The CTC Wings (Cadets) Thread - Part 2.

[MajorYaw]

I feel your pain and think you are wise to question what you are potentially getting into.

In terms of age, I wouldn’t sweat it too much. I am trying to get into this game and I’m nearly 30. I am prepared to take the risk for the chance to spend the rest of my life doing something that will make me truly happy every day, instead of just another job. I have been warned that at my age, I may be less attractive to airlines, but I believe I can counterbalance this with a lot of hard work, enthusiasm and a mature perspective supposedly gleaned from “life experience”. Not to mention that even at 32, I still would have up to 28 years of jet flying to get out of me, which is plenty. I’m prepared to take the risk because this is what I want.

Regarding uni, if you’re doing a degree that you really like, you may be advised to see it through. One little bell weather is to look now at all the jobs that you could apply for were you to leave uni without a degree. It’s a bit frightening to see how low down the food chain you are, and the crap money and positions you’d take up. That thought kept me in university at least once.

If you’re careful at Uni, you can limit the debt you leave with. This is probably easier if you’re aiming at CTC on graduation. At least then you’ve got a big reason not go on crazy spending sprees. Get a part-time job and save or offset your debt. On graduation, you could work for a year to partially repay your debt, get commercial experience to enhance the CV and get more life experience and some training. Then go to CTC. Explaining that you’ve successfully implemented a 5 year plan to be fully prepared for all eventualities is more likely to impress than disappoint them.

Personally, I would not miss out on the chance to have the freedom and great times uni affords. There’s never another time in life where you can do what you want to such an extent. You’ll graduate at 24-ish with more experience and a better chance of getting through CTC’s selection process, you might have been able to fly in your UAS etc and you’ll have a degree to give you more employment options should flying not work out.

On the debt side, you can limit your student liabilities through being prudent. You don’t repay until your earnings hit a certain amount, so no one’s going to knock on your door till you’ve got a job. The CTC debt is something you must accept with a degree of bloody-mindedness. There’s no getting around it. Just be grateful that CTC allow you the opportunity of an unsecured loan. Think of the bigger risk of securing the debt against, say, your house and what would happen if things went belly up: debt, disappointment, and no house.

If you have misgivings about going for this right now (because of the opportunity cost of what you feel you have to sacrifice), maybe it isn’t the right time for you. Don’t rush into this without being ready, otherwise you may regret it and might not perform to your max if you start the course.


Just my 0.02.