I think I am pulling the plug on career pilot
This year I got motivated and excited to forge ahead with becoming an airline pilot in my mid 40s. I've always wanted to be a pilot which is why I got my PPL more than a decade ago. Recently I was forging ahead, finishing off my instrument rating and then getting ready to start on my commercial license and then CFI.
I've been lurking on this board for some time and researching the various regional airlines. Skywest was my target and although it has been refreshing to see wages increase, I finally have to admit that the wages are still not good enough for me to dump more money into flight training, give up a bunch of my free time to focus on being a CFI for several years, all so i can turn around and earn $40k to $45k for several years why I cut my teeth as a newbie at Skywest. The pay increases would be minimal over the years and I believe this is one big financial mistake to continue in this direction.
In my current employment, I can watch the job boards and increase my annual pay and status significantly in the next year or so simply by interviewing and considering new job offers within my industry.
I certainly love aviation and have always been fascinated by it, but I do not believe the wages are where they need to be still. If new pilots could get in and start at a reasonable wage, say $70,000 or higher, then i think it might be worthwhile for a lot of people. It still amazes me to this day that new FOs even just a few years ago were earning less than $30k flying commercial jets with 70 pax in the back.
I also believe that a lot of the "pilot shortage" would evaporate if entry level wages increased. I imagine many men and women in my shoes have come to the same conclusion....there simply isn't enough money to make it viable and to make a decent living out of it.
It has also been quite eye opening to monitor these boards and see so many people griping about life inside the airlines. Being on reserves, not flowing as soon as possible or not getting upgraded as soon as possible. Its an interesting industry no doubt. Anyone care to challenge my comments and let me know if my perception is off??