I graduated college a year ago with an aerospace engineering degree and all of my pilot certificates up to CFI/CFII. Last November I was accepted into the Navy as an Aviator, pending a successful LASIK eye surgery. I am coming upon the 6 month wait from the surgery next month and I will hear back whether I will get the waiver approved or not, which will determine my future in the Navy.

Meanwhile I have been instructing and skydive flying, building hours (750 now). My question I have is if I do not get the waiver for the Navy, should I go for a job in the regional's, or hang it up and go be an engineer for an aerospace company. (Of course I have my own views on this, but I would like a few opinions from current pilots). Additionally, If I do get into the Navy and fly for 10 years, I may have the same option when I get out, to go into a major carrier or go work for a aerospace company like Boeing.

Opinions greatly appreciated.

 

If you flunk the eyesight waiver can you still fly for the Air National Guard? I would be aggressive about any kind of military aviation if I were you. If you fail to make the medical grade for Navy you will only have the option of being piled into a massive cadre of civvies who can't get enough turbine PIC to be eligible for anything good (major airlines). If military is off the table for you, then you will also be in the same place I was when I graduated aerospace school about 6 years ago at age 40. I took a hard look at the stiff competition for chances at a good flying job (I looked at the regionals) and simply stepped away and went into engineering. It looked dismal then as it does now. I got lots of offers for engineering, 3 out of 4 of them in fact were with flight test departments at bizjet manufacturers. While the Recession messed up one or two of those jobs, currently I am back in flight test working for another bizjet manufacturer which is the goal of my life.

I am not young, and if I had the kind of time I assume you have then I might take a detour into Part 135 flying just to get multi engine time and later start an engineering career after a few years of doing that first. The reasons are you will get the novelty of being a commercial pilot out of your blood, and you will have some very expensive flight time behind you as well. However, don't fail to recognize the fact that starting your retirement late is the MOST damaging thing you can do financially. You should try and make a pretty good 401k showing even in your twenties because of the power of compound interest over time. So if you choose to take a detour away from engineering into the low-paid surly world of entry level commercial aviation, make sure and set a timeline on it so you can get back to decent jobs (engineering) within a few years. As you get older sitting at a desk most days becomes far less repulsive than it does when you are 20-40 years old. Good luck.

 

Be an engineer and have a real career. If you plan on being single, never having kids, want to work for no money and bonus.....get treated like crap...be an airline pilot.

 

Interested to know how things worked out for you!

Btw... I thought LASIK eye surgery disqualifies you from military flying because certain maneuvers can cause the changes to fail in flight. Maybe it's just for fighter jets?

 

Engineer, no question. Being able to afford/build your own plane and enjoy it on your own time would be priceless, but that's pretty much the only way (out of those options) you'd be able to do something like that in any kind of reasonable time. The best part about being an aerospace/aeronautical engineer is that it keeps you close to aviation.

 

I've done both... My advice is to try both careers and do what you want to do. For me, being a professional pilot is what I was meant to do, and I love it. I'd have to be forced kicking and screaming back into to an engineering cubicle. I don't miss any part of it.

 

I was in engineering for 20 years. I made a lot of money and had chest pains in my late 30's. Woke up in the middle of the night thinking about the job. In my mid 40's, I go to work, I fly somewhere, and I go home. When I go home, I leave the job behind. That's worth 100k to me.

 

Amen brother!

 

I'll say it again. Engineer. At least if your company goes south you stand a chance at a lateral move. Not possible if you're like me.....25 years with a legacy carrier.

 

Why can't you do both?
You can go into the Navy, get some great flight training and experience, see the world, etc. and after 10 years you're out.
At that point, you'll have your military flight experience and benefits, an AE degree and be in your early 30's.
Now you have even better choices for either field.
Job market bad? Fly reserves.
Don't want an airline job? Get the best of both worlds with an aerospace firm.