Is it worth it in the end??

[flyguy_022]

Im just a student in college debating if I want to become a professional pilot. I will be married in a few years and will have kids in the future. How much time is spent away from family? Is there any time with family? Is it worth it for the love of flying? I love flying so much but i want to keep a happy family. Should i go for it or is it too hard on the family? Is it practible and enjoyable to be a pilot and have a family? Any feedback is great, Thanks.

 

[capt. megadeth]

Im just a student in college debating if I want to become a professional pilot. I will be married in a few years and will have kids in the future. How much time is spent away from family? Is there any time with family? Is it worth it for the love of flying? I love flying so much but i want to keep a happy family. Should i go for it or is it too hard on the family? Is it practible and enjoyable to be a pilot and have a family? Any feedback is great, Thanks.

I would say you will spend at least half of the month away from home on average.

Yes, there is a lot of time with family. 24 hours a day on the 15 days of the month you are home.

YES....IMO it is definitely worth it for the love of flying.

If you want to keep a happy family, marry someone who will support you following your dreams. If you marry someone who doesn't understand the industry and isn't supportive, you will not have a happy family. My solution to that.....don't marry someone like that. If there is any hint that your signigicant other isn't understanding of the lifestyle before you are married, it definitely won't get better after you get married.

You should go for it because you only live once and if you don't "go for it" you will always wonder what could have been.

Yes, it is practicable and enjoyable to be a pilot and have a family....I know many happy families with one or both spouses being a pilot.

Don't get me wrong.....I am sure there are times it is hard but don't let the naysayers on here discourage you. It is hard to get a really good job flying, have it work out and have a great home life to boot but if you don't try, you will never know. It is so worth it to go for your aspirations because you only get one life to live. Good luck.

 

[capt. megadeth]

One more thing.....if you don't go into flying, what are your plans?

 

[avbug]

Post thread once...good web mannes.

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?p=1136692#post1136692

 

[Papps]

Im just a student in college debating if I want to become a professional pilot. I will be married in a few years and will have kids in the future. How much time is spent away from family? Is there any time with family? Is it worth it for the love of flying? I love flying so much but i want to keep a happy family. Should i go for it or is it too hard on the family? Is it practible and enjoyable to be a pilot and have a family? Any feedback is great, Thanks.

No its not. Don't do it. Any job will become a job. Go for financial/job security and family, they are the only things that will make you happy in the long run. The complainers are very visible (I complain on this board to vent a little, but i never complain at work) but their is a huge portion of pilots that are quietly miserable with their career path. good luck

 

[gringo]

Good god, kid, not only no, but hell no! Your "love of flying" has a greater than 75% chance of turning into abject hatred.

Flying as a profession is wonderful if you're single, but once you're married, it becomes extremely difficult to maintain a healthy home life. Can it be done? Sure, I know one or 2 happily married pilots. But that's it. 1, or maybe 2. Possibly even a third, but it's unlikely.

Struggle to show me one happily married airline pilot (there are a few, but very very rare) and I'll easily show you 15 guys who are divorced 2,3,4 times and miserable.

This career is going down the toilet like the blue juice (no matter what PilotYIP keeps blowing out of his @$$)- find something else that keeps you with your loved ones, gives you job satisfaction and gives you enough money to fly your Cessna. Flying an RJ or 747 gets reeeeeeeeeealy booooooooring after the first few hundred hours.

Your spouse can be the most "understanding" person in the world, but they still hate the fact that you're off galavanting wherever with whomever. They want you home, with them. Dosen't matter if they tell you differently; they're just saying it to make you happy, but deep down inside they're hoping you lose your medical so you can stay home with them. When I told my wife I was quitting the airlines, she cried out of happiness.

And life's just been getting better and better since.

 

[Papps]

Yeah its a great career. Im not ready for the paycut, but i would love to get out. When i go get my medical done, I'm half hoping that something is wrong with my blood pressure so the decision makes itself. I'm kinda bummed when i leave the office with that little white slip.

 

[Vacationman]

absolutely worth it..lots of time gone but lots of quality time at home as well.

 

[Flyingdutchman]

as long as u keep plenty of girlfriends on the side... worth it!

 

[capt. megadeth]

Yeah its a great career. Im not ready for the paycut, but i would love to get out. When i go get my medical done, I'm half hoping that something is wrong with my blood pressure so the decision makes itself. I'm kinda bummed when i leave the office with that little white slip.

If you are not getting out on your own, then you must like it. If it's that bad, then just quit. I did that with my nursing career.