Originally Posted by
Superpilot92
Many of us where working on our ratings or instructing when 9/11 happened and we could have quit then as the industry tanked but looking back it was a great time for people to be working on ratings or instructing because airlines weren't hiring. When airlines aren't hiring you aren't losing out on potential seniority that others would be getting. By the time you get qualified and start looking for a job the industry should have cycled and start recovering.
This is the flip side...it often pays to use industry downturns to position yourself to take advantage of opportunities which will appear when things turn around.
We simply don't know what oil will do, or how fast the industry will pursue alternative fuel sources (which are very limited for airliners).
I don't think anyone can know for sure how things will play out vis-a-vis oil. The optimistic (but realistic) approach would be assume the best, but keep the worst in the back of your mind so you are not blind-sided if it comes to pass.