Originally Posted by
Albief15
At your age you still have time to go get an MBA, a law degree, start a rock band, or perhaps run an internet porn site. I'd say any of those other options will make you more money than hanging around waiting to be a rich airline captain.
It also is a fact that traditonally there has been only one major airline berth for every 7-10 applicants...........and that was in GOOD hiring times. With future contraction/stagnation, 7-8 out of 10 current regional pilots will NEVER make a major carrier. When it comes to these two freight carriers whose hiring is very limited even when they do hire, the odds are better of getting a call from Jennifer Aniston for a date or a knock at the door from Publishers Clearinghouse with a $1,000,000 check.
Many of these pilots still dream the dream, but for most it's too painful to consider the likely probability they'll never see it. For most, if they choose to stay in this "profession", they'll have to be content with retiring on a 70-90 seat RJ. Some will come to terms with that but others will become emotional basket cases around their 40th birthday. I assume in about 6-8 years there will be Youtube footage of late 30's regional captains (and F/O's !) sobbing like schoolgirls in various airline bathrooms or unexaplainably attacking garbage cans or Starbucks baristas.
There's a wave of mental health issues soon to come at the regionals that may thin their ranks as complete and total mental crackups begin to accelerate.
A shame it will be.