So...
 

I have the degree. The CFI. And I just got an interview!!!

And the state of this industry turns my stomach.

I can't believe I'm thinking about taking a job that pays nothing. AND YES I MEAN NOTHING compared to what has been put in. Then when you start looking at what it is going to COST ME to be an FO (crash pad, parking, food and oh yeah, time away from home) and the picture gets worse.

Something starts to feel very wrong here...I can't believe I've come this far in pursuit of a career that seems to offer so little in the way of security, especially for my family.

Maybe I've been reading too many of Skyhigh's post...but maybe he's right.

And another thing...the idea of being a number on someone else's stupid seniority list is insane the more I think of it. Imagine your family's security being attached to your seniority number.

This stuff has gotten me worked up lately. Thus my posts in the "Leaving the career" section. And my career with the airlines hasn't even started...if it ever will.

Welcome to the suck. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

http://www.deltapress.com/images/WS-3.jpg

Accept your fate as a slave (to money), it makes your life easier.

:confused:

How did you think this was going to work? You got this far -all the way to an interview- and now realize being on a seniority list isn't right?

Good luck to you - abandoning hope now may be the way to go.

Jughead I knew it in my head, but u get this close and it all starts looking different.

The fall always looks higher once your toes are on the edge.

The seniority list at your particular company is a necessary evil. It certainly has its negatives but it has positives as well. You have a few too many sick calls or mx write ups and you could find that your upgrade is taking longer than your peers. You will see close friends of management upgrading before you, you will see furloughing out of order etc. It is not perfect but there is a reason it has been around for so many years....for lack of a better alternative.

Now is your time to GET OUT then with as little damage as possible.
You'll find your family's security tied to something out of your control no matter where you plant your flag.
Don't let that confuse you.
I'm curious though - - you seem pretty new to trying to break into the industry; how is it that you are just now coming to realize these facts?

USMCFLYR

Alas! A smart one. Get out while you can.

It also sounds to me that the starting salary is what laid the groundwork for the rest of the disappointment.
I suppose we can all tolerate a little more inconvenience and abuse if the money is right.
Hard to swallow it though when the job structure is just the insult on top of the injury.

Sky Knight, do you have kids? It seems like it's not just you in this equation.

The fantasy
 

The fantasy of a flying career always is sweeter than the reality. Don't forget to add that flying for an airline is boring as heck. You fly the same plane on the same ILS over and over and over again. Your life begins to blur into a replication of the same days onto eternity.

Up until now aviation has been rapidly changing for you. From this point on all challenge and creativity in your flying stops. As an airline pilot you are merely an automaton. A human computer that regurgitates the same actions as everyone else when promoted by the situation. Your goal is to be average.

As an airline pilot you go to work at the factory and manufacture approach and landings all day long.

Seriously if the reality is hitting you early I would take it as a blessing and as a sign of superior intelligence. Go back to college to get a business degree.

Surrender hope all ye who enter here.

Skyhigh

blah blah blah...creating an alter ego username and telling people to not enter the career because it sucks so bad is getting old. Try something new and creative!!

Not me
 

My alter ego here is USMCFLR... Sorry. :) Seriously, why would someone create an alter ego that voices the same message? I have already got a Skyhigh.

Skyhigh

Oh I don't know...maybe safety in numbers? I wasn't really pointing you out Skyhigh. I know you don't need an alter ego. It does seem to be a trend as of late though..ebb and flow.

I'd rather do the same boring ILS over and over again than sit in a 9-5 desk job, where the only thing you look forward to is weekends.

+1, the 9-5 job is a 9-5 job only on paper, reality is that the 9-5 job never ends at 5PM, most people almost always bring the job home.

When you say "Come this far in pursuit of.....""

What other options do you have that you are comparing the regional pilot job with....

Are you thinking of being a career CFI or taking the Aerial mapping, 135 cargo(ameriflight) or charters route to corporate.
There is nothing wrong with that, if airlines is not your aim. Just remember that route is equally long & equally painful.

OR are you thinking about making flying a pass time, a hobby or 2nd job & changing careers........

No ROAD to success is easy.....

Watch the movie Will Smith's " The Pursuit of Happiness." It will help.....

10 yrs later in your life, when you look back &
1) you will look back at all the struggle & say, yeah that was hard & But I went through it & just did fine......
OR
2) You will be saying "I was the CFI, had the minimums, had the interview, My X or Y buddies made it, I could have also done it.. I could have made it, only if I didn't listen to a certain guy on the internet... "

There is no more disappointment in finding out that your buddy who was supposedly less capable made it to the left seat & you are in a desk signing files.....

It is understandable & quite normal to have the pre-wedding jitters.. :)
They will pass...

If you have an interview, you should be spending more time studying & less time looking on the forums, specially negative posts.......

Good luck in whatever you decide.........

Don't be an airline pilot then...

I go to all sorts of new places, never have a schedule, no seniority number, no commute, tons of autonomy, and make better money than most of my friends. I may never fly the serious heavy iron, but I'm ok with that.

Why give up on the entire industry, when you just don't like one part of it?

If you are going to have an alter ego then at least spell that alter ego's username correctly! Jeez! :p

No echo - - Skyhigh is no alter ego and the message doesn't change.
He doesn't need to create other usernames, he has 'converts' and followers' a plenty if you listen to him.

USMCFLYR

Well...
 

Well maybe that should tell you something. I have increasingly found it difficult to post lately because others have been beating me to it. Times have changed people are taking notice. There just might come a day soon where I am not needed anymore. :(

Skyhigh

9 to 5
 

Everyone seems to think that the only alternative to an airline job is a 9 to 5 cubicle and that simply is not true.

