Flying verses a typical job

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rt4388

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rt4388
Flying versus a typical job

So I'm about to graduate from college, which means I'm about to be faced with some pretty big life decisions concerning careers and such.
Over the past six months, I have completely fallen in love with flying. In a way, my head is always in the clouds. I've been thinking about just dropping a career that involves my Econ, Finance, and Political Science Degrees and just picking up some sort of flying career. However, I'm a bit worried that I'm just in love with it now cause its new to me. Did you all have similar "obsession" periods? If so, did they wear off after a certain period of time? I'm afraid twenty years from now, I'll end up being bored with it.
Lastly, if I do decide to seriously consider a career in aviation, what is the best route to get my foot in the door somewhere? I already have a decent amount in college loans, so financially I am looking for a route that doesn't require a large initial investment.
Thanks for all the help everyone!
 
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How is it a decision after college... You trained for a job, go get said job :dunno:

Sound like between all your majors and now this you don't have a very solid direction, go take a intro glider flight and go from there.


http://www.ssa.org/WhereToFlyMap.asp

That said, I love flying, nothing I'd rather be doing, it pays for my life and doesn't feel like "work".

Now... It is VERY expensive to get your CPL/IFR, it is VERY hard to work your way up in the industry and you need to have thick skin and never accept no for a answer, unless you want this with every fiber of your being, without reservation, you will fail at making a career of it and you (or your parents) will have a mountain of debt to show for it, there are really no scholarships and quite a bit of expense.
 
James331 said:
Sound like between all your majors and now this you don't have a very solid direction, go take a intro glider flight and go from there.


http://www.ssa.org/WhereToFlyMap.asp

That said, I love flying, nothing I'd rather be doing, it pays for my life and doesn't feel like "work".

Now... It is VERY expensive to get your CPL/IFR, it is VERY hard to work your way up in the industry and you need to have thick skin and never accept no for a answer, unless you want this with every fiber of your being, without reservation, you will fail at making a career of it and you (or your parents) will have a mountain of debt to show for it, there are really no scholarships and quite a bit of expense.
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Whats the point of taking an intro glider flight? I don't quite follow the purpose of that.
 
rt4388 said:
Whats the point of taking an intro glider flight? I don't quite follow the purpose of that.
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You want to build a good foundation, all the major aces, space shuttle pilots, test pilots, famous airline pilots all were also glider pilots.

Start off in a glider, than tailwheel, than build hours shot gunning time with a friend flying across the country and across a boarder, somewhere in there get your IFR with a real IFR pilot in a area where you can log some IMC time. Get your CPL and IFR, now get your multi add on as cheap and fast as possible (no one will hire you in a multi for a while anyway), get your first job.

Well in a nutshell.
 
Flying commercial airlines, in my world, you are little more than a bus driver in 3D. I really don't think they are the epitome of accomplishment.

I think you will be bored after the new wears off. Military officer has some potential and they will pay off your loans. Don't like your job? No prob, Lat move to a new MOS that sounds better.

JetBlue is talking about a zero to hero program if flying is your flavor of the week.
 
Unit74 said:
Flying commercial airlines, in my world, you are little more than a bus driver in 3D. I really don't think they are the epitome of accomplishment.

I think you will be bored after the new wears off. Military officer has some potential and they will pay off your loans. Don't like your job? No prob, Lat move to a new MOS that sounds better.

JetBlue is talking about a zero to hero program if flying is your flavor of the week.
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Everyone's different, for me sitting in a office reading case law, or clicking away at CAD would get really boring.

Just got to figure out what you want to do in life, sadly with how we draw out childhood these days folks don't figure these things out till than a well into being a adult.
 
Unit74 said:
Flying commercial airlines, in my world, you are little more than a bus driver in 3D. I really don't think they are the epitome of accomplishment.

I think you will be bored after the new wears off. Military officer has some potential and they will pay off your loans. Don't like your job? No prob, Lat move to a new MOS that sounds better.

JetBlue is talking about a zero to hero program if flying is your flavor of the week.
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And the airline pilot bashing begins...
 
