Hmmm, and you are?

Anyhow, do what you love but know what you are getting into. If you are the type that feels you are owed $200K plus a year, you probably aren't going to be happy. If $140K and being gone from home a lot is acceptable, start your training now.

-Fatty

Last time I checked I made under $24,000 as a first year FO. I'm jus' say'n. Why on earth would you want to fly for a US regional when a canadian one like JAZZ pays alot more for first year FO's? then again your gonna get taxed like hell up there...

If you love to fly, can put up with more abuse than you can even phathom from crew scheduling and the company, love cheap hotels and their cruddy vending machines then aviation isn't too bad. Oh well, you actually might enjoy it so you might as well give it a shot and find out for yourself.

lax, you're hearing some strong opinions from some folks who have had bad luck in the career. I've had great luck with it, and would encourage you to pursue it if it's what you want. Not everybody is a good fit for the job, and you'll be gone half the time, but I still think it's a worthy job, and I'd do it again if I had it to do over...even now. But that's just me.

You are in a special position because you have a great fallback with the law degree. You could give flying a try and if it doesn't work out, you have a great plan B.

I don't know how easy it would be to get the legal right to work in the US, so you might have a hard time getting hired here. If you did your training in the US, you'd have to convert to Canadian licenses to work at WestJet or Air Canada. You might be better off training in Canada.

I knew a Canadian guy who came down here because he said the training was cheaper... is that why you decided to train in the US as well?
Since you made the decision to come here, you probably already have the work permit situation figured out. But if not...
It's not easy to find an aviation job in the US without legal right to work... certainly there are a couple of large flight schools that hire foreign CFIs and those places sponsor work visas. I know Canadian guys who teach at ERAU, and actually, they didn't even need a work visa like CFIs from other foreign countries. (They do need to file some other paperwork, forget what's called, but it's not as costly as a work visa.)
But to get hired by an airline... you'd need to be a permanent resident or citizen. I have to tell you, trying to get a green card legally is a very arduous and lengthy process. There were/are numerous foreign CFIs at ERAU who instructed there for 5-7 years while awaiting the green card process. (ERAU requires you to give them a certain amount service before they'll sponsor you for the green card (for INS purposes), and then once the green card process starts, it takes another 3-5 years, depending on each person and their circumstance and also how many times your lawyer screws up your paperwork.)
Then again, you can always invest several millions dollars or marry a US citizen. (the only 2 legal ways that I personally know of.)

We don`t get taxed to bad up here, but that was a question I was going to save for another day, but since it was brought up I might as well ask it. I have been looking and searching google for a while and can not find out the time requirements for JAZZ. Does anyone know

I always get a good chuckle when Americans point the finger at other countries and say "you pay high taxes." Seriously.

With federal/state/local income taxes (in some areas of the US), sales taxes, gas taxes, iPod & soft drink taxes (NYC), sin taxes, ammo taxes (yeah!), capital gains taxes, FICA taxes, phone use taxes, utilities taxes, etc. etc. your average schmuck can easily be paying 50% taxes. Add on mandated purchases like car insurance, auto emission testing, health and house insurance (be crazy not to buy at least catastrophic), etc. etc. . . .

America ain't the land of "low taxes" by any means.

OH . . . Jazz mins are kind of meaningless right now. All that really matter is "competitive minimums" when they're hiring, and they're liable to be quite high if the airlines start hiring again.

I think there are some great posts; from both sides of the aisle, so to speak.

Timing is EVERYTHING! It's also crucially important, in the long run, to go to work for a carrier that will survive. The thing is, what looks like the "best carrier" today likely will not be in a few years.

Having said all that, on a "good day" it's one of the best jobs in the world. The whole industry tends to ebb and flow (like a sine wave) and hopefully soon we all will be on the up swing again.

Whatever your decision, I wish you Godspeed.

Lax,
I have to agree with the rest. I am the Third Generation airline pilot in my family. I am 40 years old, I have been at a Major Airline for 5 years now. My father made more money than I do now over 30 years ago sitting in the right seat of a B727. This industry has degraded to a miserable excuse for a career. Sure I love flying, but not for a living. If you have a Law Degree, I would stick with it and start your own practice. Fly on the side. If you must join an airline, pick one that has a domicile in your home town and practice law the other 15 days a month. Personally I would not recommend this profession to my kids, and that is after a long line of Airline Pilots in my own family.

IMHO, I think you should take that law degree and go find a BIG law firm that will hire you to be a lawyer AND one of their pilots, of course for extra pay!!!!

If I had the money saved to live, I would quit now, go to med school and become a plastic surgeon.

In the mean time, will someone PLEASE fix the housing problem in Dubai so I can go get paid real pilot pay!!!!

That was not just CAL, it was Delta, USAir JetBlue and others... there was a lack of hiring for so long, than many regional Captains reached a pay grade where they could not afford to go back to new hire pay, even at a major. So, when the supply dipped, so did the requirement for PIC...
it was also the reason we saw so many people being hired at regionals with the ink still wet on their tickets.