time for change?

[Almerick07]

Im currently flight instructing at a reputable flight school flying nice airplanes, getting paid very well for a flight instructor and am on the verge of possibly stepping up (or down however you look at it) to the airline world to further my career. Flying is a passion of mine but I also have other passions which include money management and finance (exciting I know).

Basically I've been offered a stock broker position at a very large investment firm after a what the heck online application. The position really appeals to me but I dont know if Im going to regret leaving professional aviation if I do take the stock broker position. Any experiences from people who have left aviation and came back would be helpful, Im really at a cross roads and need some advice/experiences from anyone.

 

[Junkflyer]

Maybe go the broker thing for a few years, save some money, then you can afford to have an aviation job.

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

If you want to be a salesman then being a broker is an opportunity to make quite a bit of $$$. If you're good at it, you won't regret the move. If you're not so good at it, you may see it as a waste of time at some point in the future. I started my career as an intern at Bear Stearns. Ended up at a large money management firm before I left for aviation a few years ago. Be very aware that there is a big difference between selling stocks and bonds and being involved in money management(i.e. portfolio management). Lots of pressure in that brokerage job. As in daily pressure as opposed to a typically more relaxed atmosphere at an actual money management firm.

Good luck with your decision.

Mr. I.

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

What flight school are you CFIing at?

 

[navigator72]

Make sure you ask for a cubicle with a window so you can watch the planes fly by. When the aviation bug hits, You will always be looking up at the slightest buzz of a plane flying by. Maybe on those power lunches you might take the long way back to the office by cutting through the airport. You will probably be better off financially with the broker job but plan on being stuck with the aviation bug forever.

 

[Princedietrich]

Im currently flight instructing at a reputable flight school flying nice airplanes, getting paid very well for a flight instructor and am on the verge of possibly stepping up (or down however you look at it) to the airline world to further my career. Flying is a passion of mine but I also have other passions which include money management and finance (exciting I know).

Basically I've been offered a stock broker position at a very large investment firm after a what the heck online application. The position really appeals to me but I dont know if Im going to regret leaving professional aviation if I do take the stock broker position. Any experiences from people who have left aviation and came back would be helpful, Im really at a cross roads and need some advice/experiences from anyone.

Take the broker position. Go for the paycheck, the QOL, the bennies, and the absence of a lingering fear of a furlough. Fly on the weekends as a hobby, you'll be able to afford some hundred dollar hamburgers.

 

[Almerick07]

Thanks everyone for the input, this is hard. The brokerage position is with Edward Jones as an investment representative where I would do everything from money management to sales. Ive got a a couple more weeks to go through the entire application process so I have some time to decide but I really dont know what to do. Maybe find a part-time gig flying on the weekends....or maybe build an RV??? Still have no clue what to do.

 

[Benu]

If you don't love it, don't do it. This desire must come from your heart. If flying is a better joy, then stay like the rest of us. Please never live for the greed of money. If you're doing something that you love, you'll never be broke or unhappy. No fame in aviation or stocks; just a piece of mind in one.

 

[Rxflyer]

Trust your gut on this one.

 

[unreal]

Im currently flight instructing at a reputable flight school flying nice airplanes, getting paid very well for a flight instructor and am on the verge of possibly stepping up (or down however you look at it) to the airline world to further my career. Flying is a passion of mine but I also have other passions which include money management and finance (exciting I know).

Basically I've been offered a stock broker position at a very large investment firm after a what the heck online application. The position really appeals to me but I dont know if Im going to regret leaving professional aviation if I do take the stock broker position. Any experiences from people who have left aviation and came back would be helpful, Im really at a cross roads and need some advice/experiences from anyone.

Well, lemme tell ya. Right after college, I wasn't so sure that I wanted to fly professionally. The market was looking like hell, and I was sick of being a broke college student. In my quest to figure out what I wanted to do, I went and sold cars.

I pretty much sucked at it, but the money was there. I remember at one point making in a single sale the amount I make in a month as a CFI. Pretty sweet, but everytime a plane flew over the lot, I couldn't help looking up.

