Originally Posted by
Bucking Bar
Don't listen to Shy, or the choir.
While pilots like to gripe, this is a terrific career. There probably is a five year window of opportunity and I sure can't complain about my job or working conditions (although I still do).
Even with massive outsourcing, no connections, no military experience, terrorist attacks and a couple of bankruptcies, I'm employed with a six figure income, never missed a check and spend more time with my kids than anyone I know. When I go to work the people I work with are great and the flying is a blast. Guess I'm an idiot because in after 10,000 hours I still enjoy looking out the window and I have to stop myself from being an aviation bore at parties.
If I can do it, almost anyone can. It just takes a lot of determination, investment and willingness to forgo the BMW's and other trinkets of success that tempt the young in other professions. Better to build as much of a "rainy day fund" as you can so you can make the moves and remain flexible.
I don't recommend aviation lightly. Without uncle sugar paying the bills, the first five years can be brutal. But, there is no other career like it. Not everything boils down to purely money. Ironically, I live in a house that I bought in foreclosure from a Surgeon's lender.
Smart man once said ... "find what you like to do and what you're good at ... then ask what it pays."
Terrific career? Not anymore. I was gonna say how can you say that, and then I read the bolded portion. You make 6 figures and have never missed a paycheck, which I only can guess means you've never suffered a furlough. Congrats. These days, you're the exception rather than the norm.
This will never be a terrific career like in the golden days of aviation, those days are gone, and now it's nothing like how it used to be. The career potential, amount of respect, flying used to mean something to the general public. Not anymore. The aura is gone, and has been trending that way since deregulation, and really gone south since 9/11.
Has it been a career that I, personally, enjoy? Yes. I do love my job. But I'd only do a disservice if I try and sell this as a "terrific" career. It isn't terrific like it used to be. For the majority of pilots I know, this century (2000 and up) has been more a disappointment than a smooth happy 6-figure career without missing paychecks like you have. Congrats to you, but realize that not everyone is at the level you are. Plenty of guys who started in aviation in the 90s and 2000s have spent quite the time in furlough, and a historically longtime at a regional making crap wages.
Yes, the view is great, flying is fun, and the destinations varied, but today there are far more sad stories than happy ones. The majority of my CAs on the Airbus are ex-Aloha, Champion, National, Skybus, USA3000, ATA, US Air, etc. Many now commute across the country to their base because they cannot leave their homecity due to kids, mortgage they can't rid of, a wife's career, etc.
Congrats on your six-figure flying job and a smooth sailing career that never missed a paycheck. Before you tell others to ignore "shy and the choir" , take a look outside your bubble of success.
Safe flying and cheers.