sure that the $8,000 you are spending truly has value, not a promise that if you pay the $8,000 to a company that they will get you a the license and supposedly a job.  There can be some very lucrative work for experienced people willing to take on the risk and time away from home.  However, I guarantee you that many people have run into a scam organization that has no capability of actually getting you a job after you pay the money.  

Answer 5

Do it. After I got out the service I thought about coming back to a military base in a hot zone to flip burgers at the chow hall to the sweet tune of 60k a year. While the job you're thinking about does carry the possibility of getting you killed the chances are not nearly as high as everyone makes it out to be. Be aware that not all the 96k will be tax free. I think the first 60-70k you don't pay taxes for because you're in a combat zone. So after making 96k you'll be paying taxes on only 40something. Also realize that you're not just going to be doing a 9-5 Monday to Friday there. You'll work 60-70 hours a week on average and it will be in a combat zone with plenty of trips outside the safety of the base. Go watch Deadliest Catch on Discovery channel. These guys pull 70k for 4 months of work but they also risk death and work for many hours at a time.

Bottom line is that when it's your time to go you go but 96k could be used as a good down payment for a business or a home.

Answer 6

I think Nick Berg did that.  That is my insight on the idea.

Answer 7

join the army corp of engineers maybe?