Originally Posted by
proskuneho
What about 33, too old for a real career? I'm not starting fresh though, I have 1000 tt/240 multi. I have a wife, kids, mortgage, etc...
Otherwise, I might be forced to go back to management. NOOOOOOOOOOO! I have read many complaints from pilots on these forums about "how terrible" QOL is in the airlines and how the legacy carrier jobs are growing farther out of reach each year. Did they forget what it is like to be chained to a desk for 50 hrs a week, or does the future really look so grim that I am better off in management?
You are not too old, IMO.
Compared to the other guy, you are 11 years younger. Also a 1000/240 is probably worth 2-3 years of training/instructing, so effectively you are 13-14 years younger. Hopefully your spouse has a decent job.
You could get hired at almost any regional (when they hire). Also there really IS going to be a retirement wave starting after DEC 2012...age 65 just delayed it 5 years. You could be a regional CA in a good position to get a major job at that point.
The retirements should drive some hiring even if growth is stagnant.
Of course the boogy-man is oil...if it goes up and stays up, airlines could go into cutbcak mode or bankruptcy. No guarantees on that of course...you just have to take your chances.