I.t. Field for regionals?

[dueguard1]

I.T. Field for regionals?

Any ex- I.T. folks leave for the regionals, or vice -versa?
Any input, pros / cons, any regrets? Any I.T. current or ex I.T.folks sound off on the career move if possible. Pretty close to completing my JAVA Certification.....just looking for feedback


-Cheers

 

[Brasilia Pup]

I'd go for a major, i.e. Delta. ExpressJet (ASA-side) was in the stone-age until Delta bought us and Delta Technology overhauled our lack of computers. Until the late 90's, ASA still did ticketing by hand. If you want to be somewhere where the technology is, go where the money is (the majors, Hayes modems, UPS Avionics, etc.). Good luck and congratulations on your certification!

 

[NoPlaneNoGain]

Are you asking if you should leave the IT field for a flying job?

 

[dueguard1]

Left Regionals for my current IT job...still completing my Certifications for JAVA. Pretty much home every night 43k (entry level) beats Regional flying for me thus far no complaints.......seems like lots of room for growth. Some of the salaries for experienced Programmers are pretty good.

Miss flying on occasion, but not enough to go back

 

[CoATP]

Make lots of $$$$, rent airplanes (flies, floats, f***s --- rent it cheaper), and have fun. Consider the regionals a life experience.

 

[bailout]

im getting ready to do the same thing.. had enough of this roller coaster ride..

 

[dueguard1]

im getting ready to do the same thing.. had enough of this roller coaster ride..

...good for you.....thought about the Computer Networking side of the house, however decided to do Programming instead (Java). I imagine flying will make for good water cooler talk once I get on with solid company. Plenty of work out there on the Networking or Programming side of the house
Best of luck to you.....enjoy the ride.

 

[Uncle Bunkle]

Miss flying on occasion, but not enough to go back

Then what is your question?

 

[Gr82Aviate]

Then what is your question?

He wants your permission to wear cowboy boots...?

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Make lots of $$$$, rent airplanes (flies, floats, f***s --- rent it cheaper), and have fun. Consider the regionals a life experience.

THIS!!!

I cannot stress this enough!!

If you learn nothing else this year... learn the bold print

 

[Uncle Bunkle]

He wants your permission to wear cowboy boots...?

In a dark server room, go for it.
In the cockpit: NO.

 

[cynic]

Any ex- I.T. folks leave for the regionals, or vice -versa?
Any input, pros / cons, any regrets? Any I.T. current or ex I.T.folks sound off on the career move if possible. Pretty close to completing my JAVA Certification.....just looking for feedback


-Cheers

I had an offer with COEX and an offer as a programmer with a major University about 7 years ago. I took the programmer job as it was going to take by my math THIRTEEN years to get to the starting pay as a programmer.

Not so experienced java programmers should start around 55K a year. Maybe 60K in the Southeast. Wages are low here. A REALLY sharp programmer might make 130K a year or 200+ consulting. Good pilots and bad pilots all make the same pay at an airline

As for me.. I make about 100K a year. I have a pension so I'll make 50K a year when I retire until I die. I have no set hours, I can work at home, I get 5 weeks of vacation. I'm off at xmas. I get about 4 weeks of sick so I can be out 2 months of the year.

Not to toot my horn but I am also really good at what I do.

As I can work remotely I also do contract flying from time to time. Maybe once a week I take a flight for $300 / day. Mostly because I like to fly and I like the guys I fly with.

Check out the Google Web Toolkit. There is a book by manning that is really good.

 

[Lyconit]

Pinnacle has an opening...

A former executive of Pinnacle Airlines pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud after he stole about $1.1. million from the company, the U.S. Attorneys office announced today.

Frank Richard Raasch, 38, a former resident of Lakeland, will be sentenced June 28. He faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.

Until he was fired last November, Raasch was director of information technology, major projects and transition at Pinnacle. He held a similar post at Mesaba Airlines, which Pinnacle bought in 2010.

According to the U.S. Attorneys office, Raasch submitted fraudulent invoices in the name of a fictitious company from 2007 through last November.

Once the invoices were approved and Pinnacle issued checks, Raasch deposited them in bank accounts he controlled.

 

[A-V-8]

Noble Drilling and TransOcean. They have IT guys on the rig. 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off. It's no picknick however you will make more than virtually all pilots in your carear.

 

[dueguard1]

Noble Drilling and TransOcean. They have IT guys on the rig. 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off. It's no picknick however you will make more than virtually all pilots in your carear.

A-V-8,

Any company's in particular if I'm interested in the Rig offshore work?

 

[cale42]

Haven't posted on FI in at least a year but this topic is worth consideration.

I left the IT field for the regionals and too this day would encourage anyone to do the same. Lots of the people on here(like any sampling of pilots) that extoll the virtues of an office job have never had one.

Now IT jobs vary widely so keep that in mind. And what is important to me might not be important to you. That is important.

As background, I worked for a major consulting firm doing database conversions. After leaving I was one of the fortunate ones.. I did all my ratings in 1 year, instructed for 2, got picked up by the regionals right at 1000/100 and in 6 years I've been a captain for almost 4 of them. Exactly how your life works out is of course key.

When I did consulting I traveled more than I did as a pilot. Routinely gone 4 or even 5 nights a week. I worked 70+ hour weeks. I was always too exhausted to do anything in my free time. All of my free time was spent worrying about work, checking email, getting ready for work, etc. And this was before things like Blackberrys. I have to think it's worse now.