Fast forward a bit, and I'd left that job to go be a CFI. They told me at the dealership that within a few months I'd take home $6,000+/month, which everyone was doing there. That's a pretty good hunk of change for a 21 year old fresh out of college, but I hated the job. I now make $1,300/month flying airplanes, and I never looked back. Yeah, money's tight, but I really enjoy my job. Being happy to go to work means a lot more than a nice paycheck, IMO.

I have a friend I graduated college with who went out and did the whole car sales thing as well. Still does it. He makes $80,000/year and drives a nice BMW. But, he still tells me that he wishes he could be in my shoes. Go figure.

 

[Iceman07]

.02 from the other side of the fence...

I started out as a CFI, did some piston cargo and piston corporate, got the magic 1500 hours, got real tired of CFI'ing, the enxt step would have been flying bank checks in airplanes that I wouldn't fly if I had a choice. Didn't have enough multi time and no jet time, so the airlines were out (1982-84). So I went back to my engineering background "to make real money" Been at it ever since.

Do I regret the decision? Well, sometimes when I get on one of the big silver birds, and I glance into the front office, yes. I know that if I would have stuck it out, I could be up there.

But...

I love my job. I have a beutiful, talented 10 year-old daughter, and I am teaching her to fly our C-170. It is so nice to be able to fly when I want, where I want, and no pressure to be anywhere. We fly all over the East Coast, Martha's Vinyard, Cape Cod, etc. Next April, we are going to Sun-n-fun for the first time.

But... the smell of burning jet fuel.... That's something I do regret. I will never know what it's like to have that kind of power in my hands. (Unless I win the lottery some day)

You need to ask yourself a very honest question: Do you love flying for the flying, and will you be happy flying GA aircraft for the rest of your life? Or, are you enamoured with the bells and whistles? I find that the thing I miss most is being sharp in IFR. I think that the IFR is the hardest thing to keep up.

I don't know how old you are, or what your personal situation is, but the longer you wait, the harder it will be to justify leaving a six-figure job to make 20,000 a year flying for a regional.

It is a hard decision, good luck.

 

[Almerick07]

thanks iceman, good post. I have a desire to go upside down more than long haul people moving. Also flying AND finance are pretty much the 2 things I see myself doing in life. Whether it be flying for a paycheck and investing on my own or investing for a paycheck and flying on my own. Im really pretty torn but am actually leaning toward the stock broker position. I figure Im pretty close to airline mins and if I ever really wanted to get back into it I wouldnt be far from an airline job. I also realize Im young enough at 21 to maybe take some time off and get back into the game without being far behind. Thanks again for everyones input it really was a help.

 

[antney]

Almerick07
I was all for being an airline pilot growing up. Nothing was going to stop me from it, I scarficed a lot growing up by staying in school and making it to a regional position by the age of 22. I worked at the regional for 2 years and to be honest with you I hated it. I thought the glamer of being an airline pilot, traveling was the greatest, but when I got my taste of it, I hated it.

I was single and in my twenties and I knew if there was ever a family in my future I would hate this even more. I love to fly and it was one of the biggest decision I had to make. One, all the money I invested in flight training and college and now with one decision it seemed all wasted. I looked at my options and knew at my age I could always return.

I decided to quit and I didn't even have a job lined up. The only previous experience I had was in construction, so I got a job at a General Contractor. 4 years later I own my own company, have a wife and a brand new baby. I look back at my decision and not once regret it, but I do miss the flying aspect. To cure my addiction I can always fly at my local airport.

I tell you the best part of my day now is coming home at 5pm and seeing and spending time with my family. I make good money, have the flexibility in my schedule and the most important thing is that I have control in my future not the industry. I wont miss any holidays or birthday parties or any family event.

It is a tough decision no matter how you cut it. Some people are just made to be an airline pilot and lvoe the traveling aspect, that was not me. I found out with real expereince and not by advice. You have to go with what you feel is the right decision. You will always have regrets in life, but it is what you make of the opportunities you have in front of you.
Anthony