Please help! Should I become an AME at age 32??

HeavyD · Post by **HeavyD** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 3:05 am

Hello all, I am new to this excellent forum. After leaving my job as a jail guard

(just couldn't take it anymore) I need a new career. Since I can remember I have enjoyed aviation but my eyes are too bad to ever fly. I was thinking of being an AME but at my age (32) I want to make the right choice. I have been told by most schools out there that the jobs are plentiful...am I being fed a line? Is an M career better than an S (structures)? What are the pros /cons of each? Is this going to be a rewarding career? If you posters could redo your career choice, would you become an AME again?
Thanks for any input anyone can give a slightly-older person having a tough time deciding his career!

tuxedo1 · Post by **tuxedo1** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 7:06 am

If you are a nutcase for aviation and like aircraft and machinery then your choice will be clear. Aviation is an unstable business at best though, most of us here have seen our share of company bankruptcies and layoffs - one minute you are making fair wages and the next you're back with some little startup making minimums in some god forsaken remote base.

As bleak as it can be at times we meet some wonderful people in this business and have some memorable adventures.

If you are looking for stability and good money I can think of many other lines of work....good luck with your choices.

Tux

J.P.WISER · Post by **J.P.WISER** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 9:11 am

Fixing cars
1.You get paid more to fix cars.
2.You work Monday to Friday mabey some Saterdays.
3.You get to sleep all night.
4.You are never on the road ie home everynight.
5.You don't have to live in buck f_ck nowere.
6.You don't have to work outside at -40c with a 40 knot wind.
7.The service manager has to deal with the customer.
8.You don't have to work for 20 to 30 hours straight till the job is done.
9.And so on and so on.

Fixing aircraft
1.Something different most of the time. Them pilots sure can find alot of ways to break an airplane.
2.Get to see tons of cool places.
3.Get to work with lots of different and good guys even the pilots.
4.Great sense of pride in your job, because everything has to work just right.
5.Get to travel with not bad discounts.
6.Better know how to drink!!!

If you want to go to the structures side you have to be totaly disfunctional. I have yet to meet any normal sheet metal guy's. Really everyone is somewhat disfunctional in aviation.

As for lots of work there isn't lots but you can get a job, probley have to move thought.

All in all I wouldn't chage anything except the pay!!!!
Good luck

HeavyD · Post by **HeavyD** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 10:07 am

Thanx for the help. This is an excellent forum with interersting discussions. I will check back daily to see if any new responses are on.

Horseman · Post by **Horseman** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 2:28 pm

HeavyD:

There are lots of guys moving into Aviation Maintenance, as a second career. But many haven't got their eyes open to the working conditions, and pay. Visit a few companies and talk to the AME's, they will give you the straight goods.

I found the following WEB page from Alberta Government Human resources, it provides some info on wages in Alberta, but most Provincial Gorvernment Web sites have similar info. http://www.alis.gov.ab.ca/wageinfo/Cont ... 0&NOC=7315

I have found that starting wages after your two years of College are about 10.00 to 12.00 per hour. Depending on the company, Union rates are higher of course.

Read the thread entitled "Apprentice" under "Maintenance", for some enlightenment.

Horseman

Youngback · Post by **Youngback** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 4:33 pm

I know a guy from my last job who was 43 and just finishing as an apprentice in structures. Good guy, had an issue at first paying the bills with a wife and kids but he's happy now in a job he loves and starting to make decent coin. You could be pretty far ahead in 11 years. Or 33 years till normal retirement. You're not 90 after all.

J.P.WISER · Post by **J.P.WISER** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 8:49 am

Hey Youngback,

Was this guy disfunctional....I gusse he must have been, changing careers at 43. There all still pretty good guy's don't get me wrong.

Youngback · Post by **Youngback** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 6:02 pm

Well he planted trees for awhile before he changed jobs so I guess he could have been crazy. He just picked work he thought he would like for the first 20 years. Then the bills and idea of pensionless retirement kicked in i think.

J.P.WISER · Post by **J.P.WISER** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 7:09 pm

Youngback,

You need to tell him that most places don't have pension plans or great wages so really the end result is the same you just got like what you are doing. Most arn't wrenching cause there going to be rich and sitback watch the pension money roll in. I wish but I think I just cause we enjoy it to much to care(most anyway).

HeavyD · Post by **HeavyD** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 12:27 am

No pension at all, eh? Anything else I should know about the industry? Anyone have any interesting tales of working on contract out of country?

