The "Backup" Plan

[Flyingtoohigh]

After reading the follow thread, I was inspired to re-evaluate my own backup plan.

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=34987

I did my undergrad in Aviation because I didn't know any better at the time. In hindsight I would have done finance or accounting perhaps or another business-related major. Now I am faced with the choice between two job offers at out-of-state flight schools that may or may not feed me sufficiently or returning to school for an MBA, MA or Law degree (JD).

I'm curious as to what other flightinfo.com members have as a plan "B" in case flying does not work out for them. I'm particularly interested in those who enjoy a professional life outside of flying and instead choose aviation as a hobby versus a career.

 

[Snakum]

My real job is in the IT industry, and while it has been sucking MAJOR wind lately, my employer is still kicking and we expect to make it for the long haul. My plan is to instruct part-time nights and weekends till hopefully a night freight or part-time corporate/charter gig opens up that I can do while still working here to pay bills. I'd have to have something pretty stable to finally quit my job, but I do, indeed, believe that day will come eventually.

So I guess us career-changers have an advantage in this way. For you new guys who have just dove in head first and "D.amn the torpedos!" ... I really admire you ... you have bigger balls than I.



Minh

 

[TRLpilot]

i'm with you snakum... as a future aspiring career changer i plan to ease my way into the industry, if it's possible. working on my ratings now and hope to start instructing part-time until maybe enough seems to be happining to avoid food stamps.

i'm also strongly considering getting my real estate license. it seems like a flexible job that can be coordinated with flying schedules. also, there are a lot of latinos in the DFW area that need a bi-lingual agent. anyone else out there doing/have done real estate?

 

[414Flyer]

I have a BS in Environmental Science with some experience in Petroleum Geology.

Also some time as a wildland firefighter (In addition to flying tankers this spring, oh well, had my dream job for 3 weeks), and USFS is hiring more permanent employees for it, which I admit can be tempting compared to the possibilities of a soulless job flying regional airliners for low pay, chasing after upgrades, etc, and hearing everyone whine, and the ever present instability and uncertain futures

I do enjoy flying, but some aspects of commercial aviation appeal to me about as much as eating wet paper. During a detour I took to do forest fire ground work, it was actually refreshing to be treated nice, having a purpose, and having people glad you were there.

Oh well, I will be flying a Cheyenne in India for the summer. This should be interesting

 

[JB74]

anyone else out there doing/have done real estate?

No, but my wife and I bought a "fixer-upper" home three years ago, remodeled it ourselves and are now about to close on it. Going to make 50% on our money. I will use that money to carry us through the next 3-4 years (rent, utl, food, etc) while I instruct and so on.

As far as a backup plan, I also went to an aviation university for my undergrad and used that degree to get into the accounting field. The look on interviewer's faces when they asked "Embry-who, what is that a vocational school" was always assuring. Anyway, point is that a year or two of experience in something else outside of aviation will make all the difference. I don't have an accounting degree, but have worked for one of the bigger firms and have done well as far as "fitting in". You are not cursed with your aviation background, it is still respected by many out there, you just have to sell yourself.

Good Luck!

 

[Timebuilder]

I'm enjoying my new lifestyle, where I can go to auditions whenever I am called, and work that around listing homes to sell as a real estate agent. It's the best of both worlds. I may do some instructing at my local airport, and I hope to own my own plane by next year, for the purpose of taking buyers on aerial tours of the areas where they may want to live.

If you are in your twenties, and realize that the current high pay for retiring captains will probably never be reached by future pilots, and you just plain love to fly, then you may find some degree of happiness in this changing industry.

Other than that, get that advanced degree in business, law, or medicine, and come to me for a BFR.

 

[johnpeace]

I don't have a degree yet...plan on finishing my A.S. as/after I get through all my flight training.

After that, whether I go on to a B.S. will depend on what kind of opportunities are presenting themselves. It looks like it'll be 6-8 years before I'll even be remotely qualified (experience wise) for the types of aviation jobs that require a 4 year degree (corporate, majors). Even then, I see a lot of pilots with no degree working jobs that I could make a whole career out of...so we'll see.

I am a freelance web developer. I bill at $75/hr and don't seem to have a lot of trouble staying busy. It's very flexible, I can have as much or as little work as I want, so it will be an ideal second job while I'm working my way up the aviation ladder.

I'd eventually like to develop a model for my own online business...but I'm not sure what that is yet. My wife is in real estate and we've kicked some ideas around...time will tell.

Real estate is a far more lucrative, opportunity rich environment than flying is...that much is obvious to me. In fact, it's probably safe to say that our real estate portfolio is the only way it's financially possible for me to pursue an aviation career at this point. Thank God it worked out this way, I almost missed it!

 

[captainv]

i didn't get into aviation until after college. I got a degree in journalism and was working as a newspaper editor when the bug hit me. worked out great, I worked nights, so i could train during the day. plus, the steady paycheck helped me pay for training, and make payments on the big loan i took out to get my advanced ratings.

at the time, i was planning to stay at the paper, and instruct during the day until i got my hours. luckily, a corporate job fell into my lap, and i've been a pilot ever since. i enjoyed working in journalism, but i've never regretted leaving. it wasn't what i wanted to do. and it's not like i could stroll into the Atlanta paper and swing a job if i got furloughed.

no matter what degree you have, an employer is going to want to see some relevant experience before he hires you at a decent wage. i've got plenty of friends with advanced degrees and quite a bit of talent in their professions that can't land a job to match the one that laid them off. (arthur anderson left a number of people i know without a job)

IMO, it's better to commit 100% to what you want to do. that's what employers look for, and i think it'll make you more successful. if aviation, or business, or law doesn't work out, then you can commit 100% to something else.

 

[Flyingtoohigh]

Thank you for the quick and honest replies. I was half expecting to get flamed for thinking of jumping ship or receiving comments like, "Sweet, there goes another one. One less seniority number to conquer!"

JB74, how did you crack the accounting industry without the under-grad training? Did you take courses outside of work in order perform, or was training provided by your employer?

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

Not to hate, but if you wanted a pot of gold, you have to work your @ss off for it. As a pilot, you need to rack up the hours to get on at a major airline while still relatively young (so you can move up to the top of the senority list). You don't get those hours selling houses...

 

[JB74]

JB74, how did you crack the accounting industry without the under-grad training? Did you take courses outside of work in order perform, or was training provided by your employer?

My last year at Riddle, I realized I didn't want to be an airport manager (no offense to anyone that is), and interned with the local chamber of commerce's accounting department. Three months later, took an entry level job at a local company (sucky pay). Six months after that, took a job with a CPA firm doing write up and audits along side the bigger firms (as subcontractors) and made my contacts that way.

I did take additional accounting classes at UCF though to bring myself up to speed, but it wasn't asked of me.

Also, I know people who DID NOT have accounting degrees and they were making about 50k after three years experience working for private accounting departments.

Good Luck

 

[bobbysamd]

Aviation degree

I did my undergrad in Aviation because I didn't know any better at the time.

There is nothing wrong with a degree in Aviation, as long as it is from an accredited college. The fact that you have a degree puts you ahead of most of the workforce.

Look at it this way. Quite a few people earn degrees in English, poli sci, psychology, etc., but never become writers, English teachers, political scientists or psychologists. However, by virtue of their degree, they get jobs which are closed to others for not having a degree. The fact that you have the degree is your backup plan. It will open plenty of doors outside of aviation.

In my case, my degree is in Accounting, but I never used it because I initially chose broadcasting as my career. I went to paralegal school after aviation because I was not about to return to radio. As it turns out, law gave me my first chance to use my accounting training professionally. I do not count doing my own tax returns and balancing my logbook as use per se of my accounting degree.

Good luck with whatever you decide. If it were me, I would not give up on flying just yet and choose whichever flight school job is better.

 

[Dominicinco]

I'm getting my degree in Airport Management at Farmingdale SUNY.
Working at an airport is something that always fascinated me
since I was younger, as well as flying a plane.
Im going to start my pilot training come fall and want to go all the to the majors!
I dont think I will need that degree because I feel positive about flying for an airline.

 

[Jump Pilot]

If you don't have a skill set to fall back on, marry a teacher or nurse. They always have work.

 

[Jeff Helgeson]

consider a dual major; Jedi Cheeze makes a good point!

Jedi Cheeze makes a good point. If you want to be a professional pilot you have to pursue it as such or you will most likely fall short of your goals in aviation. However, you can devote all your talents and resourses and not make it.

Dual major: If you spend an extra year in school, you can turn a minor into a second or dual major. You could also spend an extra 2 years for masters degree.

If you have other interests that you could get the second degree in, it could work out. It's not necessary to get the degree in aviation, but the 4 year degree helps.

The three traditional things needed to the majors are:

1. 4 year degree

2. Certificates and ratings

3. Flight experience

I believe the number are something like 98% of the major pilots fit that profile.

You could ask Pilotyip and he'll give you an alternative route. Get the job at a commuter or cargo outfit and build the time, you could add the degree later. that may be more difficult now that so many pilot are out of work, but it is still possible.

Networking is a big factor as well.

Good Luck,

Jeff

 

[Flyingtoohigh]

Thanks again for the responses. I'm only 22 and my backup plan used to be the IT industry. I have severals years in computer repair and a minor in computer management. I finally realized that a minor in anything means jack sh.t and perhaps I should formulate a real backup plan. I still want to work in aviation though I am no longer convinced that my place is in the flight deck; though a nice Part 91 corporate job sounds ideal (wink, wink). Keep the discussion coming!

JumpPilot,

Where did you get that first quote in your signature? I'm passingly curious.

 

[Jump Pilot]

Thanks for asking.

That quote is from an advertisement for the "Airline Career & Interview Manual" by Norris and Mortensen.

Here is the complete paragraph:

"The Dominant carriers will become megacarriers. The commuters will be absorbed by their senior partners. Air traffic in terms of the number of people traveling and the number of transports to carry them will double. Travel between North America and Asia will be reduced to two hours by supersonic transport versus some fourteen hours now. The number of pilots required to service these requirements will double and there are not enough pilots in training today to fill the upcoming demand. Knowledgeable sources state 50% of the current workforce will retire in the next 13 years!"

I am not sure when the book was written, but they might have missed the mark on their industry analysis.

 

[Wankel7]

I have a BS in Business/Admin so I could use that as a back up plan.

However, I figure if I could not fly anymore I would just dump all my money into becoming a rally cross driver. But when reality hit I would use that BS degree to get into computers.

Wankel