Ok. So I've wandred the earth for the last seven years as a social worker. I'm 32 years old and have finally decided enough is enough, I want to go to flight school. 8 years ago I was getting my PPL when I ran out of money and did not want to go into debt just to be a "bus driver" in the sky (this term came from my strained relationship with my father who is a retired commercial pilot. I would say it just to tick him off. Things are better now).
I am married and plan on not having children. As a child, I experienced the strains of moving around from place to place just so my dad could land jobs. I grew up only seeing my dad a few days a month. For those of you with spouses, how does this work for your marriage?
I am willing to go into SOME debt to achieve my goal as a commercial pilot. There seems to be a few programs that get you in and out in 1-2 years for $50k (ATP, Delta). I've read several posts warning to steer clear of these types of programs. But how else can I get to regionals in a couple of years without the type of training and connections that these guys offer? I feel like I'm starting out pretty late and I don't have the time to just "hang out" with pilots and get flight time that way.
Is $50k, moving around, and only seeing your spouse sometimes too much to sacrifice for an uncertain airline career? Let's face it, the industry isn't experiencing the kind of boom of my father's time in the 1960's and 70's. Should I just stay a social worker at $30k a year and save up and "buy a plane"?