Getting Out?
07-14-2008, 05:57 AM
#41
Self Employed.
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
This Career
I am not cut out for this career.
I never expected to be poor and depressed at work. I do not like not having any control over my life. It is no fun to be stuck in a position with no way to improve your situation. I need to be respected by my employer. Living in a place of my own choosing is important to me. Having time with my family is important to me. I did not like being in my 30's and unable to save any money. I am not happy about investing years of my life and risk getting thrown out only to start completely over. I don't like having to sell little pieces of my life in order to make more money. I expected to make more as an airline pilot than the guy who picked up my garbage.
Some pilots can not accept the fact that the biggest factor of success in aviation is luck. How then could they feel superior to us if they did? Where could they place their trust if they knew that they could be swept away just as easily?
Some people are cut out for this. I however have a life to live.
SkyHigh
I never expected to be poor and depressed at work. I do not like not having any control over my life. It is no fun to be stuck in a position with no way to improve your situation. I need to be respected by my employer. Living in a place of my own choosing is important to me. Having time with my family is important to me. I did not like being in my 30's and unable to save any money. I am not happy about investing years of my life and risk getting thrown out only to start completely over. I don't like having to sell little pieces of my life in order to make more money. I expected to make more as an airline pilot than the guy who picked up my garbage.
Some pilots can not accept the fact that the biggest factor of success in aviation is luck. How then could they feel superior to us if they did? Where could they place their trust if they knew that they could be swept away just as easily?
Some people are cut out for this. I however have a life to live.
SkyHigh
07-14-2008, 06:50 AM
#42
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2008
Posts: 384
Yeah, luck and timing are pretty big factors in success of this carrier. I've got a buddy at UPS on the MD11 who has never been furloughed and loves his job. I say good for those that find success in aviation.
You nailed my thoughts on the subject exactly SEAN. Thanks for saving me the trouble! hahaha... Just insert ERJ instead of CRJ, though 
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I love aviation and being a pilot. I am still a pilot even though I am no longer driving a crj around the country. I will always be a pilot, even though my monkey suit and stripes are now in the closet and will remain there. It'll make a nice gift for my son someday. For me, there were many reasons to stay in and many reasons to get out of being an airline pilot. In the end, it wasn't the $, I knew what I'd be earning before I got in. I knew about the lifestyle and time away from home, too. I think we all do. One thing that I hate, though, is how aviation doesn't reward hard work/being a good person/all that jazz. Yes I knew about that, too, but in just about any other profession, if you work harder and do more than the next guy, you'll surpass him in status, earnings, benefits, everything. Not so in flying. Now my hard work is rewarded with income, real dollars that I can spend buzzing around in a rented 172 or in a 737 sim if I need to crank up a turbine! Everyone is different. I have respect for all pilots--I'm still one myself.
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07-14-2008, 07:14 AM
#43
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: 767A (Ret)
Posts: 6,248
Merit & hard work
I'm not so sure about that. Other careers are also influenced by luck, connections, social skills, the economy, bad corporate decisions, technology changes, foreign competition, etc. When asking others about their professions, be sure you are not subconsciously selecting only the successful ones to chat with. Ask them if their boss deserves to be their boss, and if co-workers who surpassed them deserved to do so. You might find that "merit" is in the eye of the beholder, and is not always rewarded, in aviation or anywhere else.
07-14-2008, 08:22 AM
#44
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2008
Posts: 384
I think his comments were more of a generalization of other industries. Successful or not, most industries don't have you start over at the bottom if you have the experience(this of course is another generalization). Hell, at my regional we had ATA heavy pilots applying to be FO's on the RJ just a few months ago after they lost their jobs. They got past the interviews, but unfortunately that didn't help them get the FO job once we announced a hiring freeze and furloughs...
07-14-2008, 09:03 AM
#45
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2006
Position: B-747-400 FO
Posts: 354
I'm wondering how long you've been in the industry? Yeah, right now this job is looking pretty gloomy, I'd definitely agree. I got out of college in '94 and couldn't get a job as a flight instructor anywhere in a 3 state radius. American Eagle J31 FO competitive times were 3500 and 1500 multi. ASA wanted 11,000 for training. Delta, AMR, etc. had over 10% of their pilots furloughed. I thought things would never improve. After 9/11 I thought when I had 3 people on board a transcon 767 and I had a crash axe in my lap, that people would never fly and things would never improve. This is a cyclical business, we are in a nasty place right now. If you stick with it, you've still got a shot if and when the industry stabilizes, the old guys retire, etc. It sucks being away from your family, but I feel I can give them as much quality time in 15 days, than my neighbors give theirs in 30. The guys I know that quit aviation in '94 to do whatever, came back in the late 90's with low time and were kicking themselves. Good luck
07-14-2008, 09:28 AM
#46
Line Holder
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Posts: 34
I got hired in 9/05. I kept working my other job/career while I was flying. I was fortunate enough to work hard at both, although my hard work at my non-aviation career has proven to be not only more lucrative, but more rewarding with better benefits.
