Ya lost me when it came to the renting thing...I have a family and like to be settled into a nice home....thats a substantial part of the equation. You basically confirmed that you cant live very well in SoCal with a family on 150K, as you cant buy something in a nice area. Ditto that in many large suburban areas, even with the housing correction in effect.

Without a family (or kids out of the nest?) I would care far less about owning, until then I'm just not into being a transient pilot type. I decided long ago I will quit aviation before doing that to my kids. Others adapt well to it, it's just not me. While I'm somewhat interested in moving, I'm not changing my QOL/Lifestyle to do it. It will need to be a calculated move and a move UP (salary, package etc)....as all career moves should be (IMO)

ANYHOW, this is, of course, a never-ending chat as its simply personal...and we all seem happy here with our salaries and money management good little frugal pilot lifestyles, so that's all that really matters I suppose?

:)

Can a 4yr SW F/O fit his golf clubs in though? :D Different styles.

RJSAviator -

I understand your point. I know MANY former peers who lived in the Orange County area, and then the San Diego area, who made less than $150k and lived just fine. I lived in San Diego for 6 months before moving to my present location and rented a very nice small apartment in a great area and enjoyed my life during that time just fine! It is a personal thing and obviously there are different strokes for different folks.

USMCFLYR

Again, disagree, but different strokes for different folks. :)

Let's just hope that those decisions get to be made by you, and not by other events or people.

Cheers bud! :)

Exactly right.

Flying a Global Express, grossed $200K+ last year, getting a new G650 in a couple of years, pay to go up accordingly, yyke back buddy. No bidding, flying 400/500 hours a year, 4 star hotels, generous meal allowance, paid internet, laundry, uniforms, full medical with loss of license, Cadillac medical with life....Enough? Don't go there pal :)

You can bet your life these decisions are made by me!

Pilots are some of the worst career planners on the planet. Nobody trying to fill a good job wants to hire an unemployed person, that's a fact. They want someone who knows what they want and is eager to get it, not some one who needs something, anything. This is often seen with unemployed pilots who send resumes all over the world and wind up with a few mediocre interviews. They blame the economy, their location, nobody has the budget to move them (that's my favorite lol) etc etc...now, they often find something and are happy to plug along but they lost the battle long ago IMO. They are often underqualified and don't do much to change this, even during unemployment. They wait for change to happen. They don't put any thought into how the position would suit their needs, personal and professional. No good place wants to hire this.

My wife has been telling me this for years, as she has run her own consulting/recruiting business since kids came. Hearing stories about corporate aviation she was always amazed at how narrowly focused pilots are...many concentrate on type ratings and currency and think that's the key, but they often miss the big picture. They cruise the internet pilot job sites and consider that looking for work/networking. Ever see the majority of jobs listed online? lowest of the low unless they are poached from corporate sites, where 99% of the time they are already filled.

Maybe its because many pilots are happy just to fly an airplane and that's all they want? and will accept wherever that takes them and try to adapt (or gripe a lot) to what is offered. I think thats somewhat common, and may work just fine for some. So be it. I'm not here to judge, but can't relate.

I'm fortunate that I have never been out of work. I can also say that the very best opportunities that have come my way were by people specifically looking to take you out of a known position and place you in theirs. They were very concerned about your drive, motivation, goals...not your last recurrent at FlightSafety. They were not really interested in unemployed people.

I also know my job could go away tomorrow, and after the initial "DAMN! I liked this job" I would be OK with that really. It's just a job. You can bet I have other plans, both in aviation and out. I could not live any other way. I also am sure to keep this career "maintenance" a small (but routine) part of my life, work is work...it pays the bills and that's important, but its still a small part of my overall life!

ANYHOW...useless NowCorporate career/life advice is over. You get what you pay for..

:)

Where are you based? I'll drop by with a resume!

Where else; CHINA :)

Anyone who can't live on 150K+ is just a poor financial planner. And I live in Massachusetts.

GF