Jobs with the biggest perks
 

Found this on the Yahoo home page today.

Featured Article - Free Stuff: Jobs with the Biggest Perks

Pharmaceutical Sales Rep and Airline Mechanic
We hear about those two on this forum sometimes.

USMCFLYR

After reading so many pros and cons to the pilot life, I am wondering if I should just go back to grad school full time instead of working on it part time. I took such a huge paycut to leave management and get a job flight instructing. I'm wondering if I made a bonehead move to "pursue my dream".

I'm at home during an family emergency and a lot of the family have come in. I have a 22 y/o nephew (one semester of college under his belt) who works manual labor laying artifical turf for a company and travels all over the US. He was saying today that he makes $52/hr. I showed my mother tonight where you would have to be on the regional airline schedule to be making that same money. She was amazed! One of those truly sad circumstances and a statement to the low cycle of the industry in present times.

USMCFLYR

So what would YOU do if you were in my shoes? I'm 34, two kids under 5, will crack 1000 total time this month, over 200 multi, over 900 PIC, over 600 dual given, an undergrad degree (ancient languages, more of an interest than a career), 10 years of management experience (5 running a flight school), a partially completed MBA, and a lot of student loans?
Should I go corporate since I probably cannot afford the regionals? Should I get a part-time job as an FBO line guy to help with networking? Most of my contacts from my management years are up in the Midwest - not where we want to be. Should I just go back to management? How about consulting? What would you do?
Maybe I should start a new thread since this is a tangent...

Proskuneho -

I'm the last person to ask. I have plan fraught with peril and no backup. I'm charging full steam ahead into the same uncertain world that you are debating joining.
I know this - I was one of those that said that I wanted to fly since I was very young. I thought military - and when that didn't work out I thought civilian (hence my getting 300 hrs of flight GA flight time and my rating except any kind of instructor (I wasn't ready for that)) - and then back in the military route again. I have that military background to fall back on and headhunters love my type - for all kinds of jobs; unfortunately that I have NO interest in them. When I hopefully switch careers I will take a huge paycut and I do it knowing what I am getting myself into. When I was showing my mother those pay scales tonight she asked the same question you see on here - why? I told her that it was the same reason that I gave her when I told her nearly 20 years ago that I was joining the Marines. She nodded her head and wished me luck.

What would I do in your situation? I would apply the Operational Risk Management (ORM) to my life just I teach all those eager 20 something year olds in a new class. I would say that you need to weigh the risks against the benefits and make the decision that you can live with for the rest of your life.

Can you make it? Maybe. Would you enjoy it? Most likely. Do you have the support of your family? Knowledge is key. This last one is much like the military lifestyle. In that I mean when young men/women are talking about joining the military and they have a young wife/husband at home - maybe a child - and then he/she is told that he/she is going away on a 7 month IA to Iraq and the wife/husband says "what do you mean you have to go away?" I ask them - what did you think could happen when your husband/wife joined? Your family needs to know what is possibly in store. For your career ambitions it could be the time away fom home and the pay. They certainly deserve a say in THEIR future.

What am I doing? Like I said - in 1 yr and 2 months I'm walking out the door and hoping for good fortune on my door step. I'm taking that chance because that is what I want and I've always known it.

One piece of advice that I do like on this forum is the one that says - if you are already entrenched in a good paying job with benefits and a future - why can't you fly for pleasure and not try to change careers so late in the game? Very valid point.....but not for me. Is it something for you to consider?

USMCFLYR

PS. After typing this I realized that I could probably get a job as team leader on my nephew's turf laying squad.

I still can't believe he gets $52/hr for that....the grass is greener!!!

As a person who did leave a pretty good job making over $75,000 a yr to fly professionally I can say I'd do it again. Like everyone else who's wanted to fly since they were a kid I had to do it. With that being said, I did it and the flying was great and just recently left professional flying. Its the QOL and all the other stuff(low pay, bad schedule, crew schedule abuse, no major jobs, etc.) that make the job blow(at least at the regional level, I can't speak for 135 or the majors). If you have a family you care about, I'd wait until the economy pics up before dragging your family along for you to "chase the dream".

I think USMC's statement says it all and I agree. In this industry you just have to go balls out. Forget the money, QOL and instability or else you'll be thoroughly dissappointed. I realize for me personnally its just a job. Anytime someone tells you to be somewhere, at a specified time and to do a task thats called a job in my book. Now whether or not sitting behind a desk is worse than the above mentioned items is completely up to you as an individual. Good luck whatever your decision. In the end we are all pilots who love to fly.

you'll get there. Make alot of friends on your journey, and keep in touch with them all! I got my original frac job by knowing someone, was offered but turned down several others from friends of mine. Something 350.com or others can't attest to. Got my NJA interview from two friends. Hopefully they'll help me out on the next one:).

