Originally Posted by
rickair7777
Med school is way too much. I would recommend nursing, pharmacy, PA, or maybe computer science.
If I could chose (I have more than one backup career, but that all happened accidentally) I would go with pharmacy. This job is extremely portable, not as stressful as nursing, and requires minimal on-going "proficiency" training. PA would be a close second (I'd rather do sick call than change bed pans).
Computer science (programming) has several advantages...
- You can get a 4-year BS and be employable without extra schooling.
- It's very portable and flexible in that you can do it anywhere, even on the road whenever you want (just meet the project deadline).
- If you move, you don't necessarily have to switch employers.
Downsides to programming would be that your income and work opportunities depend on your natural ability and the effort you put in. You also need to stay current because this field changes rapidly.
The ideal path to an aviation career would be to start out in one these flexible "backup" fields as your plan A. Obviously pick one you like or can at least tolerate which has good pay and lifestyle. Do flight training on the side as you can pay for it, then become a part time CFI. General aviation is a blast, so that in and of itself would be enjoyable.
Build some time and watch the airline industry...if it looks good at some point you can give it a shot. Remember to try to get in at the beginning of the hiring wave...if you wait too long out of caution or uncertainty, you will either get furloughed or stuck on reserve for years. If you make the jump your "backup" career warm on the back burner...it will help cover the substandard income and leave you an escape route.
The simple fact of life now is that aviation is totally unsuitable as a reliable career from an economic perspective (except for those who already CA's at FDX/UPS/SWA) ...if you want to partake, you need to take responsibility for your own financial well-being.
Might the industry improve someday? Maybe, but it's hard to say. There's nothing to indicate that any positive change will be forthcoming, but there are many potential hurdles. Fuel costs and rampant environmentalism are the big boggiemen IMO...hopefully some of the promising green fuels can be brought online quickly and affordably when the time comes.
Funny. I find a lot of pilots advising a career in IT/computer science as a backup in case the aviation career doesn't work out as expected.
Be careful though. Having a computer science background myself, I can tell you that in the IT industry, things have changed and are changing as well. And not for the better, as you might guess, since software and hardware are becoming more and more commodity.
Cheap labor from IT people from India, China and elsewhere is readily available nowadays, and IT companies do massive outsourcing and cost-cutting. And we're not talking about the low-qualification IT helpdesk/hotline support people only. Whole projects and complex engineering tasks are increasingly being done in so-called "low-cost" locations.
There are certain parallels to the development of the pilot profession.
Once being regarded as a highly trained and rare specialists which translated into the respective compensation and opportunities, IT people have been facing an ever decreasing reputation and pay over the past years.
You *may* be lucky and get a good job (like I did years ago), but bear in mind that the golden times in IT are over.
I think that devaluation is a general problem of "techie" jobs.
Being a physician or a business suit is probably a fine thing.