Just thought I'd throw this out there.
After having recently having completed my PPL in Florida I noticed a very 'night & day' difference between the USA and the UK in regards to aviation and the general attitude towards the industry.
I have to say I am saddened and disappointed that there is so much negativity in the UK aviation industry, and by this I mean generally the wannabe's amongst us. My comments here do not apply to all of you, and so if you are like me and are positive and will work hard from the bottom up to succeed I am not directing my comments at you. It frustrates me that there is so much negativity and that so many of you are prepared to slag people and organisations off, belittle companies and it would seem go out of your way to put off any other newbies who just want to pursue their dream and become a professional pilot.
As a 29 year old who has been pretty successful I think I have a pretty good leg to stand on when I say that nothing comes for free in this world, and that it takes hard work to make your mark, become successful in whatever career you choose, and usually takes years of commitment, dedication, and resilience to slowly claw your way up the ladder. This is not usually any different for any industry, and I can assure you I know first hand the meaning of hard work and putting in the time to climb that ladder. It took me 8 years of hard work at my company to finally find that job that I considered to be a successful persons job. Not that I didn't feel important and successful before but my current job role finally made me feel like I have become something.
Why should aviation be any different? If anything it should be harder as it is such a specialist industry and even just having a PPL makes me feel special and privileged. After all, how many people out there have a pilots license? In a company of over 400 people I only know one other who is a qualified pilot, and that makes me feel damn good. Aviation is a niche thing, something that deserves time, hard work, and respect and if it means working your ass off to land that first job flying a turbo prop and earning £20k a year then so be it. That's life, and you can't expect to jump into a Jumbo and take home £60k a year. I started at my company on £7k per year, and 12 years later I have a basic of £35k with the potential for another £10k or so on top as bonus. Am I bitter that other companies like mine pay their sales guys £55k per year basic? NO. I am where I am, and in anything I do with my life I realise that I will need to work hard, work smart, be proactive, be creative, look for opportunities and take them, or if they're not there then maybe I need to find a way to create opportunities. Sir Alan Sugar didn't get to where he is through being bitter and twisted and thinking that the world owed him something. He grafted, he tried new things and worked hard. His dedication and resilience paid off and now he can look back and be satisfied that his success was his doing.
Come on people. The bitterness and negativity needs to stop. The companies in this industry, Easy Jet, CTC, OAA etc etc are businesses and they are successful because they work hard, find opportunities and exploit them. It's called business and it's the name of game. Stop being bitter and trying to rebel and sleight these organisations, and instead accept that you have chosen to be a part of this industry and that if you want to get that dream job and fly A380's around the world then you need to play by this industries rules. I agree that some things are a pain, and put newbies at a disadvantage, but I can assure you that the ones who succeed wont be the ones who sit on here slagging everyone and everything off. They will be the one's who work hard, get their head down, get on with it, and play their cards right. Life is tough, and landing the dream job is tough, but moaning about it wont get you anywhere.
Just a thought
