Originally Posted by
abelenky
If you're still young enough, I'd recommend looking at ATC instead of being a pilot.
First, realize that many commercial pilots aren't really flying at all. Auto-pilot is typically turned on about 90 seconds after takeoff, and disengaged around 30 seconds before touch-down. Nearly everything in between is just twisting knobs.
Next, realize that most professional pilots make very little $$$. Reading around this board should provide plenty of evidence of that. When a professional pilot is done working for the day, he can neither afford to, nor has any desire to go flying for fun.
If you can become a Controller instead, your pay will be much better, your schedule will afford you more time off, and you'll be able to fly for FUN, not WORK, and you'll still be involved in aviation on a daily basis.
I learned about the benefits of being a Controller too late. (you have to start young), or I would've done it. Thankfully, my profession as a Computer Programmer lets me get in lots of flying without the many downsides that my Commercial Pilot friends complain about.
I'm still pretty new to this business, but I've been doing it (professionally) for a few years now and have experienced a few different ways to earn a buck - Flight instruction, charter, corporate, and the airlines. I've flown beat up old twins, new business jets, old turboprops, and airliners (at a regional).
Your remarks are so clueless, I don't even know where to begin... I just spent the past year hand flying a Brasilia all over the West coast, in and out of mountainous and coastal airports. Lots and lots of hand flying approaches into fogged in little coastal airports, slam dunk visuals into busy airports like LAX/SFO/LAS, etc. Before that, I was flying a citation and hand flew it all the time, often into some pretty crazy little airports.
The money is there for those that stick through it. Heck, just this past year I've turned down two pretty good paying corporate jobs. They just weren't the right fit for me, but I know eventually the right one will come along if this whole airline thing doesn't pan out for me. But even where I'm at now, there are quite a few folks pulling down some decent coin while still maintaining a good QOL.
Obviously things don't always work out, and I feel awful for some of the other regional guys and girls going through some rough times right now. But pretty much everybody I've known that has stuck it out and kept an open mind about what part of the industry they might end up at has done well.
That's great you like your programming gig. I was a mechanical engineer for five years out of college, and I absolutely hated it. I've been flying as a professional pilot for an equal amount of time now (five years), and I still love it. I'm good at it, and I almost always enjoy going to work. I have a good QOL, and I have WAY more time off than I ever did as an engineer. Even better, I just got awarded basically my dream base, and am currently in training adding on another new airplane type. Life is pretty good on my end!