The pay in special operations or special forces is pretty good once you have made it to your unit, you get extra pay for things like parachute qualification, language skills, dive pay, and some units will pay more just for being a member. If you really are just in it for economic stability or a future career, and aren't interested in being on the ground, the military will also pay your tuition to become a doctor, you just owe them the amount of time it took you to finish school. Another good option is to become a pilot because you get a lot of flight hours that can take longer to acrue in the civilian sector. Anything that gives you technical skills is good too, there's a lot of crossover between military and contractors, you might not make a ton of money while serving, but get a huge pay increase when you get out.