Reality check
Hello there,
Perhaps other pprune users will be able to answer some of the following questions. They are questions that are currently at the forefront of my mind, and I would have thought that they may occur to other wannabes too!
I am currently holding my own career reality check and am seriously considering swapping my desk for a career in aviation. The major dislike that I have in my current job (and one that I had not envisaged would be a problem for me until I actually did it for a year!) is that I am away from home all week every week. I am happy to be away for, say, two-three day periods, and I am very keen to travel - but in reality would this expectation be realistic of being a short/medium haul pilot? I guess what I am really asking is, can I expect to get home to see family and friends for more days/nights in a week than I am away, even as a junior S/O or F/O?
Another aspect of flying that I am considering is becoming a Flying Instructor. I believe that this could be a career well suited to my strenghts (I love flying and enjoy working with others, and also have immensely enjoyed what limited (academic) teaching experience I have had). A route into this type of flying would presumably be cheaper (??) as there would be no need for the completion of the ATPL (??), and therefore more accessible than the highly competitive airline sponsorship market? But would anyone recommend instructing over airline flying? Or should an instructor have the experience of airline flying first (which would in all honesty make sense to me)?
Perhaps I should add at this point - I have no real flying experience to speak of. Perhaps up to 10 hours informal dual instruction (from my days in the cadets and UAS as a Rock Ape and not a pilot!). However, the flying bug has bitten me once again!...
I apologise for making this post sound as if it focuses entirely on myself - I hope that there may be other wannabes out there who may have similar feelings/misgivings, and that any info shared would be a help to all!
Cheers for now!