US Army reviews

Because of the advent of NSPS (pay-banding) I am now forced to make a career change in order to keep advancing. What they don't tell you is that when you are brought into NSPS, you'll be stuck within that pay band getting minimal salary increases until you get "promoted" to the next band. Even if you accept another position that is a significant increase in responsibility, you'll only receive a 5% pay raise unless it's considered a promotion. Under the old GS system (very flawed, I'll admit), a promotion to the next level meant at least a bump up to the minimum base salary for that particular position. If you are a younger employee looking to work your way up quickly, NSPS puts many roadblocks in front of you.

Despite an amazing amount of opportunities for personal development and travel, the unpredictability makes the Army a hard life to sustain if you have ambitions beyond career or a partner who is willing to travel to the ends of the earth for you. It is difficult to pull off a professional working couple relationship.