Ah the good ol back up value argument. Yeah, I was part of that lie once.
The value of backup degrees/vocations you have no tolerance for is overstated. And people do overstate the hell out of their purported tolerance for jobs they say they'd do as a "backup". If it was tolerable, you'd be doing it as a primary in the first place. I'm guilty as charged. That's why most who say "yeah i got this degree in X in case this flying thing don't work out" are generally being intellectually dishonest. I know I was.
The fact remains I could have got a degree in transgender basket weaving studies, and still qualified for my military flying living wage position. I thought ruining my childless and careless years in college by pursuing a degree concentration I found (in hindsight) only interesting and engaging at the conceptual level but insufferable at the math and workplace level, was a smart play to gain favor to a competitive Guard/Reserve pilot slot. I gambled wrong. Turns out an affinity for fraternity life and embracing how to play crud would have served me better than 7 years of hating college life come interview time. Water under the bridge now.
I've never used my two degrees in AE nor will ever thrive in that environment. In all reality, I'd probably work at a simulator or do expat work in Central America and the Caribbean to make a living before working domestically as an engineer for 40-50K, which is about what my degrees without practical direct engineering experience would be worth, tops.
To be clear, I could "linked-in" BS buzzword my way into a meh consulting position based on my flight experience and the technical degree canard, but that's corporate job "spin" to grab a check. That's survivor/practical behavior, nothing wrong with that, but hardly the reason one goes to college and picks a major for in the first place. Backup degree mentalities may feed you for a while, but in my eyes it only creates a sea of disheartened laborers, which I find a suitable description for the majority of my compatriots. I don't find that position particularly enviable, so I question the wisdom of proferring the "backup degree" mantra.
Most of my peers have non-technical and technical degrees alike that would leave them with dramatic paycuts if they were to quit/RIF/lose the medical ability to stay in their officer jobs. Their degrees are ballwash and they know it. Same goes for airline pilots. But the point is they don't need a specific degree to have their job, which does lends credence to the scheme of everybody just going to college to check the box. There's no backup value to that however ime.
So pilots are and have always been kind of hosed, because the majority don't make good coin. So you can be a survivalist and grind your teeth for a lifetime of insipid work you only do for a living wage paycheck you rather not spend your days doing, or you can accept the opportunity cost of income loss as a function of performing the kind of work that doesn't make you suicidal after six months. I hate the mutually exclusive nature to the happiness-money curve, but as far as pilot work goes, the relationship does tends to lean mutually exclusive. I'd love to have the affinity to tolerate high paying computer coding work, and be an "essential worker" in the 21st century economy. Alas, I don't, but I'm not gonna commit seppuku over it. I rather be underpaid than come home and kick my dog every day because I privately hate my vocational life.
Life's too short to be a drone.
