Looking for Advice on Career Change. 25 Yrs Old. Burned Out?

austin757 said:
Airline pilot and I have no desire to do this job for much longer. The pay is pretty good and it does get better the longer one in is in the industry. That said, I feel I can make more and feel more fulfilled doing other things. I have degree in Business, but not from a top school. I finished it online while flying full time. Have experience working with small businesses and would like projects/part time work on the side in addition to a full time job. As far as career goes, I am thinking a MegaCorp and hopefully work my way up into management, but I do not know if I have the qualifications to even get in the door due to my experience. I have experience as an instructor and management at my airline, and managing is the part I like about the job, not so much the flying. So I guess my passion is anything business, real estate, management, etc. I have thought about working my way up higher in airline management ranks, but I do not think that is too common for pilots.

Sorry for the long winded post. I guess I am just at a stand still. Even having trouble sleeping lately due to thinking constantly that I am running out of time to make any changes will be stuck even further. Could be COVID that put the nail in the coffin for me, not sure. I still pick up overtime to fly just to get out of the house just because I NEED to be busy and doing stuff. But it has gotten to the point that I'm counting down the minutes until our descent due to boredom at cruise altitude. Once the airplane parks at the gate, I try to get off and on my way as soon as I can. Any advice is appreciated.
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PM me. I have a story / thoughts / need to pick your brain a little.
 
Hacker said:
That's all fair commentary, but my point was that the "move up the ladder" exciting job that he seems to crave may not be what it seems, especially as life priorities change over time. I used to crave that too, and ultimately found it an empty and unfulfilling pursuit.

One route offers flexibility (a boring seniority-based job like the airlines) and the other largely doesn't (by the merit-based nature of it). I think it would be a shame to leave a career that gives opportunities for a lot of other life activities that are open enough to find whatever does make OP fulfilled and happy...especially since he doesn't yet know what those things are.
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I do not know what those things are. Got to find stuff that makes me happy.
 
Tantalum said:
Yo! Don't be discouraged, you're still young... I'm 33 and still not sure what I want to do when I grow up..

FWIW a long ago I decided that as much as I love aviation I would not want to turn my hobby and passion into a job. I heard too many horror stories from career pilots who either got furloughed in their forties (now what?!) or ended up becoming bitter and hating aviation. I never really believed in the saying that "if you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life." It sounds nice but this is reality.. part of what keeps something special is the elusive and unattainable nature of it..

My advice to you is to find something that you're good at and you do not hate (you don't have to love it, that's okay) and just be the best that you can be at it in your field and climb that ladder

I am fortunate to have a good job.. I don't love it, but I also don't hate it.. pays the bills and I use my job strictly as a vehicle for a paycheck that I can then take and do fun stuff with


For all the people that found joy with a career in aviation I genuinely give you kudos.. that's rare. Enjoy it and never take it for granted

Good luck man
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Thank you. Great advice.
 
austin757 said:
I do not know what those things are. Got to find stuff that makes me happy.
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I don't mean to be rude or cliche, but stuff or a different job won't make you happy. I definitely think you should do some exploring and find stuff you enjoy doing, and change jobs if necessary, but please don't expect for that to be a magic cure for your unhappiness/boredom. It never works.

Just out of curiosity, why did you want to become an airline pilot in the first place? I am hoping to some day sooner or later be able to fly as my job and it is always interesting to me to hear others' stories!
 
SkyChaser said:
I don't mean to be rude or cliche, but stuff or a different job won't make you happy. I definitely think you should do some exploring and find stuff you enjoy doing, and change jobs if necessary, but please don't expect for that to be a magic cure for your unhappiness/boredom. It never works.

Just out of curiosity, why did you want to become an airline pilot in the first place? I am hoping to some day sooner or later be able to fly as my job and it is always interesting to me to hear others' stories!
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I'm not exactly sure. I was getting bored with the work I was doing before finishing my flight training. At first, I was thinking I would just get my Private and go up once in a while, but the flying started to grow on me and I figured I could make a career out of it. I also wanted to find something where I could make good money with a reasonable amount of time off to pursue other ventures, so flying seemed to fit the bill. I still take the job very seriously; study the manuals all the time, try to mentor new pilots, be a good representative of the company, etc. But now, the flying and job do nothing for me and I feel it's so easy, a monkey could do it. The crazy thing is even know though I don't enjoy being there, it's better than being stuck at home doing nothing.

