Originally Posted by
flocci_non_faccio
Absolutely agree. A large number of pilots, myself included, are going to be forced into taking any job going just to pay the bills. It is unlikely that many will have the time or money to commit to undertaking a university degree to retrain, and realistically entering another profession is the only way we're likely to achieve even a reasonable fraction of our current salaries. Because I already did a degree twenty years ago I'm not entitled to further student funding but unfortunately my degree is utterly useless as a back up plan because it is so out of date that I'd be better off not having it at all.
When the inevitable happens and I lose my job in the coming weeks, my future "career" probably involves stacking shelves in a supermarket until I retire, but of course with no chance of building a decent pension I'm unlikely to be in a position to retire, so more likely stacking shelves until I drop. We deliberately didn't overstretch ourselves when buying a house because I wanted to be able to pay the mortgage on an FO salary; naively I assumed that given the length of time I've been in the industry, the likely worst case scenario was being forced into taking a demotion and the associated paycut. Instead, we're looking forward to trying to pay the mortgage with me on minimum wage at best.
We shouldn't delude ourselves that we have any useful transferrable skills to offer employers in other sectors. Getting another flying job in the (distant) future is likely to prove an impossible task for many. Ratings will have lapsed, skills and knowledge atrophied. I don't see a reason for any positivity as an airline pilot right now.
I understand people are concerned, but don’t blow it out of proportion. I’ve been an airline pilot for 20 years, and survived many career ending events, but always managed to be in work. I’m not down playing COVID19, but if I was a betting man, I’d give it six months and the recovery will begin.