Falcon, I should of included Falcon

In fact, I really like the tri-jet design...(btw, how does it compare to twin-jets? Just even less of a chance of loosing all thrust?)
The truth is, I don't really know what to do myself either Falcon.
I know what I DON'T want to do though.
I don't want to fly in any Major airlines EVER! It is out of the question, I don't like it. I feel about regionals the same way, to a lesser extent, as the flight times are significatnly lower, and the airplanes smaller. For example, the difference between my 8+ hour 777 ride Heathrow-O'hare and the 33 minute ride on ERJ-135 from O'Hare to Indy.
So no regionals or majors. Cargo, it's even worse. No Cargo at all. I feel it's more challenging to carry passengers, and a huge motivation to be the best pilot you can be. Plus you might to get to meet a few extra people.
So no Cargo, Regionals or Majors. I can't join the Air Force because of my bad eye sight. So no military.
I don't want to fly little planes for the rest of my life either. I.e medevac, bush pilots, or whatever requires use of small piston airplanes. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I'm sure after 10 years of flying a Seneca, even that will get boring, and I'll want to fly a King Air or a Light Jet.
So tell me Falcon, what does that leave me with? Corporate aviation.
Flying rich people in their private jets, or flying business men with company jets, or whoever else uses business jets.
Now, if you asked me for my real dream, where I really wanted to be when I will be 35? You'll get scared.
My dream, would be to own a flight business of some kind, with piston, turbine and jet airplanes up to light/medium business jet size, and be one of the pilots as well, in some beautiful area of the world with a flexible schdule making over 100 grand a year.
Now that is my dream. That would satisfy three of my wants:
1) Fly
2) Make a lot of money
3) Have a flexible schedule *I* control
Now, you are probably thinking, this guy wants the moon. Well you are probably right, and the only way I probably woudl ever be able to fly a business jet would be by flying someone elses, on someone else's schedule, at a much lower salary.
Now, I realize that the "owning the flight business and being one fo the pilots as well" is a little far fetched, but it still hovers in the back of my mind everyday of my life.
A more realistic goal would be to where you are today Falcon. You said your company hires with an initial salary of 80,000. That takes care of my goal of making a good amount of money with my job. You fly the Falcon 900EX and have flown Citations, Lears, King Airs and what not. You are the captain of a fabulous airplane. It is probably a lot of fun. So that cares of the "flying" part. The only thing remaining is the shedule flexibility, but that is not as important as the other two.
Getting to a position were you fly a multi-million dollar piece of equipment, have fun and make a lot of money would basically satisfy my goals and desires.
One other thing I forgot to mention is that I would like a job as a pilot were trips don't take more than 5 hours or so. Short trips basically. Otherwise we approach the my dislike for Major airlines, the only difference being that of flying a smaller airplane.
One of my major concerns though, is the fact that I'm not a US citizen. It is one the things that bothers me the most about my current major in college. 90% of the companies that I would like to work with I can't, because they require US citizenship. Now I've heard that the airlines require too after 9/11, I just hope corporate flying doesn't.
So basically, i'm currently training in the FAA system, so it would be good if I decided to become a professional pilot, to establish myself here with a job. If not, I would have to go to Europe, and adapt to the JAA system, and I don't know how different it is, and whether I need to spend another billion dollars and hours to re-train. Plus, there is a language problem...though english is the international pilot's language...does that mean I would have no trouble flying in France, Italy, Spain, Germany etc?
So I have several barriers ahead of me if I wanted to become a professional corporate pilot:
1)Trying to decide whether Corporate flying, and professional flying is for me in the first place
2)If I discover that this is the case, then the next step is convicing my parents that I would like to become a professional pilot, rather than an Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineer with a Masters and even MBA in that field. I would most probably have to give up getting an MS and spend time and money flying
3)If I decide to fly professionally, and my parents ever agree to it, then what remains is finish up my BS in AAE and start getting those FAA ratings and licences and building up hours somehow.
4)Once I graduate, and perhaps have PP/ASEL-IA or perhaps even CP/ASEL-IA or PP/AMEL-IA then I have to see if I can get a job not being a US citizen, i.e. getting a working visa to be able to continue staying in the US or having to go back to Europe
5)Now, if I decided to fly professionally, if my parents agreed to it, if I had gotten my B.S.A.A.E degree, and had gotten the ratings up to PP or CP/ASEL-IA, then if i got a flying job and visa in the US, I would just continue to work in the US as a pilot, and try to get a green card and a good Corporate job in the US.
If not, I would have to go back to Europe, and I have no clue how anything related to aviation works there compared to the FAA and US system. I would be in a state of confusion.
Well, the alternative to all this, is once again, getting my BSAAE, MSAAE and working as an engineer full time, and flying for pleasure or working as a CFI or something par time...either in the US or Europe, depending on who is willing to hire me.
So basically, I am one confused student right now. I have to paths ahead of me. That of an Engineer, and part time leisure Pilot. Or that of a Professional Pilot, with a background in Aerospace Engineering.
This will most probably be the biggest decision that I will make in my entire life. I will have to listen to my parents, to my friends, relatives, teachers and people on this board.
I will have to get as much advice and information as possible, and make an informed decision in the end.
I will still go up to ATP as a goal in life. No matter what path I choose. And that decision will have to be made within the next year 2004.
Archer