put a fork in me
 

I'm done. Just resigned from skywest. It has been 8 months and I have enjoyed everyone at the company. Great organization and more importantly, great people. I got a lucrative deal outside of the industry, blah blah blah. Had to take it. Thanks to all the captains that I flew with.

Sean

Best of luck to ya at your new job !




Al

Congrats man!!!

You will be back. Crack is very addictive. Just kidding, I'm just jealous.

Congrats, good luck

You lucky sum*****. I want out so bad! Sadly, I got one of those useless aviation degrees. Congrats - and best of luck!

This sucks, 'cuz you're not senior to me !!!

I spent last night skimming the internet for jobs. They're out there, and I guess you found one. Congrats.

What kinda job did you find outside flying. I am just curious.

Thanks guys, and sorry Tony, yeah I am junior to you. I will be returning to my other job that I have been doing for years--teaching tennis at a country club. Not a bad gig and it'd take me an upgrade and 15 years to make similar pay (plus I will have holidays off, etc.)...I will miss the crews and flying, though.

Airline Pilot swithches jobs
 

" to become tennis teacher at local Country Club " ????
it's true.....this profession has reached that point!
Best Wishes though.....


Reino

Yep, sadly this is true. I too am strongly considering going back to the tech industry. Working in cubeville aint very glamorous, but the $$$ is tremendously better and gaurunteed weekends/holidays off. I can hear it now: "Yeahhhhhhhh, you forgot the cover sheet for your TPS reports, did'ya get that memo?"

http://fourpointers.com/wp-content/u.../lumbergh1.jpg

Good luck in your new/old job!

I know, it's scary... Flying around the country in snow, ice, t-storms, engine failures, whatever for what....$20-35 bucks an hour as an F/O? I can deal with teaching pretty ladies with tennis skirts for $80 an hour....it's tough sometimes..

g.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_03/ballgirlmadrid1910_468x815.jpg

I was just offered my old job back as well, at a higher salary (well over 100k) and it was really hard to say no.... but with the way things are going, I might not have much choice pretty soon anyway. :o

You wont be the last... I know MANY FO's and some CA's who are on the brink. Most of the FO's have said if the F happens they wont be back. .....

Good luck to you.

Which sadly, probably pays more than teaching people how to fly.

Min of $68/hr.....

Let's here some more!
 

success stories of people who left Aviation and are happier. Hey mods, how's about a whole section dedicated to this?

I have been looking at returning to my former job. Gold assayer for the mining industry and CFI on the side to keep me in the air.

I miss flying
 

I miss flying but am very glad to have chosen a different path. Had I took another flying job I would have been laid off again by now (or about to be laid off) and looking at starting over again. However this time much older. Just about every company that I had a chance with after getting the ax 5 years ago has down the tubes lately.

Today we are in a much better position and are the masters of our own destiny. My wife and children are happy. I am home all the time and are with our friends and family again. We have much better financial security and are able to pursue other dreams and interests.

All I had to do to get all that we have today was to let go of my aviation dream. It is amazingly costly to ones life.

Skyhigh

I would happily take a voluntary furlough/LOA. If I can keep my number and still go back to river guiding the Grand canyon I would do it in a heartbeat. In fact, for all you skw emb fo's, please take my two trips on sked plus so I can go to the big ditch this month:D

That's pathetic. You haven't even tried, now have you. I have a 4-year aviation degree (2000 grad) , don't fly for a living (wish I did, sort of), and make over 100k a year.

If you want out, get out. Your personal motivation and attitude will get you further in life than a degree in any field.

People who say that a 4 year aviation degree is worthless are either lazy or too chicken to get off the nipple.

Just my opinion.

Doing what? Seriously, I have tried, but when it comes to my background two things happen. A- they think I'm crazy for wanting to leave the oh so glamorous pilot job, and/or B) the aviation degree just warrants blank stares. I then have to go into detail about what classes I took and explain what the program entailed. I'm realizing that I'll probably have to start at the bottom in pay and position, as if right out of school, if I make the jump. So far that's all that I've been offered. It's discouraging. I certainly don't want a paycut.

So does that mean you will never leave your current RJ job for one with a major :rolleyes:

I'm in real estate sales and management.

Yeah, many people (but not all) put pilots on a pedistal. Many of my friends and clients think I'm nuts for not flying after spending five years of my life and 100k on education and flight training.

Depending on where you live, it shouldn't be too hard to come close to or match FO pay. If you do end up with a pay cut remember that it's only temporary- can't lose sight of the bigger picture. When I left aviation out of frustration in 2004 I found myself doing maintenance and unclogging toilets. That was very humbling. I knew that it had to be done to get to where I wanted to be. I'm not there yet, but I'm not unclogging toilets either. I still love aviation also, and almost went back several months ago. Glad I didn't now.

What field are you interested in and where did you graduate from? Who knows, maybe myself or someone else reading this knows someone who can hook you up. That's networking!!

New Job
 

I have to agree. When I was laid off and would apply for non-aviation jobs employers would stare at me as if I had two heads. They would give me a screwy look and ask "why don't you just get another airline job"?

