Stringer

This should be printed and stuck all over every crew room and cockpit! It's sad that people have become so bitter about a job they chased from a passion.

And yes, i do understand the trials and tribulations faced on an everyday basis by everyone in the industry. It can be bad but you gotta try to roll with the punches, same as any industry in a crap*y economy.

My personal favorite is flying over a highway tollbooth at rush hour and seeing all the people doing the daily commute, stuck in traffic for hours. It always seems to make me appreciate the job just that little bit more.

I have so many friends from my past who are incredibly envious of our positions despite knowing the terrible pay and QOL. The benefits can still be awesome...

Life's too short to be bitter!!

SkyHigh

Give it ten years or so.

Skyhigh

atpwannabe

After all I've been through with just trying to get medically certified, I've decided to pursue my MBA as well. Spent last night at the local Barnes & Nobles in Jensen Beach, FL perusing GMAT study guides.




atp

bryris

I haven't posted on here in a while, but I lurk from time to time. I guess that is a sign that I am letting go.

My path hasn't been without some hiccups. After 18 months at TSA, I resigned in Dec 2008 in the face of a displacement and furlough (had enough of the crap) and decided to pursue my CPA license (I had a previous background in accounting). I spent all of 2009 in school and studying for and passing the CPA exam. I finished all requirements in March of this year and sent in my application to the state. Shortly after, I found out for the first time that my previous industry experience didn't count towards the apprentice statute that the state had amended just weeks before I began this journey. So, long story short, I am still not a CPA because I need to work for 12 months under a licensed CPA in order to meet the experience requirements for licensure. I have until April 2013 to do this, so am not hugely under the gun. But, I've had a damned hard time finding any work in my area. I've been basically unemployed and done with school since mid-March (5 months now!!). I am hoping the rabbit hole has an end because I am ready to get to work!! However, I've been fortunate to have had semi full time work at a nearby flight school and have been making some spending money. The wife does OK, so the finances are in line for now. But, its been extraordinarily tough lately. I feel more and more like a loser - despite doing everything right - because there are just too many people for the jobs available.

I am hoping to have a CPA job in the next month or two, then start bringing in some material money. My flying will likely reduce quite a bit while I am re-jumpstarting my old career - but hopefully after several months, I can start to think about purchasing and airplane or a share of a partnership, etc.

I did renew my airlineapps stuff recently, just out of curiosity. But, if I get a phone call for an interview - I'm not sure what I'll do. That isn't the path I want right now, but it'd be tough to turn down something - because otherwise, every job lead I find is a dead end.

TonyWilliams

Sure, go the airline interview if one pops up. Get paid. Keep looking for CPA work, and be ready to quit the low pay flying job (again) when the time comes.

Any work will help the self esteem.

tsd685

Hey, I don't even mind being stuck in traffic anymore. I left flying about 4 months ago, haven't really looked back. I wanted all the hairs on the bath towel to be mine.
I get to do something I believe in now, and not just be the means to someone else's ends. That's what mattered to me anyway.

Keep your head up and you can make your everyday what you want it to be.

johnso29

Wow, I hope that wasn't the only reason!!

tsd685

It was a generalization about hotels and staying away from home so often. I'll try to use less literal terms in the future.

Dan64456

Pack your own towels! And think about this - I ride a disgusting train every day to get to work and walk through p1ss smelling tunnels on a daily basis. One time walking up the stairs from the subway station to my office there was literally a steaming pile of human feces on the ground right in the center of the stairway... I was wondering why people stopped walking and kept thinking "Get out of my way, I'm already late to work as it is." The smell hit first, then the sight. There was even a blood stains on the wall right next to it. A hotel room sounds like the Pebble beach compared to my commute. I don't sleep there, but I do have to sit and walk through there 5 days a week.

waflyboy

High five man.

I'll admit that I sometimes miss the "crew camaraderie" and the satisfaction of a well executed approach and landing. But I still think that those who are taking the regional airline path today are entering a thankless career that will only satisfy the one selfish desire to fly an airplane.

Life is so much more enjoyable when you return home at the end of every day, don't have to pack a suitcase or "list for the jump seat" to go to work, and when you can be there for your loved ones just about all the time.

One last thing: my back never felt this good when I was flying the CRJ!