I spoke to my local post office today regarding job cuts and they told me that most of the cuts are happening in management. In fact they are hiring to replace retiring baby boomers to be primary mail carriers. They just had a test period open and will have another soon.

Skyhigh

 

My neighbor has the rural route contract for our village, she just bought a new Jeep Wrangler, right hand drive. Seems like she does pretty well.

 

A good friend of mine works for the railroad as an engineer, and he is sick of it. We compare stories a lot and they remind me of the managerial incompetence and whip-cracking that I experience at my regional airline job. Similar work rules as well (a la RLA).

Also, my girlfriend works as a grocery store sales rep for a large food company. She works 60+, sometimes better than 70 hour weeks, and even when she gets home her work isn't done yet as she spends even more time writing and submitting orders. While she gets paid well, about 25-30% more than I do, she works extremely hard for it. And I complain about being fatigued..

I spend much of my time away from my family and friends for work, sometimes in shady hotels in places that I would never even consider visiting on my own time. I wholeheartedly agree that pilots are largely overworked and underpaid. However, I think that ANYONE that works faces this situation. Pilots are not alone in this regard. But we do have the forums to be able to b**** about it!

 

I changed careers about 11 years ago; the worst possible timing ever! I am now a 40 year old F/O at a regional; 6 years in the right seat. I as many others thought I would be farther along by now. It has been so incredibly frustrating. I had the chance to finally upgrade but passed because I don't want to commute on reserve. I work a second job to supplement the low wage I make as a pilot. I have been working 2 jobs for 10 years and I am burned out. I mean 6 years on a regional F/O salary just sucks. I feel like I have been going backwards every since I started. Going from 70K a year to regional pay is tough. I keep thinking there has got to be something better than this. So I upgrade when the big D and everyone else starts hiring; two years to get 1000/1500 PIC and hope that someone hires me. I start off all over again at the bottom. I'll be on the back side of 40 by then. Is it worth it? Not so sure anymore. Last year I was so put out I got a box that is the perfect size to load up all my company pubs and labeled it to send to the chief pilots office. I haven't done it yet. It's a lot to throw away but when is enough enough. I wouldn't be happy going back to the old gig but this isn't cutting it either.

 

The USPS is not the best option. Many small post offices are under threat of closing all together, & the USPS is grossly underfunded. Here are just a few articles.

USPS reform may be on the way, but is it too late? - The Washington Post


NCPR News - USPS Budget Deficit May Close North Country Post Offices

USPS notifies 1,700 employees their jobs will be cut (6/17/11) -- GovExec.com

 

As a current government employee and former regional guy I'll vouch for the fact that government is taking a hit right now. I have spoken in the past about how great government jobs are(and they still are) but with all the cutbacks right now jumping into one isn't the best idea. With that said I probably wouldn't want to just be starting my aviation career right now either. With the cost of flight training it doesn't justify the return especially at the starting end. There are plenty of pilots with former 121 time and other experience waiting to see what happens in the biz with the retirements coming up. May or may not be worth taking another shot at "liv'n the dream". Everyone's got different goals in life and I know plenty of happy professional pilots... vice versa too.

 

They just announced they want to terminate funding the retirement plan.

My 22 year-old son just graduated last Sunday with a Masters in Electrical Engineering and starts his first post-college job in a week: $73K plus 15% bonus, 3000 stock options/year for 4 years, full benefits and 401k. There are options for people willing to work for them. Lucky for him, he had no interest in flying.

Now, if he can just get me a job there...

 

Masters at 22...holy crap.

 

am perpetually searching for jobs and have done so since I was laid off.

Skyhigh be more often on the forums.

 

Skyhigh,

Try to be more often on the forums. Arent you cheating yourself a little bit like , ( seen from psychological point of view ) like the jobs are too far and etc....? Your honesty is moving at the forum. I will talk with aunt, you can pm at anytime. I will be honest with you too, my mum had not agreed for me to live in a country where they had offered me training and etc... so stayed with my capt cousin, she just thinks that I am too free, like in Africa -and I am not desperating financially in order to fly with a company. Maybe yes maybe not maybe I am too free. I like to fly in Africa or in cold areas, and I will never change it, because I am African as well wt bl hair. And I do not doubt in a fact you wish to fly. You should fly. Again your honesty is moving, while it is so easy to cheat me. But trust me, I still would like to fly with American at a cockpit if I can be honest and later to chat with a wife or so. Not far from a truth, people are getting crazy these days....Sorry to write in a simple way, I am not good at writing at all. Yes, you would pass the test with aunt for flying with B. Lately, so many things had happened.