A career in aviation...

CC268

CC268

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CC268
Hey guys,

Just a little background on myself: I am 22 years old, graduated last May with my Mechanical Engineering degree. I currently work for a massive company as a Materials and Process Engineer. Since I was a young kid I knew I wanted to be a pilot or an engineer.

Real world engineering is a lot different than school and in a lot of ways its been a bit of an eye opener. I really don't want to sit in a cubicle for the next 40 years. I have also questioned whether or not I will ever be able to do real design/modeling/analysis work. I don't really feel like much of an engineer doing what I am currently doing. I could go on about it, but I will leave it at that.

I am getting my PPL and originally I thought maybe I would grind out a few more years of engineering and pay for as many of my ratings as possible (and that may very well be what I decide to do). My heart really tells me to go be a pilot. Sometimes I wish I would have skipped engineering school and became a pilot instead. I can't help but want to just say screw it and go get a loan, get my flight training, and live in a cardboard box at the local park for a few years.

I know most people will most likely say "just be an engineer and fly for fun" - but I just don't know...

What are your guys' thoughts?
 
Just be an engineer and fly on your days off for fun.
 
Do you plan to get married and have babies?
Consider both career paths and how they impact that decision as well.
 
I'm an engineer and fly for fun. I may one day change careers, but for now being an engineer is paying for my ratings. You could always look for a different engineering job, some are better than others. I think the grass is always greener on the other side, but if you really aren't enjoying what you are doing, come up with a plan to change it.
 
I would just continue with your current employment to pay for your PPL. Once you have all of your training completed and attained all of your ratings, you will probably have a better idea if you want to be a pilot for a living. That would be much better than living in a cardboard box!
 
Stingray Don said:
I would just continue with your current employment to pay for your PPL. Once you have all of your training completed and attained all of your ratings, you will probably have a better idea if you want to be a pilot for a living. That would be much better than living in a cardboard box!
Click to expand...

Yes - that is definitely the smartest approach...that is kind of the current plan...sometimes I am just not as patient as I should be ha.
 
Somedudeintn said:
I'm an engineer and fly for fun. I may one day change careers, but for now being an engineer is paying for my ratings. You could always look for a different engineering job, some are better than others. I think the grass is always greener on the other side, but if you really aren't enjoying what you are doing, come up with a plan to change it.
Click to expand...

Yea...I figure I need to give this job a while longer...if I don't like it then maybe I should start looking elsewhere.
 
CC268 said:
I am getting my PPL and originally I thought maybe I would grind out a few more years of engineering and pay for as many of my ratings as possible (and that may very well be what I decide to do).

>snip<

What are your guys' thoughts?
Click to expand...
I think I would choose this.
 
Work hard, pay for your ratings as you go, one day look around and see you have the experience to get a flying job but you have no debt. On that day, consider a career in aviation.
 
CC268 said:
Hey guys,

Just a little background on myself: I am 22 years old, graduated last May with my Mechanical Engineering degree. I currently work for a massive company as a Materials and Process Engineer. Since I was a young kid I knew I wanted to be a pilot or an engineer.

Real world engineering is a lot different than school and in a lot of ways its been a bit of an eye opener. I really don't want to sit in a cubicle for the next 40 years. I have also questioned whether or not I will ever be able to do real design/modeling/analysis work. I don't really feel like much of an engineer doing what I am currently doing. I could go on about it, but I will leave it at that.

I am getting my PPL and originally I thought maybe I would grind out a few more years of engineering and pay for as many of my ratings as possible (and that may very well be what I decide to do). My heart really tells me to go be a pilot. Sometimes I wish I would have skipped engineering school and became a pilot instead. I can't help but want to just say screw it and go get a loan, get my flight training, and live in a cardboard box at the local park for a few years.

I know most people will most likely say "just be an engineer and fly for fun" - but I just don't know...

What are your guys' thoughts?
Click to expand...

Fly for hobby, especially if family medical history is shaky.
 
If you can pass the physical why not go military? Free training and with your background in education it should be no big problem learning. I've known three airline pilots pretty well. One flew P2Vs in the North Atlantic harassing Russian subs, was immed. Hired by eastern , flew for 33 years, never missed a flight but got screwed on his retirement when they went bankrupt. Another eastern pilot flew thuds and also flew for eastern for about same amount of time. Both wound up in 1011s. Both retired with good savings and life style but we're careful and had decent stock investments/real estate investments. The other currently flys for a major , left seat, degree in aeronautical engineering, flew U2s, retired as lt. Col. Was hired immed.......(forgot ......his son just graduated with a computer engineering degree of some type, went army, got commission, rated helicopter pilot in the guard, then immed went to work for large computer company , likes it. Good income.lots of choices. Only in America!)
 
