Dan64456

I'll give you my opinion - and my situation. I turn 25 in a cpl weeks, and I work in IT. I've had a couple different IT jobs. One in a small company, one in a medium large company. Corporate America is not a fun place. So far in both companies, both were exactly the same in many ways. You will see more backstabbing than you can imagine, corruption, overpaid idiots, underpaid geniuses, nepotism, favoritism, ass kissers, people that go to lunch with you one hour, and throw you under the bus behind your back the next... the list goes on and on. I have my 2 year degree in IT and almost 5 years experience in the field. I make just under 44k a year (heavily taxed plus city wage tax. I take home under 30 grand.) I got my PPL 2 years ago this month, and haven't flown much since. I've had issues with my medical (color vision, I found out I can pass different tests, so not a worry anymore), and got discouraged with how much money it was costing me to fly a little at a time. One thing is for sure. Despite the agony and hardship and cost; not a single day goes by where I don't wish I was in the cockpit. Every morning I drive past PHL on I95 and I see the Dash 8's buzzing overhead, then when I get to the Girard Point bridge my eyes are glued on the 737's, Airbuses, etc on final for 27R and I almost hit the cars in front of me when the 20 percenters driving those cars don't understand that uphill requires more gas pedal.
Anyways... I start classes tomorrow to finish my Bachelors degree (in IT). After years of dragging my feet deciding which path I want to take, I've decided to finish this IT degree. It would make a great backup plan regardless of what my future holds. The economy sucks. Every industry sucks right now. So I put the flying thing on hold. But if it does ever happen for me - I will be able to check that box on my Airline application. I should be done that degree in about 2 years... maybe less. This hurts a lot because it's not even close to what I want to do with my life, but it's what I HAVE to do. I wasn't fortunate enough to have been born with a choice. But the bottom line is - you won't ever stop thinking about it if you don't do it. I haven't. I took a hop from Myrtle Beach to PHL a few days ago and stopped and turned around as soon as I got on the plane. I couldn't stop staring at the cockpit and trying to listen to the pilots to hear what part of the checklist they were on. "Now THAT is what I was meant to do for a living." I kept thinking to myself. I even brought the approach charts and STARs with me so I could pick out the landmarks on the ground and test my ETA estimations... lol.
Get yourself a job in something outside of aviation... make some cash... then start getting your ratings one at a time on your own time. By then, maybe they will start hiring again, and you will be well on your path at becoming a well rounded individual ready to switch careers (now with the bonus of a backup plan and experience in another field.) Plus you will learn what it's like to work full time on the ground which will help you appreciate being in the air that much more. Don't sell your soul for this. But don't give up either.

Right now the forums across the world are gonna be all negatives.

MTCowboy

This is VERY TRUE! You will be a slave or a ***** to aviation! Honestly, it is what I wanted to do. Still do! But you will never have a stable household or income for that matter!