Career Advice?

[satpak77]

The best time to buy is when everyone else is selling, the best to start an aviation career in when everyone says "Stay away". Check the posts from 2002, and if there was such a thing in 1992, 1982, 1974 you could check those also.

I am not sure I see your logic here. Unless of course it is "don't listen to everyone" (who by your statement such people are wrong in their advice) and instead listen to your own internal compass.

Mine (the hindsight-compass that is...) would have chosen a field that allowed aviation as a hobby versus as a career. I mean, its been fun, been there, done that, my pilot buddies are good guys, but in the next life? Nah.

But thats just me.

 

[pilotyip]

Logic - Aviation, in hte same sentence?

I am not sure I see your logic here.
But thats just me.

The logic is that in 2002, all the posts match what we see today, "Their will never be any hiring again", "Spending money on pilot training is a bad idea", and "Anyone who enters this career needs their head examined". Now comes 2004, the majors start recalling, opening pilot jobs at places like USA Jet, Kalitta, etc, who have vacancies due to pilots going back to DAL, NWA, etc. Pilots who remained current, got additional ratings and flight time now get jobs at places like ours. Now comes 2006 and 2007, those pilots hired by us in 2004 are getting jobs a DAL, NWA, Net Jets, Jet Blue and SWA. If you drop out of flying during the "Career is dead years" you are not ready for the first wave of the next hiring boom. In this business being first to get the seniority counts for a lot. BTW I predicted the 2007-hiring boom back in Sept of 2003, every one thought I was out of my mind. Now that may be true I am a pilot, but it does not effect a repeat of historic trends.

 

[satpak77]

The logic is that in 2002, all the posts match what we see today, "Their will never be any hiring again", "Spending money on pilot training is a bad idea", and "Anyone who enters this career needs their head examined". Now comes 2004, the majors start recalling, opening pilot jobs at places like USA Jet, Kalitta, etc, who have vacancies due to pilots going back to DAL, NWA, etc. Pilots who remained current, got additional ratings and flight time now get jobs at places like ours. Now comes 2006 and 2007, those pilots hired by us in 2004 are getting jobs a DAL, NWA, Net Jets, Jet Blue and SWA. If you drop out of flying during the "Career is dead years" you are not ready for the first wave of the next hiring boom. In this business being first to get the seniority counts for a lot. BTW I predicted the 2007-hiring boom back in Sept of 2003, every one thought I was out of my mind. Now that may be true I am a pilot, but it does not effect a repeat of historic trends.

Maybe a more logical take-from this that an aviation job is unstable and has severe good times and severe bad times.

 

[ualdriver]

The logic is that in 2002, all the posts match what we see today, "Their will never be any hiring again", "Spending money on pilot training is a bad idea", and "Anyone who enters this career needs their head examined". Now comes 2004, the majors start recalling, opening pilot jobs at places like USA Jet, Kalitta, etc, who have vacancies due to pilots going back to DAL, NWA, etc. Pilots who remained current, got additional ratings and flight time now get jobs at places like ours. Now comes 2006 and 2007, those pilots hired by us in 2004 are getting jobs a DAL, NWA, Net Jets, Jet Blue and SWA. If you drop out of flying during the "Career is dead years" you are not ready for the first wave of the next hiring boom. In this business being first to get the seniority counts for a lot. BTW I predicted the 2007-hiring boom back in Sept of 2003, every one thought I was out of my mind. Now that may be true I am a pilot, but it does not effect a repeat of historic trends.

Yip-

I don't think anyone can honestly say that there will never be any hiring again. But like the poster above me wrote, there are severe swings in this highly cyclical industry, and the OP should understand that.

Look at the OP. He's 33, probably has a solid decade in the IT world, and must be at least a decent IT guy or he likely wouldn't hold a job that pays 6 figures. Likely in his profession, he could normally leave his job and go somewhere else and expect to make something resembling what he makes now. The "normal-ness" of being able to do that in just about every other profession EXCEPT the pilot profession for us would be considered a "hiring boom." For him, that's just "normal."

So to imply to this guy that there is going to be some sort of hiring boom in a few years, without also explaining what a "hiring boom" is in aviation vs a "hiring boom" in his profession isn't giving the complete picture. Further, even if there was a boom in 2012, 2011, 2013, whatever, it is likely that many who would enjoy such a boom could be back on the streets on the following down cycle just like the last cycle in 2007. The streets of Anyairport, USA, is littered with the bodies of the "Great Boom of 2007." I think that's a pretty important piece of information that you need to include if you're going give people hopes of some sort of upcoming "boom" in this industry.

Further, the PERPETUAL OVERSUPPLY of pilots that exists in this industry, whether we're booming or busting, makes it extremely difficult to earn a living as a professional pilot. Pilots constantly undercut each other and management teams take advantage of the perpetual oversupply, which has a tendency to drive down average wages, especially for lower tier jobs. That's another thing the OP needs to understand, which is completely different than his world.

 

[pilotyip]

ditto

Maybe a more logical take-from this that an aviation job is unstable and has severe good times and severe bad times.

and timing and seniority are everything, be in front when hiring starts makes hte career much better, of course you have to pick the right airline

 

[satpak77]

and timing and seniority are everything, be in front when hiring starts makes hte career much better, of course you have to pick the right airline

yes like Pan Am, TWA, Braniff, Eastern

remember, get that seniority started.

 

[pilotyip]

good guessing also

yes like Pan Am, TWA, Braniff, Eastern

remember, get that seniority started.

Combined with foresight that the airline you pick will not go out of business or donwsize. Remember the guys who jumped from SWA, FedEx, etc to get the great jobs at UAL, AAL, and DAL back in 2000 and 2001.

 

[retired guy]

Go take a really cold shower.....

 

[acaTerry]

Keep your IT job. Buy a plane of your own and fly for YOU. That will keep flying enjoyable.

 

[SWA GUY]

Who the heck wanted to work for Southwest 20 years ago? Now they have thousands of applicants to fly domestic short haul in a 737.

Well....I guess I would have loved to fly for the Luvline 20 years ago. I've only been at SWA for 10 years.