Majors Pilot Job sat

[Taco Rocket]

Too many pilots focus on dollars and cents. I suggest looking at time off relative to other jobs that pay a similar income. Hands down the pilot job wins: if you want to have a career in the "real world" you will have to work much, much harder than the actual pilot. And believe it or not: the pilot has more job security.

 

[Andy]

One of the big things that we haven't really addressed is time away from home. That can be substantial, especially if you have to commute to your job.

Your family has to be prepared for you to be gone every holiday, birthday, and special event. They have to be willing to move birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas by a couple of days to when you're home. Or just celebrate without you. Plan on missing your childrens' graduations. If you make any of those events, it's just gravy.

Can you handle living out of a suitcase, spending more nights in hotels than in your own bed? The cool part of that is free mini-shampoos/soap and pens. You will never have to buy another bar of soap.

The other piece of critical advice here is to save every freaking dime you can. I remember getting hired at United in 2000 and listen to my peers talking about their brand new houses. My only thought was didn't these morons do any historic research into the airline industry? This is a feast and famine job in terms of pay. Before buying a new car or nicer house, make sure you've got six figures in your rainy day savings account.

One last (morbidly) funny story: I went through A320 first officer upgrade in the spring of 2001. The United pilot in the room next to me was yelling in the phone at his wife one night - so loud that I could hear it even with background noise. The gist of the call was that his wife wanted to spend a month or so in Europe with the kids; they were in the process of building a house that cost a bit more than $1 million. At one point, he yelled that he bid the biggest equipment he could to make as much money as possible just to pay for the house and couldn't afford them to take a family trip to Europe. The next evening, I could hear the guy next door give in and let his wife take the trip to Europe.
That was less than 6 months before 9/11. I can only assume that the wife divorced him and he got downgraded multiple seats so that he saw his salary fall in half. And I'd bet that most of his remaining salary went to alimony and child support.
As long as your wife and family are willing to make some sacrifices, you may end up having a career like GuppyWN. I just hope that it doesn't end up as bad as Tweaker's or mine. I don't think that I would've done anything different; I'm just very lucky that I have a great (second) wife and kids. If you don't have a rock solid family support system, things will suck no matter how well your career turns out.

 

[Tweaker]

Perhaps your Mini-me, Sir Charles, but I have a bloated pot belly for now, so that's out. I ain't so mini. If you are commonly accused of intolerance by the intolerant and have a large stash of shall we say "precious metals" then we might should spend the bux on a geneology report. Or just sign up as guests on Maury.

I do agree with most of your posts, so start asking your "mom" about her whereabouts, circa 1973. Crazy times, and LSD, THC, etc. are all a helluva drug.

 

[charlie2]

Check six,

A lot depends on when you get hired, at the beginning or end of a hiring wave. If you are lucky to get hired early, you can get through reserve quicker on a narrowbody, and try to get a better QOL sooner.

Bye Bye---General Lee

He has it right...it's all about luck. If you are luckey you hold that against another professional pilot and if you are unluckey they will hold it against you...do you feel luckey punk? If you are smart you will stay in school and do someting that is more meaningfull to the world than flying someone to Wallyworld for a vacation. Study and find the cure to cancer or jump up and down about what you think you are entitled to in a merger.

 

[Tweaker]

To be clear, I am as happy as one can get, even after the repeated @n@l fistings. I just want to be clear how rough it can be. So many "nice" young boys come up mhea and get thrashed and disillusioned. I ain't nice and grew up getting bashed about by a recent immigrant from a Soviet dominated eastern block country. "I can hack it." Cowboy from Full Metal Jacket

It does bother me when people assume my job is: easy, all fun and fornication, I am an alcoholic, I am rich, and I barely work. I am proud and thankful for my journey, but I will utterly vaporize illusions about the career that this is now.

Let's all watch Pan Am!

ETA: I've had many "real jobs" and they really are as bad as you all remember or at least heard us slobs complain to you prima donnas about. My simple answer when asked if I like being a pilot - "It beats working."

 

[charlie2]

You are my twin.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

It has its ups and downs.

 

[Tweaker]

Wonder twin powers actumvate - Form the shape of a gallon of home brew!

 

[charlie2]

It has its ups and downs.

This is a serious forum so please refraine from comments like this.

 

[charlie2]

Wonder twin powers actumvate - Form the shape of a gallon of home brew!

uummmmm home brew

 

[Dumb Pilot]

This is a serious forum so please refraine from comments like this.

That is the funniest thing that I have read here in years, thanks for the laugh:laugh:

 

[charlie2]

Perhaps your Mini-me, Sir Charles, but I have a bloated pot belly for now, so that's out. I ain't so mini. If you are commonly accused of intolerance by the intolerant and have a large stash of shall we say "precious metals" then we might should spend the bux on a geneology report. Or just sign up as guests on Maury.

I do agree with most of your posts, so start asking your "mom" about her whereabouts, circa 1973. Crazy times, and LSD, THC, etc. are all a helluva drug.

Thanks for the laugh! I'm older and i unfortunatley have very littlle of anything "precious" except the family.

 

[charlie2]

That is the funniest thing that I have read here in years, thanks for the laugh:laugh:

I try!!!!

 

[Tweaker]

Well, depending on the format, I consider brass alloyed cylinders topped by a simple copper wrapped lead ingot to qualify as precious. Roll yer own!

 

[charlie2]

Well, depending on the format, I consider brass alloyed cylinders topped by a simple copper wrapped lead ingot to qualify as precious. Roll yer own!

Me too. Center of mass on the Taliban depends on the right grains...is this a thread creap?