is bad QOL a guarantee?

[JeppsOnFire]

Well, I think the term ‘chasing the dragon’ can apply to this business.

When you start - just landing any job would be good enough.
Land a job - then getting the airplane you want would be good enough.
Get the plane - then getting left seat would be good enough.
Left seat - then getting the better pay would be good enough.
Better pay - then getting the good schedule would be good enough.
Good sked - then getting the jet would be good enough.
Get the jet - then getting variety instead of the same old destinations would be good enough.
Better trips - then getting away from commuting would be better for stress
Change to corporate to stay in your home town and stop commuting - quit and change over to true corporate department **all kinds of new complaints**

Try to find out what part of flying really makes you excited. Could be a fistful of thrust in one hand and fingertips on the sidestick carving a visual into KSFO in the bus. Or managing the magic to bust out at minimums and grease it on in MROC in a challenger.
Working with the medical teams and helping people in a Medevac operation. Wearing the hat and feeling the satisfaction of telling people you’re an airline pilot when they ask what you do for a living. Maybe 4 days free from duty on the beach in MMPR with a good coworker flying the Lear. Pushing your floatplane off the dock on a beautiful morning departure from Vancouver harbour. Flying whatever machine will keep you at home so you can build that old car or never miss a kids event. Getting big paycheques working all the hours you can get because dammit you just love everything about it.

If you can figure that out early in, you’ll enjoy what you do for much longer.

Good luck,

- Dad

[Outlaw58]

Well, I think the term ‘chasing the dragon’ can apply to this business.

When you start - just landing any job would be good enough.
Land a job - then getting the airplane you want would be good enough.
Get the plane - then getting left seat would be good enough.
Left seat - then getting the better pay would be good enough.
Better pay - then getting the good schedule would be good enough.
Good sked - then getting the jet would be good enough.
Get the jet - then getting variety instead of the same old destinations would be good enough.
Better trips - then getting away from commuting would be better for stress
Change to corporate to stay in your home town and stop commuting - quit and change over to true corporate department **all kinds of new complaints**

Try to find out what part of flying really makes you excited. Could be a fistful of thrust in one hand and fingertips on the sidestick carving a visual into KSFO in the bus. Or managing the magic to bust out at minimums and grease it on in MROC in a challenger.
Working with the medical teams and helping people in a Medevac operation. Wearing the hat and feeling the satisfaction of telling people you’re an airline pilot when they ask what you do for a living. Maybe 4 days free from duty on the beach in MMPR with a good coworker flying the Lear. Pushing your floatplane off the dock on a beautiful morning departure from Vancouver harbour. Flying whatever machine will keep you at home so you can build that old car or never miss a kids event. Getting big paycheques working all the hours you can get because dammit you just love everything about it.

If you can figure that out early in, you’ll enjoy what you do for much longer.

Good luck,

- Dad

I like what you wrote a lot. Good job!

58

[JEG]

JeppsOnFire made one of the best employment-related posts I've seen on this site in years. There are so many facets to this career that can be enjoyed as a career with good QOL. The key is to hopefully find what you like, find a good company that does it, and enjoy it, regardless of it being 604,702/3/4/5.

[Bug_Stomper_01]

Yes bad QOL is guaranteed in Canadas aviation business, there is no way around it.

[thepoors]

Divorce is a high chance in our industry. You'll understand sadly when it's too late.

If you want a family... it's hard. Do you have parents near by that can help? Some children are much harder than others to raise... can be taxing on a spouse.

If you're not around much or gone weekends because you bid a junior equipment... some other dad will be putting on your kids hockey equipment... eventually them being around makes them look attractive.

Raising a kid being single parent might not be much different than being married to an airline pilot.. especially if the spouse runs an online divorce calculator and might be richer and happier.

Times have changed. The Industry quality of life is terrible to what spouses and the general public wants.

Being I'm HNL for 5 days while missing your kids bday party and costing you a divorce is highly unattractive.

Many pilots end up poorer than the average Joe because of what divorce costs them.

But hey... we do it to fly metal A to B...

This is spot on.

