It's all a matter of where you stand and look at all of this. If you look at a Pilots worth from a seasoned Pilots point of view, then yes we are all worth more. An experienced Pilot understands what it takes to make it into the Airlines and all of the training and BS that is encountered along the way. Generally speaking only a seasoned Pilot will understand any of this.....
If you look at the Profession of Pilot from the Accountant or Managers point of view things look a little different. 100's of applicants for each position(sometimes 1000's), only 12 months of training for a CPL/IR and no minimum education requirements to get into the course, just a fist full of cash!!!! (It took the Accountant a min of 3 years of Uni study then the CPA/CA study thereafter to get a decent job on 40k-50k: if they show some talent...). So it looks easy to them!!!!!
I think Pilots putting themselves into the same category as Lawyers and Doctors is silly.... It's just too different. It still costs around $33k-$35k (HECS) to do a Law Degree (4 years Full Time) and then postgraduate Legal training to get a Practicing Certificate (more $$$) and the starting pay is still crap.... and most lawyers will never make $100,000 a year. That is a Fact.
One clear difference between a Pilot and a Lawyer is the training. A student wanting to do a Law degree must fulfill academic requirements for entry and then be competitive enough to be accepted, then pass 30+ subjects just to be able to then study to practice.
Imagine if you could just turn up to a Law school and hand over the $$$ and 4 years later you got the degree whether you could do it or not..... just like the sausage factory flying schools.....
A Doctor is just too different for me as a Pilot to ever compare myself... A minimum of 6-7 years of University Study and at least a $50k HECS debt, an Intern year on around $50k, then at last a licence as a Medical Practitioner. But now you have to complete one more year as a House Officer or the like whilst applying to be accepted into a specialty training course that will last another 3-6 years..... and after all of this (12 years minimum)...... Finally a chance to make a decent income..... and just as with lawyers........ Not all Doctors make a fortune...... Only a select few.
A lawyer still has a responsibility to his/her client, the Doctor to the Patient,the Pilot to the passenger. If either make a mistake a persons life can be destroyed in an instant......
Yes we all have responsibility in our jobs, that is a fact for all Professionals. We as Pilots need to stop comparing ourselves to others who are nothing like us (in many ways!!!!) and concentrate on looking after ourselves as a profession to ensure we are remunerated accordingly for the job we do. If we try to be looked at as equals to Lawyers and Doctors we will get shot down because the general public don't have a clue what we really do or have done (Haven't we all been asked if we want to be a commercial Pilot one day after pulling up somewhere on a charter!!!!!). Doctors don't Piss and Moan on a Rumour network..... They have a Bloody strong Union and they respect each other professionally and try to make things better for all Doctors, not just a selfish few.... Sure they all want to make more money than the next Bloke.... but they know the united front of bargaining is far more powerful and secure for the profession than snaking and undercutting.....
Maybe Pilots could learn a thing or two from them.... instead of just comparing themselves to them......
