Im 17 years old as a Junior in High School. I am wondering what the future is going to look like for me in terms of the amount of jobs for major F/O's that will be open and what the expected amount of retires will be in the next 10 years or so.

Advice and info is greatly appreciated.

 

There are 18,000 regional pilots active today. In the next ten years 17,100 pilots will need to retire. You do the math

 

A) No one knows. B) PLEASE just read the threads and/or SEARCH the threads as this has been talked about relentlessly.

Welcome to the forum.

Good Luck.

 

Please listen to a seasoned veteran: STAY OUT OF AVIATION!
If you want to get your pilots certificate and fly as a HOBBY, great! But NEVER make a career out of it! I would NEVER EVER let one of my kids make it a career choice.
My advice: if you want to get into the airlines, go to business school, work your way up the ladder and become an airline exec. They are the ones with all the money.
Please, don't RUIN, yes RUIN, your life by becoming a career pilot. Everything that AOPA , FLYING et al magazines tell you is farce. Although I love Les Abend, I doubt he knows the impressionable minds that are at stake with his articles.
Take heed!!!!!!!

 

Although I dont totally agree with HotMama, it would be wise for you to really get the scoop on what being an airline pilot is all about. I love my job, I love flying airplanes, I dont care for the industry. But there are pros and cons to it all. Just make sure you understand what you are getting yourself into.

 

I'm 27 and have been very lucky in aviation. I got on early at a regional, put in 5 years and got out, and now a mid-seniority FO driving an airbus. I'd probably classify myself as in the top 20 percent of today's "best case scenarios" in an aviation career.

Having said that, I am still financially very very far behind my many of my peers who studied hard and pursued serious non-aviation careers. I enjoy the job, I very rarely dread going to work and I don't feel over-worked.

For me, the job satisfaction is sufficient. However, the lack of job stability and low compensation are reasons I recommend you explore other careers

 

I wouldn't go so far as to say to never make a career out of aviation. You'll hear a lot of negativity on these boards and I think a lot of people will tell you to choose another career. But I've also talked to doctors, lawyers, executives etc. who hate their jobs and wish they had done something else. In the end I think most people dislike working in general.

That being said make sure you do a lot of research before deciding to fly for a living. Odds are at some point during your career you will go through a bankruptcy, furlough or merger that will have a negative impact on you. You will miss birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. It is very difficult to have a family while in this career field and pilots have a very high divorce rate.

It's hard to say what the industry will look like in the next 10 years. Right now there's a lot of consolidation and downsizing going on. I'd say it's likely there will be a decent amount of hiring in the future, but I think it's just as likely that when the next economic downturn happens you'll see a lot of furloughs. That's the way this industry has been for 80 years and I don't see it changing anytime soon.

 

Don't get a degree in aviation. Get your ratings on your own at the local FBO. Should be good hiring in 5 years when you will be entering the market. Good luck.

 

I second that, just get started building time ASAP!!!

 

Good chance there will be jobs...the problem is the pay, benefits, and quality of life is on an apparently endless decline.