commuterguy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2003
- Posts
- 73
This has been one of the more interesting threads I've seen. I complain and moan like most other pilots and think life would be better at a normal job. But here's my take on it. I started at a regional when I was 23, , I'm now 30 and still there. Never had a full time job other than flight instructing (for 9 months). So I know that I have never been kicked in the baals like some have by this industry.
One day I was flying down to mexico with an FO who was about 5 years older than me. He was telling me about his boat, that he pulls into his dock at his custom home. Since it didn't add up that he had all this making 28K and with no sugar momma I just had to ask what drugs he was selling. Funny enough he said he was a pharmacutical (sp?) rep for 5 years before the flying. All said and done he made 180K a year. I basicall said something to the effect of you must be completely stupid or out of your mind. Annoyed at that he sternly asks me if I've ever had a real job? Well no. So he politely tells me to shut up because I have no clue. He said every day he woke up with a pit in his stomach about the day ahead of him. His last few months he couldn't even get himself to make his rounds, he just lied. He made tons of money but was too miserable to spend it. Kind of made a big impression on me that I really have no clue what it's like doing the 7-6 thing (people keep saying 8-5 but I know my Dad was more the 7-6/7 thing as an engineer). Another FO was the number two guy at a Target store, made close to 90K he said. Funny thing is he used the exact "pit in my stomach every morning" description that the other guy used. Said as he drove to work he dreaded it everyday. He had two 4 yr degrees, buisness mgt, and finance, now making 28K. Third guy was an accountant at one of the big ones. He told me his breaking point came when they insisted he continue his audit with his team on easter sunday. He said they always had to work weekends but he couldn't believe the easter sunday thing. He didn't show up because he wanted to spend time with his family. They treatended to fire him. He made 55K a year.
In the same way I can't describe to you first hand what it's like to be racially profiled or discriminated against (since i'm a blond haired white guy), us pilots who have pretty much only flown planes can't begin to describe how much better it would be working the "8-5" job. The few that have posted here that can talk about it seem to take the same stance as the guys I've talked to first hand.
Within my family I compare notes with my older brother who is an IT guy for a newspaper in phx, and my brother in law who manages billing for homestore dot com. The first likes his job, makes about 5K a year less than me and generally works 9-5 M-F. Has 4 weeks vacation which is cool, but when they get hacked, which seems to be hapening more he is there 7 days straight. You can't even get him on his cell. No extra pay for those weekends. The second one has become a miserable person. Leaves the house at 5 something for a 1 plus hour commute, home around 6ish. Towards the end of the month he works 10-12 hour days and comes in on saterday to get things done. makes in the 40's. A few months ago he took a day off and was hanging at my parents house. I asked him how he was enjoying it and he said not at all because now he's worried about how he's going to have to catch up the next day when he returns. really sad because when we were younger he was the coolest laid back guy, used to even do stand up for fun. When I talk to them my 14/15 day off lines don't look too bad. They think I'm the most lazy person around. My 4 day this week of 3 legs, 2 legs, full day in mexico with nothing to do but surf the net on the laptop, then 3 legs tomorrow doesn't even come close to the week they go throgh IMO. Sure hotels piss me off, security, gate agents, and all the other crap but as its been said before I think all jobs suck to some degree.
My last comparison is my Dad and his brother. Both raised in the same house by the same parents, and only a few years apart in age. Dad is a department head at a big engineering firm in phx, his brother is a senior AWA Captain. My Dad is the most unfriendly high stress person I know. As kids we always new when a project was not going good. I'm ashamed to say now as an adult but we hated when he came home because he was so stressed. The uncle is the most happy go lucky fun guy to be around. He was always taking us kids to the lake on the tue or wed afternoon in the summer (when you could actually use the lake without the weekend crowds). It seems to me that since you spend most of your awake life at work it has a big role in shaping your personality and life. Very un scientific I know, but something that I've seen first hand that is interesting.
All this for what its worth, and I'll still probably be b*tching tomorrow about this job anyhow.
One day I was flying down to mexico with an FO who was about 5 years older than me. He was telling me about his boat, that he pulls into his dock at his custom home. Since it didn't add up that he had all this making 28K and with no sugar momma I just had to ask what drugs he was selling. Funny enough he said he was a pharmacutical (sp?) rep for 5 years before the flying. All said and done he made 180K a year. I basicall said something to the effect of you must be completely stupid or out of your mind. Annoyed at that he sternly asks me if I've ever had a real job? Well no. So he politely tells me to shut up because I have no clue. He said every day he woke up with a pit in his stomach about the day ahead of him. His last few months he couldn't even get himself to make his rounds, he just lied. He made tons of money but was too miserable to spend it. Kind of made a big impression on me that I really have no clue what it's like doing the 7-6 thing (people keep saying 8-5 but I know my Dad was more the 7-6/7 thing as an engineer). Another FO was the number two guy at a Target store, made close to 90K he said. Funny thing is he used the exact "pit in my stomach every morning" description that the other guy used. Said as he drove to work he dreaded it everyday. He had two 4 yr degrees, buisness mgt, and finance, now making 28K. Third guy was an accountant at one of the big ones. He told me his breaking point came when they insisted he continue his audit with his team on easter sunday. He said they always had to work weekends but he couldn't believe the easter sunday thing. He didn't show up because he wanted to spend time with his family. They treatended to fire him. He made 55K a year.
In the same way I can't describe to you first hand what it's like to be racially profiled or discriminated against (since i'm a blond haired white guy), us pilots who have pretty much only flown planes can't begin to describe how much better it would be working the "8-5" job. The few that have posted here that can talk about it seem to take the same stance as the guys I've talked to first hand.
Within my family I compare notes with my older brother who is an IT guy for a newspaper in phx, and my brother in law who manages billing for homestore dot com. The first likes his job, makes about 5K a year less than me and generally works 9-5 M-F. Has 4 weeks vacation which is cool, but when they get hacked, which seems to be hapening more he is there 7 days straight. You can't even get him on his cell. No extra pay for those weekends. The second one has become a miserable person. Leaves the house at 5 something for a 1 plus hour commute, home around 6ish. Towards the end of the month he works 10-12 hour days and comes in on saterday to get things done. makes in the 40's. A few months ago he took a day off and was hanging at my parents house. I asked him how he was enjoying it and he said not at all because now he's worried about how he's going to have to catch up the next day when he returns. really sad because when we were younger he was the coolest laid back guy, used to even do stand up for fun. When I talk to them my 14/15 day off lines don't look too bad. They think I'm the most lazy person around. My 4 day this week of 3 legs, 2 legs, full day in mexico with nothing to do but surf the net on the laptop, then 3 legs tomorrow doesn't even come close to the week they go throgh IMO. Sure hotels piss me off, security, gate agents, and all the other crap but as its been said before I think all jobs suck to some degree.
My last comparison is my Dad and his brother. Both raised in the same house by the same parents, and only a few years apart in age. Dad is a department head at a big engineering firm in phx, his brother is a senior AWA Captain. My Dad is the most unfriendly high stress person I know. As kids we always new when a project was not going good. I'm ashamed to say now as an adult but we hated when he came home because he was so stressed. The uncle is the most happy go lucky fun guy to be around. He was always taking us kids to the lake on the tue or wed afternoon in the summer (when you could actually use the lake without the weekend crowds). It seems to me that since you spend most of your awake life at work it has a big role in shaping your personality and life. Very un scientific I know, but something that I've seen first hand that is interesting.
All this for what its worth, and I'll still probably be b*tching tomorrow about this job anyhow.
