Originally Posted by
Baradium
Sorry, my point is that by time you get to a regional, you've already invested the time in the initial job that those other careers start out at. I'm happy to see that it's at least to the point now that it's a good livable wage as opposed to food stamp level like when I started. The Law degree has greater career earnings potential than pilots do, so I'm not sure where you're going that, I think the counselor can make much more too. I don't think it takes 10 years in law to get past 55k... although it did for a lot of pilots.
$60,000 a year is at least respectable, but I just don't think it's a fair shake to say "it's just an initial job." For many it's a second or third job because their initial jobs were the ones that got them to where they even met minimums. $60,000 they should at least be able to live pretty comfortably as they are seriously getting into the career, but I don't think it makes for a good excuse for stopping the tradition of CAs buying at least one drink on a trip. Of course, even when it was $20,000 a lot of regional CAs didn't really do that anyway.
In the past, and thank God it isn’t that way anymore, you certainly HAD NOT invested the time that other career fields took. Just an associates degree took longer than a fast track ATP type school to get to a regional. At least now with the ATP rule it forces that fast track pilot to get about 1-2 worth of other experience thus equaling an associates degree but still not equaling a traditional 4 year (and how many take longer than 4 yrs to get that Bach degree) and certainly not that law degree.
A vast numbers of lawyers aren’t making pro pilot pay (certainly at the majors level).
you might need to do a little research into median lawyer paid and initial job earning (or even able to get a job stats) of let’s say the last 5 years of law students. It’s been in the national media about how many unemployed baby lawyers are out there. Another real stat - District Judges in my home town are making probably $150k. The District Attorney makes $130k. Think how long it took someone to get to those positions. Talk about an investment in time and they are both elected positions so subject to removal from office every couple of years.
I know an attorney who came in with over 10 years of legal experience to include being a USN JAG who started at the DAs office at $55,000.
10 years later she has moved to numerous other state positions and now makes $84,000. As for the counselor - I don’t know of one who makes more than $60,000, certainly not without being a supervisor (ala Captain).
Median income in my state is around $50,000.
Median income in Texas is around $60,000.
Median income in the US is around &61,000.
I’m very glad that AT PRESENT there are no more 300 hr ATP wonders in the right seat of airliners. But an initial pay of $60,000 for a job with the fairly quick potential for increased pay is even better than fair in my opinion and when compared to many other careers is pretty darn good. The good thing.....it will most likely continue to increase over the next few years barring any number of things to happen. Fingers crossed for you all.