ufgatorpilot

Well, then I think that we should just all give up on the idea of having a job that we don't dread and just accept the fact that we are going to be miserable the rest of our lives. That sounds like a great idea.

bryris

Misery is more a function of your personal outlook on life than what you do for a living.

I've done the professional office (accountant) thing and I've done the airline thing. I likely have a more rounded viewpoint on the two jobs and how they relate and differ than you do.

ufgatorpilot

I actually have a very positive outlook on life. My life is great, and I feel very blessed. If you saw me at work, you'd be surprised to know that I actually don't like my job because I am a very cheerful, positive, and pleasant person. But you will always find happy lawyers (few and far between), unhappy lawyers, happy pilots, unhappy pilots, happy accountants, unhappy accountants, etc. I think the key is finding what is the best fit for you. I am searching for a job that I think would be a better fit for me. As I said earlier in this thread, my mother and sister are perhaps the only two people who I do not hear complain about their jobs, and they work for airlines. And, sure, I have never worked as a pilot in the airline industry myself, but I think I have a pretty good idea of it based on the experiences of my family members.

bryris

Good. Like I said in my earlier post, you have to experience it for yourself to make a determination. My opinion is that once you do it, you'll gain a greater understanding of what is involved and you'll likely find that being a lawyer starts to look more attractive by comparison than it currently appears.

Whether you come to that conclusion or not, you'll be better off for having tried. You owe it to yourself to at least try it.

The fact that you make good money now (and presumably have been able to stock pile some) will make your go at the airlines better than many who are stuck under a mountain of debt with no other qualifications.

So much of the pilot career path is luck. You are either in the right place at the right time or you aren't. Very little about this profession is merit based - save for maybe who you know that can vouch for you. You might luck out regarding the timing and shoot right through the regionals to a major.

Even with all I've said (on my blog too), part of me is still holding out for things to improve. But, they must improve or I am not interested. The pay is low, the progression is stand still, the lifestyle is difficult, its tough on families, hotels get old FAST, management/union fights are steaming, more and more flying is being outsourced, and ticket prices are still near all time lows. Not exactly a recipe for a sustained and fruitful career. Many make the decision to forgo many things in order to do what they love - fly. However, you can make enough money as a lawyer (and myself as a CPA) to go buy an airplane and fly a reasonable amount. As a very part time CFI, I am flying about 3-4 hours a week right now and honestly find that to be enough.

To me, this seems the best of both worlds.

ufgatorpilot

I think you said that you are in the Central FL area too, so we should go fly one day and debate it.

bryris

Lets go. I fly out of GIF (Winter Haven) and have access to a Cessna 150 to fly. If you are 200 lbs give or take, we can go without worrying about weight. We can rent a school airplane too (172 if needed/wanted). I am out there most every weekend.

Just let me know!

ufgatorpilot

Yeah, the weight wouldn't be an issue. Do you hang out over at Tailwheels?

bryris

I do some part time work with them. I used to fly for the previous school (Winter Haven Flight Academy) before I got on with the airline. They went out of business shortly after I left and Tailwheels (more of an underground operation at the time) ramped up their efforts and exploded into one of the largest school in the central FL area.

Like most everything flying related though, they've got more instructors than work. The little flying I am doing is through my own efforts - students I find myself or word of mouth promotion, etc.

The beauty to the situation though, is that I have known the owner since before the airline gig and he knows my situation (CPA in progress, etc). All his instructors are subcontractors, so effectively I can be a freelance CFI, promote myself, etc and use his school as my infrastructure (scheduling, airplanes, mx, insurance, etc). He makes money, I make money and it works out quite nicely for everyone.

BeenThereDoneIt

The problem is, people think they are only capable of doing one thing. Hell, I did a stint in the military, I pumped gas, I did labor, I was a crane operator, I was a firefighter, I ran my own business for several years, I flew Part 91 corporate flying for an individual, I just quit a Fractional, I still fly on the side Part 91, and now I'm about to buy a small bar while I manage a few houses. The point is.......you aren't stuck in one place. If you don't like what you do, there are 10,000 other options. Pick one. Life is short.

ufgatorpilot

That's very true. I feel like my only marketable skills are my legal skills, which are pretty specialized so it's not like I can just go work anywhere....

That sounds awesome! Sounds like there has never been a dull moment for you. Rather than doing a lot of different jobs, I'd like to live a lot of different places. Guess I picked the right profession! Why did you quit the fractional? Where is the bar?