Thanks, that's what I needed to hear!
Anyways, outside of the crappy regionals, pay isn't that bad.

 

One more, thanks! My only regret is I waited way too much.

 

Hi,

Those of you who left good paying job for regional and are happy, how long have you been at the regional??? I'm genuinely curious.

And for those of you who left solid/professional career and been at the regional for many years, how do you like it after all these years? does it not feel like "just a job" at the end of the day for you now that you have some years under your belt?

I only ask as I read many on this forum who states that fun of flying quickly fades away and it just becomes another job.

Thank you very much!

 

Stay away from Endeavor

 

They say money can't buy happiness but I find it's more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes than on a bicycle!

That being said, I've been in aviation as a career since 1991. Did the CFI gig, flew checks single pilot in MU2s, owned a flight school, became a regional FO and CA (company liquidated), did the fracs (Flex), and left for one of the 142 schools to teach a few years ago. I really only planned (like anyone can plan in this business right?) to stay at the 142 two years and then go back to flying. I got lazy. Home every night was great. The salary would achieve six figures in a few years, okay 401K match (not stellar by any means). Liveable. Doable. Then the corporate mentality went into overdrive. My official program manager position was eliminated. I was tasked with things I had no passion for and did not want to do to fill a void, "we need someone to teach XXX, and it's you."

Oh, you know how to do Powerpoint? We need these courses rewritten. Twelve hour days looking at a computer screen was not what I signed up for. It was miserable. At the end of the day Friday I would hear, "We're going to need you to come in on Sunday and teach International Procedures (for the 4th Sunday in a row).

At some point you realize you're trading your time for money. And the time is finite. It's the most valuable resource you have (not the bank account, new cars, boat, airplane or whatever). As I've written on these forums I'm qualified for the majors but can't get there without the recency of experience afforded by the regionals. Yes, it's a financial bite but I'm right there with you guys. Except for me it's like starting over. I'll be honest I enjoy $80 bottles of wine and craft beer. It's now Sutter Home and $2 PBRs. But they taste so much better at 2am when I don't have to worry about someone calling me about the Powerpoints.

 

Well said.

 

Very well said! What you said about "time" is very true!
A very well compensated desk job is almost all the time a never ending job. For me, typical day is 8am to 5pm all meetings with people booking even my lunch time. It would be politically incorrect to decline those lunch time meetings. And then 5pm comes and realize you have 200 new e-mails in your inbox plus whatever powerpoint presentation to work on. Yes, I am home every night, but tired, stressed out and my little one doesn’t get to see me that often. Most of the time she’s already sleeping. The work day often extends to 11pm, midnight or sometimes 2, 3 am and still need to show up the next day fresh and the same thing starts all over again! Yea, 6 figure salary: very nice but at what cost?

 

I 2nd this

 

You gotta start blocking out your lunchtimes with made-up meetings with incomprehensible acronyms, like 'PNR Review' or whatever. Nobody ever asks what that is because they don't want to look like they don't know And then, go eat your lunch in peace...

 

Yeah, about two years ago I had an interview with a regional just prior to a six month deployment. I told the regional about this, and that was no problem as they were hiring into a pool. Well my base called, and I needed to come in for some darn last minute requirement prior to the deployment....well that happened to be the day of my interview. I contacted HR via email (as we had been emailing back and forth prior). All they said was "Apply again in six months." No, "can we reschedule", "be safe." Nothing.

Then when I got back from my deployment my current employer, also a regional, refused to get me recurrent or pay me!! I told them not only was what they were doing immoral, but also ILLEGAL..I included links to USERRA websites. I contacted the union...nothing. Finally after a couple months of futile attempts to handle the problem at the lowest level, I contacted a USERRA rep. THEY WERE AMAZING. They were prompt, polite, and kicked some butt.

Morals of the story....
-Veterans still get crap, despite all the teary, sappy stuff a company might advertise. Plan accordingly.
-Do your part to notify your employer before and after being on orders. Do this early as a courtesy, but also immediately before leaving and after returning. I'd probably notify a minimum of two people per contact.
-Email saved my rear. Everything was docmented for the USERRA rep. Save ALL emails both outgoing and incoming. You show that you did your job and that the company acknowledged you.

End rant.