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Jimmy cooper said:
If you can pass the physical why not go military? Free training and with your background in education it should be no big problem learning. I've known three airline pilots pretty well. One flew P2Vs in the North Atlantic harassing Russian subs, was immed. Hired by eastern , flew for 33 years, never missed a flight but got screwed on his retirement when they went bankrupt. Another eastern pilot flew thuds and also flew for eastern for about same amount of time. Both wound up in 1011s. Both retired with good savings and life style but we're careful and had decent stock investments/real estate investments. The other currently flys for a major , left seat, degree in aeronautical engineering, flew U2s, retired as lt. Col. Was hired immed.......(forgot ......his son just graduated with a computer engineering degree of some type, went army, got commission, rated helicopter pilot in the guard, then immed went to work for large computer company , likes it. Good income.lots of choices. Only in America!)
Click to expand...

I have asthma so unfortunately military is not a choice.
 
I am NOT and engineer (I can tell you my theory of how "advanced" mathematics came about but it involves Persians and fermented camels milk) but I am nearing the end of a airline career. It is definitely not what it used to be but it beats working for a living. You will be GONE a lot, you must have a saint for a wife and remember when you come home from a trip that it is her house and she runs it just fine without your input....trust me on this...she can fix it just fine without your interference. At your age and education, take a hard look at the military. I did the civilian route because I didn't and still don't have a degree. I have flown for five airlines and all but two went out of business. I fly night freight all over the world and the pay and benefits are very very good. The "airline" guys look down their noses at us sometimes until we compare the number of hours we actually fly and W2's and we don't have to deal with flight attendants. All the airlines are in an upswing of hiring except mine and yes the GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER but the number one rule of airline flying.

SENIORITY RULES everything else is fluff. Don't pass any class date to wait for a two week notice. You will know when you are an airline pilot....your kids, upon hearing of a crash will say "Did you know them and where they senior to you?"
 
Get your rating as cheaply and as quickly as possible. I'm your age and just starting out with my airline career! I can't see myself doing anything else. If you don't like it, you have a great degree to go back to. It's a great time to get hired at an airline.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
why not go military?
Click to expand...

+1

@CC268, I've been in your exact shoes. I got a BSME some 20 years ago, have worked for large industrials, have designed, done analysis, lead teams, climbed the ladder, got post grad degree. Yes a lot of time in cubicles, lost many hours of my life in meetings. While I've had a lot of job stress, I've been fortunate that job opportunities have been available. I've also had a steady income, good benefits and built a good family. I'm incredibly fortunate, and I've worked hard for it.

Yet aviation remains my passion. I fly when I can, around schedules, when costs permit. I'm not flying pilatuses or even an RV; warriors, archers Arrows are my stock. I may soon buy. I'll never have the skill, proficiency, or experience as any military pilot, but I aspire to.

I've also had the fortune to work with ex military: USAF, USN, USMC mostly. Many had amazing aviation careers, 15-20yrs in, then private sector. They are top notch and make good livings. They get sh*t done. So your engineering career can still be there on the other side.

So it depends what you want and how you prioritize aspects of your life to landing in retirement:

Engineering career: stablized approach in a very reliable 182
Commercial pilot: IFR approach in VFR. Expect to go missed, but you'll get down. This career path is changing rapidly.
Military pilot: cross country in a pitts. Expect to use your alternate destination, but it will be a good place.

So do you value steady money & benefits vs flying your butt off and seeing / moving around a lot? There's no right or wrong answer.

I'd be curious to hear from some ex military on here. Many a USAF officer fly a desk in the basement of the pentagon, too.

Final suggestion, if military is an option, you might read some biographies like Robin Olds or Dan Hampton "Viper Pilot."
 
Like I said earlier unfortunately military is not an option even if I wanted it to be...

There is a lot to consider - I know flying can be very unfriendly towards a family and that is definitely a downside...on the other hand I have a buddy who flies for Southwest and it seems like he gets all sorts of time off...but he has told me much of the same stuff that you guys are saying.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
With asthma your flying could be very limited.
Click to expand...

Yes...I have thought about the fact that it could really screw me over later on in terms of getting a medical when I am older.

