I have a passion for aviation and wanted to be a pilot since I can remember. Then I started to go on these forums. The amount negativity is out of control. In addition, I talk to airline pilots and they advise against the career. It leaves me wondering what I am doing. I currently have an instrument rating with about 200 hours, and I am junior at a state school, pursing a degree in business management. Even though I am getting a degree in business management, I have neither the intention nor the desire to do anything in management, law (lawyer) banking, sales, marketing, or anything along those lines. It is just a degree so I can check the box. I probably wouldn’t mind management with in the aviation industry if possible.

If you were in my shoes what would you do? Is it just the airline industry that gets a bad reputation or is it the whole aviation industry? Would pursuing a career as a corporate pilot be a better option or just forget a career in aviation? Suggestions?

 

Uh oh. .

 

Work to make a living and provide for your family, fly for fun.

Don't mix the two. So long as you are disciplined enough to stay active in the aviation world, regardless of how much $$ ur making , you'll get your fix.

 

You could make much better money doing something else and buy your own little airplane to play with on the weekends.

 

I highly suggest you immediately transfer to Embry-Riddle. Buy a job at Gulfstream after that. You'll be in the right seat of a real jet in no time!

 

Not ask a bunch of anonymous people, "what should I do?". Sorry but the only one who can make the right call here is you.

Cheers

 

If it is your dream, and you can get the ratings and time without going into debt, then go for it. Or you could try the Military.

The folks on these boards like to whine. If it rained vanilla ice cream sundaes, they would whine that there wasn't any chocolate.

 

DING DING DING DING DING!!!!!!!

You have several options.

1)You get into the airlines, are happy and you stay.

2)You get into the airlines, are UNhappy and get out.

3)You don't get into the airlines, & you spend the rest of your life wondering what if............

Only YOU can make the decision. I will say this. I feel it's a wise decision for you to obtain a business degree. It's makes you so much more marketable if you decide to bail.

Good Luck to you. Cheers

 

That's funny!

 

There are 9000 pilots on furlough in the US alone. Thousands are also "made redundant" in Europe. Perhaps you can see a positive in that, but the reality is, it is tough. None of us can foresee the future, but based on the past, the future of the airline pilot business will probably never be what is was 10 or 20 years ago in the next 10 or 20 years.

But, maybe you don't need to make $300,000 a year to fly a heavy a few times a month. Will you be satisfied with one tenth that amount, working 20 days a month? Or being away from home on reserve for years? Or waiting 5, 10, or even 20 years for upgrade? Then getting the upgrade at your regional to then wait years and years to maybe get a job at a major airline, that might pay more, and it might pay less.... and you'll be on the bottom of another seniority list, subject to the next market downturn and probable furlough.

Consider yourself lucky that you've only invested 200 hours; that won't get you any job today, and in the future when hiring inevitably resumes, 2000 hours might not get you an airline job.

Perhaps you'll "work for nothing" to get that 2000 hours. When you're getting your first airline job, you'll get paid close to nothing, 'cuz it's all worth it. And then you'll get furloughed. Will it be worth it then? Even if you don't get furloughed, how long will your desire to fly propel you?

Maybe you'll luck out and all the stars will align. I know guys who've gotten 4 month upgrades. Others have moved straight from minimum hours in their single seat military jet to a heavy Delta Boeing jet flying the world. And guys who have retired with millions in the bank.

It's your gamble.