Bringupthebird
Grumpy? Who-Me?
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2006
- Posts
- 2,182
So you're flipping through some magazines and you see an ad that says you can be a pilot in 6 months? How good a job do you suppose that could be? I haven't found too many ads saying, "Become a neurosurgeon in 6 months!" " I went from a dead-end job to Cardiologist and you can too!"
Realize that your entire career and quality of life from training to "retirement" will depend on access to easy credit, since you won't really make much money. Take a break from the drums for a weekend and seriously think about how practical it will be to live on $40,000 or less for the rest of your life. The wages you see today, as bad as they are, are likely to be the highest they will ever be. If you look at this job realistically and throw out all the nostalgia and stereotypes about the Captains with the Harleys and the sailboats, and realize what you are getting into is a job with about the same salary and benefits as a department manager at K-Mart, then you may escape the disillusionment that many here are facing.
The FedEx guy likes his job and for good reason: his company is in a business with sufficient margins to pay him AND make a profit. Most airlines are not like that and they are making up their revenue shortfall by taking it from the employees. They are not changing their business model to make more money, they are merely adjusting the expectations and payroll to accomodate the failed business plan and hoping for cheap fuel someday.
Life is only so long, so do what you love. But love something loveable.
Realize that your entire career and quality of life from training to "retirement" will depend on access to easy credit, since you won't really make much money. Take a break from the drums for a weekend and seriously think about how practical it will be to live on $40,000 or less for the rest of your life. The wages you see today, as bad as they are, are likely to be the highest they will ever be. If you look at this job realistically and throw out all the nostalgia and stereotypes about the Captains with the Harleys and the sailboats, and realize what you are getting into is a job with about the same salary and benefits as a department manager at K-Mart, then you may escape the disillusionment that many here are facing.
The FedEx guy likes his job and for good reason: his company is in a business with sufficient margins to pay him AND make a profit. Most airlines are not like that and they are making up their revenue shortfall by taking it from the employees. They are not changing their business model to make more money, they are merely adjusting the expectations and payroll to accomodate the failed business plan and hoping for cheap fuel someday.
Life is only so long, so do what you love. But love something loveable.