Originally Posted by
Sink r8
I agree. It's not about age, but about where in the hiring cycle you get picked up. Say you're hired at the end of a big cycle, with 2,000 pilots hired in an airline of 6,000. And you're the youngest person in the airline, for example 8 years less than average. Let's make the average 38, you 30.
Until the last 8 years of your career, you're going to have 2,000 guys in front of you competing for everything good. THEN they'll start getting out of the way. So, out of 35 years remaining to 65, you'll really have the run of the airline about 8 years.
The number one guy in that cycle will only be one number junior to the bottom guy in the previous cycle, even if it's been ten years between cycles. HE is going to be at 66% of the company when you're hired, and he's going to steadily progress to #1, about 8 years before you retire. Now, since he was hired at the average age of 38, he'll only have 27 years at the airline, but each one of these will be a good year.
He'll have a great career, despite starting older. You will have a decent career. You'll be better off than the old guy hired in your class, by far, and you'll enjoy a happy period near the end of your career. Right around the time you'll start worrying about wet farts, you'll finally be able to fly really, really long legs...
Obviously it's better to be hired at the begining of a hiring cycle rather than the end but you almost seem to be saying that age doesn't matter that it's the cycle that does.
What's the difference if you're 30 and are the last guy hired for 8 years or the 1st guy hired 8 years later when you're 38, during the next cycle? You're still in the same place except you have 8 years of longevity. (hopefully not furloughed either)
If you are going to compare a 38 year old and 30 year old you should make the comparison when the 30 year old reaches 38 and then compare.