Seems like everything is stacked against me for the most part lol
 
CC268 said:
Hey guys,

Just a little background on myself: I am 22 years old, graduated last May with my Mechanical Engineering degree. I currently work for a massive company as a Materials and Process Engineer. Since I was a young kid I knew I wanted to be a pilot or an engineer.

Real world engineering is a lot different than school and in a lot of ways its been a bit of an eye opener. I really don't want to sit in a cubicle for the next 40 years. I have also questioned whether or not I will ever be able to do real design/modeling/analysis work. I don't really feel like much of an engineer doing what I am currently doing. I could go on about it, but I will leave it at that.

I am getting my PPL and originally I thought maybe I would grind out a few more years of engineering and pay for as many of my ratings as possible (and that may very well be what I decide to do). My heart really tells me to go be a pilot. Sometimes I wish I would have skipped engineering school and became a pilot instead. I can't help but want to just say screw it and go get a loan, get my flight training, and live in a cardboard box at the local park for a few years.

I know most people will most likely say "just be an engineer and fly for fun" - but I just don't know...

What are your guys' thoughts?
Click to expand...

A lot of good opinions on this topic and as a suggestion there are about a dozen posts like this from last year (if not more). You might want to do some searching on the forums to find out what others have said in those (if you haven't already). No one has mentioned the money situation, so I'll do that.

I'm more than a few years older than you and I think that if I could go back and re-do things, I probably wouldn't. From what I have found through my own research, you're probably looking at spending at least $50K to get up through commercial and maybe CFI. You have spent some of that already on your PPL, but that's barely 20% of what you'll need to even BEGIN to make money.

After commercial you'll have 250 hrs under your belt with about $50K of debt (unless you just paid cash for it all) and still about 250 to 1250 hours to go before you can even attempt to work at a regional. Keep in mind that $50K of debt doesn't cover your living expenses so add in another what, $10-$20K of those unless you are still living at home of course.

During the time in between 250 hours and that 500-1500 hours of flight time for your ATP you will likely be doing flight training at probably half of what you would make as an engineer. There are some places here in FL that will pay a CFI $30-35K a year, but not many and I don't know where you live so that could be worse.

Realistically, take anything you're making now, cut it in half (that's what you're taking home). Now cut it in half again (that's what you have in your pocket after you pay your debt). Can you live on that for 5 years or more?

After about 1-2 years of CFI work, you might have the hours to apply to regionals. This is all assuming you never fail a check-ride or get into an accident or contract a disease that compromises your medical. If you do any of those, you are automatically less of a candidate than someone who hasn't. Bottom of the pile.

Let's say you DO make it into regionals. That's about 3-5 years at the same salary you just had as a CFI. Maybe more if you're lucky. It'll be about 10 years or more before you get back to where you would have been if you just stayed in engineering. The difference is, all that will cost you a LOT of money, require complete dedication to the job, multiple checkrides, etc.

You have to REALLY want it and it is about seniority. I'm not trying to dissuade you, but if you aren't really sure you want to be a pilot, if you don't have the passion and the drive to absolutely dedicate yourself to it. Don't do it. Stay in your job, rake in the big bucks, and one day buy a plane and fly for fun.
 
Well thanks for all the replies - I think I would probably enjoy engineering a lot more if I was in the right area, but working for a massive company you get "lost" pretty quickly as an engineer. I think it would be great to work for a smaller aircraft company, but that is always easier said than done.
 
I missed the asthma piece - yeah that's a gap to military.

Another option is to seek an engineering career in aviation. Boeing, cirrus, Textron, Lockheed, GE, etc are always looking for good passionate engineers.
 
What does a Mech. Engineer fresh out of college pull down these days? (in general. I don't want to know what you make)
As a software engineer fresh out of college in 2000, my first job paid 39k. That was on par w/ most of my peers at the time.
It took 5 or 6 years to break into the 6 figures.

I would guess a mechanical engineer probably make more than software engineer.
And adjusted for today's numbers...

What about living on rice and beans "In a box" as you stated while pulling in engineering money and save like a mad man.
Save a hundred grand, then you have the freedom to decide if you drop what you are doing and pay your own ticket, or buy that A36 and just fly for fun.

You are young enough to go that route. I started my family at age 30, 8 years beyond where you are now.
You can stockpile a lot of cash in that time.

If I could do it over, that is the advice I would give my younger self. I lacked the foresight and discipline at the time to make smarter decisions.

Time is on your side.
 
PaulMKE said:
I missed the asthma piece - yeah that's a gap to military.

