Possibly Switching Careers and Interested in Dispatch Advice

[duckbilled]

Hello,

Someone from AVSIM sent me in here because they thought someone here would have some advice for me. From the looks of things, I'm sure they were right.

I am interested in switching careers and going to school to be a Flight Dispatcher. I am not interested in going for a 4 year aviation degrees because I already have a Bachelors from University of Michigan-Dearborn in a unrelated field (Political Science). I am considering the Michigan Institute of Aviation and Technology http://www.aviation-career-training.com/dispatch.html.

Here are my questions:

How easy is it to find a entry-level jobs as a Dispatcher or Flight Follower with a non-aviation degree and FAA certification? Particularly, does anybody know anything about the opportunities in Michigan? My guess is that NWA's dispatchers are in Minneapolis but I was hoping that there could be possibilities with some of the smaller cargo operators, Mesaba or Pinnacle. If not with them, what other types of opportunities could there be once I get certified?

Is there a school that is relatively close to Michigan that has a really good reputation? Does anybody know anything about the Michigan Institute of Aviation and Technology?

How realistic is this career change in general. I have always had a passion for aviation but until now, it has only manifested itself in my addiction to pc flight sims. I don't have a ppl but I have a basic understanding of navigation, aircraft performance and I know how to read METARs.

I was able to get a lot of information from avjobs.com but I am still unsure if this is the right move. What appeals to me is the fast paced environment, its long-tem earning potential and of course, it is in a field that I have been fascinated with since I was a child.

Anyway, sorry about the long post. Any information will be greatly appreciated.

 

[bomberbubba]

Just my opionion......I have been dispatching for over 10 years......Find a different occupation!!!! Unless of course you just want to do it for fun and money doesnt matter to you.

 

[propsarebest]

I don't have a degree, and I have a bitchin job.

This job seems to attract lots of career change types, and it's just my opnion that they don't stick around very long. This job is thankless, and is NOTHING like what the schools tell you it is. The pay, indusrty wide really sucks, but the fact that you can jumpseat is kind of nice. There are some dream jobs out there, like UPS, FEDEX, etc., but in reality, you will be making 28 grand a year alot longer than anyone will admit to. plan on being at a regional or at an demand cargo operator for AT LEAST 10 years before you get a shot at the dream jobs.

If I had the chance to do this whole thing all over again, I wouldn't do it. You will be working weekends, holidays and overnights until the cows come home, so quality of life kinda sucks for a while.


I really don't mean to pee in your cornflakes, but I think that meeting a dispatcher and siting with them for a while (more than one shift) will allow you to actually see what we do.

 

[ss9e]

There are some dream jobs out there, like UPS, FEDEX, etc., but in reality, you will be making 28 grand a year alot longer than anyone will admit to. plan on being at a regional or at an demand cargo operator for AT LEAST 10 years before you get a shot at the dream jobs.

this isn't true at all. i got on at a major with just over 1 year experience. we just hired a guy with less than a year of experience. the jobs are out there. you just have to work for them.

 

[clr4theapch]

The Norm...

Props is telling you pretty much how it is.....9e's post is the high exception to the norm...

Most folks will have 7 to 10 years under their belt and may have been with several regional airlines before they have the experience and built the networking it takes to get on with a Larger Mainline airline.

As for working in MI or any peticular geographical area, as a dispatcher you must be willing to work at the airlines HDQ which in these days usually means living at that city. Some airlines still allow dispatchers to commute, but I dont recommend this to anyone in these post 911 days with higher load factors. This can make commuting a nightmare.

The starting pay for regional carriers will range from $12 to $13 an hour to start, you will move up about a dollar an hour per year, some have overtime pay. You can top out in the low 50's after 12 to 15 years at some of the larger regionals.

The cargo carriers tend to pay better to start, usually in the low 30's, and I am NOT talking about Fed Ex or USP...Good luck in your hunt, I personally would not incourage you to go this direction unless your a single person, dont care about when your time off is, dont need alot of money from your work, and just plain love aviation above all other things in a normal persons life.

It took me 12 years before I got on with COA and then you start over in seniority and shift bidding working weird shifts, vacation relief etc...good luck

 

[405]

Duckbilled, I wouldn't get anywhere near this industry if I was you. Stay away. Far, far away.

 

[duckbilled]

Ok, thanks for the advice. It looks like it is 3-2 and the no's are winning. In addition, I would say that the reasons to avoid the industry are more compelling. Considering that I am married and that I am tied to Michigan, it looks like this would be a pretty bad idea.

 

[maverick121]

I agree with props,405,bommerbudda,clr4. I used to dispatch at Pinnacle and it was not fun. It is exactly the opposite of a dream job. Low pay, bad hours, management that treats you like cattle. They claim saftey is their #1 priority but it doesn't seem like it when you get constantly nagged at for adding additional fuel. Just my opinion!

 

[Flt.Dxer]

Dispatch jobs in Michigan are few and far between. Mesaba is based in Minneapolis and Pinnacle is based in Memphis. There are some cargo carriers out of Willow Run Airport, but there are no airline dispatch offices in Michigan. (At least none that I can think of.) If you are tied to MI, this is not the job for you.

 

[duckbilled]

Thanks. You guys have provided a lot of valuable information.