The upside to that job. Pay. Pure and simple money. At 5th year captain pay I still don't make what I did when I left consulting. I'll never touch what I could have made if I stayed. 15 year guys in consulting routinely made 7 figure salaries.

However now I go to work do my thing and come home. Most weeks I have 3 days off and I don't have to think about work hardly at all. Remember to wash my uniform.. thats about it. I wish their was more stability in the airlines.. but there isn't that much more in IT. Companies go under, consulting contracts fall through, people get laid off. The big stability advantage in IT is your experience is portable. You can find another comparable job and not start over at the bottom.

Anyway.. PM me if you have more questions I'm happy to share my experience. But give this decision a lot of thought. Especially if your going to be giving up a lot of seniority where you are.

cale

 

[NoPlaneNoGain]

I was always too exhausted to do anything in my free time. All of my free time was spent worrying about work, checking email, getting ready for work, etc.
The upside to that job.
...
However now I go to work do my thing and come home. Most weeks I have 3 days off and I don't have to think about work hardly at all. cale

Bingo

I left the IT field right before the world was going to end in 2000 and have no regrets. I worked for a major consulting player with good benefits and pay, but pay is not everything. Yes, I can make more money in the IT field but I would also have that extra burden of constantly thinking/worrying about my projects, going to meetings, and dealing with the deadlines. With flying, I go to work, do my job, stay out of the chief pilots office, and go home where I completely forget about work for several days in a row until it is time to go back. I would still choose the cubicle in the sky with a view vs. the other.
Oh and my wife says that I *itch a lot less now than before.

Best of luck with your decision

 

[cale42]

Bingo

Oh and my wife says that I *itch a lot less now than before.

Best of luck with your decision

Ha.. my wife says she is not even sure we would be together if I had stayed consulting.

Glad to see another person that shares my views.. the pilot career is not actually the worst thing to ever happen to them

 

[bailout]

yes, but your stories are like comparing 135 freight pilot jobs to an airline pilot. I know many friends who are in IT in big companies, like Coke, Home Depot, etc, and they work a normal 40 hours a week, never bring their work home with them or worry about the next day or deadlines. Its a typical big corporate machine, and they make good decent money... so yes, it varies..

 

[JettBoii]

If your at the bottom of a big list; take a leave and pursue the IT gig. Money isn't everything but when you have been a broke f/o for over 5 years then the thought of having a better paycheck and schedule on the horizon makes it easier to pull the trigger. If the industry gets better and you want to come back then by all means do so. Good luck.

 

[johnpeace]

I just came back to ATL after spending a year in Santa Fe, NM. I'm a PHP/MySQL web app developer and everywhere I've gone here have heard the same thing, "we have more work than we can do and just signed 2 new contracts...have NO idea how we're going to pull this off, when can you start? What's your hourly rate?".

I can't believe how much opportunity exists here.

That pilot shortage you keep hearing about? It's here...it's just not for pilots, it's for programmers/developers.

I took a contract position and am making more money than I've ever made in my life working for/with smart people who are making money and not driving their companies into the ground. Flexible hours, work at home days, nice office, weekends off.

I thought I was going to do this to fill the gap before my LOA expires this summer but the way it's looking there's NO WAY I would leave this to go back to the idiot circus that was my airline.

Good luck if you're stuck...hope it works out for you.

 

[TDK90]

I just came back to ATL after spending a year in Santa Fe, NM. I'm a PHP/MySQL web app developer and everywhere I've gone here have heard the same thing, "we have more work than we can do and just signed 2 new contracts...have NO idea how we're going to pull this off, when can you start? What's your hourly rate?".

I can't believe how much opportunity exists here.

That pilot shortage you keep hearing about? It's here...it's just not for pilots, it's for programmers/developers.

I took a contract position and am making more money than I've ever made in my life working for/with smart people who are making money and not driving their companies into the ground. Flexible hours, work at home days, nice office, weekends off.

I thought I was going to do this to fill the gap before my LOA expires this summer but the way it's looking there's NO WAY I would leave this to go back to the idiot circus that was my airline.

Good luck if you're stuck...hope it works out for you.

Great post, can I ask a couple of questions? What's the ballpark figure you make now? How easy a field is it to get into assuming no IT qualification or experience? Which qualification would you recommend? - Thanks!

 

[A-V-8]

A-V-8,

Any company's in particular if I'm interested in the Rig offshore work?

Yes Noble Drilling and TransOcean. Elite is sub sea (You will be on a boat not a rig). My sister is an engineer. Many years in the Oil industry. She advised me to go with those companies. I was hired with Flight Safety on a last second Hail Mary. I started a thread here about a non flying resume for a pilot. Go take a look.

If my sister thought for one second that I would be in danger she would never have recomended those companies.

 

[johnpeace]

Great post, can I ask a couple of questions? What's the ballpark figure you make now? How easy a field is it to get into assuming no IT qualification or experience? Which qualification would you recommend? - Thanks!

My hourly rate is 2x starting pay at ASA...and I credit about 40 hrs a week. Perm full time positions pay similarly (I heard $80-95K as expected salaries for senior devs this week).

I've been doing this for 12 years and bring more value than a beginner. Starting out, if you work hard, you're probably 3-4 years out from that kind of money.

I didn't graduate from college, self-educated. It's not so much about certifications as it is being smart, being able to solve problems, knowing how to use your tools and having a good attitude.

I've heard REALLY good things about the O'Reilly school of tech:
http://www.oreillyschool.com/

I'd suggest focusing on front-end client side skills first (HTML/CSS/Javascript), then if interested start looking at server side development (PHP/ASP/Java).

Good luck.