Pilot Career - To be or not to be...
Aloha
A bit of background: I am 32 and am just about to embark on my PPL in the UK. Having always dreamed of flying and constantly looking up into the sky (every minute in London), I am considering doing a modular fATPL as soon as possible and hoping to get a jet job by the end of it for a couple of years in Europe. Once the 1,500 hours have been completed, I am planning on moving to Oz (along with the wife) as the UK just does not have the 'quality of life.'
As most of you know, reading Pprune can easily lead to suicidal tendencies and job prospects in Oz seem even tougher than in Europe. Even if flying is your passion, is it worth the pain and minimum of GBP30,000 initial outlay (plus perhaps a further £27k for B737 type with line training) to become a pilot? Or do you continue something that pays well enough for a person to live comfortably and fly on the weekends? (i.e. even buy a plane {and put down a deposit on a house} instead of forking the money out on the training alone).
I would appreciate hearing from those who have sweated it out and believe it is totally worth the sacrifice! I can't imagine anything better than sitting at the controls of a jet having the best view in the world, however, is it worth to pay the price? Not just from the money aspect, but the whole package/lifestyle. There seem to be a lot of pilots out there that constantly moan about their jobs. It would be great to hear from those 'happy' pilots too.
Many thanks in advance!