Millions of people across a wide range of professions lost their job and livelihood over the last month. Those of you acting like this is purely a pilot problem arent paying attention. A down economy can hurt you no matter your profession.

 

I have a friend who works in tech in the Bay Area. One of the household names that has the cushy offices, can work from home, free childcare, 6 month paternity leave, etc. Company announced a few days ago that most of those benefits are being cut dramatically. He still has his job, but even these companies are cutting costs however they can. Couple of others I know outside of aviation are laid off.

 

I wouldn’t leave unless you are leaving for the military or are laid off and need to find a job. Everyone is hurting at the moment unless you work for federal govt.

 

A big one is the absolute stovepiping and specialization of skills. Nearly completely untransferable to other industries. And before I get the 'but other industries love a pilot'...Ill counter that with a....'no they don't'.

Your partner is left to run the house with little help and while the kids are young has no capacity to get a job.....so your single income.

Not being merit based is a killer. No matter how hard you work, your aptitude or underlying personality you still wont jump a single person on the list or avoid a furlough if your numbers up. Those who say the seniority list is good for pilots should rephrase that to 'the seniority list is great for pilots who are at the top and wonderful for management to control the rest of the pilots in the bottom 75%'

The fact that pilots purportedly get paid 'so much' is because of the perfect storm of reasons that keep people away from this career.

And this comes from an ex mil guy with a solid diversified background and degrees. When starting out on this path I would have paid a handsome sum of money to anyone who could have accurately planted hindsite into me.

After the dust settles (2 years) the pilot shortage will be back in full force and then some. Guys and gals not getting in. Stalled career path programs. 50+ year olds going back to their old professions. Early retirements and then just natural attrition.

Airlines are merely the intermediary between passanger and pilots...... Passangers will come back as it's burnt into the psyche of the traveling US public as a near unaliable right. Demand will also be bolstered by US legacy carriers filling transatlantic voids left by failed Euro airlines......which will happen due to their debt funding arrangements (banks) vs US legacies (corp bonds and equities).

 

lol @ people who think they can just pick up a 2nd career or start a business within a matter of months in this climate, even if you have an applicable degree. A degree just won't give you a job off the street, you need to have some related experience in that field too. Nobody cares what degree you got 10 years ago if all you have been doing is flying.

 

Agree totally....what about if I can fly a real nice hand flown ILS? Ha.

 

And the other point to consider is what non aviation company would spend their time, money, and resources in a really tight labor market to hire and train someone knowing full well that they would lose the employee the second they got recalled back.

 

Exactly. There's actually a current posting for my old job that I left to join my regional. I left on good terms and enjoyed the work but I can't look my former manager in the eye and tell him I won't probably be gone the second the recall notice is issued.

 

​​​​​​...because you wouldn't want him going to school with a bunch of idiots. I totally understand.

 

If you're in the training pipeline, I think it comes down to two scenarios...

1. If you can stop spending money on training AND still have or can still get gainful non-aviation employment, it might make sense to take a break, hold on to your cash, and give it some time.

2. If your training money is already committed, and/or you have no job, might as well continue with training as able.


There is a potential silver lining... if things don't turn into a great depression, there will still be retirements and a lot of new entrants might be scared away. When the dust settles, that could leave you in catbird seat if you stick with it. That's a possibility but nobody knows for sure.