Originally Posted by 72944

For those of you not in the industry, but have the dream of flying in the airlines, I say go for it. You need to know that it is not an easy road, it can be financially draining, can be hard on families and can be disappointing at times, especially if you have set your expectations too high.

A lot of folks are saying go do something else, as if other industries are so easy to get into or that they provide the perfect lifestyle. No matter what you do will take a lot of effort to achieve and can go through bad times just as the aviation industry is going through. There are no guarantees.

I would suggest having realistic expectations, being financially conservative, and trying to have another skill or option for employment in case of job loss can help relieve some of the stress when times temporarily go bad.

I got into the industry when things were pretty good and thought I'd be making $200,000 a year by now. I'm now at the bottom of a very long furlough list at a legacy and not sure what my next flying job might be. It's frustrating, but if I still wouldn't be happy doing something else. The industry will recover, maybe not to what it once was, but it will recover.