Great question. I have had many discussions with colleagues on this subject in the past 6 months, and I seem to have quite a different view than most!
Over the past 20 years I have been stunned several times by reports of airline pilots applying for jobs which I consider them grossly overqualified for. The first occasion was in the late 90s when there were reports of a Melbourne based Ansett Captain who was driving a taxi after being laid off, and most recently by ex-777 Captain applying to drive a train. I have always viewed our profession as being largely cognitive, with a small (but critically important) esoteric set of manual skills being secondary. A similar analogy would be a surgeon...yes, he requires a manual skillset, but his value largely lies in his experience, his ability to perform calmly under pressure, his technical knowledge etc. The core cognitive or 'soft' skills of a competent airline pilot include excellent time management, a high degree of EI, conflict resolution, task management, broad and flexible communication skills, environment control, exceptional prioritisation, leadership etc etc etc...and oh by the way, we can fly aeroplanes. I suspect that for the driver of a taxi or a train, these cognitive skills are far less important, and that manual manipulation and the associated spatial judgment etc form a proportionally MUCH larger requirement for success.
Research completed in the past two decades is clear; these non-technical attributes, in particular leadership and emotional intelligence, are far more important for success in almost all industries than technical skill. (Industry is slow to transition though...a quick view of the job ads on LinkedIn still seem to prioritise technical skill and industry experience over character traits and EI.)
So...to answer your question indirectly, I think a great option for a lot of the very smart, very talented airline crew I've flown with would be to spend US$1000 having a HR specialist convert their skills and experience into a stunning CV, and start applying for management positions in a variety of industries where technical knowledge is less important. Ops management or ops consulting roles would be a good fit for many of us.
Cheers!
P.S. Of course, my lower priority on manual skills may just be a psychological defence mechanism because I can't fly very well
