Old fart's thoughts
Any career choice (any choice at all) involves certain tradeoffs. You get some things and give up other things. One thing to think about carefully is what income level you aspire to ( and this ultimately translates to lifestyle). While being an itinerant helicopter pilot would appear to bring certain things you value, it probably also brings a cap on income at perhaps no higher than a moderate level. (In the U.S., based on published salary surveys, this cap would likely be at the $75,000 to $100,000 level for the most senior pilots.) If you care about income (or rather what income can enable you to do) then there may be more productive choices. As with women, there are many suitable choices, no one of which is perfect. However, you may find that there are other things you can do (especially given your engineering background) that are enjoyable, satisfying, and with much higher (even relatively unlimited) income potential. Adventure comes in many sizes and shapes, and it may serve you well to do some critical thinking and research before making such an important commitment.
More than 40 years ago, I faced a similar decision - a flying career vs a career in engineering and business. For reasons I wont describe here I elected to purse a technical/business career instead of a flying career, and have satisfied my flying urges as an avocation instead of as a career. In retrospect, this was a good choice for me. It has allowed me to achieve a very secure financial place in life, and yet to indulge my flying interests over 40+ years, including world class training and ownership of aircraft I could never have owned on a pilot's income. And, I loved going to work everyday over the largest part of my career.
My professional pilot friends assure me that I made the right choice (vs their choice to fly for a living). They tell me that while the flying part of the job was always interesting, the hassle that came with it wore them down, and the income for all but the most senior airline captains didnt allow them to reach a high level of financial security by retirement time. Even some of the airline captains got shafted out of what they assumed would be a comfortable pension.
I am not trying to talk you out of a flying career. Just think it over carefully and make the most informed choice you can. Good luck in whatever you decide to do!
Last edited by EN48; 17th Jan 2009 at 18:15.