It might seem crazy to some, but I would much rather see myself working behind the scenes running the operations, or even negotiating with the pilot and flight attendant unions on their pay rates and contract, rather than sitting in the front of the airplane.
 
I guess I’m a slacker because I know a monkey could do my job but I still do it anyway. :D All jobs loose their luster after awhile and they should. That’s why it’s called a job. These days I revolve around what happens after work and not what goes on at work.
 
austin757 said:
I'm not exactly sure. I was getting bored with the work I was doing before finishing my flight training. At first, I was thinking I would just get my Private and go up once in a while, but the flying started to grow on me and I figured I could make a career out of it. I also wanted to find something where I could make good money with a reasonable amount of time off to pursue other ventures, so flying seemed to fit the bill. I still take the job very seriously; study the manuals all the time, try to mentor new pilots, be a good representative of the company, etc. But now, the flying and job do nothing for me and I feel it's so easy, a monkey could do it. The crazy thing is even know though I don't enjoy being there, it's better than being stuck at home doing nothing.

It might seem crazy to some, but I would much rather see myself working behind the scenes running the operations, or even negotiating with the pilot and flight attendant unions on their pay rates and contract, rather than sitting in the front of the airplane.
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It doesn't matter much what everyone else thinks if you would like it. I suspect someone will think you are crazy no matter what you decide to do.

Did you find that flying doesn't provide enough time to do other stuff or were you hoping that you would find something more mentally stimulating? If you can, see if you can jobshadow some people. If it's in the same airline, they might be more willing to do that, and it could help you see if you might like it.

In regards to that monkey, I think you should try finding a brand new private pilot student and ride along on a lesson. Unless monkeys are smarter than me, which they might be, you might want to change your mind or at least give that monkey some flight training!
 
austin757 said:
It might seem crazy to some, but I would much rather see myself working behind the scenes running the operations, or even negotiating with the pilot and flight attendant unions on their pay rates and contract, rather than sitting in the front of the airplane.
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It doesn't seem crazy at all - it's just that as we get older a lot of us have realized that very few jobs will always provide a sense of fulfillment, especially a career's worth. As you get good at a task, what used to be challenging will eventually become routine. Even on the business side! So we find jobs that we hopefully enjoy, but still give us the time off and income to pursue the stuff that *really* matters.
 
You have really done well, especially so early into your airline career. It appears you do well in a training environment and are readily successful. Upgrading to captain and becoming a checkairman - not trival feats.

I want to say two things.

First is that this is probably the first time in your life that you are no longer in a training environment. You have finished school and all the flight training you will get in a while. So, without a clear plan and objectives laid out before you, I think you have found yourself in unfamiliar territory and, not knowing what to do, disturbs you. This period of non-training comes along in all vocations and usually lasts a lot longer than not. And, an pilot career is more training intensive than most jobs. So, you may want to consider alternative ways to deal with this than to just decide you have to change careers.

Secondly, at 25, you really don't have any life experience although you may think you do. Dealing with this sort of stuff is what growing up is all about. Granted, an airline career may not be for you since you don't like being away from home, etc. But if you think everything will be fine once you change careers, chances are, you will be disappointed. I suggest getting advice from seasoned professionals from all disciplines about what they do when things are routine. Chances are many will say nothing is routine - only appears that way.

I am retired now, but have been lucky enough to have had 3 careers: police officer (in a major metropolitan city), electrical engineer (for major companies doing R&D), and pilot for a major regional airline (my last gig). I really, really miss being and airline pilot. I kinda miss being a police officer. I don't miss engineering at all.
 
I’ll say one thing, I’d rather be burn out from flying, than being burn out in any other type of ground job. We get accustomed to the beauty of flight and take it for granted. Getting bored of seeing sunsets and sunrises from the air is much more desirable than becoming bored of seeing 4 walls of an office everyday. But, to each his own.
 
noahfong said:
You have really done well, especially so early into your airline career. It appears you do well in a training environment and are readily successful. Upgrading to captain and becoming a checkairman - not trival feats.