Sure, I get bored at times... but then I take a step back and think about how lucky I am to be doing this for a living.

How do you keep from getting bored? Challenge yourself. Make the next leg smoother and safer than the previous. Think everything through. Excel in what you do. Your passengers want the best pilot up in that front seat. Be that pilot.

Have pride in yourself and your job. People get bored because they let themselves get bored and take things for granted.

I hand fly every single airplane up to altitude, regardless of conditions or difficulty in the procedure. It keeps you sharp. I set goals for my landings and try to meet them every time.

To be honest, I don't feel like I've worked a real day in the past year that I've had this job.
 
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Cpt_Kirk said:
Sure, I get bored at times... but then I take a step back and think about how lucky I am to be doing this for a living.

How do you keep from getting bored? Challenge yourself. Make the next leg smoother and safer than the previous. Think everything through. Excel in what you do. Your passengers want the best pilot up in that front seat. Be that pilot.

Have pride in yourself and your job. People get bored because they let themselves get bored and take things for granted.

I hand fly every single airplane up to altitude, regardless of conditions or difficulty in the procedure. It keeps you sharp. I set goals for my landings and try to meet them every time.

To be honest, I don't feel like I've worked a real day in the past year that I've had this job.
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So if I was to go for it, what would be the best route in your opinion?
 
rt4388 said:
So if I was to go for it, what would be the best route in your opinion?
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I don't honestly know. I know what I did, but I'm not sure it was the best route.

The best advice I can give is to meet and become friends with everyone you can at the airport. There are a lot of people at Athens with connections who can do more for you than you realize. Just work hard, be personable, and keep your head straight.

Don't beg. Don't ever beg, whine, or make excuses. That's the quickest way to lose respect.
 
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rt4388 said:
So I'm about to graduate from college, which means I'm about to be faced with some pretty big life decisions concerning careers and such.
Over the past six months, I have completely fallen in love with flying. In a way, my head is always in the clouds. I've been thinking about just dropping a career that involves my Econ, Finance, and Political Science Degrees and just picking up some sort of flying career. However, I'm a bit worried that I'm just in love with it now cause its new to me. Did you all have similar "obsession" periods? If so, did they wear off after a certain period of time? I'm afraid twenty years from now, I'll end up being bored with it.
Lastly, if I do decide to seriously consider a career in aviation, what is the best route to get my foot in the door somewhere? I already have a decent amount in college loans, so financially I am looking for a route that doesn't require a large initial investment.
Thanks for all the help everyone!
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That doesn't equate to this:



rt4388 said:
So if I was to go for it, what would be the best route in your opinion?
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Learning to fly is stupid expensive and doesn't pay squat until you luck your way into a company that flies 200+ pax plus equipment and doesn't go out of business.

Good luck.


...oh, and single pilot 121 isn't that far away. That'll squash any pilot shortage you may have heard of.
 
Soooo, youve taken large student loans (first mistake, but I digress...) and now you want to toss all that money youve spent to spend (or get more loans...) more to get a whole lotta flight time to get a relatively (at first at least) low paying job that wont pay back all those loans you took. Good plan.

How about you finish what you started by getting a job in your field of study and go start on your ppl (paying cash along the way) and go from there (after the original loans are paid off).
 
JCranford said:
Soooo, youve taken large student loans (first mistake, but I digress...) and now you want to toss all that money youve spent to spend (or get more loans...) more to get a whole lotta flight time to get a relatively (at first at least) low paying job that wont pay back all those loans you took. Good plan.

How about you finish what you started by getting a job in your field of study and go start on your ppl (paying cash along the way) and go from there (after the original loans are paid off).
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Yes, I have taken on some student loans, which by no means was a mistake. And even if it was a mistake, so what? You live and you learn. I was 17 when I decided to go to college--no 17 year old can always make the right decision. In terms of finishing what I started, what started when I began college was a route to a happy, fulfilling life. Preferences change. I doubt all of your preferences are the same as they were four years ago. Saying I'm not finishing what I started by simply going down a different career path is absurd. All roads connect. If you have an answer to the questions I posed, feel free to respond. Otherwise, don't hijack the post.
 