Another option is to seek an engineering career in aviation. Boeing, cirrus, Textron, Lockheed, GE, etc are always looking for good passionate engineers.
Click to expand...

Ehh... Huge companies like Boeing and Textron seemed to care a whole lot more about my GPA (Above 3.0, but not stellar) than how passionate you were. Someone from my school got hired by a controls group at Boeing and he didnt know what an aileron or spoiler or flap even was, but he had a 3.8 GPA so nothing else mattered. :rolleyes:

Somehow GPA equated to intelligence to these huge companies.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Ehh... Huge companies like Boeing and Textron seemed to care a whole lot more about my GPA (Above 3.0, but not stellar) than how passionate you were. Someone from my school got hired by a controls group at Boeing and he didnt know what an aileron or spoiler or flap even was, but he had a 3.8 GPA so nothing else mattered. :rolleyes:

Somehow GPA equated to intelligence to these huge companies.
Click to expand...

This is so true and in a lot of ways it is really sad. I finished with almost a 3.6 GPA so I was okay. However, it was very frustrating how GPA seemed to be the main selling point. One of the smartest kids I knew in engineering had a 3.0.

I currently work for one of those "big companies" and while it makes for a comfortable living you are often pigeon holed as an engineer. You are so focused on one very small aspect of the entire engineering process that it becomes boring quick. A smaller company would allow you more engineering responsibility. You would be "wearing more hats".

However, I would love to go work for some of these smaller GA companies. I am sure it would be a blast. Probably easier said than done though.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
What does a Mech. Engineer fresh out of college pull down these days? (in general. I don't want to know what you make)
As a software engineer fresh out of college in 2000, my first job paid 39k. That was on par w/ most of my peers at the time.
It took 5 or 6 years to break into the 6 figures.

I would guess a mechanical engineer probably make more than software engineer.
And adjusted for today's numbers...

What about living on rice and beans "In a box" as you stated while pulling in engineering money and save like a mad man.
Save a hundred grand, then you have the freedom to decide if you drop what you are doing and pay your own ticket, or buy that A36 and just fly for fun.

You are young enough to go that route. I started my family at age 30, 8 years beyond where you are now.
You can stockpile a lot of cash in that time.

If I could do it over, that is the advice I would give my younger self. I lacked the foresight and discipline at the time to make smarter decisions.

Time is on your side.
Click to expand...

I make 65k which is about the average for most engineers out of college. I know time is on my side, but I get a little nervous about waiting too long...but I do understand what you are saying.
 
I'm not a engineer, so I can't say anything about the QOL or excitement of that profession.

Now as a working pilot I can say I love what I do.

I had a good QOL from job one all the way through my ATP. My first job I was pulling down about 30k a year but my little condo/apartment was paid for as were all my utilities and I lived on the airport so I didn't even need my car, not lifestyles of the rich and famous but I enjoyed my work, had fun and didn't have much stress.

Now I'm making good money, good benifits and am home every night.

Point is, if your heart says be a pilot, get on it and make it happen, you can always go back to engineering but you can get the years of your life back.

It's not the things you DO in life you regret in your final years, it's the things you DIDNT DO that haunt you.


Blue skies.
 
There are downsides to pilot careers too. Pilots have to work on holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving vacation are big flying days. Travel is fun at first and when you are single, but after a while, those hotel rooms get very lonely. Losing your medical is a game breaker! It all depends on what YOU want. Both careers are work, not play! Maybe you should get your pilots license while working and set yourself up for a piloting job while working as an engineer. If you do go that route, make CERTAIN your endorsements in your logbook are correct as the airlines will check them. Do everything to the letter. Take some photos of the planes you fly and your CFI and keep them in your logbook. Set yourself up for a career in aviation. Maybe you could work for an Aerospace Engineering firm and fly your own plane for the travel. Some of them let you do it that way. Good luck!
 
You're where I was 20+ years ago. I chose IT and engineering.

Here's the thing. Engineering will always pay better unless you soloed under a lucky star and make senior Captain at a major quickly. There's just no getting around that.

But here's something to ponder. Live like you're broke NOW. Stuff all that money in an account, buy a home and PAY IT OFF, and don't marry anyone not willing to be frugal and have real financial goals. I don't care how pretty she is, or how smart, or how much you "love" her. Marrying someone bad with money will always be a disaster in life.

Ten years from now when you're 32, imagine owning your cars, your house, and everything outright, and what that would allow you to choose for how to spend your days. Buy an airplane? Why not? Take some time off to go flying? Absolutely.

