This profession for your kids?
 

Would most pilots encourage their offspring to pursue this career, which was a common practice in the past?

Since the trend is to become an expat pilot (particularly in the ME) would even successful expat pilots encourage their kids to follow in their footsteps?

I know my answer. And that is in spite of the fact I am happy and have had a great career, even though this industry is perpetually in turmoil.

Any thoughts?

Hahahah.... NO!

Go Med School.

Flying still beats working for a living, so that's a positive.
On the negative side, I'm not too sure of the future of aviation. Current oil price x 3 or 4, and what will happen? Alternative fuel?
I'll let them decide for themselves, at the moment I can't say this or that.

Not any More. build your own business doing something good instead

NO! Why would I want them to suffer!

BritishGuy said it best..."Off to med school!" :D

I'm rather lucky that my 13yr lad has seen the light and does not want to be a pilot... for which I rejoice (wrote OKC with the strains of Handel's Messiah / 'Hallelujah' sounding within his brain). Oh he's a smart lad is that one and he'd be wasted in this cesspit called Professional Aviation!!

He's well aware that working for someone else is a mugs game and my constant advice to him is to find something that he enjoys doing, where he can work as his own boss.

I've also told him that if it 'Flies, Floats or F**ks', he should steer well clear of it or, failing that, RENT!

Get an MBA and get into business aviation, selling planes! That's where the money is!

Corportate Lawyer. Regret it everyday that I didn't take this opportunity when it came along to study at Uni. Particularly when good mate did and now drives a nice shiny Ferrari to complement his wifes' BMW 6 series. Looks nice parked outside their place in Chelsea.
I'm not joking - gutted:ugh::ugh:
So, young CB when it gets here (not on the horizon yet!!) will be doing something along those lines. Besides, airliners will only be single pilot by then anyway so half the jobs available!

A bit like lucrative business opportunities, very often by the time you can enter, a million people have got in ahead of you, and the pickings are a shadow of what they were (eg flying). Law is very, very overcrowded nowadays, and medicine is getting there. Fields I can think of which are perpetually lucrative are finance and accountancy.

I certainly regret not following my fathers advice and going to KPMG after uni (ditto the offer from Chemical bank, or whatever it is called nowadays). I was an idiot and dug my heels in to go flying.

If my kid was a bit of a dullard, and would probably end up in a semi skilled mushroom position anyway, then maybe I would suggest flying.

thanks to the likes of Mr O Leary changing the industry forever, I think the general consensus on our kids getting into the game would be NO.

If that's what it's all about for you, I truly pity you:ouch::ouch:

Well obviously thats not what it's all about for me is it otherwise I would have chased the cash not the aeroplanes.
Don't get me wrong, I love my job. For the pure pleasure of flying aeroplanes there is nothing else (other than Pro Golfer) that I would want to do.
However, work to live. And the thing that my friends do have is an enviable lifestyle away from work (they're both in law). They work very hard for it and don't begrudge them anything, but it's the lifestyle that comes with it that makes me wonder if all the work and effort to get into the position I'm in was worth it. 99 times out of 100 my conclusion is "yes" when I'm sat looking down at a beautiful view of the Alps or one of the many other fantastic views we're privaleged to get. But still it would be nice to be to pop out in your Ferrari every now and then wouldn't it?!!:}
As for which way to encourage the kids (that I don't have!!), well, if they have a particular passion for something then they should be encouraged to follow it. However if they were to ask me of my opinion of becoming a Pilot I would say that the flying is worth it, but all the ****e that comes with it taints it significantly and you have to consider the work/life balance and what careers would maximise that opportunity.

I agree entirely with Cloud Bunny.
Me thinks that White Knight belongs to the group that Time Traveller describes in the last part of his posting.
Though happily employed, I have my regrets, too.
Where I come from, a military career aint bad at all.
2 schoolmates are Presidents of their countries without any family connections...and I helped here and there with their homework!
I tell my kids not to go my way.
Thankfully, they are not interested anyway as they see for themselves the sacrifices I make.

I would love for them to get into this profession, but only in a John Travolta kind of way....Other than that, they gotta have rocks in their heads to want to sit in an aluminum tube for hours drooling spit over themselves.

I would disown my kids if they want to get into this profession!

But as they have to wait another 16yrs plus to get their licences, and at the rate EK are working us at the moment, I probably won't be around to see it, having died of fatigue!

Depends how you ended up flying busses in the first place I suppose. For us miltary has beens who end up with an airline the answer would probably be no don't do it, unless you plan to join the military and stay there if you can (and even then there's much less flying than the old days) in which case that's different. I guess flight crew who have come up the self sponsored civilian route might think it was worth it and see it differently.

A lot depends on who employs you as to what you answer I reckon. Would I recommend they come into the profession in EK? Get Real!! Fed Ex or First Choice ...now that's different and probably worth it.

If your from the UK between going to Uni and getting yourself 30 grand in debt to come out with a degree in media studies or something equally useless you might as well spend 30k on flight training and get a job on turbo plops...maybe.

Would I do the same job in the next life? No chance, porn star for me i'm hoping, ha :}
,

Thanks for the informative posts. But we all must agree that the ''military/AirForce'' option will soon be a thing of the past too.

I am in a dilemma because a person who is very important to me, has expressed his interest in pursuing this career. My ''gut'' instinct is to tell him to RUN AWAY! but by inclination to be honest and forthright, has made me tell him about the good aspects of this job as well.

My goodness, my career is windling down and my eperiences have been remarkable, but the downsides still haunt me. It seems that the decline of this profession will increase, so should I not discourage this endeavour for people who are considering it?

I don't do that, but I am leaning in that direction lately.

Well...if they truly interested and passionate about it, I will not stop them :ok: