If you keep and invest the 30k, the other bonuses that you get every year like mid year, performance, end of year and save a good amount of your monthly salary that you get every year like mid year, performance and end of year amount will depend on the economy and your performance. If we assume a diploma sign on at age 20, the take home pay around 2k and save 1k every month means he or she can save 60k in that 5 years. And if the yearly total bonuses equal to 3 months (could be more depending on economy and ur performance), it would be another 30k in 5 years. At around age 25, one would have 120k and this is not including promotion, pay raises, allowances and other bonuses. If you were to invest the money in a globally diversified portfolio, you can even get 6%-8% annual returns based on ur risk appetite. If you work for long term, there are also other bonuses and benefits that they provide. But of course being a police officer is not easy as well so money shouldnt be the only factor.