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Old 29th Dec 2005, 22:10
  #49 (permalink)  
Lodown
 
Join Date: May 2001
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Mourgo,

Good luck with the flying. Like any industry, there are good jobs and bad jobs. The good jobs are well worth the sacrifices, and the bad jobs...well... Just an observation that in current times, even the bad jobs are hard to get. You have to crawl, scrape and do a lot of dirty tasks to get to the top of the competition.

Obviously it's just my opinion, but if I was in your position, I'd put my dreams on hold for a while until the industry picks up again. Perhaps I'd work towards a PPL, enjoy the flying, then assess the state of the industry again prior to proceeding to a CPL/ATPL. In this way, you can get an inside feel for the state of the industry without a change-of-career commitment. You might also find that flying privately dovetails nicely with your present skills and aspirations.

The reason I say this is that when you're out of work with a pilot's licence, the costs to remain current and employable can be overwhelming, particularly when an instrument rating is involved. A comfortable bank account can disappear very quickly for a pilot out of a job, which makes the decision to get out or stay in the race a very tough one indeed. It's easy to say that money is not an issue, but it has a habit of becoming one very quickly when you're out of a job.

I think you need to set a few goals for yourself to give yourself the best chance of succeeding and minimising the fallout if things don't work out. It's nice to have the dreams, but assess your progress with a discriminating eye. You need measures and a clear head to be able to accurately assess opportunites when they appear.

Best wishes in whatever field you choose to pursue.
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