Jobs in Iraq - What to Do With All That Money?

Image by Stewf via Flickr

Author: Alan Nelson

People accept positions in the Mideast, such as jobs in Iraq or Afghanistan for various reasons. Some will take these jobs out of a sense of duty, or to do their part for the cause. Others for the adventure or even to fine tune jobs skills in a very dynamic environment. For others, it's simply a quicker way to make a lot of money.

For most, salaries earned while working jobs in Iraq or Afghanistan are the most they've ever earned. Many pull in salaries in excess of USD$10,000.00 every two weeks, which quickly compensates for the doldrums of living in a war zone. The money builds rapidly, and without a plan many will quickly squander it. Of course that's not always the case, and for some, their goal may be nothing more than to take care of short debt, help out family members or put it away in a savings account until they decide what to do with it. Others will just spend it.

I've seen many who spend hard earned money as fast as they make it. They get to comfortable with their new salaries, as if the job is never going away or they plan to spend a career in a war zone. They'll return home on vacation, buy a new car for the spouse, add an addition to the house, etc., etc.. Before they know it, the money is gone. Now they end up staying another year to recoup the savings that they've just spent.

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