If you want to fly in the majors, you're looking at $100k-$150k. Worth it IMO, but it's something you have to have a die hard passion for.
 
ktup-flyer said:
If you want to fly in the majors, you're looking at $100k-$150k. Worth it IMO, but it's something you have to have a die hard passion for.
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Keep in mind that 100-150k isnt immediate... It's a looooong road before a paycheck like that starts rolling in.
 
Hate to see you put that political science degree to waste!
 
Or do like many of us... Take a job other than flying that you can do well in and fly for fun.
 
Graduate and get the best paying job you can get... then

If you have good glider club near by join that, it is the easiest way to turn spare time into Private Pilot certficate with out a much money. It will take a lot of time, but will likely be cheap.

2nd option, find a flying club or part 61 flying club and start taking lessons.

This will help satisfy the desire to fly and start you on the path to a flying career if you decide to get there. Once you get you private pilot certificate you can decide if flying is going to be a hobby or if you want to continue advancing toward a flying career.

Most people her will tell you the best way to fly is get a good job that will let fly for fun.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL
 
Twenty years from now you might be bored with whatever you choose, or you might not. Some people pick a field when they are young, and are happy with their choice their entire career, but I don't think those people are in the majority. Many are derailed by the business environment, family problems, or loss of interest, to name a few reasons, and end up on a different path. Not that that is necessarily bad.
 
Just to clarify, I already have my PPL. Just hit the "milestone" of 50 hours total time the other night.
 
I can't advise you much on the way to go about getting job, other than just hanging around airports, planes and the people who fly them. Never know when or where you might find a mentor. I know I asked my dad one time who retired from his job at 55 if he would have done differently. He said yes. He would have retired sooner if he could have. I asked him why and he said that he worked it for 34 years and hated it for 32 years. Don't think anyone should be in that position.
 
rt4388 said:
Just to clarify, I already have my PPL. Just hit the "milestone" of 50 hours total time the other night.
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So you're young, little direction, 3 majors about to graduate and you recently got your PPL... Might I ask what you parents do for a living?
 
James331 said:
So you're young, little direction, 3 majors about to graduate and you recently got your PPL... Might I ask what you parents do for a living?
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A tire salesman and a para pro at an elementary school, while running a small business. Why do you ask?
 
Just seem like you must come from quite a bit of money if you're getting a pilots liscense during college and getting degrees for no reason just to turn a 180 for flying, which is night a day from all your other degrees.

I mean best of luck finding what you're looking for in life, just I couldn't fathom raking up all this debt and not following through with a job.
 
James331 said:
Just seem like you must come from quite a bit of money if you're getting a pilots liscense during college and getting degrees for no reason just to turn a 180 for flying, which is night a day from all your other degrees.

I mean best of luck finding what you're looking for in life, just I couldn't fathom raking up all this debt and not following through with a job.
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It's a long story how I ended up with three degrees, but I did it in 4 years. For me, the most expensive part of college is living expenses because I've had scholarships almost the whole time. And since it was still 4 years of school, it wasn't any more expensive than it would have been otherwise. And I worked full time throughout college, which is how I paid for my license.
 
James331 said:
just to turn a 180 for flying, which is night a day from all your other degrees.
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But.... but..... Everyone says to get a degree NOT in aviation :dunno:

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
 
James331 said:
So you're young, little direction, 3 majors about to graduate and you recently got your PPL... Might I ask what you parents do for a living?
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Does that matter? Pretty nosy, aren't we?
 
rt4388 said:
It's a long story how I ended up with three degrees, but I did it in 4 years. For me, the most expensive part of college is living expenses because I've had scholarships almost the whole time. And since it was still 4 years of school, it wasn't any more expensive than it would have been otherwise. And I worked full time throughout college, which is how I paid for my license.
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I'm confused. In your opening post you said you have lots school loan debt and here you said you had scholarships. I'm at a lost.
 
