Hello pilot community - I'm sure there have been countless threads similar to this, but looking for some personalized advice (and validation) from a community of complete strangers.
I am very strongly considering walking away from my high-paying job in management consulting to pursue a career as a pilot. I'm currently 30 years old and have been working for a large, multinational consultancy for the past 2 years. Prior to that I worked as an operator at a nuclear facility, so I'm comfortable with the rigors of initial and recurrent training, systems and regulatory knowledge, procedure use and adherance, and the safety culture associated with the industry.
I live in Atlanta and am strongly considering the ATP Airline and Commercial Pilot training program for my training. I have 0 flight hours under my belt and will be 100% starting from scratch. I have a few friends who went through the program and recommend it as the best way to knock it all out at once and start working towards building hours.
My wife and I have been fortunate enough to save a considerable amount during our careers so far and I plan to self fund my way through the program. I know I'll be taking a huge step back in pay for the first 5-7 years of this new career, but I miss being in a nontraditional work environment with a schedule that is more flexible than a 60 hour M-F desk job.
My favorite part of being a consultant is getting on the plane every Monday morning and Thursday afternoon. I've always been fascinated with flying and now that I've got the financial resources to take the leap and my wife's blessing I'm ready to jump in. It seems daunting and like a huge risk, but I know I can put in the work to be successful.
I have an intro flight scheduled next Saturday and am anxiously awaiting the moment we take off. My questions to the group are:
1.) Am I crazy?
2.) Is ATP the best approach for someone in my situation?
3.) Will my background in nuclear help me? (not in direct knowledge, but in working style and approach to problem solving and decision making?)
4.) If I want to go the traditional route of Training->CFI/Time builder job->Regional->Major, is my timeline of 5-7 years to get there reasonable?
5.) What are other considerations that I may not have thought through?