ERAU on piloting career

[CopilotDoug]

there are many factors which could take that career progression away from you. Examples are a problem with your medical, an aviation accident, driving issues, etc...

This has got to be one of the most under-addressed realities airline pilots face. This profession places you in a harsh and high stress environment. Your body clock gets messed up, you're exposed to radiation on a daily basis, it's tough to eat a ballanced diet and you deal with fatigue on a daily basis. Should a pilot lose their medical at age forty, with no fall back career, that $120,000-$150,000/yr they were making doesn't seem like so much with their entire life ahead of them. It's a point I've explained to many people in and out of aviation, and for some people it's as if a light went on.

 

[hmmurdock]

Still a great career, no need for a college degree, there is a growing pilot shortage. This will accelerate as the hiring boom continues to grow. $100K/yr is a very doable figure for pilot who is a high school grad, as I said still a great career.

Greetings...You fail to mention that the 100,000 in income will only come after 15 years or so, maybe. Don't forget you won't even break 40K or so for 5 to 6 years. Lets be realistic here.

Take care

 

[pilotyip]

hmmurdock what is wrong with $100K at age 35? Five or sic years after the Comm/Inst/MEL at age 18 is 23-24 years old making $40K. My nephew age 26 College graduate Finance major works for a Dow Jones 30 company, a mangment trainee, makes under $40K. It is part of working into a career.

 

[800Dog]

hmmurdock what is wrong with $100K at age 35? Five or sic years after the Comm/Inst/MEL at age 18 is 23-24 years old making $40K. My nephew age 26 College graduate Finance major works for a Dow Jones 30 company, a mangment trainee, makes under $40K. It is part of working into a career.

My cousin is 28, has his MBA from Emory and makes 150k, plus an annual bonus and a car allowance. Whats your point? 100k for a family of four is chump change. After your mortgage, bills, retirement and college savings etc, there is little left. Oh wait, you don't believe in college so scrap the college savings! Its all about expectations.

 

[HA25]

hmmurdock what is wrong with $100K at age 35? Five or sic years after the Comm/Inst/MEL at age 18 is 23-24 years old making $40K. My nephew age 26 College graduate Finance major works for a Dow Jones 30 company, a mangment trainee, makes under $40K. It is part of working into a career.

Odd, I have a degree in Finance from SJSU and most of my classmates I kept in touch with that are between 35-38 are making well into the 6 figures, many of them without MBA's, just a BS.. Oracle pays their Financial Analyst #2 guys (5 years post-college experience) $95,000+year end bonuses based on dept performance. They're MBA's that are in Manager positions in the finance dept are making $140K+ This directly from my best friend of 20 years who works for them in Redwood Shores.

$40K/yr for a 26year old to intern is a whole lot better than $18K/yr for a 26 year old FO on an RJ..

 

[HA25]

My cousin is 28, has his MBA from Emory and makes 150k, plus an annual bonus and a car allowance. Whats your point? 100k for a family of four is chump change. After your mortgage, bills, retirement and college savings etc, there is little left. Oh wait, you don't believe in college so scrap the college savings! Its all about expectations.

EXACTLY!


$100K after taxes is $75000... on a monthly basis it's about $6200... A typical home now is $450,000 (much more in Scottsdale nearby, and a whole heck of a lot more in the SF Bay Area where I grew up)... but lt's just say $450,000...

Now, let's say you manage to save 10% down to even get a loan for $410,000 (that's $40,000 you have to save up while you pay rent) at 6%.. your P&I plus Escrow taxes and homeowners insurance is a bout $3200/mo... Now let's get a $35K SUV or Car (just one).... there is another $650/mo... add insurance and yearly registration $150/month.. Electric bill (in Phoenix) $250/mo and that's if you keep the AC at 78 degrees.. Water/garbage $100, Gas (for home) is $80, Gas for the car is $200/mo easily.. Tithe at Church, $100, Food at the grocery is $500/mo for a family of 4.. Payments for furniture, or any other major household items like a TV or a computer and your $350/mo unless you sleep on the floor and eat off the floor and watch no TV... there you are at $5600 before you put a single dime into savings for retirement, a 401K, college savings or otherwise. Then there are the unforeseen incidental expenses, hobbies, or a Vacation (God forbid!).. which you'll have literally $200-300 months for in total..

