Maybe some hope from my tale.*
Got my license in Aug 1996. First airline gig in Sep 2006.*
Between these two dates, held about 16-17 jobs from call centres to phone book deliveries to janitorial services to cabin crew to HR consultant. Oh, and census taker. Lost a lot of weight with that one.*
For ten years, didn't really save any money cos all extra cash was spent in paying back my folks, keeping my license current (which as we all know is mighty expensive) and paying for my HR education. Oh, did I mention the over 270 resumes mailed to pretty much every outfit with online presence? Also two road trips across Canada to put a face on the resume.*
I acquired my license at the most inopportune time. Why? Cos I wasn't thinking. Hindsight being 20/20 I should have just like many kids now, independently inquired about the state of the industry rather than relying on blind passion and sheer providence as tools for getting that elusive first job.*
It is so easy to blame the government (which doesn't give a flying f*%k about you), unscrupulous hustlers posing as flight school owners and the fates. A little critical thinking and analysis of the industry should've deterred anyone from spending a small (for some large) fortune on an endeavour in which the success rate is abysmally low. Accountability, people!!! Cos if you hope to get that job and move on to the left seat you better learn or acquire that trait fast cos when the sh&t hits the fan it's only gonna hit you.*
I started ground school in Sep 2006. Even by mid 2007 the easily available jobs were running out. The window of opportunity to get an easy break lasted about 12 to 18 months starting early 2005. A lot of folks got on the pilot bandwagon at the tail end of the hiring bliss.*
By 2008, 150 bucks oil pretty much destroyed any chances a newbie had of getting a job. I was still amazed, at that point, at the number of people blindly picking up loans based on articles in newspapers TWO YEARS earlier and venturing off to get their shiny new CPLs. I vividly recall a pretty boy cabin crew coming into the flight deck enquiring about CPL training and options. I gave him the rundown, and mistakenly volunteered the notion that this is not the right time to spend loads of money since it was a tough market out there ( this was first quarter 2010). The retort I got was 'just because you are sitting in the cockpit doesn't mean others can't get in either'. Suffice to say that was the end of our conversation. On last contact he has the company of some 7000 odd folks out there.*
Which brings us to today. Yes, we can lament at our state of desperation. Yes, we can endlessly debate the numerous paths to career salvation. I got to where I am a certain way. *I worked with 19 yr old kids who snapped at the hiring binge and were online by late 2007 and are now 23 yr old captains flying 70 ton jets over our heads. There is no set predetermined career path in this industry.*
I flew with a lot of expats as a first officer. Never have I seen luck play such an important role in peoples careers. There were guys who were hired in the majors ( I'm talking the States now) at the beginning of the hiring spree and were captains within 5 years of joining dates. There were other folks who were hired at the end of the boom and waited 18-20 years for a command. Then there were those who went through so many furloughs that their careers never really took off until their mid 50s, or at all for that matter. I obviously never met the folks who hung up their pilot caps and ventured onto bigger and better things. Those stories I can only assume were out of the sheer frustration this industry can bring.*
The point I'm trying to make..... Well there isn't any. The industry is in the doldrums. The government is doing f*~k all to kick start it. People are willingly walking into flight schools and dropping hard earned/loaned cash on the tables of smiling flying school entrepreneurs. Airlines are and will keep squeezing everything out of its new and potential recruits. Pprune is and will keep hearing sage advice and whiners till kingdom come.*
Rise..... Rise and achieve what? We are not in a position to influence national aviation policy. We are not in a position to advise airlines on future growth or recruitment methods and policies. The only thing you can control is yourself. For some, the money and connections will secure that eventual slot. For some sheer dumb luck will be the answer. Some guys and gals are gonna make it through sheer hard work and competence *Others are just not gonna make it even with all these mentioned factors or, more unlikely, without. Sad but true. Prepare for that outcome. I have friends who are ATC officers now. Others have flourishing businesses. Some have moved onto other careers, just like I did before getting back into this circus. Again, there is no set path to take. Each one makes their own decisions, hopefully on informed opinions.*
I got lucky, or did I? Waiting 10 years and going through jobs I don't want to wish for anyone. Studying to start a career completely detached from aviation? Check. *The job pretty much fell into my lap in 2006. Or did it? I had the foresight to sacrifice saving for the future and took the gamble on keeping my license current. Not an inexpensive venture. I can only thank my wisdom (which, trust me, I have very little of) that I was ready to take advantage of the opportunity when it came. It worked out for me in the end. You read about this cos I am an active pilot. My friends who left the industry some 10 years ago are not gonna lurk or post in these forums. Flying was dream, a passion and a calling that just didn't materialise. It's a pity cos some of them are mighty good aviators. Those are the untold and unheard stories which we also need to take into account when we make a choice. Nuff said. Gotta go hang out with the kids now.*
Good luck to all.*