Originally Posted by
SkyHigh
Strike one Not an ex-military pilot. That is one strike against you.
Strike two You don't come from a prominent aviation family with strong ties in the airlines. That is strike two.
Strike three You have a DUI, are overweight, no college, older than most, took to long to upgrade, was fired during initial training at a regional, are not overly attractive, can not play golf, Lack people skills, HR gal was having a bad day and a huge number of other silly reasons that you can have your dreams rubbed out.
It is possible to get hired at a major with three strikes but not very likely. If anyone does a little research on new hire classes at the majors it becomes easy to find a pattern.
Skyhigh
I have to agree with Skyhigh on point one. Being ex-military probably helps with an aviation career. I disagree with having to have family in the business though. I have never once seen that as a prerequisite for being hired at a Major. Strike three are all issues that can affect you no matter what job you are trying for. But you should really know all that at the onset when you decide to make aviation your career, not when you are trying to get on at a Major airline and wondering why no one will hire you. I remember reading everything I could on the industry 17 years ago when I took my first flight lesson. I knew what was expected. Books like "Becoming an Airline Pilot" by Jeff Griffin, "Airline Pilot" by Future Airline Professionals of America, "Checklist for Success" by Cheryl Cage, Air Inc's "Questions", "The Neglected Art of Being Interviewed" by Medley. I could go on. The fact is, if you are well prepared, reasonably intelligent, network, and have a good attitude and decent personality, you have a good shot at a descent career at one of the Majors...
That's just my opinion though, I know there are a limited number of jobs and that not all pilots will make it out of the Regionals (if that is their goal). I wasn't ex-military, no family in the biz, and I even had a minor misdemeanor on my record I had to explain away. Not to mention a fluff degree from a State University. Having said that I'm enjoying my 9th year at a Major cargo airline.
I agree with a lot of what Skyhigh says, and I can sense his frustration. Unfortunately, that's life. Sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to no matter how hard we try...