Originally Posted by
steste1122
My situation: work as a computer tech making roughly $40k a year, travel every day except for weekends, and really tired of the drive 10-15 hours then work all night routine. Always wanted to fly but never had the money for flight school till now. In december I plan on quitting my job to focus fully on getting through flight school. I am 31 years old, single, no kids, and have a bit in savings to get me through the period of not having a job, but will have to take a loan to pay for training which is ok. Ending up at a major airline is not the path I want to take. I would rather get time doing things like jumpers at first, and working towards what I would call my dream job of island hopping---for instance the Maldivian Air Taxi (
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/fo...t-drivers.html) would be an example of where I want to end up.
I guess my question is, what would be the best route to get there? I have been looking at various pilot schools but most seem overly expensive, and Im not sure what all qualifications I would need. Im not afraid to spend money but would prefer to get the most benefit from it.
My suggestion is to stay at your current job for the time being and complete your flight training in the evenings and weekends. You're not married and have no kids so your schedule, I assume, would be a lot more flexible.
This goes back to what other members on this forum have already suggested: Don't go into debt for your flight training! Yes, money may not be important to your happiness but wait 'till the bank starts demanding their money back while you're pulling in $20K/year. Most of the interest rates for these loans are not exactly flattering so sit down with a calculator and figure out your projected monthly payments, and don't forget your living expenses (realistic ones and not some idealistic, bohemian fantasy).
No bank has ever asked me if I like my job.
If you pay-as-you-go, your downside will be minimized (granted, not eliminated). You don't like your current job and you're daydreaming about escaping. That's fine and I can certainly appreciate that. You need to appreciate its current value to you and see it as a tool to achieving your dream.