Next one? Are you referring to Net Jets? I would probably consider Net Jets a destination company!:)

Nah. I was turned down by them. I meant my next INTERVIEW with NJA.:)

Pay cycle
 

We all love aviation. Flying was all I ever thought about since I was 9 years old, I started flight training at 14. To me the question is if it truly will fit into your life. Will it provide an income that will meet the needs of a family? Does it offer enough stability to support a healthy lifestyle? Do you have faith in the future as a pilot.

As a single person most of those questions were irrelevant to me. Once I started having little responsibilities to think about my perspectives changed. It is no fun to have to leave sad little faces every four to five days. It hurts to no be able to properly provide for your family. It is a very powerless feeling to have to move at the companies whim and to be stuck in a motionless seniority system.

Flying is fun, however I believe that flying does not offer enough for me to place my families happiness and future into especially when there are so many better alternatives. As a father and husband I am on the sidelines unless a truly unique job offer comes along or when I can become financially independent and have mostly grown kids.

I just wanted to point out that trends in aviation hiring are a "cycle" wages however are on a "slide". Overall wages have only gone in one direction over the last thirty years. If someone has a solid alternative to flying then the hardships of this industry will insure that eventually they will take it.

Skyhigh

proskuneho & USMCFLYR:

At 34 yrs old, or there abouts for the both you...let me just say that if I were 34 and knew what I know now, things would be different.

I've made some bad career & personal decisions in my life and they have cost me dearly; granted, however that is not going to stop me from pursuing a career that I have a passion for. What I did was recognized where I made my mistakes and corrected them. The decisions that each of us makes takes us in different directions and magnitudes. The question is.....do we learn from them.

The both of you have a shot of at least 28-30 years of a career on the flight deck for either the airlines or corporate. I'd encourage you to give no place to doubt or skepticism. You'll do fine.

As far as those jobs that have the biggest perks, I'd say being a Director of Airports, Director of Airport Operations, or Director of Airport Maintenance I would think would have some of the biggest perks. This of course is at a medium-hub size airport or such as KPBI or one that is larger. Last I checked, the Dir of Arpts for DFW earned $250K; vehicle and home or housing allowance is provided. I could be wrong on the home part, but I'm almost sure that one is provided.

All these positions are usually county government positions. They are in Palm Beach County. In other areas of the country, the airport may be operated by a city or in one or two instances, the state.


atp


PS - Hey proskuneho....are you in SE Fla? If so, PM me. I'm in WPB.

I wonder though if your nephew could keep that up for 35 years USMC. That's some seriously difficult manual labor.

I don't think there is such a thing as a "sure" thing. Four or five years ago friends in homebuilding were making bank and now they're all looking for work too. Guys at Bear Stearns were probably thinking they were pretty secure too.

Oh believe me I'm trying to steer him away but he has that money in hand disease right now. It is hard to give the money up out of pocket and devote himself to school when he can't buy his CDs/DVDs on a daily basis. I keep telling his mom that he is a smart kid and will eventually return to school; I just won't be pushing him into aviation :D

USMCFLYR

Direct him toward tax free muni bonds that roll over into a tax free money market acct, i'm still making 8.5%. Later on he can buy his own plane, or get a hobby airline jizzob.

Either way-he'll be on top.

My advice and what I did.....
 

The problem is that aviation gets into your blood, and is like a drug......the lifestyle is unlike any other that you will experience with any career.....I mad a mid life career change at 30.....got my ATP, began by instucting....got a great job witha great company flying night freight.....and then went to US Airways Express (CC Air) flying the Dash8......got fuloughed after 9-11....so I went back to my old career.....(Mortician)...yes a funeral director......(the second best career)

9-11 was the best thing that ever happened to me......i had financial obligations and had to leave flying, and the furlough made the decision for me.....i could not afford to sit around, right seat at another commuter......only to be rewarded for right seat at a regional or major.....that would inturn fulough me again as many of my buddies have....of my class of 15......only one remains in professional aviation today....take my advice, take the memories, the great experience and get out running. ..........i met a retired airline pilot who was working at home depot....he said he had to, to make ends meet...... as his airline had pilfered the retirement fund (any guess who that was?).......that is sad, very sad....

Try it once for 8 to 10 hours, you'll quickly change your mind

"pursue my dream".


how big of a dream was it?