Help! Want to make the right choice
Hey everyone,
I know you must get a lot of these post about people needing help choosing the right path into becoming a helicopter pilot. I have done some research and read some of these forums, but most are either outdated or have a different situation than I am in.
My bio:
I'm 27, married for 18 months now and have a bachelors degree from Louisiana State University. Been out of college for 3 years and we still live in Baton Rouge. My wife has a good job here, but I'm having trouble finding a job in my current career field (sports). Sports jobs in BR are hard to come by and pay very little. Most jobs are out of state and I have already moved away to FL, NY, and TX. I would now like to stay with my wife here and not be away anymore.
Becoming a pilot has been a dream of mine ever since I was little, but I chose to take the college route and get a degree and got married. Now that I've decided to possibly change my career into becoming a helicopter pilot, I could really use some helpful knowledge, insight, and guidance. I am a civilian and will have to pay for flight school out of my own pocket. I already have $19K In student loan debt and the near by flight school is $143K, which I will have to take out another student loan to pay for.
I've talked to a student who already graduated from the program and he said without his GI Bill, he would never take the course esp. paying out of pocket. He said jobs are hard to come by out of flight school (200+ hrs.). Getting a instructor job isn't a guarantee and they pay you very little and you still need (800+ hrs) to meet the minimum qualifications for good job.
What should I do? Please help! I appreciate everyone's input.