Starchkr

Just a little perspective. I'm mid 40's. Started on my ratings in my mid 20's while working crappy jobs. It took me years and lots of hard work to get through all my ratings. I built my time and eventually flew 135 cargo. I skipped the regionals because the pay was dismal and I was raising a family.

I never thought I'd have a shot at flying for a major, ever. I eventually did some charter, then a great Part 91 operation that ended abruptly. Did some 135 again but got tired of being away from home so much. Landed another good 91 job but it only lasted a few years.

Now, after all this flying, with the hiring the way it is and my kids getting older, I'm finally seriously considering the airlines. With 10,000+ hours and much of that is TPIC but no degree, I know that it will be much harder for me than most of my peers. My buddies at United that encouraged me to apply all agree that I'll need more on my resume to have a realistic expectation of getting called for an interview.

I was offered a position at a regional and I'll make the best of it by taking on more responsibilities in training etc. I'm looking at options for online degree programs as well. All the while I will be adapting to compensation far below what I was making before all in an effort to finally fly somewhere that offers great QOL combined with great pay.

I'm not bitter, I love the career and I wouldn't trade the experience I've gained, especially at the tougher flying jobs I've done but right now, I know my life would be a hell of a lot easier if I had gotten my degree a long time ago. I'm halfway through my career and I'm going to put my heart and soul into getting to a major carrier. Even if it takes me 5 years it's worth it.

Don't do what I did. Get your degree and position yourself for a position at the best airlines, it's absolutely worth it. If I were you, I'd do the regional thing ASAP and finish the degree online, just get the degree.

JohnBurke

Get the damn degree.

If you think that hiring will continue at its present rate, you're too new in the industry to know better and might be forgiven for the naiveté.

Those rushing to get their place in the stack are listening to the pie in the sky talk about every minute taking a minute off earnings at the back end of the career, failing to realize that rushing to get a seniority number presently is simply jostling for a position in the unemployment line once the furloughs start.

If you don't want to make it using unemployment checks, better have another plan. I'd make that plan now.

Not then.


Let's not forget that you're unqualified to give direction here. You have a degree, after all. You're in no position to talk about having a career without one.

Starchkr

I should add, many of my peers with less experience than I have even with no prior 121 experience but with degrees are getting on with legacies. I'm not getting calls. That's the difference.

I know it's not impossible for me but I'm telling you, it's a lot harder and my options are severely limited until I check that box. In the meantime I have a flow but relying on a flow is naive, no foolish. I've been around long enough to see the industry ups and downs. All it would take is an economic downturn to dry up opportunity for those like me.

Make yourself as marketable as you can. Don't rely on corporate or charter/fractionals for a back up plan. Sure those jobs can be great but it's really only the top 10% of them that are worth long term consideration and they're less stable than the legacies.

If I get a call for an interview at a legacy I promise I'll post on here. Until then, assume I'm applying like hell.

Excargodog

Flow may flow, flow may trickle, or in a real downturn with furloughs at the majors the flow might be shut off altogether. Or AA management may just make a business decision to just take outside hires to avoid pulling pilots away from their wholly owneds. And what can the regional pilots do? Grieve it and fly anyway?

And you can rest assured that the AA mainline pilots aren't going to do anything to protect the flow rights of the wholly owned pilots. They'd rather reduce that scope or eliminate it altogether.

Sliceback

John Burke - it’s not pie in the sky logic because every day, week, month or year you get hired earlier is trading your current job for an additional day, week, month or year at a better paying job.

Getting hired earlier pays dividends every single month to include having better furlough protection. Every furlough’s junior guy on property was hired one guy before the senior most guy on the street. Those guys know the difference ONE number makes and dozens, hundreds or thousands of numbers is a whole different universe.

JohnBurke

Really?

Gee, in the last 35 years, I didn't realize that. Thanks for the update.

With what's coming, it won't matter.

wilco811

MrJohnBurke,

Sounds like you see something very catastrophic about to happen. We are talking record retirements and the biggest hiring about to take place but you are predicting that the majors are going to be furloughing soon. If it’s going to be that bad then why recommend this career in the first place?

tomgoodman

For bragging rights. When we are all under a bridge eating ramen noodles, you will have a more prestigious former occupation than your fellow bums.

galaxy flyer

There have been numerous times where the demand curve for pilots was believed to be vertical with no end in sight and everyone running about, hair ablaze, screaming “where will find all the pilots?” Every time, it’s fallen back to Earth. It’s been awhile, but it’ll happen again, but timing is unknown.

GF

JohnBurke

Why are you still here? You're not qualified to have this conversation.

You're new, if you don't know to what I refer. I said nothing of furloughs, neither did I issue any recommendation regarding the career. You assume too much.