I am convinced I'm stuck

[bgaviator]

So it feels ever increasingly lately that I am destined to be stuck at a regional for my entire dispatch career, IF my company manages to hold on that long. Aside from the economy being garbage, how do people do it.....how do you get to a major to where you can actually make some REAL money? It seems like none of the majors post external openings, or if they do, I have no clue what really makes you competitive. I feel like I'm being punished for not have gotten a ramper job with Southwest or Fedex back in the day.....but I didn't even know I was going to be a dispatcher then....I still had my sights on being a pilot. I mean, is there ANY hope going forward into the future? Will there eventually be enough retirements with senior staff at majors to make way for young to middle aged people like myself to finally be able to get ahead in this field? I'm not trying to whine....more just vent.....and to see if anyone else feels the same way I do lately?

 

[OneBadLT123]

I somewhat feel your pain as well. I had a little luck and did move up some, but all the airlines I dreamed of working for (Grew up with them) are nearly impossible to get into, or have moved out of the area through mergers/sales.

I am fortunate enough to currently live in a once airline-heavy city, but not so much anymore. All this consolidation going on now just seems to be postponing any additional hiring in the near future at the big guys.

As I have learned, the opportunities do come and are out there. They just seem to be few and far in between.

 

[bgaviator]

I guess I didn't realize when getting into dispatching that a lot of the majors look to internal hires first....if I would have known that.....well.....I don't know what I would/could have done differently. I seriously thought once I had 5 years of dispatching under my belt, that I would be in prime position to move on to some real money in this industry.....instead I have seen my wages actually go backwards.

 

[SKC]

All I can add is what was in my class here at SWA nearly 3 years ago.

Of the 10 class members, 6 were externals. I believe the minimum amount of external dispatch experience was 5 years, with the average being closer to 8 years of 121 time.

I think 5 of the 6 had international experience, and most had some regional time.

 

[crjdxr]

This is my own experience:

After 8+ years as a dispatcher, I couldn't get into the management structure. So, I went to a different department. After a couple of years there, I got out of the biz. Then, after not being able to feed my addiction/genetic disorder for things aviation, I got back in. My "in" is a small but rapidly expanding cargo operation.

Many moons ago a manager told me that sometimes the only way to get in/up is to get out first. I'm not advocating that, but it seems to have worked for me. Plus, I happened across a kick-arse company that is growing like a weed.

My advice: Keep plugging. Don't fall into the "stuck" mentality. Things are just not breaking your way at the moment. They will. It took me (roughly) two years of hard-core, very active looking/submitting/interviewing while sitting on the outside looking in.

O.k., that's more of a pep-talk than anything. No matter. Keep at it.

 

[bgaviator]

maybe things will happen in the future....the economy will have to rebound for sure first....only then will maybe the older workforce be able to think about retiring again, thus opening the doors.

 

[Pull To Guns]

EY might have a couple of openings soon if that is compatible with personal situations. Its not for everyone but not too bad. Think outside the box.

 

[bgaviator]

What airline is that?

 

[Pull To Guns]

Google is your friend!

 

[homerjdispatch]

Google is your friend!

He is to lazy to do that. Instead he just comes on here and whines! Geez it gets old fast!

Anyway, how are you doing PTG? And someone mentioned you having a birthday sometime around today... What does that make ya, 75? LOL

 

[N271FE]

It's not that hard.

I feel like I'm being punished for not have gotten a ramper job with Southwest or Fedex back in the day.....

Back in the day? You could get hired at FedEx 6-12 months from now if you really wanted to.

Anyone can. It's widely known that FedEx only hires internally- That's how it works, plain and simple. Play the game and work as a ramper or package handler for a few months. FedEx hires dispatchers about twice a year, and if you've got previous dispatch experience, you're pretty much guaranteed to get an interview.

Christmas is right around the corner, and there's a pretty good chance that various ramps will be hiring additional help with the increased volume of christmas packages being shipped.

Take a step backwards now, and launch yourself forward in the near future.

 

[brokedash]

Back in the day? You could get hired at FedEx 6-12 months from now if you really wanted to.

Anyone can. It's widely known that FedEx only hires internally- That's how it works, plain and simple. Play the game and work as a ramper or package handler for a few months. FedEx hires dispatchers about twice a year, and if you've got previous dispatch experience, you're pretty much guaranteed to get an interview.

Christmas is right around the corner, and there's a pretty good chance that various ramps will be hiring additional help with the increased volume of christmas packages being shipped.

Take a step backwards now, and launch yourself forward in the near future.

What is insulting is having to step back to do something you already do. I don't believe qualified dx should have to kiss ass or do something else to get into dx with a good company. These places hire externally for virtually any other position, they can do the same with dx.

 

[bgaviator]

He is to lazy to do that. Instead he just comes on here and whines! Geez it gets old fast!

Anyway, how are you doing PTG? And someone mentioned you having a birthday sometime around today... What does that make ya, 75? LOL

it's not whining....it's trying to get insight as to what I can be doing better to get to where I want to be and on the state of the industry from people that may know more than me

 

[bgaviator]

He is to lazy to do that. Instead he just comes on here and whines! Geez it gets old fast!

Anyway, how are you doing PTG? And someone mentioned you having a birthday sometime around today... What does that make ya, 75? LOL

Oh, and before you assume I am lazy....a search on airline codes listed two different airlines as EY, both Etihad and Eagle Air, thus why I asked the question to make sure we were talking about the correct airline.

 

[bgaviator]

Back in the day....like when I was in college and could do a part-time job.

Don't think I haven't looked at it, I have taken all the advice I get from everyone of you seriously.

I have an ex co-worker that works at the FedEx ramp here, and he's gone over the shifts if they were hiring, and it doesn't even work out with my job to where I could even do it, thus I would have to quit dispatching just to be able to work as a ramper at FedEx. I can just imagine the conversation now...."Honey, I'd like your full support in me trying to get a ramp job part-time with FedEx so that I might get a job as a dispatcher there. We may not be able to afford diapers for our son, or health insurance, but we gotta take that chance."

I appreciate the advice you've given me over the months, but I've played this scenario out, and I just don't see it going over too well.

Back in the day? You could get hired at FedEx 6-12 months from now if you really wanted to.

Anyone can. It's widely known that FedEx only hires internally- That's how it works, plain and simple. Play the game and work as a ramper or package handler for a few months. FedEx hires dispatchers about twice a year, and if you've got previous dispatch experience, you're pretty much guaranteed to get an interview.

Christmas is right around the corner, and there's a pretty good chance that various ramps will be hiring additional help with the increased volume of christmas packages being shipped.

Take a step backwards now, and launch yourself forward in the near future.