Originally Posted by njxyz

NewCareer- First off I wanted to thank you for creating this thread and keeping it updated over the years. I always wanted to be a pilot growing up (playing my pirated copy MSFS for hundreds of hours as a kid), but I grew up poor and was taught to avoid debt as much as possible, so flight school never seemed like an option. I'm also very risk averse by nature, add to that I graduated college during the financial crash, and being a pilot just didn't seem to be in the cards for me at the time. I've been lucky enough to work build a solid career in the healthcare industry with what is now a well-paying job that pays the bills and then some. I'm finally at the point where I could comfortably learn to fly without it making a big dent in my savings. But now I'm also starting to think seriously about a career change. I like my current career but I just can't picture myself doing it for the next 20+ years. If I stay in it, it'd only be to essentially be working and saving to the point where I could retire early.

Like you, I live in the NY area (actually right in between EWR and PHL). Unlike you, I'd be starting from zero hours, but I am a little younger at 32, married but with no kids. I figure I can at least get to a CFI without quitting my day job. But it's after that point that makes me nervous because it seems like I'd probably be looking at switching to a job that pays at roughly 1/5 of my current salary.

Some questions if you don't mind:
1- How did you land your part 135 job? It seems almost everyone I read about builds their hours as CFIs. Was this a lucky break, a personal connection, and is there part of you that wishes you went down the CFI route?
2- It sounds like you started flying for a living in 2018. If you don't mind me asking, what were your annual earnings like each year since?
3- What does your time away from family look like?
4- Any advice for others making a similar transition from a high paying job in a HCOL?

Thanks in advance.