RJGirl

Why doesn't so much matter now. I did what I did and I don't regret it. It's unfortuante that airline pay is so miserable. And it's unfortunate that it's tough to earn a great living as an airline pilot. I flew bizjets (typed) for a few years and that pay sucked too. But flying an airplane beats flying a desk. I did what I thought was best at the time.

SkyHigh

Well if you could kindly explain the thought process you went through then perhaps we could save a few others from making the same choice.

My next question is do you plan to stick with it? If so then what are your reasons? If flying doesnt pay well now what do you think will change the future?

Why do pilots always assume that the alternative is a desk? There are a lot of great high paying careers that don't involve an office.

Personally it seems to me that people choose flying in an attempt to avoid getting a real job and end up working harder and longer for much less pay.

SKyHigh

LAfrequentflyer

Thanks Skyhigh...Thats why I asked - your experience can help other...




-LAFF

Uncle Bose

No regrets, huh? Even in the face of financial ruin and bankruptcy? Ah, denial. 'Tis a powerful thing. A lot of people seem to give that ridiculous "airplane vs desk job" comparison more importance than "stable financial life vs wreck and worry." Yeah, it's tough to earn a "great" living, but never mind that. It's tough enough to earn a living.

HeavyDriver

Money is a tool...If you don't use it properly it will hurt you...Learn the tool and the tool will do the work for you...Aviation isn't the only place that causes financial problems...If you like the job and it works for you, stick with it...But NO job will help you if your not smart with money...So get smart and don't listen to anyone...and I mean anyone who wants to "Give" you money without knowing all the terms...Even lottery winners go broke!...Good luck.

Uncle Bose

Sound advice, but too late in this case.

LAfrequentflyer

How can you have no regrets about having ruined your life? Young lady, you need to get help if you think you have a fair wind and smooth sailing ahead of you with that attitude. Change is difficult - but you have to acknowledge your problem before you can start...

-LAFF

rightseater

I'll tell you why I took out the 100G's for school...I was extreramly niave. All I knew was what I was told. Embry-Riddle...1/4 of all airline pilots come from ERAU...Airline pilots make a lot of money....It will be easy to pay back the loan at those salaries. I didn't find out how much pilots made untill i was a sophomore in High School. My HS guidance councelor showed me the pay scales. I was amazed that i could have a job that i'd love and make a lot of money...I wish there were people out there to tell me not to go to ERAU, not to pay a lot of money, to realize that i'd make 20-30K for a long time. I had a dream of becoming a pilot, Embry-Riddle claimed to be the best in the world, and I worked hard to get myself to Embry-Riddle thinking it would give me the tools to become as good as I could be in a field of work that I loved. I think the majority of people pay that much money because they don't realize that you can do it for a quarter of the price and still be just as qualified as the ERAU grad.

atpwannabe

No! When I do buy a home, I don't plan on paying no more than 160K to 200K for a brand new constructed home plus the land. Check out www.newhomes.com.

And what do you mean....pay my way? You think I'm not going to take advantage of rolling the principle into a mortage loan that overall is at a lower interest rate?

atp

SkyHigh

What I mean is to earn each dollar before you spend it on aviation. If you are able to persevere through all that sacrifice then perhaps you have the moxie to continue. It is poor planning to put your family home at risk over a childish aspiration that you will walk away from anyway. You are a man now. A father and head of household of a growing young family. Your choices seem selfish and rife with a fantasy that just isn't true. The cost of choosing a family life is that it precludes other options. You should be making the hard choices to let this pilot dream go away and focus on building a real future for your family. Do not put your home at risk.

SkyHigh