There's you 100 Grand a year pal..

Is that "the life"?? or is that "a life".. that depends on your expectations and self worth I suppose.

 

[pilotyip]

Yes V70T5, but the 26 year old pilot without a degree will not be an F/O on a RJ. If he has been professionally flying since he was 18 at age 26 is going to have job that pays him well above an RJ F/O figure. So don’t make that comparison, for most pilots RJ F/O is a temporary position. Again "good on ya" to all those young people making in the 200K plus range they are rare bunch that is in the upper 3% of US incomes. It is not the reality that I know; it does not fit into what I see locally. My brother MBA, Fortune 5 Company, one level below VP and company car, does not make $100K, he lives a good life. Of course I gues the cost of living in more reasonable in the Midwest. Flying an airplane should not be done to make big dollars; it does not fit the reality of the workplace. If you have the skills to be a Harvard MBA making $200K at age 30 working for some company why would you fly an airplane?

 

[HA25]

My brother MBA, Fortune 5 Company, one level below VP and company car, does not make $100K, he lives a good life.

Where? Are you sure it's not $100,000/yr plus stock options and bonuses that equal another $100,000???

Here are some REAL wages taken out of a the last issue of "Phoenix Magazine" in 2006 where they publish the anual "Who's earning what?" article with real incomes of real people.

Now consider that the new "Upstart" Virgin America is starting their Airbus Captains at $95/hr on a 70hr gr., that's $79K/yr to captain a A320... there is a place in Columbus Ohio called SkyBus that pays $64,000/yr to their Airbus 320 Caps.. and many FAR 121 Cargo operators that fly heavies pay their FO's $35,000/yr to start and captains in the low $100's..

Now here are some numbers to digest.. (keep in mind, except for a few, most of these people are home most every night).

(aviation jobs)

-Flight Attendant: $50,970
-Air Traffic Controller: $80,650
-Professional Flight Instructor: $80,446 <-- this isn't your 1000 wonder type obviously.
-Airline Pilot: 91,394 <--- (likely a AWA Captain)

(Medical Jobs)

-Anesthesiologist: $179,070
-Chiropractor: $93,870
-Dental Hygienist: $69,490
-Dental Tech: $35,190
-Dentist: $132,340
-Orthodontist: $179,230
-Pediatrician: $171,459
-Physical Therapist: $69,250
-Psychiatrist: $151,240
-Registered Nurse: $59,250
-Surgeon: $170,960

(Legal)

-Attorney: $119,090
-Judge: $94,090
-Paralegal: $43,830
-Mediator: $59,050
-Court Reporter: $44,430

(other jobs)

-Real Estate Agent: $110,000
-Electrical lineman: $81,000
-Social worker: $45,780
-General Contractor: $97,359
-Ice Sculptor artist: $70,290
-Nordstroms Piano guy: $45,000
-ASU Professor: $102,500
-ASU President: $578,394
-UofA Professor: $141,000
-Aerospace Engineer: 86,130
-Electrical Engineer: $76,400
-Muni bus driver: $41,000
-Fire Chief: $134,000
-Police Captain: $137,634
-Marketing Manager: $79,880
-Zoo Director: $104,000
-Insurance Broker: $101,000
-Claims Adjuster: $46,200
-Bank Branch Manager: $119,100
-Solid Waste Vehicle operator: $59,240
-Loan Officer: $75,030

 

[ReportCanoa]

Riddle is ruining its reputation. In fact, it is looking more like Tab Express than Harvard. Too bad for those who blew their wad there.

 

[Metro752]

If you have the skills to be a Harvard MBA making $200K at age 30 working for some company why would you fly an airplane?

Because it's better than flying a desk. $$ ain't everything.


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