Originally Posted by
DoNoHarm
My daughter is in college at a major university. I have talked to her friends several times, and they are always a little intrigued by the airline life. But, none of them want to be pilots. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, IT, and nursing, but not interested in aviation. They know they have the opportunity to be pilots if they wanted, and they would likely have a much better career progression than their male counterparts, but they just don't want this lifestyle.
This lifestyle doesn't work for everyone. It is tough on families, and many people do not want the schedules that we have for the relatively small paycheck that we receive as compared to other careers available.
Maybe only white males are dumb enough to do this career, when there are much better careers out there.
Her friends will make more money, have more time off, retire earlier, and enjoy a more stable career than we have ever had.
You and I see this career completely differently, which of course is fine. Granted, my household is dual-income and that probably colors my view of the airline pilot life and perhaps it would feel much different if I were the perpetual sole bread winner. I’ll say the orthopedic surgeons I know are filthy rich and absolutely miserable. In my experience, it’s pretty difficult to find many miserable airline pilots if they’ve found their way to a good job at a Major. Most seem to be leading pretty rewarding and fulfilling lives. Hopefully the decade ahead improves things for us all!