Originally Posted by
Fliestoomuch310
Hello. First time poster, long time lurker.
I am a 33 year old Radiologist. However, since about the age of 6, I wanted to be an airline pilot. I just got sidetracked.
On a whim, I applied to the JetBlue candidate program and was slected for the assessment (I think that most people are selected for the $160 testing fee. As a doc, my scepticism of getting fleeced with educational testing is pretty high). Is this program the best way to go or is there a better path?
Hypothetically, is it even worth thinking about this switch? I know there are a bunch of negatives to the career, but I can still have my backup job if things don’t workout.
Also, are most pilots in training able to hold a second job outside of flight instructor (or maybe even in more senior roles) or is training/working so all-consumig it’s impossible. My job can be done remotely and in off hours. It would, financially speaking, make things a bit easier.
Please feel free to slap as much reality into my head as possible.
I am also a longtime lurker and I finally joined the forum just to talk you out of it. You are a radiologist (an MD, basically the highest degree possible) in a prestigious position that requires over 10 years of training. You are going to be sitting in the right seat of a 15 year old garbage CRJ200 making 36 dollars an hour to walk around in the cold on the ramp and listen to engine noise, breathe fumes, and freeze your ass off. You are going to be sleeping at a quality inn under the flight path of Newark International Airport for 4 nights a week. Think about that for a second. The captain you will fly with is probably a 26 year old kid with an online bachelors degree, you are a board certified radiologist and are second in command to that guy.
The only way you should do this is if you are mentally ill. Do you really think people will take you seriously as a radiologist after your stint as a pilot, or will they think you were crazy for having such poor decision making skills? Do not do this.
If I can't talk you out of it, for the love of god don't fall for Jetblue's marketing garbage. Go to a part 61 or 141 flight school in your area and start working towards your ratings. That is what I am doing and I am working full time. If I decide to be a pilot, then I can slowly scale down my job and transition to a new career. No reason to jump off the deep end to be a pilot, it is still a JOB at the end of the day, not a fairy tale.