Hello everyone,

I separated from the Air Force (non-flyer) in January of this year. I have always had an interest in flying but have some reservations of making it a career vs a hobby. I have the opportunity to use the Post 9/11 GI Bill for an associates degree program where you finish with a CFII. The program would start in January 2017.

The job I had I worked underground and had a 3 day rotation of away from home, travel back, day off repeat so the schedule does not bother me much. I know many of these questions will be subjective and a case by case situation but Id like to hear some first hand experience before I make a choice.

1)I was making just over $80K a year as a Captain in the Air Force and in the little research I have done CFIIs and entry level airline pilots seem to make roughly $20-$30k a year. How long on "average" would it take to be making roughly the same (then hopefully more)?

2)Would getting the commercial license from an associates degree make me more competitive than getting enough hours without the associates degree?

3) In your experience, how long did it take you to build up enough hours: 1) to work for a regional airliner or carrier 2) to get into a larger airliner or carrier 3) to promote from F/O to Captain?

4) Besides losing seniority, do airlines look down on switching from one airline to another? When switching is pay fairly competitive or do you expect a large pay cut?

5) I know its likely location dependent but how difficult is it to get an airline job without having to move (I currently live in the PDX area)? (not the biggest deal but still something for me to consider)

6) What happens if you lose your class I medical license? On a temporary basis? on a permanent basis?

Sorry if these questions are stupid, like I said I havent even started a PPL training yet but am interested in possibly pursuing an aviation career.

Thanks for helping me determine if I can mesh my passion with a career or if I should just make flying a hobby.