airbrush
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2001
- Posts
- 146
NSW, your points are well taken, as well as accurate.
I've never deluded myself to believe that we dispatchers were saving the world or anything. In fact, I recently worked a part-time job with a hospital comm center, where we dispatched two EMS helicopters and several ambulance units, and I was amazed how little EMTs make for the literal life-and-death nature of their jobs. Most of them worked at least two jobs, enduring long hours, high stress, grueling schedules, and often insensitive management in the quest to be there to care for any one of us on any given day should we find ourselves in a life-threatening situation. It really makes you wonder about our priorities as a society.
My biggest complaint is that, with the system as it is, one glitch in your career and you are screwed, and all of the years invested mean squat. I don't expect to get rich, but the starting salaries have been pounded down to the point where I can't even support my family, especially in the high COL areas where these companies choose to locate.
I don't understand why they don't see that; I would've seriously considered JetBlue a couple of years ago when several pilot friends offered to campaign on my behalf. But New freakin' York City? Not only is it not where I want to live or raise my family, but the starting pay was well below what is supposed to be the "minimum" required to live there. Same with other airlines, located in the DC Beltway area but paying wages that are more appropriate for a small city or rural area. But that's the reality of the business today, and I doubt that will change for the better. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see the FAA pressured to change the regs and make Dispatchers go the way of the Dodo.
So, I'm doing my best to find another path. I stinks, but it seems to be the best thing to do for my family.
I've never deluded myself to believe that we dispatchers were saving the world or anything. In fact, I recently worked a part-time job with a hospital comm center, where we dispatched two EMS helicopters and several ambulance units, and I was amazed how little EMTs make for the literal life-and-death nature of their jobs. Most of them worked at least two jobs, enduring long hours, high stress, grueling schedules, and often insensitive management in the quest to be there to care for any one of us on any given day should we find ourselves in a life-threatening situation. It really makes you wonder about our priorities as a society.
My biggest complaint is that, with the system as it is, one glitch in your career and you are screwed, and all of the years invested mean squat. I don't expect to get rich, but the starting salaries have been pounded down to the point where I can't even support my family, especially in the high COL areas where these companies choose to locate.
I don't understand why they don't see that; I would've seriously considered JetBlue a couple of years ago when several pilot friends offered to campaign on my behalf. But New freakin' York City? Not only is it not where I want to live or raise my family, but the starting pay was well below what is supposed to be the "minimum" required to live there. Same with other airlines, located in the DC Beltway area but paying wages that are more appropriate for a small city or rural area. But that's the reality of the business today, and I doubt that will change for the better. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see the FAA pressured to change the regs and make Dispatchers go the way of the Dodo.
So, I'm doing my best to find another path. I stinks, but it seems to be the best thing to do for my family.