I want to say two things.

First is that this is probably the first time in your life that you are no longer in a training environment. You have finished school and all the flight training you will get in a while. So, without a clear plan and objectives laid out before you, I think you have found yourself in unfamiliar territory and, not knowing what to do, disturbs you. This period of non-training comes along in all vocations and usually lasts a lot longer than not. And, an pilot career is more training intensive than most jobs. So, you may want to consider alternative ways to deal with this than to just decide you have to change careers.

Secondly, at 25, you really don't have any life experience although you may think you do. Dealing with this sort of stuff is what growing up is all about. Granted, an airline career may not be for you since you don't like being away from home, etc. But if you think everything will be fine once you change careers, chances are, you will be disappointed. I suggest getting advice from seasoned professionals from all disciplines about what they do when things are routine. Chances are many will say nothing is routine - only appears that way.

I am retired now, but have been lucky enough to have had 3 careers: police officer (in a major metropolitan city), electrical engineer (for major companies doing R&D), and pilot for a major regional airline (my last gig). I really, really miss being and airline pilot. I kinda miss being a police officer. I don't miss engineering at all.
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You know, I have never thought about it like that. Maybe I am just so used to looking toward the next goal, I am not prepared for a slowdown. I definitely think that is part of it.
 
austin757 said:
You know, I have never thought about it like that. Maybe I am just so used to looking toward the next goal, I am not prepared for a slowdown. I definitely think that is part of it.
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Nothing wrong with wanting more and setting goals outside of flying. I knew guys in the military with a similar outlook. To them, flying was just a menial task that they conquered and now they wanted something more. They wanted to be in leadership positions that they believed could affect the most change. For me, being a “bus driver” was enough, for others, it’s all about the next challenge. I get that.
 
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Thanks again for all the advice everyone. I flew yesterday for the first time in a few weeks (4 flights/one day trip) and I must say, I actually enjoyed being back in the air. It made me feel somewhat useful to back and to be part of the action again, so to speak. I am definitely keeping my eyes open for better opportunities, but it kind of reminded me that things aren't so bad after all. Especially with a lot of people I know not even having a job right now.
 
noahfong said:
You have really done well, especially so early into your airline career. It appears you do well in a training environment and are readily successful. Upgrading to captain and becoming a checkairman - not trival feats.

I want to say two things.

First is that this is probably the first time in your life that you are no longer in a training environment. You have finished school and all the flight training you will get in a while. So, without a clear plan and objectives laid out before you, I think you have found yourself in unfamiliar territory and, not knowing what to do, disturbs you. This period of non-training comes along in all vocations and usually lasts a lot longer than not. And, an pilot career is more training intensive than most jobs. So, you may want to consider alternative ways to deal with this than to just decide you have to change careers.

Secondly, at 25, you really don't have any life experience although you may think you do. Dealing with this sort of stuff is what growing up is all about. Granted, an airline career may not be for you since you don't like being away from home, etc. But if you think everything will be fine once you change careers, chances are, you will be disappointed. I suggest getting advice from seasoned professionals from all disciplines about what they do when things are routine. Chances are many will say nothing is routine - only appears that way.

I am retired now, but have been lucky enough to have had 3 careers: police officer (in a major metropolitan city), electrical engineer (for major companies doing R&D), and pilot for a major regional airline (my last gig). I really, really miss being and airline pilot. I kinda miss being a police officer. I don't miss engineering at all.
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I miss being a cop, too. Hated active duty military- had only one DA mission with the rest just being training ourselves or foreign military. After working local narcotics as civilian cop, was offered a job to work federal undercover (my dream job). Met my wife a week later. Quit the job the following week, married her, and ended up bucking trees for a living. Wouldn’t change it for the world. Now I’m a third rate pilot, a second rate lumberjack, happily living life with a first rate bride. At the end of the day, a job doesn’t keep you warm at night or grow old with you.

Really interesting reading all of the perspectives in this thread.



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