Thread: When did you know its time to leave?
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Old 05-11-2016 | 10:15 AM
  #8  
MaxThrustPower
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Originally Posted by Black and Blue
I am pretty new to the job. I thought flying large aircraft and travelling would be a blast, but honestly, it wasn't what I thought. Not fulfilling, often not challenging, and I find myself thinking of what I would be doing if I was in a different career and home.


Your first line says it all to me. "I'm pretty new to the 'JOB'."

I've worked in aviation for over 30 years. Airplanes have been a passion of mine since I was 8 years old, years before I even took my very first flight. I worked to become a military pilot and later on, a commercial pilot. Sure, there are downsides to the pilot lifestyle sometimes. It's not always fresh and exciting. Still, if I remain open to it, I can regularly find amazement and excitement in man's ability to fly, the advanced technologies that continue to make it more efficient and safer, the satisfaction of seeing a flight come together smoothly in spite of the challenges we face on the line, and the awesome views I get to see out of my "office window." Sometimes, I even see the appreciation and gratitude on my passenger's faces and their remarks to me as they deplane. And I enjoy sharing my love of aviation with our passenger's children who are awed in a tour of the cockpit and smile with glee in getting their picture taken there. For me, it all makes it worthwhile. For me, it's not "just a 'JOB'." It's a passion that is in my blood and it's my career. It is what I do. It's even a big part of who I am.

Of course, the pay at a major airline helps to keep me motivated. But the pay isn't why I pursued this career and it isn't why I continue in it. It's just the icing on the cake. I get paid (well) to do something I love.

Commuting sucks so I try to avoid it. It makes my life unnecessarily hard if it is a choice. Being junior sucks, but it's a temporary circumstance. If your heart is in the right place, you'll be able to keep it in perspective and see the big picture. Hotels and layovers can sometimes suck. But it's a part of the career to me and I take it in stride. Sometimes, hotels and layovers can also be awesome when I have a nice hotel and a long layover in a city where I can get out and explore and do different things. Sometimes, I even bring my wife along and she enjoys the trip too! Being more senior helps the layover equation over time. I can choose to be away from home less or to fly better trips. Or choose trips with better layovers. Working holidays and weekends can suck sometimes. But it's a part of the career to me and I take it in stride. On the flip side, I enjoy the flexibility and variety of my work days and hours compared to my peers. I can't imagine being stuck in a cubicle, Mon-Fri, from 9-5. Ughhh!!!

The second thing I get from your opening statements is that your expectations were not in line with reality. No, an airline career is not all high pay, glamour, and adventure. But there is some of all of that if you wait around to see it. You just have to temper your expectations. I wonder how much the potentially high pay of an airline career lured you here in the first place?? This is not something you do for the money. It has to be deeper than that or else you will be miserable here.

Pilots who thrive and succeed in this career have a passion for it. You're much too young and inexperienced to be feeling bored and discontent with it all already. It appears to me that you aren't committed to this as a career. You seem to know this because you asked for feedback.

Do yourself a favor and follow your heart. Walk away and go do whatever that other job is that fulfills you and leaves you feeling satisfied. For that matter, do your fellow pilots a favor and walk away. There's nothing worse than to be stuck on a multi-day trip with another pilot who is disgruntled about the company, the career, and aviation in general. I can't imagine how much of a "Debbie Downer" you'd be to fly with at age 65 if you tried to stick this out.

Be true to yourself.
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