60k starting out is not a bad wage comparatively speaking.
MANY jobs that you will get starting out of college with a degree don’t make 60k

Now I’m going to leave it at that and wait for the inevitable response, and maybe I’ll add to it.

unless Coors alight made me ill.....if someone bought it for me out of a kind act - you bet I’m drinking it.

 

The expense of flight training doesn't really correlate well with "many jobs you will get starting out of college." Especially for those who are actually doing it with a degree. That's closer to going to nursing school or a doctorate program after college. Not only that, but by the time someone has started at a regional it isn't their first job in their field anymore either. I'm actually impressed you had the gall to make that statement.

 

Agree that 60k (three times what I made) is adequate for starting out.

I might drink some light beer if someone ordered a pitcher, but I don't drink nearly as much as I used to, so stick with the good stuff.

 

The top end in aviation doesn't correlate well with other careers either. Apples to oranges.

In aviation, you invest, pay dues, and take risk. If it works out, you have relatively epic compensation and QOL.

If not, hopefully you like to fly. But you can still enjoy non traditional schedule flexibility.

Only way to get more at the entry level...

1. Market forces. We see this in action now... that's why it's not still $20k.
2. Hope the major pilots give you some of their money (we won't, we already paid our dues).
3. Vote with your feet.

 

Yep....I knew the cost of flight training would rear it’s head as an excuse.

You could get all the training in a short amount of time and start your career without ANY higher education for a long time.
even now with a 4 year degree (and the cost of said degree) MANY degrees start out much less than 60k. MUCH LESS.
Everyone loves examples so.....
Lady I know spends a tremendous amount on a PRIVATE university law school (takes 3 years for that degree) and starts out at $32,000.
It would have taken her 10 to make $55,000.
Another spends how much on a bachelors and masters degrees to become a social counselor in some type of state government job to NEVER make more than 60k?
Lets just drop TEACHERS out there as one big group no matter where you are.

And FEW of these jobs have anywhere near the POTENTIAL earnings that many pilot’s have to make even at the Regiobal or LCC carriers much less if they make it to a Major.

Not only do I have the gall to say it.... I have to gall to say that you are blind by not seeing it.
i know.....ALL pilots think they have it so tough and ought to make $150,000 right off the bat and only work 10 days a month if that.

I’m tired of that narrative.
you know the requirements of the career field when you entered it.
You know it has its’ risks.
You take those risks for carrot at the end of the stick.
it will work out for many.
At least have some respect to other careers that are less fortunate and realize you are far from the bottom of any career field.

At least people now have to put a little effort into this career before they can start griping about how underpaid and over worked they are. Thank goodness for the ATP rule!

I don’t drink at all on the road so you don’t have to worry about buying me (and sharing my Light beer or the fancy stuff) anything rickair :-)

 

Sorry, my point is that by time you get to a regional, you've already invested the time in the initial job that those other careers start out at. I'm happy to see that it's at least to the point now that it's a good livable wage as opposed to food stamp level like when I started. The Law degree has greater career earnings potential than pilots do, so I'm not sure where you're going that, I think the counselor can make much more too. I don't think it takes 10 years in law to get past 55k... although it did for a lot of pilots.

$60,000 a year is at least respectable, but I just don't think it's a fair shake to say "it's just an initial job." For many it's a second or third job because their initial jobs were the ones that got them to where they even met minimums. $60,000 they should at least be able to live pretty comfortably as they are seriously getting into the career, but I don't think it makes for a good excuse for stopping the tradition of CAs buying at least one drink on a trip. Of course, even when it was $20,000 a lot of regional CAs didn't really do that anyway.

 

In the past, and thank God it isn’t that way anymore, you certainly HAD NOT invested the time that other career fields took. Just an associates degree took longer than a fast track ATP type school to get to a regional. At least now with the ATP rule it forces that fast track pilot to get about 1-2 worth of other experience thus equaling an associates degree but still not equaling a traditional 4 year (and how many take longer than 4 yrs to get that Bach degree) and certainly not that law degree.

A vast numbers of lawyers aren’t making pro pilot pay (certainly at the majors level).
you might need to do a little research into median lawyer paid and initial job earning (or even able to get a job stats) of let’s say the last 5 years of law students. It’s been in the national media about how many unemployed baby lawyers are out there. Another real stat - District Judges in my home town are making probably $150k. The District Attorney makes $130k. Think how long it took someone to get to those positions. Talk about an investment in time and they are both elected positions so subject to removal from office every couple of years.
I know an attorney who came in with over 10 years of legal experience to include being a USN JAG who started at the DAs office at $55,000.
10 years later she has moved to numerous other state positions and now makes $84,000. As for the counselor - I don’t know of one who makes more than $60,000, certainly not without being a supervisor (ala Captain).

Median income in my state is around $50,000.
Median income in Texas is around $60,000.
Median income in the US is around &61,000.

I’m very glad that AT PRESENT there are no more 300 hr ATP wonders in the right seat of airliners. But an initial pay of $60,000 for a job with the fairly quick potential for increased pay is even better than fair in my opinion and when compared to many other careers is pretty darn good. The good thing.....it will most likely continue to increase over the next few years barring any number of things to happen. Fingers crossed for you all.

 

Depends on the "past" you're talking about. There was a time when you couldn't get hired with a decent regional with less than 4 or 5000 hours total time including a large amount of multi PIC. My brother and his wife are both attorneys and between them make well over a cool million a year.

 

Well we could be talking about a time when they still used celestial nav from the star port...... but you know we aren’t :-)

Your brother and wife are fortunate.
i know someone who won BIG at a casino.
Most don’t.

 

Regional FO's don't really make 60k in my experience, more like 45k.

The bonuses are really loans.