J.P.WISER · Post by **J.P.WISER** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:54 am

Big places offer pensions like Air Canada,West jet but the small places just can't pay and pension you both, some small places are starting to offer like 2% but that is kinda small, try to live that at age 55-60 years old

lazionic · Post by **lazionic** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 3:07 pm

Heavy D, have you considered a career in avionics? It is the way of the future for aircrafts. Just read up on the new 7E7 most of the mechanical stuff is going to electronics. Structures is not a bad way to go either, here's a small article, posted under Where the Jobs are. http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/a ... tml#187426

Lasher · Post by **Lasher** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 7:08 pm

I was 30 years old when I switched over from auto mechanic to AME. Was I to old to be doing it? I don't think so as of yet anyway. Was I stupid for leaving Light Vehicle Mechanics? Definately!

Like Aviation, there are jobs out there that pay quite well on the automotive side (probably a higher percentage comparitivly) but when you start doing a job and the book gives you an hour to do it in and it takes you two, who do you think covers that lost hour? Dosn't always happen but it only takes a couple of shitty jobs to ruin a paycheck.

Plus with aviation, no mud and water running down your neck, I always hated that.

So thinking back, which field would I have chosen to go into? Neither, there has to be better jobs out there someplace.

Lasher · Post by **Lasher** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 7:08 pm

Sorry my screwup, this one shouldn't have been here....

HeavyD · Post by **HeavyD** » Wed Jul 14, 2004 10:01 pm

I wondered about structures..was quite interested in it actually, but Stevenson aviation is trying to convince me that mechanics is the better way to go. Of course, AME-M is 2 yrs and gives the school more $$...
From that article link there appears to be many jobs in the States..should a person consider taking schooling there? Do they pay better than Canada? Can our schooling be used to get a US job? Anyone have any info on the American AME scene? I have never considered moving from Canada, but I would not object to it as long as it was worth it financially and not in some crackhead-infested city...I already live in a dump.

Pat Richard · Post by **Pat Richard** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 12:47 am

heavy D,

Wondering if you read the post Horsemen suggested? What are your comments on what's posted there?
There are no more great people in this industry than any other,and quite honsestly, more pricks than you would expect. So that's hardly a reason for recommending it to you. Yes, most AME's drink beer, usually with each other, 'cause no one else is around at 4 in the morning to drink and talk to. In short, forget about a social life.
Travel benefits, unless you are with a bigger airline,(westjet,AC) this is a rare benefit. Going into the sticks to work machines is the more common "travel benefit". Ditto for the cool places.
Quite honestly, there are no good reasons to get into this industry. The part about doin' this cause you love it, and not for the money, is an attitude that is getting us nowhere. If you don't give a shit about getting paid in equivelance to the importance of your responsibility, you're whoring yourself and bringing the rest of us down with you, because that's the standard the industry will/does hold the rest of us to because of a few who will do it.
Talk to as many individuals as you can D, and ask the questions about lifestyle,pay,benefits, etc. Some will say to your face how great it is, and 20 min later in the lunchroom, will be crying how bad it is. Get the info, and decide for yourself. Oh yeah, don't believe a f#@cking word the schools tell you. They are in direct conflict with the truth, because the truth will keep people from enrolling, and they would'nt be around for long if they spoke it.

Pat

coleface · Post by **coleface** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 12:07 pm

My advice is go for structures, lots of older ac out there needing repair and lots odfstart ups buying older machines as they can't afford new equipment.

just my observation after 25 yrs in the business

AME's pay is poor unless you get into corporate etc, no change in 30 yrs and don't expect any soon.

cheers

J.P.WISER · Post by **J.P.WISER** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 8:16 pm

Don't forget about how the pilots kick the shit out of the aircraft, then there are cargo, ramp att, dock hands too lots of work!!!!

benchmark · Post by **benchmark** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 5:04 am

J.P.WISER wrote:Fixing cars
1.You get paid more to fix cars.
2.You work Monday to Friday mabey some Saterdays.
3.You get to sleep all night.
4.You are never on the road ie home everynight.
5.You don't have to live in buck f_ck nowere.
6.You don't have to work outside at -40c with a 40 knot wind.
7.The service manager has to deal with the customer.
8.You don't have to work for 20 to 30 hours straight till the job is done.
9.And so on and so on.

Fixing aircraft
1.Something different most of the time. Them pilots sure can find alot of ways to break an airplane.
2.Get to see tons of cool places.
3.Get to work with lots of different and good guys even the pilots.
4.Great sense of pride in your job, because everything has to work just right.
5.Get to travel with not bad discounts.
6.Better know how to drink!!!

All in all I wouldn't chage anything except the pay!!!!
Good luck

can i get an AMEN! i can't remember the last time i had time off...argh!

--matt

Please help! Should I become an AME at age 32??

Please help! Should I become an AME at age 32??

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