soap box
KPTPK said:
Just curious...why flying after 7 years of engineering courses? I assume you have a degree in some type of engineering program. There are plenty of engineering jobs out there that pay more than instructing/f/o'ing combined.
That would be TWO degrees in aerospace engineering on December. Short answer, don't want to get caught in an engineering job (I hate it with the same passion I love flying) in spite of the salary gap. This [the salary issue] I will submit, one must be careful with, it's not all that it's stacked up to be and commonly thrown around without proper context (i.e ommiting to mention the early salary plateau, 10th decimal place iteration day in and day out, joke of job stability) . But that would be a scapegoat [poking holes in the engineering job route] on my part so I'll just go with my first answer.
Did it mostly to be competitive for a Guard slot, but as I've posted before, I failed to recognize (who would at 17, freshman in college anyways) the nature of getting a pilot slot with the Guard (and everything in life after high school, connections connections connections......oh yeah and connections)
So nowadays I can be found at the local post office, shotgunning recycled applications to the Guard, which I will continue to do as a de facto part-time job until I'm age disqualified, but now I've decided to do something productive with my education and combine it with flight instructing, since it hit me the other day that I have pretty much the same (in some cases better) credentials as most of the career professors in these Universities, job which mind you, makes better money than the majority of airline jobs, and the good salary could reach my pocket quicker than the usual airline route, go figure!?!
I figure I put in my time at the institution with the CFI gig, build my reputation, bust my ass, next thing I know, while most of the time builders are running for the regionals,corporate, airlines etc and the other kids are finishing their bachelors in basket weaving, I'm first in line for a professorship at the department with a MS in engineering already on my belt on top of the years put in. If the Guard eventually happens great, if not, I didn't waste the freggin decade and attained a job that 1) keeps me flying 2)makes positive use of my formal education and my passion for flying and 3) pays the mortgage much better than the airline gig and I still make it home by 5pm.