Career Advice?

[lstorm2003]

Hi I'm just writing in to get some honest advice. I'm 33, a college graduate working in the IT field today making around $100k/year.

Been flying since 2000, and just recently completed my Commercial Multi Instrument rating.. I have about 750 hours and have been recently seriously thinking about a career change. I am just so sick of the IT field I can't stand it anymore and aviation has always been my dream.

I figure I have a head start on a lot of guys who decide to change careers at my age since I already have a few ratings under my belt. What do you think would be the best route for me to go at this point? I actually used to know a guy who had a 135 operation, and I was trying to find him to see if he can put me on flying charter, but I doubt I meet the requirements for it yet. I only have about 50 hours multi time.

So at this point what should I do? Should I take some time off work and just go get my CFI-CFII ? Or do you think its possible to just jump right in and start flying charters or something similar to that right now?

I don't really have a big interest in teaching, I just feel like I've already done everything with a 172 that I care to do, I want to move onto something else, and if I teach I'll just be in the right seat of a 172 for the next.. well.. how long do you think it would be before something better came along? Its not that I would mind teaching for awhile, I love aviation, and that would keep me close to what I love to do.. But I just wonder how long I would have to do that for until I could get a better job...

And how much would I get paid now? I heard that the pay has come up a bit for CFIs over the past few years.. Is that really true? Would I be better off at a part 61 or a 141 school? I wonder if I did my training for CFI at a flight school, would they make an agreement to hire me afterwards? Do flight schools generally do that sort of thing ever?

Comments? Oh and btw I'm in Fort Lauderdale, FL...

 

[rumrnr78]

Your in a tough spot cause there maybe some Colgan blowback in hiring at the regionals. 495 highly qualified pilots from NetJets just hit the street with AMR to follow.
If your making 6 figures in this economy I hope your praying and thanking the God of your choice. It's great that you have a passion for flying. And, I would encourage you to pursue your dreams. Understand that after you land your first gig you have about a 25% chance of breaking 50k in 10 years- before taxes!
Making that kind of coin I recommend a part time flying job to get your fix. I know too many pilots in there 40's unemployed, or making less than their age.

All the best-

 

[avbug]

Prepare to go from making a hundred thousand a year to fifteen thousand a year. (Are you prepared for that)?

At 750 hours, you're just 450 hours shy of meeting the minimums to fly passengers under IFR...and most charter will require you to have that capability.

While you may think you've done everything you need to do in a 172...you may not know as much, or have learned as much as you think you have. Frequently posters will enter here, or other boards, proclaiming that instruction is beneath them...they sometimes couch it in different terms, but it's always the same sentiment. Don't really want to instruct, headed for the bright lights. None ever seem to realize that no matter how great they think their resume might be, no matter what they think they have learned, instructing is still a step UP for them. You, too.

At 750 hours, you've got just enough experience at this stage to begin to understand how to open the aircraft door. Now is a good time to get your foot in that door, because you've got a long way to go. Don't lose sight of that important fact.

 

[brokeflyer]

close your account at this site, then RUN back to your IT job.

with 100k per year you can go rent a plane and fly whenever you want.

 

[pilotyip]

Find a CFI job on the side, save every dine you have coming in from your IT job. Live like you make $15K/yr, then when the 2012 hiring boom hits you will be in a good place to make the jump into the secuirty of a real flying job.

 

[GogglesPisano]

And don't listen to Yip. :laugh:

 

[J.Otto]

watch this video a few times and look carefully at what life will be like. you'll know the answer.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/flyingcheap/

ask yourself if this is what you want to trade down to.

 

[ualdriver]

Comments? Oh and btw I'm in Fort Lauderdale, FL...

When I hit the "new posts" button and saw this thread, I thought it might be a joke. Maybe it is, don't know.