 

[Dilligaff]

Duckbilled,

I've been in aviation for almost 20 years now and I spent 5 of those years as a dispatcher. My advice to you is find a lucrative job that offers a good quality of life and quench your passion for aviation by getting your ppl and going to as many airshows as you can. The advice that everyone has given here about dispatching is pretty much spot on.

Dilligaff

 

[Gert_B_Frob]

I would advise against it, especially in SE MI as there are not many good options.

MIOA was a decent education, but they will tell you what you want to hear just to get your $$$.

I'm ready to go back to school just to get out.

 

[hoover]

My advice to you is find a lucrative job that offers a good quality of life and quench your passion for aviation by getting your ppl and going to as many airshows as you can.

This piece of advice should be passed on to anyone who who is considering a career in aviation.

 

[dispatchguy]

A friend of mine (who is still stuck to a desk working ops) asked me to comment.

Stay as far away as possible. I am a former Dispatcher, Dispatch Trainer, ground school instructor for both pilots and DX, Check Dispatcher, Bornemann/SABRE Eagle Key User, Operations Controller, crew babysitter, crew scheduling babysitter, stupid gate agent babysitter; I think that is all.

When the fit hits the shan, like nearly anyday in ORD with a wind or a cloud around, you'll be severely overworked and on any day grossly underpaid. For all of those functions I delineated up there, I was paid a whopping 14.28 an hour. Wow! Can I afford the cheese fries?

Granted, on the severe VFR days when the airplanes are working, ATC is cooperating, and not much is going on, dispatching can be the easiest job around. Release a flight, and surf the web for a bit. HOWEVER, there still is management going so far up your flight planning arse nitpicking every lb of fuel you added (did we need 10 minutes of contingency fuel for FWA - yes we did, considering I'm departing off 22L in ORD with a 30 min taxi from T2, and your block taxi burn is 12 minutes, and I really dont like to plan to land with just a ************************* hair over reserves on board you jagdorf).

I permanently left aviation, after 9 years, from throwing bags to moving airplanes. Even gave my DX ticket back to the Unclefed to insure that at some point in time in the future I dont get stupid and want to come back. Yeah, sometimes I miss it (at least on those days where there isnt a cloud for hundreds of miles), then I come back to FI and see all of the bitching, whining, and moaning (primarily pilot-based), then decide Nahh - I really dont miss it at all.

If you want to be in aviation, get a PPL and hit airshows, for if youre in it for a secure financial future - well, thats not going to happen, neither the secure, nor the financial part.

 

[homerjdispatch]

other side of it...

I have a different view than the posters above. I have been dispatching for almost 5 years and love it. At my company, we work a 4-3 schedule. 10 hours a day. I can easily get 6 or 7 days off without using a vacation day. I use that time to relax.

Yeah, it can be tough some days, but thats the nature of the beast. Other days are a breeze. To me, the worst days are when I run out of things to look at on the internet.

Pay is OK. Its not a 6 figure pay, but its not a six figure job, starting out. The pay can be good if you work it right. For example, this year my base pay, without any overtime or bonus checks, is $40,000. When I add in the bonus program we have here and the overtime (i pick up one or two days a pay period) I am on track to make over $55,000. Not bad for regional airline pay. And the overtime is not bad, when you are only working 4 days a week.

My advice is to call around to a couple of dispatch offices and go take a tour or two. The advice you get on here is not always the best.

PM me if you have nay other questions

homer

 

[duckbilled]

Thanks again for the advice. I think if I was single and I had the ability to move anywhere to get the best job, I would do this in a second. Since I am tied to this area, my job prospects are very limited.

Honestly, I worked in Washington for a while in the political/non-profit realm. If I could move anywhere, I would move back there and try to get a job with APOA or something.

It looks like I am off to grad school then. I wish there was a airport management grad degree program in the area. The are a few undergrad programs but I am not going back for another 4 year degree. I am probably going to do a Masters in Public Administration. I have seen a few jobs with the Airport Authority that required that degree and it also opens me up to a number of non-aviation careers.

 

[Gert_B_Frob]

Thanks again for the advice. I think if I was single and I had the ability to move anywhere to get the best job, I would do this in a second. Since I am tied to this area, my job prospects are very limited.

Honestly, I worked in Washington for a while in the political/non-profit realm. If I could move anywhere, I would move back there and try to get a job with APOA or something.

It looks like I am off to grad school then. I wish there was a airport management grad degree program in the area. The are a few undergrad programs but I am not going back for another 4 year degree. I am probably going to do a Masters in Public Administration. I have seen a few jobs with the Airport Authority that required that degree and it also opens me up to a number of non-aviation careers.

Everyday makes me think grad school isn't such a bad idea, I just don't know what I want to go for, as long as it isn't aviation.

 

[Draginass]

Have absolutely nothing to do with the airline industry unless you can go in as high level management, stuff as much money in your pockets as the rest of the executives, then leave.

 

[airplane wizard]

Well, IMOH, what job doesn't suck nowadays!! I was an Assistant Dispatcher for Skyway for about a year. Yes, it is stressful and the pay does suck. And of course there is the Management. Lets not even go there!! All thngs considered, it was not any worse that any other job that I have had. At least you can BS with the pilots. It is what you make it.

 

[SKC]

It is what you make it.

One of the few good statements in this thread.