- Have you lost enthusiasm for your career, if so why?
Nope. I'm a little over a year in the job, so you'd expect me to be full of enthusiasm (and this being Pprune, give it an hour or so before someone comes on and tells me I don't know what I'm talking about). The novelty still hasn't worn off, and I could name you several colleagues who are 30-year veteran captains and still claim to love the job as much today as when they first started. I like to think that bodes well for the future.
- What genuine advice would you give to someone in my position, knowing what you know now about the industry?
Don't rush into it and limit your debt exposure. If you're finishing your degree I'm assuming you're in your early twenties? You have all the time in the world, and there is no point in racing to get qualified with the job market in its current state. Life experience and/or experience in other fields of work will make you a more rounded person and will do you no harm in a job interview. Regarding debt (and particularly if you're looking at OAA) bear in mind that the more debt you take on, the more you'll need to earn to pay it all back - especially if you end up having to fund a type rating as well. By working full time and training part-time (up to the CPL/IR) I managed to keep my debts down to a sensible level, meaning I can exist quite happily on a turboprop salary. If I had £70k+ to pay back, I'm not sure how I could manage.
- Is the profession different to how you expected?
Not really. Having been a wannabe for God-knows how many years, I didn't have much excuse for not knowing what I was getting into. If I had to pick one thing that that surprised me, it's that the testing / training doesn't get much easier once you have landed the job. I don't know anyone who enjoys the sim, and it's a ritual we have to go through every six months for the rest of our careers. Grizzled old captains can find it just as traumatic as a newbie FO such as myself, and are just as likely to have an off day. That apart, the job is pretty much as I'd expected (and dreamed).
- Would you say you are happy in your career, or given the chance to start again would you take a different route in your career?
Has Kermit got a green bum? Having done nearly fifteen years in an industry that bored me silly, and a decade of soul-destroying commuting to London, I have never been so happy. Of course it's not perfect; I'm not a morning person and after three days of earlies I'm dead on my feet. Time off has to be booked months in advance, there's the daily security nonsense, bad food and not enough time to eat it, etc etc. We fly around in weather that would have PPLs pulling the curtains and going back to bed, and just occasionally you might be paired up with someone who is a nightmare to fly with. For me though, the good days outnumber the bad ones by at least ten to one.
The caveat is that I've been lucky - lucky to get an airline job with 200 hours, and with a decent airline at that. I didn't pay for a type rating or uniform, and my company gives the impression they do actually care about their employees. Many people aren't so fortunate, and for a truly balanced picture of the industry, you would need their experiences as well.
All said and done, however - and you'll hear this over and over again - I can't imagine doing anything else.