The Career Span Of A Pilot (story)
12-21-2008, 06:01 PM
#31
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Job
Very good points!
I appreciate the insight from folks have literally been there and done that, SkyHigh quit aviation, not vice versa. He did what he had to do and I respect that but to each his own.
Skyhigh, I was offered the job this August, so the job market was in the dumps.......
Remember
It was never as good as it seemed, and it is never as bad as it seems, or it goes something like that
I appreciate the insight from folks have literally been there and done that, SkyHigh quit aviation, not vice versa. He did what he had to do and I respect that but to each his own.
Skyhigh, I was offered the job this August, so the job market was in the dumps.......
Remember
It was never as good as it seemed, and it is never as bad as it seems, or it goes something like that
Skyhigh
12-21-2008, 06:03 PM
#32
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Get rich?
The problem with folks, primarily American folks, is the false hope of "getting rich quick". That whole "get rich quick" mindset will send one straight into debt faster than a wh0re getting on her knees. Every single profession has it's good and it's bad. My mother for instance is a doctor. I remember one Christmas waking up at 5:30am(which wasn't too much of an inconvenience as the gifts were waiting) just to open gifts with her because she had to go to work. Life went on and her children don't hate her for it. Point is everyone made a choice to get into this profession and everyday they make that choice to remain in the profession. Aviation is not only limited to flying for an airline. Hell it isn't even limited to flying. Think outside the box and make money but first get that "get rich quick" bs out of your head because it does not exist. Not in aviation, not in medicine, not even in sales.
And if you really hate what you do, please just leave gracefully and allow someone(like me
) else to get a swing at the opportunity.
And if you really hate what you do, please just leave gracefully and allow someone(like me
) else to get a swing at the opportunity.SkyHigh
12-21-2008, 06:23 PM
#33
Retired
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Position: whale wrangler
Posts: 3,527
perspective
I,ve been doing this for well over 20 years and I for one never expected to get RICH in this particular career field.
This profession does offer opportunities that others outside of this field can only dream of attaining .
It took me over 20 years to attain left seat and I for one have no regrets on the path I took to attain this milestone it all depends on one"s perspective and where they want to take the great voyage that is life.
Some make it and some do not but that happens in all walks of life and it"s just the way it is and always will be so.
Fred
This profession does offer opportunities that others outside of this field can only dream of attaining .
It took me over 20 years to attain left seat and I for one have no regrets on the path I took to attain this milestone it all depends on one"s perspective and where they want to take the great voyage that is life.
Some make it and some do not but that happens in all walks of life and it"s just the way it is and always will be so.
Fred
12-21-2008, 06:32 PM
#34
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Great Voyage
I,ve been doing this for well over 20 years and I for one never expected to get RICH in this particular career field.
This profession does offer opportunities that others outside of this field can only dream of attaining .
It took me over 20 years to attain left seat and I for one have no regrets on the path I took to attain this milestone it all depends on one"s perspective and where they want to take the great voyage that is life.
Some make it and some do not but that happens in all walks of life and it"s just the way it is and always will be so.
Fred
This profession does offer opportunities that others outside of this field can only dream of attaining .
It took me over 20 years to attain left seat and I for one have no regrets on the path I took to attain this milestone it all depends on one"s perspective and where they want to take the great voyage that is life.
Some make it and some do not but that happens in all walks of life and it"s just the way it is and always will be so.
Fred
What if aviation was socialized and everyone maxed out at 65K would you still do it? Would it be worth all the moves, furloughs and missed holidays? Is it worthy of the huge investment in college and flight training? Not to me. No way. Had I been properly informed of the long gamble that I was getting into I would have never taken lesson one.
I love to fly but I need to make a living and to have room left over to make a life. It just is not that easy to do in aviation anymore. In the 70's if you didn't make it by 30 you were out of luck. In many ways I think that it was much more humane back then. At least you knew that it was over and were able to start a new life before you were too old.
Skyhigh
Last edited by SkyHigh; 12-21-2008 at 06:41 PM.
