Originally Posted by
boeingt7
Skyboy....I would highly recommend not becoming a pilot. I know of many people as well as many friends who have got out of flying and also many more who are in the process or seriously thinking about getting into other careers. Everything SkyHigh and everyone else on here has said about the lifestyle is true.....its absolutely terrible.....you're probably young and haven't thought about it much but someday you'll want to have a wife and kids and settle down....this will be very difficult to handle while working in this industry. The ability to travel and see different places might sound appealing, but honestly, when I come home from a trip the last thing I want to do is go back to the airport and go somewhere....even if I did have enough money in the bank to be able to travel and have fun. also get used to not having weekends and holidays off to spend with family and friends. ever worked a double shift?.....try doing it almost every day flying for an airline. I also have a marketing degree and I often think about how much nicer my life would be and how much more money I would make if I pursued a job in that field instead of doing this. I would urge you to keep working on that degree and I'm sure you will find a stable and fulfilling job in that field.
I'd say be careful making blanket statements like "Don't become a pilot." You have a marketing degree? I am sure you can just as easily find a message board of disgruntled marketing consultants (cause that's all you do with a marketing degree, right?) just as bad as here, saying how worthless their degrees are. Just because you had bad luck with this industry, doesn't mean everyone else will.
For every person who has a doom and gloom story, I would bet the small sum of money they call my salary that you could find someone who loves this job for every person who calls this job a disease. The problem is (OP this is for you) is that the determination of dream job and crappy job is almost entirely arbitrary. It's all about timing. At one given time, the arbitrary number may be 5000 hours to get in on the game, always sit reserve when you make it, and be furloughed after a year. Yet at another time, 500 may be the hour to get in, hold a line right after IOE, and upgrade to captain after 3 years.
If you really want to be a pilot and you will not be happy unless you are flying airplanes, go for it. That's the mentality you need to survive people like this and the (unfortunately)often truthful situation he described. My advice is this and if I could go back in time and tell myself this 4 years ago (and I know I wouldn't listen to myself) I would: Flying is incredible. It is everything you thought it would be and then some. However, do not make it your career. Fly recreationally, do something else you love but has been quality of life, and fly on your own schedule for yourself.