I get it about the volunteer time, but it really doesn’t matter what your or I think. If you want to move on, you DO need to separate yourself from the average line pilot. It took me awhile to finally get over that mentality myself.

Fortunately I found that volunteering didn’t have to be a lame experience. I did some trail building with my local county, which was actually pretty fun and fulfilling since I’m an active trail user. I also met some new friends. Another thing my wife and I did was dog fostering with a couple of rescue groups. Again, really fulfilling and pretty enjoyable!

I was just a normal line captain at my regional, but with networking and my volunteer experience, I was able to finally get some interviews and eventually got offers from my top two choices.