blewis73

I have a question about the airlines and work history.

In 2010, I began working on my pilot license while also finishing a bachelors degree. I also started a job as a ground service manager at our local airport. My thinking was I would camp out at the job and build a good work history in an aviation related job while I finish my bachelors degree, instrument rating, commercial, CFI's, and needed flight time. However, it has become too much to work my Job (60 hours a week) while also finishing my bachelors degree and trying to work on my ratings. Therefore, I have thought of quitting and working only on flying and the degree, but I am concerned if this would be a negative in a later pilot interview for an airline.

To be clear, I was unemployed from 1/2009 until 2011 while in school-then I took my current position. If I quit I will again be unemployed until graduation in 2012 and possibly until I land a CFI job.

Will this be considered a negative for a future airline interview?

I am 38 and do not feel as if I have the luxury of making serious mistakes at this age and point in my career.

Thanks for any insight and advice.

USMCFLYR

There is nothing wrong with being unemployed if you are a full time student. I imagine that you might not want to work for someone who thought otherwise. Now if you are only taking classes part-time I might wonder what you were doing with the rest of your time and probably wouldn't too impressed if the answer was racking up style points on Call of Duty.
At age 38 though, I'm assuming that you have means of support for yourself (and family if you have one) if you quit your job and concentrate on finishing your degree and obtaining your ratings (expensive), and then how do you plan on making a living until you pick up that hopeful CFI job?

USMCFLYR

blewis73

Thanks for your response. Yes, I am a full-time student and also a flight school student - simultaneously. I do have a family and my wife runs a day care. I also have considerable savings, military funding, and student loans that I am also applying to my flight expenses.

Thank You.

Cubdriver

A couple of thoughts.

1. Working more than 20 hours per week and doing school full time is a dead end. You seem to have already realized that.

2. A work trail is a good thing even if it's piddly jobs in school. You also need the money, and having to work makes you realize how hard paying for flight ratings is. One of the best things I ever did was drive a dump truck while I bought my flight ratings, because it made be grateful to be flying.

3. The line service job you had sounded good. You can meet people who can help you later on.

4. You may not want to be a pro pilot when you find out what the job pays. I am not trying to discourage you, but keep studying it. At the least you are in for a long uphill climb making peanuts working your butt off. That gets tiring when you are 45 living out of a dump.

5. You need that college degree to have a real future in flying. The bar is high for career pilots and they all have college degrees. Just get it in business or management, you do not need a fancy degree.

6. Do not take out any loans for flight training. Pay as you go. Loans for flight ratings are insanity. I paid as I went for all my flight training, it took a little longer but now I have zero debt. Don't get in a hurry to start a $18k per year job followed by a furlough and a job at the FBO line.

Good luck.