Some really interesting dicussion in this thread.
This seems to be a real gut check for many people, the boom years of the past decade+ were long enough that we have a whole generation that has never known the famine times. (ME included.)
Now we've hit an inflection point. No doubt about it, If you've been "Levering Up" for the past decade in all Areas (Credit Card, Conspicous Consumption, Family/Kids, Travel) riding the razor thin margins on the wave of the expansionist boom years, it's a painful one.
All the advice about switching to a trade? Well as a couple of astutue commentators have already elucidated, it's TOO LATE.
Sure, if you're ALREADY a plumber, (electrician, nurse, etc. etc.) then you have a nice little safety net, but how are you going to pick up from 0 as both sides of all markets contract (so spending cutting back) and bills need to be paid? This advice only works if you're taking the full 180 Option, I.e. leaving flying for good.
That said, the intent of the advice is sound - the industry will survive (people are still going to want to fly, etc. etc. airplanes are not going away) but this is where a lot of young cats will need to look in the mirror and decide if they want to "stay in the game" or not and wait out the painful years.
That said It's not all doom and gloom. I am a bit schocked at how low many of us seem to set our aim. Stocking Shelves? Pilots follow complex decision trees/procedures (checklists),work within large organisations (airline) as well as lead functional teams (cockpit), are accustomed to quick decision making under stress (command decisions), international exposure, understanding of company branding, the list goes on and on.
All of these = valuable business skills. Combine this with some light industry knowledge (pick an industry), add a little bit of polish and you're not far away from any respectable professional gig.
Sure we're in for some hard times but if the people in this forum are looking to pump gas or pick cabbages for work then you know we're really in the deep of it.
Take care all.
Last edited by AVIM; 7th Apr 2020 at 22:42.