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Negative,,,,,Oh so Negative. Turn that frown upside down mister. Instead of saying "Money will be very tight" you could say that "pilots enjoy frugal living". And in place of "You will be gone a lot" you could say that "you will get to be home sometimes".
Marriage breaker or single life maker !! Its all in how you phrase it.
Skyhigh
Oh crap. I never thought I'd see the day I'd be called negative by SH
Basically I've done my reading and understand the ****storm I'll be stepping into for a period of my life, making under 1/5 what I currently do. I'm just trying to figure out whether the light at the end of the tunnel is worth it, and which direction I'd want to head.
As long as you understand the risk vs reward going into this then you should consider yourself briefed on what to do. Keep in mind that many people start out very motivated and glamour-focused, only to spend all of their spare time complaining on some internet message board years down the road about how much their job sucks.
Seriously, I would stay where you are at. Making 100K at 28 years old is amazing. As you add seniority at Cisco, you salary should get even better. Getting all you ratings could set you back $50k or more. And for what...to start out at $24K a year for a very long time. Stay financially secure (which does not include an entry level at the airlines) and fly on the side for fun. Get your basic ratings and buy a plane. Have a few kids, and take them flying in YOUR plane. Just my opinion. Good luck with your decision.
Think about benefits, too. I would imagine a company like Cisco has some pretty swanky bennies. Most of your airlines (except the usual 3: UPS, FDX, SWA) have di%k. (I know, AA still has a pension. Yeah, like anybody starting out today will see that...)
Also, consider this. I did 99% of my flying in the military, where the goal was to wh&re yourself out for every flying opportunity you could get yourself into. Hours was everything, more flying = more happiness.
Then I went to AA where the goal was (and I would argue this is applicable to just about every other airline out there) to fly as little as possible. Suddenly, more flying = more work = less happiness. The airlines are very accomplished at taking all the fun out of flying and making it seem a whole lot like work.
No, money isn't everything and money can't buy happiness. But, money can buy you things that can make you happy! And I wouldn't say that being an airline pilot is that dreamy of a job. FWIW...
I make and have made around 100 k for the last 10 years for 3 different companies. It took me about 10 years to reach that point, which seems about average with my friends.
I think I would die in a week if I was an engineer for Cisco, with due respect to the skilled folks who chose that path.
But, If you don't feel that strongly about it, in other words if emotion is not outweighing a lot of rational concerns, I would recommend a very cautious approach. I have seen career changes work, and I have seen them fail miserably.
Good Luck-it's great to live in a society that gives us so many options.
Dreams don't have a cost benefit analysis attached to them.
Money isn't everything.
Do you want to be 40 years old sitting in the back of an ambulance dying, wishing you had chased that dream?
Only you can answer what will make you happy! We all only have one shot at this thing called life! What are you going to do with your one shot?
That being said. Listen to what many people have said, go into it with your eyes wide open and a positive mental attitude.
This is a tough industry, with a ton of time away from home, but seniority has it's priveledges, so if you jump do it as quickly as you can.
I guess that all depends upon your dreams. If your sole goal in life is to fly planes and you don't care about your financial future or personal life then by all means fly planes.
However if your life goals include; growing a family, building wealth to care for yourself in retirement and to life a life of your own design then perhaps aviation isn't a good choice.
We can't have it all in life. Aviation absorbs a huge amount of ones life resources. As for myself I would hate to be dying in the back of an ambulance thinking about how I wasted my days in the front of an airplane and missed out on many of the best things in life. Flying is a huge part of my life but it is not everything to me.
A job is supposed to make your personal life possible and not to be your life. At one time this was a great profession that offered a better life than a plumber.
SkyHigh
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Pilots are paid for what they will do, not for what they can do.
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