Originally Posted by
Pontius Pilot
Do you love the job, the entire package, or just the flying part?
For me, I love the flying...but I dislike everything before push back and after arrival. I can do without all the politics, problems, low pay, seedy hotels, starting over every time you change jobs, etc.
I don't think loving it is enough, but I'm not truly convinced you love it. You see it for what it is.
It has changed over the years, but there are some fundamentals. I read Ernest K. Gann's "Fate is the Hunter" - he started flying for American in the 1930's...and the way he described it from ground school to IOE to flying the line all sound like he did it yesterday!
The one thing that frightens me about the job outlook for this industry is the difficulty of getting on with the majors. When is the last time they hired in any big number? The regionals are looking like a dead end job.
The notion that someone is not true to their profession because they seek financial rewards is not true. You can't pay the bills by looking outside your window as you break out of a cloud deck. It's still very cool.... but that's not going to get anything done. Even though you're flying a jet, you're still making less than some low level government workers and janitors. And once you make it to CA, you can have a little more just to call you're self a middle class "white" collar worker, who hasn't been home for most of the month. I tell people to seriously reconsider flying pro because it is not what it used to be and most likely never will be.