Second time around

[dirk82]

The fact that its tough to get good jobs and the industry is flooded with new and experianced pilots has been beaten to death on these forums. But the one question I have for you guys is givin a second chance would you do it different and not become a pilot at all? would you rather be sitting in a cubical or swinging a hammer or flipping burgers? Alot of guys say that the industry is brutal but how many would give it up to do something else?

[Nark]

Nope.

[Sulako]

From a purely financial perspective, I think maybe I would go into corporate jet catering. I have seen $80 for a few chocolate-dipped strawberries and $275 for a platter of sandwiches. I'd likely own my own jet if I had pursued that avenue when I was 18...

[Hedley]

Pilots get into flying because they love it, but as they get older, what makes them stick around is the money.

If the money doesn't materialize, sooner or later it's time to move on.

[La Pura Vida]

Well, the NHL never panned out. And never did get that record contract. So, I just can't imagine doing anything else...

[flyinthebug]

Im facing a new career now that will pay me almost twice as much as I made in Aviation (Flying & Management). Im already dreading the idea of not having a cockpit for an office. I miss flying EVERYday and wouldnt change a single minute of the 17 yr ride I enjoyed as a pilot.

Fly safe all!

[toelessjoe]

No way, aviation may be brutal, but gay porn is WAY worse! Just ask Doc, he'll tell you.

C'mon Doc, we know you're out there.

[Bede]

Im facing a new career now that will pay me almost twice as much as I made in Aviation (Flying & Management). Im already dreading the idea of not having a cockpit for an office. I miss flying EVERYday and wouldnt change a single minute of the 17 yr ride I enjoyed as a pilot.

Fly safe all!

If you don't mind sharing, what are you doing now?

[KAG]

I have other interests that I would like to pursue that I now can because aviation is affording me the ability to.
If I had to do it over again, I don’t know if I would change anything as the person I am today is due to the culmination of my life’s experiences. I may not have met my wife; I would not have the memories/experiences I’ve been lucky to have. I would prefer to not have had my accident, but I learned some valuable lessons from that too.

If I wasn’t a pilot, or I lost my medical I would most likely get into land development, real-estate, and building environmentally friendly homes – which I may yet do anyway.

[LegoMan]

I left the industry just over a year ago. Was working a great paying job in another industry and today got called for a management position in that industry. Super stoked and very happy. I do miss flying as well but dont miss the BS. The people in my industry are all professionals and have been great mentors and supportive of my career change.

[iflyforpie]

One phrase has pretty much governed my adult life. If you do something you enjoy, you will never work a day in your life.

If you do something you love that pays well, even better, but don't ever just work for the money.


That's not saying that you should work for peanuts, far from it. If you are up in the sky on a beautiful day and worrying about when or if the rent check is going to clear, or how far you can 'stretch' KD, that isn't enjoyment at all. I also don't think flying 1000 hours a year would be enjoyable either. I would imagine even porn stars can get sick of working too much.


But if you are making a humble living and are smart with your money, better to do that than something you hate. Being rich is how much money and equity you have, not how much stuff (depreciating assets) you own, not how many activities you do, and certainly not how much you owe. I've never found an absolutely direct correlation between the things working-class people have and their wealth.


So if I had to do it over again, yes I would. I get too many compliments from people of all walks of life on how cool my job is and I don't have too much trouble being convinced of that. Yuppies and rig pigs in the next province do the cannonball run each weekend to try an squeeze in things I get to enjoy every day during and after work. And I do this making a fantastically average salary and working in a really enjoyable 'atmosphere'.

[Cobra64]

I do miss flying as well but dont miss the BS.

Problem is you can never get away from the BS, no matter what industry you get into.

[LegoMan]

I do miss flying as well but dont miss the BS.

Problem is you can never get away from the BS, no matter what industry you get into.

True you can only decide what industry is just enough BS for you to deal with. My goal is to get high enough where I can become the BS

[Lloyd Christmas]

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake son.

[dirk82]

Its intresting to hear that so many people give the advice to not become a pilot and dont waste time and money on school, but not one guy would give it up. I dont think anyone that posted here gave that advice in other posts but I would like to see if those same guys saying dont become a pilot or the industry is full so take a hike, would post that they would rather become gay pornstars as toelessjoe had as a back up.

[B-rad]

the people that would trade it in and leave the industry probably aren't visiting the forum that much either. I did step out of the industry and am glad for it.

[flyinthebug]

Im facing a new career now that will pay me almost twice as much as I made in Aviation (Flying & Management). Im already dreading the idea of not having a cockpit for an office. I miss flying EVERYday and wouldnt change a single minute of the 17 yr ride I enjoyed as a pilot.

Fly safe all!

If you don't mind sharing, what are you doing now?

Sorry for the delay in my reply Bede. I just got back from a quick trip up to Ottawa
Im currently in yr 2 for my BSW and BA in Psychology. I still have my fingers in Aviation and likely always will. Just cant fly em anymore

Oh and dirk82.. I just blew your theory out of the water. I always tell people I love this industry AND I always encourage young student pilots to follow their dreams. Period. Im not one of "those" guys.

[beast]

flyinthebug, what kind of job are you going to get with a BA in psychology that will pay you twice as much as a flying job??

and what kind of flying job?

[pilotidentity]

Hasn't been brutal for me. Over 20 years at it. Mainly bush flying all over the place. Couldn't imagine going to work at an office, although some bad weather days I wish I could have been a dispatcher for the day instead of a pilot.

Worked for a few companies that didn't work out but in the most part its been all good.

Did the airline route for a number of years and enjoyed it but I'd compare that to being more of an "office" type job - lower stress and so tightly controlled by ATC and scheduling - if you have a sense of adventure you will have to find it outside of work. Pretty cool planes though but you never get to do what you really want in them if you want to "remain professional"!

[flyinthebug]

flyinthebug, what kind of job are you going to get with a BA in psychology that will pay you twice as much as a flying job??

and what kind of flying job?

Its the combination of a BA in Psychology and my BSW (Bachelor Social Work) that will net me approx 120K a yr to start (North). Yes, those are real numbers that have been researched and to be honest, it kinda annoyed me. I remember being a Co-Pilot based up north some 15 yrs ago. My salary as a C414 Medivac FO was 1500$ a month. On call 23 days straight, and many 20 hr duty days etc. Meanwhile, the social workers we flew in for the day, were making this kind of money. Its scary but true. Social workers that are willing to work "up north" are paid incredibly well. I decided once I couldnt fly anymore, that this career was next for me.
I will not be able to fly again (and that sucks more then you could possibly imagine), but spent the last 10 years of my flying career in Management. I expect to stay that course for a few more years to come, and stay involved with ownership/management. I hope that answers your questions.
Fly safe all.

[Rowdy]

Heya fly, I hope you're doin alright and all those pretty young things in your classes arent too much of a distraction for ya

I'm looking at a fine line with my medical these days too and it pains me to consider other options, mostly because from the age of 3 I've only wanted to fly airplanes and never considered anything else. But now that I really do look around (and am baffled at the billions of choices) I see a lot of GOOD careers out there for anyone with half the drive and half the brain of so many of the good people I've worked with in aviation.

I'm sort of forced (much like flyinthebug has been) to pick another career path, but it does make me wonder if the other path might have been the better route from the get go. You can always BUY an airplane and fly it if you really do love aviating!