It’s always been the same. In fact even when aviation and Ga was booming, you could always shake a tree up north and dozens of pilots would hit the deck.
We poured beers, worked for the council, drove taxis, strapped buses to our back and kept pestering the local operators until we got a start.
I’ve always said those who stuck with it always got to where they wanted to be in the end. The ones who didn’t, didn’t.
An interesting observation after years in the game is the expats. They made good money and progressed quickly. However any bump in the road and they lose their seat. Even the rock solid jobs now like air japan and the big 3 are done.
Meanwhile anyone in ‘that group’ that wants to stay still has a seat. At this stage.
My advice, head up north when you can. Find a spot where you can financially survive, get a job, keep pestering the operators and hanging around until they are forced to give you a job. Work ops, or the phones if you can. Help out on the line. Wash planes, sweep hangars. Learn the engineering side by lending a hand on the tools.
Good luck
