I think this teenager need to figure out what he wants to do with his life. It's clear that he's still trying to figure out what he's interested in while in college (change of major). Thus, it makes me wonder just how much passion/enthusiasm he actually has with respect to pursuing a VERY expensive training path to a career he probably has little exposure to. Where did this "interest" come from? Was it because he spoke to Uncle Rick and it sparked an idea without any depth of knowledge as to what he's in for with an aviation career? Or is this interest stemming from an "always wanted to be an airline pilot since I was 5"? Given today's aviation career environment, I would not recommend this career to anyone. Hell, one of my first questions to new students is if they are looking to get into an aviation career with the airlines. If their answer is "yes" I sit them down for about an hour explaining to them just how big of a horror show it is to get involved with it. 50% of the time, the light goes on in their heads, and they do it for fun instead. The other 50% walk, which is not a bad thing.

Your nephew has time to get a degree, and see what's available to him in the real world. Who knows, maybe another year in college will focus him down into something he really wants to do. There are a lot of trades that produce a ton of cash and is quite a respectable career path that also provide opportunities for off the books jobs. Veering him towards an airline career is no better than asking him to take all his money and put it on the craps table. Roll the dice. You might win, but then again, you might lose it all. There are better odds in this life than an airline career.

Rick,
Much of what you say is the same advice I give folks that ask me, especially the notion of having a degree in something other than aviation. I have a physical issue that used to require a SODA to fly; it doesn't now, but I have a degree in business just in case.

I could nit-pick a few things in the post, but that's all it would be.

The main problem in dealing with idealistic teenagers is just that: they are still wide-eyed and...well, stupid, because they have no life experience.

What I have found to be an incredibly useful tool is the Bill Cosby example that he used with Theo. Sit down with a kid and grab some Monopoly money, and start playing "it's payday and I need to pay the bills." Be realistic, and be fair, but be honest. Work your way from regional year one, to regional FO year 4, to regional CA, to both scenarios: a) can't leave the regionals, and b) makes it to the majors by age 40-45. Take into account buying and maintaining a car, loan payments, getting married, buying a home, etc. You can do this for any career field, but in this case, use aviation, and perhaps one other field as a point of comparison.

One point that I think your post misses is the change in the way the airlines are managed. Up until the late 90's, the airlines still had some managers--some, not all--that had been in the industry since before deregulation. They never truly adapted to the modern world. Nowadays, airlines are run by career business folks that have a much better idea of what it takes to make a global corporation succeed. This is especially so since 2001.

What that means is that the airlines are much better at controlling capacity than they have ever been. The furloughs in 2008 only occurred because the airlines had not finished recovering from 2001 and because the Age 65 rule came into effect. I honestly think that in the future, furloughs will be both less common and less severe. That should be food for thought.

In the end, you're still dealing with a teenager, and he's still stupid. But you can give him the tools he needs to either be less stupid or at least understand his level of stupidity. :D

I just graduated from my alma mater 4 year university with a degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. I'm 22 and at ATP flight school in Charlotte NC! My multi checkride is on Monday! Tell him to keep studying and the flying will come if he so chooses! I'm loving the ride and I have good back ups if I have to have them all the while without having to go BACK to school. :cool: