I've been watching this thread develop with interest. It makes quite depressing reading in places, but I think the useful themes coming out are:
- Essential to have a back-up plan while training, for the inevitable wait for a flying job afterwards;
- Essential not to take on any debt for training if you are then relying on getting a flying job immediately to pay this off, as you probably won't get one immediately;
- Essential to make as many contacts as possible;
- Essential not to be blinkered in what is aimed for.
Which pretty much corresponds with my plan of attack which is modular training, networking, and a full-time back-up career which will allow me to finish debt free, and keep working while searching for flying jobs.
Mooseflies I would suggest that 1/3 getting flying jobs of some kind may not be so bad, when you consider the industry is in the doldrums and the worst position it has been in since at least the early 1990s. Out of interest what school did you train at? I realise that may be seen as mindless optimism
...