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Fork in the Road

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If he's smart he'll stay in his current well-paying secure job. If he's stupid he'll trade his $100k a year job (that he feels is boring) for a pilot job that is more boring, unstable, lacks progression, and doesn't pay enough to support his family.

If you really care about this guy, you need to talk him out of piloting as a profession.
 
Check Six...
I have a friend who was in exactly the same boat. He left his nice secure (but boring) engineering job to go fly for Delta. He had always had the dream of flying for one of the majors, but after a year or two he realized that airline flying was boring and he was always away frome family and friends. Long story short, he resigned from Delta and went back to engineering. Now he has a very secure job, does some free-lance flight instruction and flies right seat on a corporate Citation part-time and has the best of both worlds.

If I were 45 I'd think long and hard about making that type of career move especially in today's 121 environment.

'Sled
 
Look at the bright side--if he goes to a regional, he won't have to pay much in child support when his wife dumps him for being stupid and walking away from a 6-figure income...TC
 
check six said:
The guy is bored with the corporate life and he misses the actual work of flying a jet. He has a wife and three kids who he likes to spend time with.

Everyone in a highly technical profession reaches burnout sometime in their career. I can't tell you how many times I have over the past 20 - 30 years. You stick with it and find ways to make it more interesting like moving to a project, new assignment, in the case of pilots, they change bids from time to time. But everyone, pilots included burns out.

His family is far more important that any job he will have. The job is just that, a job to support his life (family). There is no reason to jeapordize the security of your family and relationships for another job. There are many folks in his position who do change professions mid-life and do so successfully. I've known many a stockbroker type who decided to drop it and became a airline pilot overnight through one of the pilot mills, and in a few years, they are disatified with the progress their life has had. If he were younger and didn't have a family to support, I might be more supportive of a career change.

If I were in his shoes, I would keep the job and look for _Dav0life adventures in other ways.
 
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AdlerDriver said:
Can he afford an ~80K/year pay cut for a few years?? Not to mention it would probably take you until age 50 to acquire enough experience to be mildly competitive for a decent job (i.e. SWA, Fedex, UPS). Why would you do that to yourself or your family?

Perhaps because he may be happy? Happiness is worth more than any money can bring. Happiness will show through in everything he does and create a better QOL for his family.

I think he should try the weekend flying adventures to see if it is what he really wants to do. If so, I would say he needs to follow his heart so as not to have regrets.
 
"follow your heart" *snort*

Yeah, great advice if you are 20 and single. However, this guy has a gaggle of crumbcrushers and a wife to provide for.

Leaving a solid job to embark on some sort of mid life b/s adventure. As a previous poster said, it would be a quick divorce.

Sure, in a fair world, he would be able to. However, he probably does not live in fantasy land. Mortgage, car, food...maybe his wife likes to turn the heat on. All things the family would be without while he is off "chasing the dream"

No sadly, he should stay, make the best out of it.

IMHO that is.
 
No way!

Stay with that paycheck and, more importantly, the family time that money cannot buy--and that the airlines will take away, no matter how senior he gets how quickly.

Make flying more than a hobby. Make it an "avocation" to keep the spirit alive.

But don't give up the stable family situation unless he is going to quit anyway.

Next time I'll say what I really think.
 
Thanks for all the comments guys. Grass is always greener. I had a 74 pilot once tell me that it was more fun to take a seminole for the $100 hamburger than take a 74 to Tokyo. I had a hard time believing that, but I don't think the guy was jacking with me.
 
I had more fun taking my kids fishing in my float plane in Alaska than I ever had in a 747 or F-16 for that matter...although I did have some great times in the Viper.

I'm in a similar situation, I'm working as an engineer (but making well under $100k) and don't plan on leaving this job when (if) I ever get recalled by good ole NWA. I'm currently home every night, can get off whenever I wish on no notice and haven't missed a birthday, Christmas, sporting event or graduation since I starting working as an engineer. By the time they get finished lowering the bar, the flying job will pay less and require 20 plus nights away per month.

I like the Pitt's idea, but I need to get a couple of kids through college first.

Blue skies, Jim
 
Photoflight said:
If I was said person I would take some of my engineering money and buy a nice little pitts s-2c and fly that a few times a week. Maybe even do a competition or two. If you need somebody to occupy the second seat....im available.

if photoflight looks anything like her avatar id take her up on that offer!
 

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