mclovin5891
29th May 2023, 16:37
Hi all,
I'm posting this as I am genuinely stuck at a crossroads, and any advice or insight as to planning my next moves to make my dream a reality would be very much appreciated. Based on the input from another thread I started, I was told to seriously start considering the US, so here goes-
Circumstances:
31 Years old, US/Hong Kong dual citizen living in the EU on permanent residency in the Netherlands. I am on the cusp of applying for citizenship here which would mean having to give up my US and Hong Kong citizenships.
Career wise, IT Project Manager at a Fortune 500, with ca. 5 years experience, and a BA from an European University.
Finances: 70k EUR a year before tax, and ca. 15k EUR in savings. No investments as this is difficult as a US citizen overseas.
Having spent 5 years in my field, its been great and I've learnt loads, but its become painfully obvious to me that this is not my dream and I would not be happy doing this for the rest of my life. Even if I end up in a right hand seat for the rest of my life as a career FO I'd probably be infinitely happier than what I am doing right now, even if it means making less in the long run.
As such, I am now considering my options WRT flight training and the quickest/most effective way to that airline gig -
Option 1 - CX Cadet Pilot Programme, but that would probably mean being an S/O with a ****ton of P2X hours on a salary that would be borderline unlivable in HK, plus the added complexity of looking for that F/O gig to move on to if I'm stuck at CX as an S/O (I'm hearing 8 years as normal nowadays)
Option 2 - Stay in Europe, continue working and begin training at the same time, self fund myself thru the modular route to (F)ATPL + potentially a type rating then chance it on the job market - I would most probably have to do a math refresher course as my high school math course does not suffice for the minimum requirements for the ATPL courses here in the Netherlands.
Option 3 - Move back to the US, find another IT job, self fund myself to CFI and build up my 1500 TT either at a Part 61 or Part 121 gig then look to move to either a regional or an LCC, with the eventual move to a legacy. However, I worry that this would take a significant chunk of my savings just in getting set up and living back in the US. On top of that, having never really lived there apart for 3 years in the Bay Area, I have next to no knowledge on how things work there, apart from the fact that salaries in my field are much higher than what I make here in the EU + that may help me get through training faster.
As of now, I am currently making an appointment to get my EASA Class 1 Medical, to make sure that I am physically fit enough to realise my goal. After this, then the hard decisions come into play. At this point, this is probably coming off as a rant, so I do apologise if so - if any experienced minds have any input, I'd be more than grateful to hear what the best course of action would be in your opinion!
Thanks in advance!
I'm posting this as I am genuinely stuck at a crossroads, and any advice or insight as to planning my next moves to make my dream a reality would be very much appreciated. Based on the input from another thread I started, I was told to seriously start considering the US, so here goes-
Circumstances:
31 Years old, US/Hong Kong dual citizen living in the EU on permanent residency in the Netherlands. I am on the cusp of applying for citizenship here which would mean having to give up my US and Hong Kong citizenships.
Career wise, IT Project Manager at a Fortune 500, with ca. 5 years experience, and a BA from an European University.
Finances: 70k EUR a year before tax, and ca. 15k EUR in savings. No investments as this is difficult as a US citizen overseas.
Having spent 5 years in my field, its been great and I've learnt loads, but its become painfully obvious to me that this is not my dream and I would not be happy doing this for the rest of my life. Even if I end up in a right hand seat for the rest of my life as a career FO I'd probably be infinitely happier than what I am doing right now, even if it means making less in the long run.
As such, I am now considering my options WRT flight training and the quickest/most effective way to that airline gig -
Option 1 - CX Cadet Pilot Programme, but that would probably mean being an S/O with a ****ton of P2X hours on a salary that would be borderline unlivable in HK, plus the added complexity of looking for that F/O gig to move on to if I'm stuck at CX as an S/O (I'm hearing 8 years as normal nowadays)
Option 2 - Stay in Europe, continue working and begin training at the same time, self fund myself thru the modular route to (F)ATPL + potentially a type rating then chance it on the job market - I would most probably have to do a math refresher course as my high school math course does not suffice for the minimum requirements for the ATPL courses here in the Netherlands.
Option 3 - Move back to the US, find another IT job, self fund myself to CFI and build up my 1500 TT either at a Part 61 or Part 121 gig then look to move to either a regional or an LCC, with the eventual move to a legacy. However, I worry that this would take a significant chunk of my savings just in getting set up and living back in the US. On top of that, having never really lived there apart for 3 years in the Bay Area, I have next to no knowledge on how things work there, apart from the fact that salaries in my field are much higher than what I make here in the EU + that may help me get through training faster.
As of now, I am currently making an appointment to get my EASA Class 1 Medical, to make sure that I am physically fit enough to realise my goal. After this, then the hard decisions come into play. At this point, this is probably coming off as a rant, so I do apologise if so - if any experienced minds have any input, I'd be more than grateful to hear what the best course of action would be in your opinion!
Thanks in advance!