I.t. Field for regionals?

[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.