Bust some butt at the engineering job and MAKE yourself worth raises. Do NOT spend money you don't have. Debt free. Do NOT compare your toys to the neighbors. Or your house size. Find a wife who doesn't either. Have kids or don't, your call, but realize if you do it'll delay this process. That's fine and kids are great. Just stay on track to debt-free living and you'll be ahead of millions.

Squirrel away some for retirement. Give to charity throughout. Make your earning have purpose. Know why you go to work every day.

I'll be 44 in the fall. Everything but two toys are completely paid off including the house and cars. Wife finished up all the schooling she says she wants to do in her mid 30s and absolutely loves her job and it's incredibly stable (wound care nursing, people seem to keep hurting themselves, amazingly... haha...). We paid cash for all of her schooling post nursing degree student loan payoff.

Recently she said we could afford me taking the summer off and flying to earn ratings all summer. I don't think it'll turn into a real "flying job" at all, but who gets to take a summer off to go flying?

You know who? Folks who SAVE and pay off everything and don't buy debt. That's who.

Engineering and IT and telecom and the high salaries these roles have offered made it all possible for us. I worked my butt off for two decades and if I had been smarter with my spending in my 20s, I would have been posting this story of taking a summer off to fly, ten years ago.

Our housing pay off was accelerated by about five years by a very unwanted death in the family. I would have still been able to do this by my late 40s easy, but you... You're in a position I only wish I had realized I was in, in my early 20s. Pushing your salary up and pushing your spending down is EASIER at your age. You don't have any expectations of lifestyle yet. Don't let a TV tell you what you want to buy and have. We dug ourselves into tens of thousands of consumer debt and mortgages we weren't quite so bad on, but we should have waited another four years to buy our first condo. We STILL think fondly of that condo as PLENTY of living space for the two of us, and someday we will downsize back to something similar.

Go hard after engineering skills that make your employer's profits if not a business of your own. I traveled as much as most airline pilots in my late 20s and 30s as a Field Engineer because it was the path in telecom to knowing EVERYTHING one could ever run into in that specialty. And it paid better. And meals on the road were free. Karen put up with a lot of me being gone to pay our way out of too much toy buying and new car buying back then.

Get a plan. Make it REALLY long term. Build habits like never buying anything unless the cash is in your pocket, and pay cash. It's science that paying cash triggers the pain center of your brain. After more than a decade of doing it, seeing a dollar amount in the savings account that would pay for a summer of flying and still have money left over was almost frightening. Seriously. We've never dropped that much cash on "frivolous" stuff in two decades after we swore off debt.

Get absolute and harsh control of every dollar. Don't buy stuff on the premise that "we can afford the monthly bill", ever. Make the dollars work for you.

At your age, I'm on the fence about which path to tell you to take. But if you stay in engineering, live like you're a broke pilot for what truly amounts to not be that long in life, and you'll have the option to go do whatever you want. Seriously. Budgeting and being debt free is that powerful.

If a $5000 beater car gets you where you want to go in relative comfort with the AC working and the heat blowing as needed, a $20K car is kinda stupid. If a $200K house you can pay off in ten years keeps the spouse and kids warm and dry, no $400K house will do it better. If a $100 tool kit and some YouTube videos and a few hours otherwise spent watching TV will let you do all the maintenance on your "stuff" that ends up owning you, buy the tools and make yourself DIY. (I replaced the knock sensor in the 2000 Subaru last night for $15 and an hour of time plus $49 quite a while ago for a OBD-II reader and literally one hand tool... A socket wrench with a one foot extension and a 12mm socket. A shop would have charged a minimum of $200 for that repair. All I ever knew about cars started in a covered carport with my grandfather and his tools and replacing the head on a 1976 Toyota Corolla that ran fine for another 100,000 miles after that...)

Use the hell out of those engineering skills and stay debt free and you'll have options that less than 1% of the people on the planet have.

And learn something about compound interest. It'll make you want to keep every dollar and let them get bigger vs watching every dollar go to pay for someone else's dreams. It's nearly incredible how a little saved at your age will be a massive pile of money in your retirement vs how hard that curve becomes to climb in another ten or twenty years. Don't neglect yourself, have some fun, but "pay yourself first" as they say. 10% of everything you earn now into even conservative investments will equate to you being a very rich old man someday. Wait ten years, you'll be a very comfy old man. Another ten and you'll get by. Another ten, you'll be hoping the government gives you a cost of living increase on your SS check to buy groceries. Saving young is that powerful.