If every time some new poster asks a question it becomes an inquisition, that's the last question they're ever going to ask here. Just sayin'...
 
evapilotaz said:
I'm confused. In your opening post you said you have lots school loan debt and here you said you had scholarships. I'm at a lost.
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This is getting wayyyy off topic. Yes, I have college loans. However, I don't have three degrees worth of college loans.
 
rt4388 said:
This is getting wayyyy off topic. Yes, I have college loans. However, I don't have three degrees worth of college loans.
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IMHO, I suggest pursuing a typical career using your majors, and use the money you make to earn you ratings at a fast pace. Then feel free to do a career change when you have the ratings, and are financially stable enough to do so. Seems like the best of both worlds to me...

YMMV

EDIT: Just because you start out in one direction doesnt mean you cant return to aviation. However if you start out in aviation, your degrees become less usable.
 
Everskyward said:
If every time some new poster asks a question it becomes an inquisition, that's the last question they're ever going to ask here. Just sayin'...
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Thank you. Honestly, at this point I would almost rather delete the thread and rely on google than listen to people's advice on something I didn't ask about when they only know a couple of paragraphs about me
 
jordane93 said:
And the airline pilot bashing begins...
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Nothing wrong with airline flying. It is just like any other career, it is not for everyone. I still fly for a living outside of 121. I learned quite a lot while there and do not regret the years flying 121 but today I am much more engaged and satisfied working in other segments of aviation. That someone called airline 3d bus driving is just their opinion. While true for that poster it might not be true for others.
 
I'm pushing 40 and wish I would have given being a professional pilot a shot when I was younger. Fortunately, I'm able to fly for fun and business now - but there's still the "what if?" of what it would have been like to get paid to hang out at the airport. If you really want to do it, I say go for it - just make sure you graduate first. Worst case scenario is that you make some connections and have to get a real job and pay off "typical" student debt in a few years (assuming you can't cash flow your instrument and commercial).
 
rt4388 said:
Thank you. Honestly, at this point I would almost rather delete the thread and rely on google than listen to people's advice on something I didn't ask about when they only know a couple of paragraphs about me
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Sorry about your, um, welcome to POA. Hope you give us another chance...

Personally I envy your youthful exuberance. I don't think I had it even when I was a youth...

Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
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rt4388 said:
Thank you. Honestly, at this point I would almost rather delete the thread and rely on google than listen to people's advice on something I didn't ask about when they only know a couple of paragraphs about me
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As a long-ago poli sci major who loved to fly, I hear what you're saying. I followed a different career path, then, after 35 years fell into a job flying 121. It's awesome!

If you're passionate about it, try to find a job at the airport. Hanging around airports and aviators is the best way to open up aviation opportunities. Start working on your instrument ticket and the rest will fall into place.

One of my airline classmates took a entry-level job at the airport which ultimately led to someone buying him all his ratings while paying him to learn to fly. That might be a one in a million thing, but stuff happens!

Good luck.
 
In my opinion flying is kinda like a regular job. At least that is what it turns into after a while. You have a boss, a customer and your life outside of work. Just like any other career you have to find the balance between work and personal life for yourself because everyone's situation is different. My job often displaces me geographically from my family but generally not for long. When I'm home I usually have the freedom to be engaged it what is going on at home. I have family that have pursued other forms of white collar jobs that never leave the town they live in but require them to bring work home and work long hours. Frankly they have less quality time with their immediate family. I am currently investing in starting a side business within aviation that will hopefully allow my wife to quit her job and we will always be together because they can follow me around on contracts. That kind of flexibility doesn't come with every job.

To be honest your question about boredom is hard to answer without knowing you. For me personally I bounced around in the industry for 10 years before I found a role that is sticking. That is one nice thing about this industry, there are many ways to earn a living. Corporate and airline are just the two most widely talked about but are by no means all there is available. There is a good chance you will find a place that works for you.

As far as saving money I would recommend looking around and finding an experienced professional instructor to work with on a fast track part 61 training program tailored to your goals. Most of the large schools are substantially marked up. There are some benefits to the larger schools. There are clear curriculums and also preferential interview programs with many of the regional airlines. I'm not so sure those benefits are worth the cost delta, especially if you are not sure about an airline career. Thats really for you to decide.
 
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