Originally Posted by rickair7777 (Post 3063382)

I have one sister and two friends who lost their white-collar jobs already. All three found new ones within about a week. All were in sectors which are experiencing growth/increased demand due to COVID (IT and biomed specifically).

Are you going to find a $200K corporate director job right now? No, not unless you just retired as O6+.

But can you get a job right now that will pay the bills? Yes, assuming you can shed enough luxury/discretionary spending and have not financially over-extended yourself.

I agree that the economy is going to get worse before it gets better, but it hasn't happened yet. Most of the job losses are low-end customer contact jobs. The white-collar and back-office jobs are working from home (for now), and many of the ones on furlough are sitting tight and hoping to get called back soon.

I personally have one solid job opportunity, but I'd have to take a VLOA and a pay cut. I decided to stick it out and keep the airline money flowing for now (I can coast for a couple years if absolutely necessary, without getting into retirement savings).

If you're junior and REALLY need a job (finances, bennies, etc) I'd grab one now if you can. Especially if your only skill is pilot. I think the job market will get harder before it gets better.

Originally Posted by Jaww (Post 3063377)

Originally Posted by D B Cooper (Post 3063418)

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Originally Posted by Gen6 (Post 3063359)

For what its worth I disagree with the earlier comment that your skills don't transfer well into corporate America. I will say there are a couple caveats that I will list at the end.

There was a decent recession going on during the last furlough and I was able to find several offers in the corporate world. All the offers exceeded probation pay and most were better than the first few years of airline pay (however no 2 yr captains back then). In this scenario immediate opportunities (next couple months) will be hard but then it will open up. Start making contacts now. Ask for an informational interviews and that you will cover yout own travel expenses. Have an open mind. Be flexible on things like location and pay. Use your network and try several head hunters. Swallow your pride(we tend to think very highly of ourselves). Proud but not ostentatious. Not everyone you are competing against can say they are trusted with several million dollars of equipment and passengers. By default employers know you are a rule follower, on time, flexible, able to work with others in close quarters, able to manage and access risk, and able to make decisions quickly. All of those qualities in one package isn't as easy to find as you might think. Your biggest issue will be the "what will you do if you are called back/explain what furloughed is?". For me that answer was I don't know if that call will ever come and I am proceeding as if it won't.

Some caveats:
- This furlough won't be as long as the last one. This makes the "biggest issue" an even more difficult question to answer honestly. If you are on the fence about returning to the airlines then say that in the interview and that you are trying a new path. The average person changes fields over a half dozen times in their life.
- Finding a "regular" job in your 30's is much easier then in your late 40's or 50's.

Originally Posted by Gen6 (Post 3063359)

For what its worth I disagree with the earlier comment that your skills don't transfer well into corporate America. I will say there are a couple caveats that I will list at the end.

There was a decent recession going on during the last furlough and I was able to find several offers in the corporate world. All the offers exceeded probation pay and most were better than the first few years of airline pay (however no 2 yr captains back then). In this scenario immediate opportunities (next couple months) will be hard but then it will open up. Start making contacts now. Ask for an informational interviews and that you will cover yout own travel expenses. Have an open mind. Be flexible on things like location and pay. Use your network and try several head hunters. Swallow your pride(we tend to think very highly of ourselves). Proud but not ostentatious. Not everyone you are competing against can say they are trusted with several million dollars of equipment and passengers. By default employers know you are a rule follower, on time, flexible, able to work with others in close quarters, able to manage and access risk, and able to make decisions quickly. All of those qualities in one package isn't as easy to find as you might think. Your biggest issue will be the "what will you do if you are called back/explain what furloughed is?". For me that answer was I don't know if that call will ever come and I am proceeding as if it won't.

Some caveats:
- This furlough won't be as long as the last one. This makes the "biggest issue" an even more difficult question to answer honestly. If you are on the fence about returning to the airlines then say that in the interview and that you are trying a new path. The average person changes fields over a half dozen times in their life.
- Finding a "regular" job in your 30's is much easier then in your late 40's or 50's.

Originally Posted by DrunkIrishman (Post 3063624)

Easily the best post on this subject I’ve seen. Council 44 should copy and paste in their next update.

I’d like to add that the civilian potential furloughees are in a particularly precarious situation. They currently cannot take a VLOA for another flying job, they would have to resign from Delta to go to FEX or UPS, and if they wait until they are furloughed they will compete with thousands of others for the few jobs available. Not a lot of options there so it would be helpful if ALPA could you know, negotiate something. For those of us who aren’t in the furlough crosshairs, I would hope we’d at least be willing to entertain something to help our fellow pilots besides telling them to hurry up and find another job.

Originally Posted by freezingflyboy (Post 3063754)

I think United has already opened a vote (or they have finished voting) for an assessment on non-furloughed pilots to fund medical benefits for furloughed pilots. I'd like to hope we do something similar.

Originally Posted by tennisguru (Post 3063717)

The chairman's letter that just came out has a paragraph on rumors and MEC communication that looks very much like a response the C44 letter about furloughs.

Originally Posted by FangsF15 (Post 3063779)

Shame on us if we don't