If it's something you really want to do, "do it....do it" (It sounds more like Ben stiller in my head). Anyways, you only get one trip around the merry go round.....remember that..;)

no joke! thats why i am majoring in something other than aviation. what about ATC as a backup?????? any info on ATC for a career?

I would say that ATC is still "aviation." Combine that with the age restriction for starting an ATC career and it's probably not a good "backup."

In other words, it's not really putting eggs in different baskets. More like putting them in different places within the same basket.

For me being young and single, the aviation/airline industry is perfect. You get to see places you normally wouldn't go see. The office has a great view. If you were trying to support a wife and kids in my opinion, this would not be the way to go. I see too many captains and F/O's kicking themselves because they are missing their children growing up, and spouses that are tired of you being gone all the time and only making 20k a year. However, there are people that can balance that out and make everything work if you get on with the right company. This is just my two cents. Take it for what it's worth.

Should've, could've, would've
 

You never want to look back on anything in your life and have 1 of the 3 above words be the first thing that pops into your head. You will always regret the one that got away.

As for the (Aviation Induced Divorce Syndrome) a strong partner is essential no matter what career. I once watched a show called Tough Enough on MTV when Triple H gave a promo speach. ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS?!? YOU HAD BETTER COME HOME AND BE THE BEST HUSBAND OR WIFE WHEN YOU GET THERE!

The point is you will be gona a lot, you will miss important events and a strong sound partner will be cruical to your happiness. And you will always have to deal with the face in the mirror if you don't take a chance.

My .02

I don't know
 

I was miserable in other jobs, but recently the BS we put up with now with complaining passengers, crew scheduling, all the time away from family, combined with the decrease in compensation....I probably wouldn't make the jump now contemplating the future.

It's just my wife and I now and she travels quite a bit for work herself. I'm a very senior FO (turned down last upgrade for QOL issues for a few more months), so my lifestyle is great right now as I usually work Monday-Wed/Thurs, and she's often gone then as well. But there have been times I needed to be with her and couldn't get there right away.

And then throw kids into the mix....late Saturday night our phone rang from one of the captain's wives. She'd met my wife 2-3 times, and their youngest needed to go to the hospital to be admitted, husband was in Canada with no way home for at least 15 hours, and with no family around, they needed someone to watch their 5 year old. We were happy to help, but had it been my (hypothetical) daughter in the hospital, it would have been very hard for me to be a thousand miles away.

I agree the rewards are hard to see sometimes, but aviation careers don't have to be 121. They're plenty of 135 places that offer a very good living and a great schedule. If the topic is restricted to 121 only, then that can be a tough call. But if you're open to something else after building time, I think you would hate yourself if you didn't try.

Okay thats .04 from me.

Perfectly stated in as few words as possible.....Nice post. For the newbies, use this as your guide.

The true challenge to flying is all of the stuff you do and endure while on the ground. Once airborne, you'll discover most of the ground stuff just disappears into the past like a distant memory. Getting airborne fast enough so that you don't quit - that is the true challenge. ;)

Enjoy the ride - I have enjoyed flying for the past 21 years and I have another 19-24 to go. I intend to ride this horse all the way to the barn. ;)

Fair skies and following winds

I think money is the very least of considerations in this field. True the money is weak in the beginning. But that's true in many professions. And as has been stated, you can easily make at least 65k after a few years. I'd say a more reasonable expectation in most regionals would be 70-90k. If you can't live off that, you need financial counseling.

For me, the biggest thing you should consider is the lifestyle. Some love the constant change and the ability to travel nonrev. Others can't deal with the vast amount of time away from home and the impact it has on your family life. Missing family get-togethers, holidays, birthdays, etc., is the norm in this industry. That can take a real toll.

Someone said to me the other day, "Man, it must be great to get paid to fly!"

My response was, "They don't pay me to fly. They pay me to spend the night in hotels away from my wife, to sit bored out of my mind for hours in hotels with no crew room, to eat expensive airport food that's bad for me, to have to maintain relationships with my wife/kids/brother/sister/friends over the phone rather than face-to-face, to worry whether the next terrorist/economic downturn will lead to a salary cut or furlough. That's what I get paid for. The flying I do for free." ;)

Wordfromthe wise,
You have a disease that you will not get rid of. Let me say how sorry we all for you. That being said, you DO have the disease. You must jump into flight training and press on. You will make the best of it like we all do, you will continue to come to aviation forums and belly ache about the effects of the disease and how we hate our employers for taking advantage of our addiction. See you on the line. :D