A few months ago I was dealing with a lot of uncertainty regarding my current position, and there really wasn't much out there. I decided to try the Colgan interview for the experience and also as a backup in case our flight dept was canned. The interview was a very good experience... Pretty thorough, I learned a few things, and I also knocked some rust off (it had been awhile since I took the ATP written). I have to admit, I was initially a little excited about possibly working at Colgan. Chalk it up to the post-interview high I guess.

Anyway, several weeks later I was offered a class date. Fortunately things had settled out at my job, and my job was now as stable as anyone could really hope for in this economy. Despite that, I was still pondering a career at Colgan... I've got several contacts at FedEx and AA, and figured Colgan would be a good experience builder for those companies. But after calculating the numbers, I just had to face the reality that I couldn't live on that salary. At least not the way I want to. I enjoy being able to have a beer every once in awhile, eat well (in a nutritious sense), do crossfit workouts, and just not totally stress out over money all the time. Although Colgan is expanding, upgrades were still going to take years so I didn't see the point in chasing the upgrade either. I finally told Sara that I appreciated the offer, but I just couldn't do it. It simply is not enough money, and I don't see how some of these guys make that much of a sacrifice. I think my odds of having a good QOL are significantly better in the part 91/135 world compared to 121. So far I've been right.