A few points:

1) Read this entire site. Will probably take you 20 minutes
http://thetruthabouttheprofession.weebly.com/index.html

2) If you're not willing to flight instruct, you're likely to have a hard time gaining the needed flight time to get a charter or regional job. The pilot is market is absolutely flooded with guys with 1000's of hours. Unless you "know someone," it's unlikely you would be hired over this huge pool of experienced pilots for anything except flight instructing when the hiring does start because everyone will be more qualified than you. I'd suggest you get your CFII. The fact that $20,000/year jobs are fiercely pursued by highly experienced pilots with years in the business, even during "good times" should say something to you, by the way.

3) You said that you can't stand the IT field anymore. It is likely you're going to feel that way about being a flight instructor, regional airline first officer, and/or charter pilot at some point, especially if the hiring environment doesn't improve for a while. Imagine not being able to stand flight instructing anymore, but instead of making 100K/year, you'll be making 20K/year to 30K/year. If that.

4) If you do make the jump, I'd make sure you keep those "perishable" IT skills fresh. It's likely that if you do make the jump to aviation that you will be furloughed at some point. It will be nice to have those IT skills to fall back on when/if it happens.

5) If flying is your dream, and you go in eyes wide open, I say go for it while you can. You can always go back to IT, right?

Find a CFI job on the side, save every dine you have coming in from your IT job. Live like you make $15K/yr, then when the 2012 hiring boom hits you will be in a good place to make the jump into the secuirty of a real flying job.

Yip-

I really think you're doing a new guy a disservice by telling him there is going to be a hiring boom in 2012 as if it is some sort of fact.

Istorm, the only thing that is happening in the end of 2012 (December) is that the first of the airline pilots who benefited by a change in retirement age from age 60 to age 65 will start to retire. Before this rule came into play, you had to retire as an airline pilot at 60. The mere fact that retirements will start again does not mean there will be a hiring boom. There was a huge oversupply of pilots when pilots were retiring at age 60 for over 2 decades at least. The fact that retirements will start again in 2012 isn't likely to change much except perhaps instead of their being a "huge" oversupply of pilots, we might go to just a mere "large" oversupply of pilots in the business.

Further, if you're going to say that Yip could be right, you could also say that the guys that get hired during this "2012 hiring boom" will be the same ones getting furloughed in the 2014 recession.

 

[kf4amu]

Find a CFI job on the side, save every dine you have coming in from your IT job. Live like you make $15K/yr, then when the 2012 hiring boom hits you will be in a good place to make the jump into the secuirty of a real flying job.

After being in the industry almost 3 years, I wish I had done what this poster said. I would have started my own business and made flying a hobby. Once my savings, investments and businesses supported a flying lifestyle, I would have switched.

At 100k a year, you should already have significant IRA, 401k, and savings balances. If not, you are definitely not ready to be a pilot.

If you do, I would wait one more year while saving HALF your take home pay, reducing monthly expenses as much as possible (paying off the car, not eating out as much etc), and then see who's hiring.

Do NOT take the first job you get...it will most likely be Colgan, Republic, or Mesa and they will steal your passion for flying.

That's all the advice I have...I'm sorry it's mostly negative.

 

[avbug]

After being in the industry almost 3 years,...

Wow. Three whole years.

Do NOT take the first job you get...it will most likely be Colgan, Republic, or Mesa and they will steal your passion for flying.

Spoken like one who signed on as a 300 hour wonder...and after a few hours, was left wondering.

The only thing that can "steal" your "passion for flying" is YOU.

If you think flying for a regional is tough work or depressing, you've lived a very, very sheltered life, especially in this industry. You ain't seen nothing yet, mate.

Once you've been through a couple of economic cycles in this industry, then come back and revisit your thoughts. Who is successful in this industry? The ones who stick it out. Passion in one's career is a personal choice, and not one that's wrested from you.

If you find that flying an RJ or a Boeing, or a Lockheed or a Dassault isn't doing it for you any more, then go find something that does do it for you. Go fly a helicopter. Go back and fly a light airplane. Revisit your roots. Teach. Head up a cadet program. Do Boy Scout aviation merit badges. Build an airplane. If you're losing your shine, then get out the polish and go to work. Nobody is going to do it for you.