Originally Posted by
highnpressurizd
I agree that in general, pilots are underpaid. However, I don't believe that just because someone chooses to spend 100k on training/education they are entitled to 70k a year. My sister has a masters in education that she paid in the neighborhood of 100k for. She's a teacher. She teaches because she loves it and feels it's important to contribute to our society. She'll probably never make 70k a year. If anyone deserves it, teachers do. Flying, in most cases is a purely selfish endeavor, we do it because WE want to, not to improve the lives of others. If you really think you are entitled to a 70% ROI in the first year of your career you have a lot to learn. Drop the entitlement mentality and get over yourself.
I agree with you in general, but teachers have very high career stability, and their employment is not at constant risk from medical, training, incidents, furlough, BK, etc. They also generally have good benefits and in many places get a lot of time off during the year. Like other civil servants, you take less cash in exchange for stability and benefits. I know, some districts pay very poorly, but all you have to do is pick up and relocate...many districts have great pay and benefits. NV I think is very hard up right now.
Also I think financial duress is a safety issue...if you have to work another job, commute due to cost-of-living, worry about money, or live like an itinerant worker you are not going to be at the top of your game. Personally I think about $50K is the minimum...probably a bit much for a guy based in Little Rock, but it falls short for those in NY, SFO, etc.