Should I become a police officer or nurse or stick with it?

[say again]

I I am almost 28 and want to get married and start a family.
If I were single I'd probably take a job and move to the base.

At such a young age?? JK. Dump the girl and become a regional pilot, you will pull more a$$ than Ron Jeremy.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

At such a young age?? JK. Dump the girl and become a regional pilot, you will pull more a$$ than Ron Jeremy.

Yea, but a lot of the a$$ will look like Ron Jeremy.

 

[pilotyip]

How old are you? look at the military, particularily the Army. A recruiter told me they looking for pilots. Decent pay, chances to travel, job security, well until the war is over.

 

[711-24-7]

I love flying I do not handle stress very well.....I am not talking emergencies, checkrides etc. Like for instance missing the last flight to commute to or from work. Or the instability of working hard showing up to work all to lose your job and go back to the bottom of the list, thats what bothers me. I think flying is a wonderful profession but while fun at the end of the day, its just that a job. I dream about being a airline pilot and its right there at my finger tips. I just don't want to invest any more time in something that might be futile, I am almost 28 and want to get married and start a family.
If I were single I'd probably take a job and move to the base.

Like I was saying pros and cons of the job. You are just going to have to accept the things that come with it ie. Commuting and being extended on the day you really wanted to be back home for family event(s). I use to commute, now I live at base!! It is all give or take. I love flying enough to put up with all that goes with the job. But ultimatley, your job should fit your lifestyle. Good Luck!!!

 

[Rally]

Well the way I figure it my dad lived to 56.....I would like to pop one out by 32.....even if I dump said GF (which u never know) get my act together and get in the regionals how am I gonna find A$$ on the road?
LOL Other then a some FA. I'm gonna start a new thread "have you ever dumped a wife or GF or for ladies bf or husband for a airline career? " This ought to be interesting.

 

[ALIMBO]

Its not like the pay is that bad once you put your time in with an airline. Look at the pay scales do the math ya Im sure it sucks real bad to be in debt and be on first year FO pay but hey whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Once you eat sh*t for a little bit you will have the seniority and time on to make a decent amount of cash. I think making upwards of 70K is more than enough to live comfortably especially if said gf has a decent job herself. My advice do it save your money as much as you can do the few years of garbage schedules then get married and have kids. Besides its a good way to see how much she loves you because if she cant deal with you schedule when you first start off do you really want to be with her for the rest of your life.

 

[Rally]

Well the winner here is I only have about 1500 in debt and money in the bank.........I have no idea how people survive on their first year pay at regional WITH debt.

 

[Way2Broke]

I have no idea how people survive on their first year pay at regional WITH debt.

I lived in a tent at a State Park while flying bank checks to build twin time. And no, I am not kidding. And that was paying dues to become a Jetstream driver. I knew if I stuck with it would be worth it, and it has been. By 25 I made Captain in a Jet and was making 50k a year. All that without a degree. My parents raised me to believe that "there is a price for paradise." I honestly think that anything worth having isn't going to be easy to get. I make a good living, doing what I want, have more free time than I know what to do with, and now my company is paying for me to go back to College. I also have some stories to tell that don't begin with, "This one time in a 172."

But then again I went the freight route, not the regional route. It's the road less traveled.

My Mom is a nurse and she loves what she does. She is a very giving and kind person and that is what allows her to enjoy her work. She is only a LPN so she has never gotten rich doing it. You can't pick a career because it pays well, you have to pick a career that allows you to feel like you have accomplished something at the end of the day. I'd rather be poor and happy than rich and depressed. You might pick a career but it seems to me that over time you don't pick your job, it seems to pick you. Bottom line, GET IN WHERE YOU FIT IN.

 

[ALIMBO]

I think you know what the answer is buddy. My mom's a nurse money is great but shes moved from the nursing spectrum to more management and for good reason working different shifts took a beating on her like 11-7 5 days a week and then dealing with kids its a pain. But then again she loved her job and it didn't bother her that much. If flying doesn't bother you enough to quit then don't do it. The thing with flying is there is never a dull moment its always changing same with nursing and being a police officer but It's just different with flying I guess Im just real passionate about it and don't care enough about money to let it make the decision for me.

 

[goahead]

I lived in a tent at a State Park while flying bank checks to build twin time. And no, I am not kidding. And that was paying dues to become a Jetstream driver. I knew if I stuck with it would be worth it, and it has been.

AHH you were so mistreated...... doesn't this belong in the employment area

 

[JustaNumber]

Doing what you love for a living is way more important than money or stability. You can find a way to get another aviation job if your current one falls through. You can't buy happiness, though.

I guess it comes down to, what inspires you in your free time? Would you rather spend your day off at the hospital, the police station, or the airport?

Your future wife will be much happier being around you if you are happy with yourself and your own life choices, and you're not just doing whatever you think will make her happy. You have to start with being your own self in order to have a long and successful marriage.

