Originally Posted by
CodyPilot
I agree that there are CRM skill sets that a pilot has and learns throughout his career, but I'm picturing an older me in competition for jobs within an industry where guys have 20 years experience or more. Don't want to end up selling life insurance or something else that I don't care about. Not that doing that would be bad... Know a lot of airline pilots and they're some of the smartest and most successful guys I know, and all I meant by that comment was that if I were forced into another industry at an older age there'd be a lot of other people at the top of the totem pole I'd be competing with in whatever industry that is.
This is a legit concern. Civilian pilots who have done nothing other than flying would have a harder time starting over after middle-age.
Military folks typically have some management/organizational skills, and networks in the private sector. Career-changers can usually revert back to their previous field.
But automation is not the only threat...you're far, far more likely to medical out or have your airline go BK at age 50 than to get replaced by robots. Or catch a bad wind gust and wreck an airplane on landing. Employed one minute, unemployed and unemployable 30 seconds later.
For a civilian-track pilot, it's prudent to ALWAYS have a Plan B on the back burner. Small business, real estate license, web designer, computer programmer, CDL, whatever you'd be happy doing that would provide enough income (going to be hard to replace major airline captain pay in any case).