Whatever you do, have some fun. None of us are getting out alive.
 
CC268 said:
Well thanks for all the replies - I think I would probably enjoy engineering a lot more if I was in the right area, but working for a massive company you get "lost" pretty quickly as an engineer. I think it would be great to work for a smaller aircraft company, but that is always easier said than done.
Click to expand...

Based on PM conversations we have had you mentioned to me who you work for. I used to work for that company as well. I work for someone else now, but we just went through a big merger and are a pretty large aerospace company. I can tell you that the way all of these large aerospace companies work is by compartmentalizing tasks. The pay can be very good, but in a way, it can become golden handcuffs. If you stay in engineering, at the company you're at, in 10 to 15 more years you'll be in a position where you are making somewhere close to, or approaching, 100k a year. You might be married. You might have kids. You might own a house. And if you have all of those things, your money will be locked up in keeping those things.

I am basically describing to you the position I am in now. Aviation is a really fun hobby that I have. But it's just a hobby. I can't be the most important thing in my life, because I have six people that are completely financially dependent on me. Those people mean much more to me than flying does. But even with that being the case, I still get to go flying two to three times a month, and I get to do it for fun. I have taken about 15 different people on their first airplane flight. I have taken four of my five kids flying. I have taken my wife flying. I have taken my parents flying. This coming Saturday I am taking my sister and her two sons flying, and next week I am taking my uncle up. I have to tell you, it is really, really awesome!

It will ultimately have to come down to what you want out of life. Do you want a family? Do you want to see them every day? Is flying more important? Do you want to fly every day? Can you be happy feeding your aviation habit two times a month?

On an interesting side note, I met a guy at church the other day and started chatting with him. It turns out he is FO for Southwest. I told him how I just got my private, and he was SO JEALOUS. It was rather amusing to hear him talk about how he feels like he is just a bus driver up in the sky. He commented that us "GA guys" get to do the "real flying" and have "all the fun". We talked about going flying together sometime and were about to set it up when his wife came over. I mentioned to her that we were going to go flying. She just about had a nervous break down. Apparently she had some family members die in a Cessna 172 crash about a decade ago and now she is scared to death of GA airplanes. Right in front of me she forbade her husband from going flying with me at all. Crazy...
 
CC268 said:
Well thanks for all the replies - I think I would probably enjoy engineering a lot more if I was in the right area, but working for a massive company you get "lost" pretty quickly as an engineer. I think it would be great to work for a smaller aircraft company, but that is always easier said than done.
Click to expand...

This. If you can tolerate some risk, find a small company to work for. Small companies cannot pigeon hole you, they can't afford to. You'll get exposed to many different aspects of mechanical engineering (and probably a lot of other stuff) if you're capable and willing and ready to work hard. It's a great education in both engineering and business.

John
 
James331 said:
It's not the things you DO in life you regret in your final years, it's the things you DIDNT DO that haunt you.
Click to expand...

Good advice. This may drive me to switch from engineer to pilot one day. I'm hoping to get my IR finished in the next month or two and get my Commercial in another year or so once I get to 250.
 
I don't think anyone truly loves their job. You make the best of it and collect your pay. Flying for work in the end is still a job. I know many pilots they used to love to fly, now they just show up for work and make the best of it. I work full time, instruct and fly for my own pleasure on the side. I have zero regrets walking away from career flying. It killed my passion for flying when it was work.
 
I'll echo most of the sentiments that staying with engineering is probably the right choice, but only you know what will make you happy. That's the critical part: happy and content. All the money in the world can't make that a guarantee. (Though lacking it definitely can make it hard.)

I'm a software engineer. I love it. The key to having a good experience as an engineer is to find somewhere with a culture that works for you. Compared to many types of jobs, engineering has fairly easy motion from company to company. ME often specialize more than those of us in software, but it still holds generally true. If you don't like where you are, don't stay. Don't abandon engineering because the culture is wrong where you are. Research into where the culture is right for you. This is true generally even if the work is currently in an area (like aerospace) you think you like.

Flying is awesome. Engineering is awesome. You've got two great choices in front of you. You've picked a path and it may or may not be the right one, but I think your problem is more around the company you currently work for than the profession. Fix that first then approach the choice again.
 
@denverpilot Your reply is the first one I've ever saved I liked it so much. Excellent advice on money management. I'm three years older than the OP and that was gold. Thank you sir.
 
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