As far as I can tell right now, the only reason to get out would be for lifestyle reasons. There are not many jobs that pay as well or offer as great a retirement as the military. Unless you can get on with UPS, FEDEX or SWA and never get furloughed and never have their payscale reduced, you probably won't even catch up to what you make in the military now and in the future with retirement. Even at one of those I listed, you have to put a good chunk of your pay in the bank to make up for the military retirement.

One caveat to all this is that my numbers are based on retiring at age 55. I cannot imagine having to go to work at a job every day after that age. I'm sure I will still work, but it will be doing something I want to do for fun not because I need the steady paycheck to live. If you look at being a pilot at one of the top lines until you are 65 (assuming you can medically do so), then maybe you can beat the retirement of the military.

All that being said, I'm probably getting out of regular active duty next year. But, I do not think there will be any airline job that I will consider worthwhile. Probably off to the business world unless something changes dramatically.