change of career (life beyond aviation)

[Cecco]

Hi to all, I would be interested to hear if anyone has decided to make a change of career; i.e, turning away from aviation, for obvious reasons like
lack of employment, having been made redundant or also voluntary career changes for other reasons? And do you have any regrets about your decisions or not?

Regards
Cecco

[bizjet inmate]

Surely I would have thought If someone decided to give up aviation and change careers, the last site they would be looking at is pprune....No?

May I ask why you want to know?.....Considering doing that very thing yourself?

Nobody EVER told me Aviation was an easy career......and it hasnt been.....but still here and happy!

[LGW Vulture]

I once thought of a change of career - had my sights on being one of those cardboard "pretend" policemen!

However, I wasn't cut out for it.

[inner]

To be honest, i thought a lot about it. Want to live again where my roots are, having a normal 9to5 job, all weekends off and again a social life. I even have a bachelor degree, but then again, i checked other jobopenings and realised that i would never earn the same money because i have to start again at the bottom.

If i find something for the same cash, aviation will be history for me.:D

[what next]

Hello!

...having a normal 9to5 job, all weekends off and again a social life...

If you want to make a decent career outside aviation, it's rather going to be a 60 hour week, no weekends off and a lot of traveling in between - does that sound familiar? - just look at the customers we are flying around. Especially, if you have to compete against youngsters half your age who come fresh from college/university and are willing to work for nothing to get their careers going (does that sound familiar again - why should normal life be different from aviation?).

For myself, I decided in favor of aviation some years ago (after twenty years of frelance aviation and office jobs in parallel). I simply couldn't stand these boring, endless meetings any longer - during bright sunny afternoons and with the contrails of the lucky colleagues up in the sky outside. I didn't take my decision lightly, knowing that there will be no way back, because university degrees come with a best-before date. Two or three years off the job (especially in my case of "IT heavy" aerospace engineering) and you are out for good.

Leaving aviation with no or outdated qualifications will certainly not make you any happier!

Regards,
max

[merlinxx]

Aviation = malaria:E Once caught, never lost even in retirement :ok:

Though there's more "pub-O-clock" and less "double O darkness" starts

[pilotinsky]

I opened a small retail shop next to the airport I used to be CFI...but it went under after 2 years。Now I am back to aviation flying world and happy。

[lear60fellow]

jobs out there are worst than in aviation, I have my small business parallel to my flying just in case I get unemployed to have an extra income, I don´t get a living out of it but it´s there just in case.

[corsair]

Not quite out of aviation but one I looked at was teaching Aviation English to non native English speakers. There seems to be something of demand for suitably qualified people. I see you are in Germany so that may not be ideal but of course Germans often speak better English than most.

[gb346]

I know a fair number of colleagues who took the leap and have made a success, but they all work for themselves after starting their on their own business. Some left and are back flying again.

Flying is always in their blood and they miss the flying and the camaraderie but they don't miss the job. One of them flies a B200 twice a week to keep his eye in and he loves the flying - that would be the best solution.

[Gulfstreamaviator]

Its in the blood.....as previously mentioned.

Decided to retire from full time LOL, flying, and run a dive operation, but the phone call came, and back I came.

Perhaps next year...

glf

[md1011]

I did it the other way, had a business which funded my training then really only played around with flying for reward, large gaps in activity which had obvious drawbacks, however, when Russia spat me out with no pay nearly 3 years ago I was able to survive and have done since. Just managed to secure work back there, but with eyes wide open, it may happen again, we'll see but one things for sure, I'll certainly not pack in the day job during my 2 weeks off........................................ever !!!!!!