12-21-2008, 06:41 PM
#35
Permanent Reserve
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,682
[quote=SAABaroowski;523109
]SkyHigh,
in my interview they were blown away that pilots can show up to the gate meet someone for the first time and work together with a complete stranger in an enclosed space for hours, they were impressed
Hookers do this also. I guess I have a fallback career.
]SkyHigh,
in my interview they were blown away that pilots can show up to the gate meet someone for the first time and work together with a complete stranger in an enclosed space for hours, they were impressed
Hookers do this also. I guess I have a fallback career.
12-21-2008, 06:42 PM
#36
Retired
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Position: whale wrangler
Posts: 3,527
I agree. It is all about what you want to do with your life. Some want the satisfaction of the left seat while others want to be able to earn a good living and to have more time off than the next guy.
If aviation was socialized and everyone maxed out at 65K would you still do it? Would it be worth all the moves, furloughs and missed holidays? Not to me. No way.
Skyhigh
If aviation was socialized and everyone maxed out at 65K would you still do it? Would it be worth all the moves, furloughs and missed holidays? Not to me. No way.
Skyhigh
As far as holidays are concerned its hit and miss but more on the hit side so I was lucky in that aspect.
BTW Sky ,did you work for National 2? Been wondering what went wrong with the biz model over there .
Fred
12-21-2008, 06:54 PM
#37
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Quit
Very good points!
I appreciate the insight from folks have literally been there and done that, SkyHigh quit aviation, not vice versa. He did what he had to do and I respect that but to each his own.
Skyhigh, I was offered the job this August, so the job market was in the dumps.......
Remember
It was never as good as it seemed, and it is never as bad as it seems, or it goes something like that
I appreciate the insight from folks have literally been there and done that, SkyHigh quit aviation, not vice versa. He did what he had to do and I respect that but to each his own.
Skyhigh, I was offered the job this August, so the job market was in the dumps.......
Remember
It was never as good as it seemed, and it is never as bad as it seems, or it goes something like that
Correction: I did not quit aviation. At 36 years of age and nearly 20 years of daily effort towards my flying goals I was laid off. I spent more than a year trying to get another flying job before I discovered that I could make more money and have a much easier life outside of aviation.
I had a wife two kids and one on the way at the time. When I was laid off we had to move out of our house and were reduced to living in a two bedroom apartment on $1300 a month of unemployment and no health insurance.
I did not quit, and never even applied for a job that was outside of aviation while working as a pilot so you have gotten me beat there. My guess is that at least half to two thirds of the pilots I worked with did not find another job either. Right now there are a few hundred of pilots who are in a similar situation. What do you expect that they do?
SkyHigh
12-21-2008, 06:58 PM
#38
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
National 2
65K to fly Big Iron ?probably not and the reason being is the time and effort involved in order to get to that type of position and I do not beleive many others would do so either but then again I could be wrong on that aspect.
As far as holidays are concerned its hit and miss but more on the hit side so I was lucky in that aspect.
BTW Sky ,did you work for National 2? Been wondering what went wrong with the biz model over there .
Fred
As far as holidays are concerned its hit and miss but more on the hit side so I was lucky in that aspect.
BTW Sky ,did you work for National 2? Been wondering what went wrong with the biz model over there .
Fred
SkyHigh
12-21-2008, 07:20 PM
#39
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Student Pilot
Posts: 2,277
This is true. I believe that an individual has to evaluate and then probably re-evaluate a number of times before they resign to the fact of just how far this profession will allow them to progress.
atp
12-21-2008, 10:52 PM
#40
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2008
Posts: 277
I'm gonna have to agree with 152 and Broowski on this one as well. For as young as I am, (working on my Private atm), most of my young adult-hood has been spent working to pay off college, a car, and living expenses. My annual 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas have been spent working. I'm already used to it, and working at a store which pays less than $9.00 an hour for 30+ hours a week, makes flying regional look like stardom. Now I live in a ritzy part of town, and believe me when I say Ferrari's are a daily event, but it's all garbage to me. Now that's just my look on life. If you can't be happy with $50,000 a year, and if anyone thinks more money or another career will solve your problems, then you might want to rethink some things through. I always remind myself that flying is a privilege, not a right. I have pride after completing every flight, and I always will. I believe regional is a level that only some truly cherish for what it actually is. I know I will love it there.
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