Dear MJKeepItMovin:

The big question is what is your tolerance for risk? Are you willing to put it all out there and go for it, or are you going to wait till everyone around you says it is time to start flight training?

Back when I started flight training the industry was going strong. Upgrades to captain only took a few months, hiring at the majors followed as soon as you had the turbine PIC time. I had left a lucrative programming job to start my flight training and everything looked sweet. Then 9/11 happened and it slowly unraveled. I was at ExpressJet six months and then furloughed.

But I'm still here. I could have easily gone back to programming and still be chained to a computer and the 9-to-5. Instead, I went back to flight instructing and picked up a Cessna 414 gig. I also got my ATP before I went to work for SkyWest. Now I'm almost six years on with SkyWest, with good seniority. I did all this during a "down-turn" when everyone was afraid to fly.

So my point is, if you want to fly, do it. You need to find a way to make it happen and you need to believe that it will work out. I personally believe that if you want to fly, you need to keep training and start looking because if you do it now, you will be at the head of the hiring instead of at the back.

Do I worry about my job? Sure...but it doesn't paralyze me. I do a lot of things that ensure that if I lose my job I still have income coming in. Do I listen to the static around me. No. There are naysayers everywhere. I only listen to the people that send out good, positive energy and then make my own decisions.

Good luck! Go Fly!

Jeffrey