Skyhigh

I think in this case bcpilot may have a point. It may be worth it for Sky Knight to get into the industry and see for himself.
He may like it, he may hate it but at least he won't have anybody else to blame or praise than himself.

http://images.dignow.org/pimages/img...7a491429ea.jpg

But seriously, stop copying me :p

I haven't been on this forum for a while and thought I would take a stab at this issue. I recently changed my major in college from aviation to business. It's not that I didn't like my training, it's just that the state of the industry turns my stomach. People always make out that pilots have "the best office in the world" , and say things like "wow...you're job is badass!". But once the bad-assery goes away :), it becomes "just another job", only with crappier hours.

Oh and to mirror Skyhigh's quote, not every 9-5 job is "in a cubical".

Love this forum: Reminds me of a vampire fest.;)
Good luck whatever you do, but am extraordinarliy happy with my airline career. Did military, regional (turboprop), and now 121. Lots of bumps, and the low regional paychecks were demoralizing for 3 years. But I set my own course and took my own future as mine. Didn't blame anyone. Door is always your option. Skyhigh and I are polar opposites. Perhaps, if fate had turned we would be on opposite sides of the equation.....but I doubt it since I rode his lows as well.

Bottom line, you need to determine your future, can't use someone like me who is enjoying a wonderful airline career in total to Skyhigh whose career stopped when he pulled the plug for is own valid reasons.
Simply put: I had a thousand talented people tell me "NO", very few said "YES", I am so glad I ignored all those talented genius' in my midst in my life.

"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
Calvin Coolidge

SD

we all know pay sucks, how about schedules?
I fly Monday-Friday
4 nights in a hotel, get Saturday and Sunday off and repeat with no breaks in between, the company gives everybody a week off every 6 months or so.

Gone from home base 4:30 am Monday to 7:30 pm Friday.

Does this schedule really suck or is it just me?

Yea
 

Yea that blows. In your case it does not even make sense to have an apartment. Just make reservations at the Motel 6 on the weekends.

Skyhigh

That day has already passed Sky!!! Seriously, balance, balance, balance. Weigh ALL the pluses and negatives kids and then make your OWN decision. Here is an idea. Get up, go outside and turn your eyes skyward, see that? That's good stuff. Love it or hate it, its your decision.

IMO, when everyone else is running for the door, that's when you want to jump in. Starting an airline career now could turn out pretty good. Yes, times are uncertain right now, but fairly shortly, the bad times are going to pass and we will be looking at BIG TIME retirements from the top of the industry which will move everyone up the ladder. Starting now puts you in position to take advantage when things start improving vs. the people that wait to get in once things look good and have to play catch up.

The airline lifestyle isn't for everyone and I'm certainly not trying to talk you into it if it doesn't work for you, but I really enjoy it. Talk to the folks that have the "better jobs" in the industry and they will likely tell you that they traveled the same roads and experienced the same fears (to an extent) that you are having now.

Even as a commuter to reserve, I average 17-18 days at home a month. For me, the scheduling flexibility is the best thing about this job. That's not to say that you won't be missing events that you wanted to be at but with a little seniority you can work around most of the big ones.

There are still some good jobs left in the airline world (not what they were, but still better than 90% of the other jobs the general population have). You might have to start at a less desirable carrier at first, but that's how it goes. Enjoy the journey and good luck.

I can picture it now; my river front condo, Range Rover in the driveway, the envious looks on the airport conveyor belts, the girls, the fame, the glory!

I actually do just stay in hotels on nights I don't make it back to my parents place (winner)

I forgot I don't get to keep the points for the hotels I stay at, those all go to the owner of the company!

Come on !!
 

Brian,

I hate to say it but,,, Boring...:rolleyes: Come on you can do better than this. Put some effort into it why don't you? :)

Don't forget to tell the that your wife pays the bills. They need to know the truth. ;)

Skyhigh

Timing is everything in life and certainly in this industry. If your timing is good then your path to a good career can be relatively smooth and short. If your timing is off...

Thanks Sky, I needed that! It's about as boring as the same old stuff you keep regurgitating. I bet you would be a great water-boy!!

Dunno, just had a pretty nice 11 day trip that went something like: New York - Leipzeg - New York - Liege, Belgium - Bahrain - Amsterdam - Newark. Oh.. company flew me home today ...and I don't go back to work until the 15th of Nov.

Glad
 

I personally am very glad that you feel good about that. :)

Skyhigh

Ok guys and gals for anyone who is interested.

Skyhigh has another convert. Me.

A while back I interviewed and was offered the job at a regional. In a way of sorts I made it. I got the job offer to fly jets! I went to training. At training everything on these forums came to life. The lonely hotel rooms, meals out (expensive), and oh yeah, the love of my life at home working to pay OUR bills all by herself. Suddenly the fond ideas of this lifestyle seemed to fade, and what is truly important quickly came into focus. Not that I haven't known the truth about this industry, but theory and experience are worlds apart. Personally, I'd rather scrub floors as a janitor and be there for my family than whizz all over the US in some Jet.

In fairness this is something I needed to experience for myself-it's been a dream of mine to fly jets since I was young. Others may be better suited to this lifestyle-and I truly wish them all the best!!! Since I made my decision I feel as though a weight has been literally lifted off my shoulders!!

My advice to those seeking to begin in this career:
1. If you are 23 or less and single and love flying - go for it!
2. If you can deal with little pay - go for it!
3. If you like to travel - go for it!
4. If you are married with one income or even two-think twice!