 

[Talian]

I left flying about five years ago and sometimes feel a longing to go back to it and I think I will always have that in the back of my mind.
Its a hard decision to make. Thankfully mine worked out fine, I married a woman who makes six figure income with all the benefits, including free travel, hotel and rental car upgrades etc...
As for myself I now own a very lucrative business. Although it's not as fun as flying but much more rewarding and I will soon be looking to buy my own plane to tame the desire in me to fly for a living.
Only you know if this is something you could sacrifice so much for. I was seriously considering sending resumes out as recent as three months ago, but looking at the current situation I have to say "What the hell was I thinking".
Good luck in what ever you choose.

 

[Way2Broke]

AHH you were so mistreated......

I wasn't mistreated at all. I treated myself well the whole time. I might have been underpaid, but I was never mistreated. Not everything in life is fair, and your actions teach people how to treat you, not the other way around. Even when I was in the tent I still was still a very happy and determined person. I wouldn't want it any other way. It even keeps me motivated today because I don't want to go back to that.

I know a guy that flies a DC-9 that lives in a trailer park that is a happy guy. My favorite kind of people are those that don't just make the same decisions that the guy in front of them did. They have stories to tell and things they can teach you you life lessons that most people can't. This falls under the learn from other people because you will never have enough time to do everything they have done category.

 

[satpak77]

Doing what you love for a living is way more important than money or stability. You can find a way to get another aviation job if your current one falls through. You can't buy happiness, though.

I guess it comes down to, what inspires you in your free time? Would you rather spend your day off at the hospital, the police station, or the airport?

Your future wife will be much happier being around you if you are happy with yourself and your own life choices, and you're not just doing whatever you think will make her happy. You have to start with being your own self in order to have a long and successful marriage.

One of the better flightinfo posts in a long time.

FYI you will never fly heavies to Europe once a month, have 28 days off the rest of the month, and make $200,000 a year as a Police Officer or Nurse. Come to think of it, you won't in year 2008 or in the future as an airline pilot either, as that job described above no longer exists.

So I suppose the question we must ask is, "If the airline job I orginally "signed up for" no longer exists, then why am I still chasing it?

You CAN make $65-100K a year as a Police Officer or Nurse if you choose who you go work for. You can also come home feeling like you did just a little something for someone else, and maybe contributed to society. And have a retirement plan, and benefits that won't disappear if crude oil goes higher.

What a concept huh

 

[satpak77]

Doing what you love for a living is way more important than money or stability. You can find a way to get another aviation job if your current one falls through. You can't buy happiness, though.

Someone else who sees what life is all about...another good post.

 

[piav8r]

Speaking for myself, I'm POST eligible in the state of MN. If I end up on the street again I will probably go the LE route and not look back. I love my job and would love to stay with it but sometimes you have to give up what you love to do what you must.

 

[satpak77]

as an additional note, anybody ever dated two chicks? Even loved two women?

You CAN enjoy two things at once. I know people who fly professionally, left it to do something else equally interesting, enjoyed that too, then went back to flying. Its not like the FAA is gonna change the way a VOR works. Unless you stop flying for 20 years, I mean come on, unless you are retarded, you will get spooled back up in no time.

They came and went back to flying and the world kept turning. THEY were happier because of it, and felt more fulfilled because of it.

 

[Way2Broke]

as an additional note, anybody ever dated two chicks? Even loved two women?

Chicks digged the tent BTW. :laugh:

 

[satpak77]

Chicks digged the tent BTW. :laugh:

dude I had an air matress, one plate, one knife and fork, and one plastic glass when I flew a tired Lance on night 135 runs. Oh yeah a big container of Tang also, I used to drink that stuff.

I would land at 7 AM, then go to a local hotel that offered free breakfast to guests.

Looking back, when a girl came over, she probably thought I was Jeffrey Dahmer or something or Ted Bundy with his VW Beetle.

Didn't matter tho...chicks are dumb, esp the ones that work in stores in the mall.....they blindly entered my pad and blindly and willingly stayed late into the night....that air mattress saw alot of use...said girls came back again and again

 

[Way2Broke]

dude I had an air matress, one plate, one knife and fork, and one plastic glass when I flew a tired Lance on night 135 runs. Oh yeah a big container of Tang also, I used to drink that stuff.

I would land at 7 AM, then go to a local hotel that offered free breakfast to guests.

Looking back, when a girl came over, she probably thought I was Jeffrey Dahmer or something or Ted Bundy with his VW Beetle.

Didn't matter tho...chicks are dumb, esp the ones that work in stores in the mall.....they blindly entered my pad and blindly and willingly stayed late into the night....that air mattress saw alot of use...said girls came back again and again

See what I mean about good stories to tell! Do you still use the mattress on camping trips and when guests come over? If you do remind me never to spend the night at your place.