ShaunLanc
17th Feb 2010, 17:19
(Not sure where i should post this so i'll try here, sorry if its in the wrong bit!)
Hello everyone,
First of all can i say thank you for all the posts and warnings you guys have posted regarding the wannabe route to becoming a pilot. It has really opened my eyes. Just two weeks ago i was high in the clouds dreaming of the day CTC wings accepted me on their cadet program, the 70k debt didnt matter because i would get a job with an airline almost straight away.
That was untill i discovered this forum. The amount of people coming out of training and not finding ANY flying job let alone an airline job really took me back. This is why i would like to thank you, im currently on a gap year considering my options after gaining my Alevels and so im glad i've found out the reality of this industry before i started.
I have a real passion for flying, its all i've ever wanted to do. Im not rich, i dont have a rich family but i have a supportive family. I finished my Alevels at a slightly above average but nothing amazing. After having a knock back from the RAF due to my eyesight i thought any other flying job would be for me. My original plan as mentioned was to try CTC wings but now im not so sure. Coming out with over 70k debt without the guarantee of a job really worries me. So then i thought i would work full time in a dead end job and work my way through to PPL, FI etc but that could take years and at the end of it i would have no real career just loads of bits of very expensive paper. So heres my dilemma.
Do i follow a different career path with a decent wage and wait for the industry to recover, by then i could have enough to pay for my CPL and other ratings without going into debt. I've looked into uni courses for geology, i did this at Alevel and the money is good in the oil industry but this could take 10years+ to work my way up. By then the industry might be better and i could fund all my training without going into debt. However i would be older and i know older pilots are sometimes at a disadvantage. I do enjoy geology so i wouldnt be hating all of the course all the time but obviously flying is my real passion.
Or (this feels stupid asking this but i will anyway) do i get into huge debt with an FTO like CTC and hope i get a job, if i dont get a job i could always start instructing or fly for small operaters (like the ones botswana).
Or do i save all the money i can in a crappy job to save for a modular and then try and gain a job in flying, i mean ANY job in flying. Is this realistic?
But that would take years, so do i take out a 40k loan (Could i do that at 19 years of age, would it be wise to?) instead and try getting a job, maybe instructing or something?
Im really at a loss at what to do, and although i dont expect you to tell me i would very much appreciate any advice you have to offer.
My dream is to become a pilot and some people follow your dream, but is a dream really worth financial ruin and potentially ruining my life because of huge debts.
I would also like to hear peoples stories on their route to becoming a pilot, if you failed or not. Im not afraid of being told straight, infact thats what i want to hear.
I know this is a bit silly asking for career advice from someone over the internet but i have no one to turn to. Sure i have my parents but they dont really know the real ins and outs of my and the industrys situation, and i dont think a career advice woman behind a desk is much help!
If you have read this far thank you so much, i know you get hundreds of wannabes posting on these forums with stupid questions and i hope mine is not one of them haha!
Sorry if this post is a bit naive, i've been scrolling through posts on these forums for over a week and the picture most paint is not good so please correct me if im wrong.
Thanks in advance,
Shaun
Hello everyone,
First of all can i say thank you for all the posts and warnings you guys have posted regarding the wannabe route to becoming a pilot. It has really opened my eyes. Just two weeks ago i was high in the clouds dreaming of the day CTC wings accepted me on their cadet program, the 70k debt didnt matter because i would get a job with an airline almost straight away.
That was untill i discovered this forum. The amount of people coming out of training and not finding ANY flying job let alone an airline job really took me back. This is why i would like to thank you, im currently on a gap year considering my options after gaining my Alevels and so im glad i've found out the reality of this industry before i started.
I have a real passion for flying, its all i've ever wanted to do. Im not rich, i dont have a rich family but i have a supportive family. I finished my Alevels at a slightly above average but nothing amazing. After having a knock back from the RAF due to my eyesight i thought any other flying job would be for me. My original plan as mentioned was to try CTC wings but now im not so sure. Coming out with over 70k debt without the guarantee of a job really worries me. So then i thought i would work full time in a dead end job and work my way through to PPL, FI etc but that could take years and at the end of it i would have no real career just loads of bits of very expensive paper. So heres my dilemma.
Do i follow a different career path with a decent wage and wait for the industry to recover, by then i could have enough to pay for my CPL and other ratings without going into debt. I've looked into uni courses for geology, i did this at Alevel and the money is good in the oil industry but this could take 10years+ to work my way up. By then the industry might be better and i could fund all my training without going into debt. However i would be older and i know older pilots are sometimes at a disadvantage. I do enjoy geology so i wouldnt be hating all of the course all the time but obviously flying is my real passion.
Or (this feels stupid asking this but i will anyway) do i get into huge debt with an FTO like CTC and hope i get a job, if i dont get a job i could always start instructing or fly for small operaters (like the ones botswana).
Or do i save all the money i can in a crappy job to save for a modular and then try and gain a job in flying, i mean ANY job in flying. Is this realistic?
But that would take years, so do i take out a 40k loan (Could i do that at 19 years of age, would it be wise to?) instead and try getting a job, maybe instructing or something?
Im really at a loss at what to do, and although i dont expect you to tell me i would very much appreciate any advice you have to offer.
My dream is to become a pilot and some people follow your dream, but is a dream really worth financial ruin and potentially ruining my life because of huge debts.
I would also like to hear peoples stories on their route to becoming a pilot, if you failed or not. Im not afraid of being told straight, infact thats what i want to hear.
I know this is a bit silly asking for career advice from someone over the internet but i have no one to turn to. Sure i have my parents but they dont really know the real ins and outs of my and the industrys situation, and i dont think a career advice woman behind a desk is much help!
If you have read this far thank you so much, i know you get hundreds of wannabes posting on these forums with stupid questions and i hope mine is not one of them haha!
Sorry if this post is a bit naive, i've been scrolling through posts on these forums for over a week and the picture most paint is not good so please correct me if im wrong.
Thanks in advance,
Shaun