The journey is better than the destination

[atphat]

I've seen this quite a few times on this site and I'm always confused by it. To me it seems like pretty bad advice. Maybe to some the journey is better than the destination, but for me it couldn't be farther from the truth. I've never experienced more pay and better lifestyle than where I am now. Certainly more than my previous gigs. Don't get me wrong. I had some great times in the past and cherish the memories, but I put up with a lot to get where I am today, and only did the "journey" to get to the "destination", which quite frankly aren't even comparable. The flight levels are boring. Perfect

[goingnowherefast]

I've never had more fun in in airplane than flying floats. However, back to back 14-15 hour duty days, and that 6 month layoff every fall kinda suck. Don't get me wrong, I love my current IFR job but the flying isn't as much fun as sailing back towards a sandy beach on a nice day in July. Now I come home from work every evening, say hello to my wife, have a nice dinner, etc. Enjoying a different aspect of the journey.

I have enjoyed the journey so far, and I'm certainly not at the destination yet. Too young and broke to retire.

[Meatservo]

Don't get me wrong, I love my current IFR job but the flying isn't as much fun as sailing back towards a sandy beach on a nice day in July.

Probably a great deal MORE fun than sailing back onto the same beach in early October when it's just below freezing, blowing half a gale and the reason you're sailing is because your water-rudders are frozen and you can't get turned downwind to taxi closer. And the plane is full of the semi-frozen, shaggy remnants of two poorly-butchered moose and you know before you go home tonight you're going to have to find a way to wash the blood out of the cabin before it gets into the belly and starts to corrode stuff. They won't give you a swamper so unloading the moose is going to be, for you, like that scene from The Empire Strikes Back where Han Solo stuffs Luke into that shaggy animal's guts to keep him warm. 'Cept it's not warm because THESE moose have already been dead for three days, so you better keep the cabin heat off so it doesn't warm up and start to stink.

Yeah, it's funny that you can have more-or-less the same responsibilities as before, but now you can press a button and someone brings you a cup of coffee, and the cargo is still alive and unloads itself, your clothes stay clean and your feet are dry and comfortable. Sometimes "adventure" is just another word for fear and discomfort viewed from a comfortable place through the lens of intervening years.

[Rockie]

Sometimes "adventure" is just another word for fear and discomfort viewed from a comfortable place through the lens of intervening years.

Yeah, not sure of the alchemy involved but it's amazing how "stark terror" can turn into a "fond memory" after so many years.

[Shiny Side Up]

I just think it is what you make it, and everyone's journey is different. Besides the actual work, there's lots of things that happen along the way, and especially people you meet. Some of whom are gone and with the passage of time will continue to lose more of them. So sometimes you have to remember that you do have to enjoy the journey while its happening.

One should also note that the "journey" is still in progress. From my perspective its going to be sad when its over. But on the plus side, the grave probably won't be long after that. But that's all it is, perspective. Is your journey over now that you're in the left seat with coffee on demand?

[aviatrix444]

I think what they're getting at is that it's pointless to be miserable while you work your way towards the dream job, whatever that may be. By all means be driven towards that goal (I'm sure a few months slinging cargo in subzero is very motivating) but appreciate the experience and opportunities along the way.

Everyone has to go through it, so spending a couple of years hating your life just seems like an awful waste.

[tipsails]

While I don't discredit that many people have great jobs that they enjoy in the airlines... I think what most people are trying to say is, don't rush. You'll get there eventually and having had the chance to do many different things in aviation before flying the big tin you'll be better for it. Once you're there, it's essentially no going back. So if you really wanted to fly a Twin Otter on floats and never had the chance... you'll likely never do that now. So take an extra year or two... go fly that twotter/beaver/navajo/king air etc. Have fun and enjoy doing it rather than always looking at "how many more hours until that Jazz interview."

Talking to pilots and training captains I know at large Canadian airlines they all say the same thing. They can tell if someone flew floats, or a Cessna or a Navajo in the beginning of their career. The guys who get the Seneca award and go right to Jazz or whatever might think it's the best ever, but they don't know anything else to compare it to.

[garfield]

Just imagine yourself starting as FO on the A380 at 18 yo 250TT. You will say on the moment "hey, I won the lottery".

I guarantee you that after 20 years you will be f***ing bored!

[iflyforpie]

The other thing is people who nearly break themselves trying to get to the airlines.

If my resume looked like:

Skydive Toronto: 2002
Buffalo Airways: 2002
Keystone Airways: 2002-2005
JetsGo: 2005
Central Mountain Air: 2005-2009
Air Canada: 2009-present.

I would probably like the destination a lot more than the journey, too....

[Dockjock]

Too true, lived a very close version of that and agree completely pie.

[180]

The flight levels are boring. Perfect.

Too funny Atphat! The 24 year old version of me would have vehemently disagreed with you. And the 34 year old version of me would have politely disagreed with you. But the 44 year old version of me with a wife and kids and 7 of my 9 lives used up over the course of almost 20 years of bush work and float flying totally agrees with you. Bring on well paid boring so I can afford (and live) long enough to watch my kids have kids. I'm still enjoying my journey, I'm just more confident that I will live to see the destination in the not so distant future.