Australian Aviation mag: Are our kids falling out of love with careers in aviatio
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I'm a pilot because I cannot imagine life without a pilot's chair to sit in. I have no real choice in what I do, so I have always made the best of it, and I have almost always enjoyed myself. When I stopped enjoying myself I moved on, but always to a job with better opportunities. I don't think I have ever changed jobs just for higher pay. That way lies a sense of entitlement, a sense of injustice, a sense of the world owing me a living.
As to my current job, I like it, but I know that at some point in the future I'll probably start to dislike it. Then I'll move on, to another pilot's job. That's life, not a sign of something wrong with the industry.
If you can imagine life in a different profession, then, unlike me, you'll have a choice of careers. But whatever career you choose, I suspect you'll find that it's called "work" for a reason.
As to my current job, I like it, but I know that at some point in the future I'll probably start to dislike it. Then I'll move on, to another pilot's job. That's life, not a sign of something wrong with the industry.
If you can imagine life in a different profession, then, unlike me, you'll have a choice of careers. But whatever career you choose, I suspect you'll find that it's called "work" for a reason.
Last edited by Oktas8; 12th Sep 2012 at 00:42.
If you can imagine life in a different profession, then, unlike me, you'll have a choice of careers. But whatever career you choose, I suspect you'll find that it's called "work" for a reason.
I agree with your points wrt money, it seems many of the best paying aviation jobs are also the most boring. The real challenges are in ad hoc ops into tight spots. Anyone can be trained to fly in straight lines and rate one turns; driving an auto-pilot and only disengaging to take-off and land. I guess the industry has figured out just what that level of skill is worth.
Spoken like someone who has never flown for an airline! I always find that those who say airline flying is boring and is all about plugging in the autopilot and are overpaid to boot are those who have never done it. The reason for kids not wanting to be a pilot is not to do with the job itself but has more to do with the industry.
Spoken like someone who has never flown for an airline! I always find that those who say airline flying is boring and is all about plugging in the autopilot and are overpaid to boot are those who have never done it. The reason for kids not wanting to be a pilot is not to do with the job itself but has more to do with the industry.
In the past when wages were high the majority of airline pilots came from the military, where they were thoroughly trained to fly aircraft to the edge of the envelope and had years of varied and structured experience behind them. How does a cadet (even an advanced cadet) stack up against them? How could anyone in the cadets' position make a successful case for pay, considering their meagre and singular experience? What do they bring to the table other than a mandated bum on the seat.
The decline in salaries is coupled with a decline in skill and experience.
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Correlation
The decline in salaries is coupled with a decline in skill and experience.
More seriously, the decline in salaries is also correlated with an increase in automation on the flight deck, a decrease in pilot discretion (because of SOPs etc), and dare I say it, an increase in measurable safety!
It's also correlated with an increase in the ratio of top management salary to minimum wage - that is, over the years, workers' pay stays about the same while CEO pay increases by orders of magnitude.
My guess for why we have decreasing pilot salaries is that it's due to a combination of all the above. But I still love the job, and it's still possible to be moderately wealthy while doing the job I love. (Not that I care, because I'd do it anyway...
)
Last edited by Oktas8; 13th Sep 2012 at 05:51. Reason: Note: image from xkcd comics. A great read...
Economic worth
People are paid what they are economically worth rather than for ability, contribution or importance. Sometimes they go hand in hand but the world in replete with examples of the opposite.
A 747 Captain and a 737 Captain require pretty much the same skill sets but the company can justify paying the 747 Captain more as they have more fare paying passengers to spread the cost around. However the more experienced pilots will get the 747 gig reinforcing the perception that they are being paid more for higher skills.
Hence some musicians can get paid enormous amounts of money because they produce the ultimate commercial product. It costs next to nothing to design, less still to reproduce and they get perpetual intellectual property rights. Somebody will pay them lots of money because they can make even more money themselves.
Lawyers and financial services types are often people who could become engineers but they gravitate towards the better paying job. Why are they better paying jobs? Because somebody can make more money out of the work that they do so they will offer more money to get the best person for the job.
In the end people will gravitate towards those jobs that pay the most which isn't as a pilot these days. Things will turn around as the laws of supply and demand even out. Look at tradies, 15 years ago nobody wanted to be one now there aren't enough so their economic value goes up even they are still doing the same job.
A 747 Captain and a 737 Captain require pretty much the same skill sets but the company can justify paying the 747 Captain more as they have more fare paying passengers to spread the cost around. However the more experienced pilots will get the 747 gig reinforcing the perception that they are being paid more for higher skills.
Hence some musicians can get paid enormous amounts of money because they produce the ultimate commercial product. It costs next to nothing to design, less still to reproduce and they get perpetual intellectual property rights. Somebody will pay them lots of money because they can make even more money themselves.
Lawyers and financial services types are often people who could become engineers but they gravitate towards the better paying job. Why are they better paying jobs? Because somebody can make more money out of the work that they do so they will offer more money to get the best person for the job.
In the end people will gravitate towards those jobs that pay the most which isn't as a pilot these days. Things will turn around as the laws of supply and demand even out. Look at tradies, 15 years ago nobody wanted to be one now there aren't enough so their economic value goes up even they are still doing the same job.
