Originally Posted by 7thgear
I'm currently finishing my last year of high school. I've put much thought into aviation and have put together a 4 year plan of what colleges i'll be going to. When i'm done, i'd like to graduate from either southern illinois university or the university of illinois. both have excellent flight programs.
Anyway, I thought I would get some input from guys who have taken the flight path. I still have no concept of how a pilot's life is. Are most pilots paid well? Is it an exciting job? How much free time do you have? How hectic is the competition for pilot jobs? Does the position carry a lot of respect? Basically, does this job become your life, or do you still have lots of time for family and hobbies?
I mostly want to do the job because of my fascination of flight, and also because I wouldn't be able to sit in an office filling out TPS reports all day. With that in mind, does anyone have any advice on what steps I should take if I want to fly large passanger jets one day?
You won't get anywhere without "paying your dues," either by graduating from flight school and flying for a small commuter company with low pay and bad hours until you can get someone's attention at a major airline or cargo company and get in with them, where you start from the bottom all over again (although at better pay!)
I got my flight experience thru the military (AF for 24 years), which has it's own way of getting its payback from you as well. It all depends on what you eventually want and what you are willing to sacrifice to get there. I have no info on the commuter airline path, but if you have any questions about the military, drop a line.