07-14-2008, 11:12 AM
#47
Moderator
Joined APC: Oct 2006
Position: B757/767
Posts: 13,088
Hey Easy,
Sorry to hear about your marriage. Things like that are the real cost of this career that people don't like to hear about. And yes, to all those peeps out there that say it happens in any career that is true. But at least in those careers your not on the phone in a hotel trying to talk to your family(in my case my wife and kid) and you can be there when its needed. Hell, I still haven't unpacked my toiletry kit(I'm a very well trained gearmonkey) and am still living out of it at home!
With all that being said I am proud I made it and did fly 121 ops. I still think about what I accomplished with fondness. With that said, I never thought I'd be one of those guys posting about how I left the airlines last week to get my life back
Good luck to my brothers and sister's going through the same dilemma...
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Sorry to hear about your marriage. Things like that are the real cost of this career that people don't like to hear about. And yes, to all those peeps out there that say it happens in any career that is true. But at least in those careers your not on the phone in a hotel trying to talk to your family(in my case my wife and kid) and you can be there when its needed. Hell, I still haven't unpacked my toiletry kit(I'm a very well trained gearmonkey) and am still living out of it at home!
With all that being said I am proud I made it and did fly 121 ops. I still think about what I accomplished with fondness. With that said, I never thought I'd be one of those guys posting about how I left the airlines last week to get my life back
Good luck to my brothers and sister's going through the same dilemma... </div>
An airline career is not the only one that requires people to travel away from home. I have been in the airline industry for a short 3 years, and during my commutes have talked to folks with many different careers. What it all came down to was that the more money they wanted to make, the more they had to travel. And when they were not on the road, they drove home from work, then spent the next several hours e-mailing.
I'm not telling you that you made the wrong(or even a bad)decision. Everyone has different circumstances, as well as what is most valuable to them. My point is that the grass is often greener on the other side, and that pilots are not the only ones that have to settle family disputes over the phone. In any case, I wish you and your family happiness, and the best of luck in whatever your new adventure may be.
07-14-2008, 06:39 PM
#49
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: S2c Backseat
Posts: 175
"You guys are missing the point-we didn't fail in this career, the career failed us"
Whatever makes you feel better...
Some will stick it out through the hard times without the doom and gloom presented here. Someone said not everyone was made for this career. Yeah, I'd buy that. Too bad there isn't a way to figure that out before spending the big bucks on ATP or Riddle. In the end, though, even in these tough times, people are finding jobs outside the airlines, or are happy with the job they have. No reason to rain on their parade.
Not everyone is cut out for, or needs to, "leave the career", To each his own.
Tough times tend to weed out those who can't stick with it for one reason or another. It's always been that way. Nothing wrong with that and no reason to feel bad about it. Best of luck to those who feel the need to walk away.
Whatever makes you feel better...
Some will stick it out through the hard times without the doom and gloom presented here. Someone said not everyone was made for this career. Yeah, I'd buy that. Too bad there isn't a way to figure that out before spending the big bucks on ATP or Riddle. In the end, though, even in these tough times, people are finding jobs outside the airlines, or are happy with the job they have. No reason to rain on their parade.
Not everyone is cut out for, or needs to, "leave the career", To each his own.
Tough times tend to weed out those who can't stick with it for one reason or another. It's always been that way. Nothing wrong with that and no reason to feel bad about it. Best of luck to those who feel the need to walk away.
Those who can't stick with it? Would you "stick with" an approach to an unsafe airport? One that would guarantee a crash? Don't want to be a "weed out", do you?
Makes me feel better?
Wanna know what makes me feel better? I'm set to make north of 300K this year, and home every night. Come up with something aviation related that can match that-then you'll have some cred w/me- 'till then-
NAH!
07-14-2008, 07:49 PM
#50
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Nov 2005
Position: UPS 757/767 Capt ONT
Posts: 4,357
"I'm set to make north of 300K this year, and home every night. Come up with something aviation related that can match that-then you'll have some cred w/me- 'till then-"
308K last year. Flew less than 100 hours. Aviation related. Next question?
And if you can promise anyone at this thread who is considering walking away from aviation that they can be in your shoes any more than they can be in mine, "you'll have some cred w/me-"....
308K last year. Flew less than 100 hours. Aviation related. Next question?
And if you can promise anyone at this thread who is considering walking away from aviation that they can be in your shoes any more than they can be in mine, "you'll have some cred w/me-"....