People like "Dad" need to stop glorifying this lifestyle like some dumb Instagram influencer. Yeah it's fun having layovers in cool places ...for a little while. That shit gets old fast. When you've seen it all and just want to be home with your family but instead you're stuck in some hotel on Christmas Eve, it's downright painful.

Don't be blinded by shiny airplanes and "exotic" destinations, or worst of all: the mystical "passion for aviation." The reality is it's a job. It has its positives and negatives like any other. My advice is figure out if the positives outweigh the negatives for you.

[scdriver]

Divorce is a high chance in our industry. You'll understand sadly when it's too late.

If you want a family... it's hard. Do you have parents near by that can help? Some children are much harder than others to raise... can be taxing on a spouse.

If you're not around much or gone weekends because you bid a junior equipment... some other dad will be putting on your kids hockey equipment... eventually them being around makes them look attractive.

Raising a kid being single parent might not be much different than being married to an airline pilot.. especially if the spouse runs an online divorce calculator and might be richer and happier.

Times have changed. The Industry quality of life is terrible to what spouses and the general public wants.

Being I'm HNL for 5 days while missing your kids bday party and costing you a divorce is highly unattractive.

Many pilots end up poorer than the average Joe because of what divorce costs them.

But hey... we do it to fly metal A to B...

This is spot on.

People like "Dad" need to stop glorifying this lifestyle like some dumb Instagram influencer. Yeah it's fun having layovers in cool places ...for a little while. That shit gets old fast. When you've seen it all and just want to be home with your family but instead you're stuck in some hotel on Christmas Eve, it's downright painful.

Don't be blinded by shiny airplanes and "exotic" destinations, or worst of all: the mystical "passion for aviation." The reality is it's a job. It has its positives and negatives like any other. My advice is figure out if the positives outweigh the negatives for you.

Im sure all of that is true, but like another poster said above there are a lot of different jobs that are not “airline pilot” in this industry, and there are ones that will have you home every night and make a half decent living. No, these jobs will not pay what a 777 skipper will make so I think everyone in/entering the industry needs to find what is important to them in terms of lifestyle and pursue a side of the career based on that. I think a lot of the new pilots and especially the Instagram pilots will do anything to get the biggest iron as quick as possible, and those will be the ones that end up in the situation you guys are describing

[JeppsOnFire]

Divorce is a high chance in our industry. You'll understand sadly when it's too late.

If you want a family... it's hard. Do you have parents near by that can help? Some children are much harder than others to raise... can be taxing on a spouse.

If you're not around much or gone weekends because you bid a junior equipment... some other dad will be putting on your kids hockey equipment... eventually them being around makes them look attractive.

Raising a kid being single parent might not be much different than being married to an airline pilot.. especially if the spouse runs an online divorce calculator and might be richer and happier.

Times have changed. The Industry quality of life is terrible to what spouses and the general public wants.

Being I'm HNL for 5 days while missing your kids bday party and costing you a divorce is highly unattractive.

Many pilots end up poorer than the average Joe because of what divorce costs them.

But hey... we do it to fly metal A to B...

This is spot on.

People like "Dad" need to stop glorifying this lifestyle like some dumb Instagram influencer. Yeah it's fun having layovers in cool places ...for a little while. That shit gets old fast. When you've seen it all and just want to be home with your family but instead you're stuck in some hotel on Christmas Eve, it's downright painful.

Don't be blinded by shiny airplanes and "exotic" destinations, or worst of all: the mystical "passion for aviation." The reality is it's a job. It has its positives and negatives like any other. My advice is figure out if the positives outweigh the negatives for you.

So, now we know what's important to you, and also that you may have regrets. That kind of makes you a case in point.

If you're referring to my post, there was no glorification whatsoever. To reiterate, my opinion is that if you don't figure out what's important to you and you simply point your career in the direction of AC Widebody Cpt because that's the best job out there (or to impress others) - you may find yourself on an internet forum years later telling others that an aviation career in Canada sucks.
Think big picture, make the hard decisions and be intentional about it. There are no barriers to information about this industry.

FWIW - I haven't missed a Christmas Eve in over 20 years. I don't Instagram. I also appreciate and enjoy my job.

All the best,

- Dad