Originally Posted by
mikeinflight
Thank you for the replies so far. I understand this is largely a cyclical business. I have been in finance for 11 years and have been laid off twice since the financial crisis. Nothing is guaranteed I get it. There just seems to be a lot of negativity around here and it's hard to get decent advice. I am really enjoying my 141 school and am on to my instrument rating.
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There is a lot of negativity for a reason. Happy legacy pilot don't come on here and post about how good they have it... they also happen to be the minority.
I'll be honest; I LOVE flying airplanes and think it's a really cool job, but it's a complete, absolute gamble of a career and you don't know where you'll end up. Never in 1 million years did I think I'd be in my 30s and on my fifth airline. "Majors" go bankrupt, and what was an awesome job three months ago will become a pink slip a month later. If you land a legacy job at the right time (and don't get furloughed three weeks later) then you might have an amazing career and wonder where all the negativity comes from. Conversely, you can work at seven airlines and never get the dream job because they think you're "untrainable" for no apparent reason.
The negativity is there for a reason. It's real. Ask the thousands of regional airline pilots who have flown legacy colors that will never be hired at a legacy because they are now too old, while in the meantime their first officers get hired and pass them by hundreds of thousands of dollars in income.
Bottom line, be prepared for anything.