McGee
Like yourself and many others I posted a similar question some time ago.
Working in IT, I hated the job with a passion. Get up at 7.30am, go to work, sit beside the same people, tap on a keyboard, looking forward to Friday, go out and start the whole thing all over again. I though, where are I going to be in 20 years? Maybe a company car and an office of my own? No thanks..
Taking the first step in this career is one of the hardest things, you are at the stage of should I / shouldn’t I. I remember the first day at ATPL ground school. I had just left my IT job 2 weeks before, and here I was training to be a pilot! After two days at ground school, I thought, bloody hell what have I done!
Like many others I spend a long time looking for a job and the ups and downs that that brings, well all downs! I took many strange jobs (moving blips on the radar screen in order to train air traffic control students at London Air Traffic)
After a stint of parachute dropping, survey work and then single pilot ops on a multi piston working with the same company as Pilot Pete, I got the break.
Just like DeeTee, it was one of those out of the blue calls! Well today I am RHS of a Embraer 145 and flying all over Europe.
A Number of friends on the way gave up at various stages, I keep in touch with a few and they say that they wished they had stuck it out.
The training is intense, finding a job can be demoralising, there is lots of money involved, and sure you are going to get loads of letters saying no.
Stu Bigzorst your 10 points are so, so true, but one addition…
11. NEVER lose sight of your goal, you will only live to regret it.
McGee, I speak to friends who I used to work with in IT, guys who I sat opposite, guys who though I was mad, they would say ‘ you are going to be a pilot?’ well when we meet for beers they just want to ask me all about the job. They cannot believe that their mate decided to change his whole life and become a pilot, they are good guys and full of praise. But they will tell me that they are sat at the same desk, tapping on the same computer, and are fed up of it.
This is the worlds best job, it’s worth it all, but you need to be a bit selfish to get here.
I wish you good luck, realise your dreams, because you have the ability to make them a reality.
FL245