Originally Posted by
60av8tor
No problem with any of that. I just try to not over-inflate those things compared to family, friends, and acquaintances who make far less while doing much more difficult jobs. I've flown with people, both as a CA and FO, that make this job a lot more difficult than it needs to be. I feel like sometimes they confuse their own stress level with the difficulty and importance of the job.
In no way do I take things lightly. I try to be the best I can be every leg of every day (which isn't too often these days😂
. But I realize that I'm a part of the equation with tons of fellow employees assisting each other: front, back, over/under wing. I'm not the Lone Ranger making it all happen on my shoulders alone. I guess it's all perspective on previous experiences/jobs, but from my current perspective it's a very canned environment with many variables removed - kinda the point.
I'm quite a bit closer to the end than the beginning of my working years. I reflect a lot and come up with the same conclusion each time: I thank God I'm able to have such a straight-forward job where I'm able to make an incredible amount vs the work I'm required to do.
I'm just not sure how to do this making > 1/4 mil/year working 8-10ish days/month. Seriously though, I fall on the side of trying to hide what I make for how little I work. I wish I could share my wife's eye roll when I read this last quote to her😂
This post is the correct attitude.
When I started, back in 2003, I thought I made a grave mistake. My starting pay was $17,000 a year, sharing a 3 bedroom with 5 other pilots. Meanwhile, my tech friends started at $50,000.
Now, we make enough money, that given decent financial choices, you will be wealthy given enough time.
I’ll always take more money, but as a mid-career senior major FO, the money I have coming in allows me to make financial choices that will set me up.
For example, my money market account alone throws off more interest than I made my first year as an FO.
I blocked 480 hours last year and made over $300,000. But it was paid in quarters and that really ****ed me off.