On the other hand it is difficult to leave any paycheck. If I hadn't been laid off I imagine that I would still be in aviation and miserable. It isn't easy. A good strategy is to start a side business or to get an online degree in something else. The price to pay when getting out seems to be that you will have to start over with the belief that in time the benefits will be substantial. You also should remind yourself that every day that you stay in the industry you are placing another nail into your coffin.

Les Abend wrote an article in Flying Magazine a few months back about pilots who had second jobs and side businesses. In time many left aviation because their part time job was doing so much better for them. It worked out for me. When I was laid off I was unemployable in other industries and was forced to invest myself 100% into my real estate business and it made all the difference.

What ever you do it is important to start right away. One day you might realize that you wasted your life because you didn't take that leap of faith.

Skyhigh

One day you might realize that you wasted your life because you didn't take that leap of faith.

Exactly....I was always told not to be afraid to go out on a limb.....that's where the fruit is.

Now there's a good thread to start and sticky! Networking is the key to getting the good jobs. I don't know anyone who found their next career by using careerbuilder or monster, but I know a lot who leveraged friends to take the next step. I'm sure with the number of people we have on this site, there could be a great opportunity for networking.

You guys all scare me. Im in a position where I just finished a 2 year degree in Aviation, and Im about to continue the other two in a very expensive University.. but reading this is driving my head nuts... :confused: and thinking twice before continuing... you guys all hate the flying job... :(

Dude, don't finnish the aviation degree... Try to get a degree in finance or some type of engineering. An aviation degree is (although a BS) just like any other liberal arts degree. If you need a backup, because you decide this sucks - like a lot of us have, it would be nice to have a specific degree to get your foot in the door somewhere.

Flying is very enjoyable. Esspecially when the wx gets bad. For me the worse the wx, the better. Guess I really should be a freightdog and not pax pilot. hahe. You kinda have to take it with grain of salt. There are a lot bad things about flying for a living, more so at the regional level. Pay is no where near what it should be. I know some Fo's at Eagle that just waited 8+ yrs to upgrade, they just sit down in the left seat and now they will be displaced back to FO and $40hr again for who knows how long. Sucks. I do think its important to start thinking about an alternative income. I'm desperatly seeking an alternative income. Its more because I like my toys, not that I really need it. It will be a relief though to have more money. As far as degree in aviation, I got an 2yr in aviation and 4yr in biz. Its not that I got the biz degree because I need it. I got it as more of a social experiment. I wanted to find out how things are done in a normal world without aviation. It was kinda fun. As part of my project I wrote a business plan for a start up airline. See, still can't get rid of the aviation. I learned a lot about what it takes to run a business. I also want to go for masters. I think that would be a lot fun too.
However, standing outside the classroom for break and looking up at the arrivals for BOS brought a smile to my face. You just have to know that when you have "postive rate gear up", the noise goes away, you get the wisper of the wind, and your flying. Your home now, is there anything better in the world.

Heck yes man...! That's just the way of life for the other half of us ;)

I have a suggestion. Work for FlightSafety (or insert other training provider) as a part-time ground and/or sim instructor, and fly on the side. It works for me!

By the way, congrats Sean... which was the original topic!

Wow- what a great explanation. I agree w/ everything you said. I am an aspiring airline pilot with only 100TT coming out of an enlistment in the Navy. Have 10 yrs in and walking away to purse this. But, I did get my BA in finance because that field interests me.

Just have a back up plan and try to find a whole lot less expensive aviation university. If it were me, I would look toward a degree in business administration, all around good degree or something else you may like. Aviation is the best industry I have ever been in, but when the feces hits the fan, it gets really bad really fast. I love flying, but the realities of today force me to look at my back up plan which is bidding on city/county contracts anything from painting to demolition work to providing floor mats at goverment buildings to lawn care. (I know a guy who got paid $45,000.00 for a 3 month contract just to cut grass at county owned properties.)- and they pay extremely well, provided your the sucessful bidder.

I left ASA last week. Good job with very nice folks. Will miss the flying but not the lack of paycheck. Going back to school for something better (hopefully).

Good luck, 3 greens. Glad to know I'm not alone!

When you leave the industry you'll probably second guess yourself for a while. But once you get a couple of years down the road you'll look back at your flying as work that, at one stage in your life, was quite enjoyable. But things never stay the same and life changes. So, be smart and adjust.

Think about how you won't miss, month after month, using an airport restroom every other time you go to the bathroom; sleeping regularly on beat-up mattresses; eating poorly, regardless of how hard you try not to; never having a consistent exercise routine; delays, wasted time, sitting on your butt, it never ends; being around hundreds and hundreds of people every day with all of the germs that go with it; not getting paid for the talent and responsibility that you have, etc, etc.

You'll come full circle back into flying someday -- maybe you'll own a new Skycatcher -- and at a level that's a rung or two higher than you are now.

You'll see. Good luck.

took me 13 years....but I came back.....

I'm all for finding someplace where you'd be happier but a section devoted to this would be depressing.
With that said, carry on.

Moved to more appropriate forum.