HercDriver130

If you do ANYTHING purely for financial gain you will eventually end up unhappy. I do not discount the need for money. Everyone has a different need. Sky's is higher than some... less than some I suspect. Flying is all I ever wanted to do.... I was in denial for many years about it. I make NO apologies that in other business ventures and the fact that my ambitious wife is very well employed that I can start over again in aviation. My personal belief is that you can make all the money in the world but if you hate what you do.... you will destroy yourself and those around you.

SkyHigh

I couldn't agree more.

SkyHigh

Ewfflyer

.........(it seems to be the new thing to do)

Seriously though, I'll back up Hercdriver's statement, too many people get into something because of the money!!! I'm happy living a comfortable living, not taking over the world!

SkyHigh

Most jobs are not considered to be fun yet people seem to survive. It is not the money that makes some miserable but the high stress nature of a job.

Plumbers, garbage men and mailmen have at times a very messy or repetitive job to do yet they seem to do it with a smile. A roofer once told me that it takes three years at any job to get past the boredom and to get your body use to the strain of it. After that it becomes easy to show up for work.

Pilots for some reason expect to have fun at work, enjoy status and to make a lot of money. It doesn't usually work out that way. I have had some very high stress flying jobs but there was no money that came with it.

SkyHigh

ryan1234

skyhigh: I'm not speaking against you, just using your post to build on

You know, it's interesting that pilots will pursue a career field with such determination only to complain about the pay. I wish pilots were paid as much as other professionals (i.e. doctors, lawyers), however we're not. Most of the time money is what you make it to be. Many don't realize that if budgeted and invested wisely a $35k income can reap the benefits of a $60k income. I enjoy every minute of flying even when en-route 4 hours.
Most other people have just fallen into their "careers" (i.e. mailmen, garbagemen, store manager). We have planned and prepared to be where we are.
Also, I'd like to add that pilot pay is better without crazy student loans. Flying will always beat my past jobs (i.e. waiting on tables full of red-neck nascar fans in Daytona who don't understand what a tip is). Most pilots don't even understand hard work, and how good they do have it-regardless of the pay. What if they were still that kid throwing the baggage into the plane, struggling to support a family not even able to afford the time off to go to school to better his income.

tomgoodman

I think that the reason so many people are disappointed with their careers, flying or otherwise, is that their prior "research" was selective. We all tend to ask successful people about their jobs, and ignore unhappy workers as lazy, unlucky, or whiners; much different from ourselves. By the time we learn what a job is really like, a lot of time and money may already have been invested. Starting over is a daunting prospect, but lots of people have done it. Even with this late start, they will probably appreciate their new career more than those who have never done anything else.

Learflyer

Once again, I entered the field with "determination" knowing what the pay, and qol was. That's because it WAS in line with Doctors/lawyers, etc. This is the age of the RJ kid. I got in mostly for the love of flying, and I still do love flying. I didn't get in for the pay. Although it didn't hurt! I got in back in 1990. The salaries were still extremely good, the prospects of a job were realistic, and there were a bunch of jobs to choose from. Some of you young fellas might not remember when SWA was laughed at as a place to work!

ryan1234

I'm sure $100k flight schools and pay to play FO programs didn't help the overall pay (although, figure it might have... as more money was being made...in the end just showed the value of a pilot, and that wasn't much)

love2fly

I'm sorry Saab, but I have been reading your posts and you are totally that "guy" who touts about flying a jet and how cool it is to be in the RJ! I can already see it, you will be in your late 30's, an RJ captain touting to everyone that this is the new major, while you work your a$$ off to make 100K a year and trying to convince all of your FO's that the regionals are a career airline. I can see it as clear as day.

...... Sorry I cant help it, but I am guessing that you make around 5 PA's during your 45 min. flight.....

I just had to, back to the post.

Do what you really love. I had always said that I either wanted to be a pilot or a doctor, after 10 years of flying and finally making it to major (which I feel very lucky to have done so) I can leave knowing I made it to my goal and have all of the great memories of flying at all different levels. I am in the process of pursuing my pre-requisites for med school, do I wish I did this years ago? I am really not sure because of all the great experiences I had in aviation (and yes that includes making crap money all the way to getting my first "real" paycheck) With that said I feel that my life experiences will help me become a better physician someday.

de727ups

Is it really as easy as TonyM (God rest his soul) makes it sound to make 300K in the medical biz? Not many can come on here and say they really had the choice to stick with a major or get into the medical biz. Even fewer who would not bash the piloting profession as they walk away.

Good luck to you. For the sake of others looking to go that route, please keep posting here down the road.