10 Best jobs in the U.S., 2009 Edition
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Sorry if I was a bit blunt I wasn't knocking you or your children I'm sure they have made very sensible choices. I was just trying to illustrate the point that yes this career is not perfect and getting worse but its still a lot better than 80% of other careers/jobs. I come from a working class background so my friends are not lawyers, doctors etc so I feel fortunate to have such a good job.
It's still a lot better over here than the US. I was an engineer prior to becoming a pilot and to earn 60k+ I would have had to go abroad contracting or spend years climbing the greasy pole of the corporate world. As a pilot I'll be on that once I make captain in 3-5years time.
Maybe now no one in the US is training things may turn for the better in a few years time?
Sorry if I was a bit blunt I wasn't knocking you or your children I'm sure they have made very sensible choices. I was just trying to illustrate the point that yes this career is not perfect and getting worse but its still a lot better than 80% of other careers/jobs. I come from a working class background so my friends are not lawyers, doctors etc so I feel fortunate to have such a good job.
It's still a lot better over here than the US. I was an engineer prior to becoming a pilot and to earn 60k+ I would have had to go abroad contracting or spend years climbing the greasy pole of the corporate world. As a pilot I'll be on that once I make captain in 3-5years time.
Maybe now no one in the US is training things may turn for the better in a few years time?
Originally Posted by Superdash
I get paid well and the career progression is excellent. Every year I will get a pay rise then I can become captain, then move onto bigger aircraft, bigger salary.
(...)
I was an engineer prior to becoming a pilot and to earn 60k+ I would have had to go abroad contracting or spend years climbing the greasy pole of the corporate world. As a pilot I'll be on that once I make captain in 3-5years time.
(...)
I was an engineer prior to becoming a pilot and to earn 60k+ I would have had to go abroad contracting or spend years climbing the greasy pole of the corporate world. As a pilot I'll be on that once I make captain in 3-5years time.
How many of the people I went to school with earn as much money or enjoy work as much as I do?? NONE that I know of
Train less pilot, and see what happen.
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pilots on food stamps
Mike's Blog #1: 'Pilots on Food Stamps' | MichaelMoore.com
Mike's Blog #1: 'Pilots on Food Stamps' | MichaelMoore.com
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Most of the job market changed over the last 40 years. Most of the new entrants are treated worse than before. So is this really aviation specific? You can lose your pension funds anywhere if you're not lucky.
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Got to say my glass is half full, got to laugh at some of the comments. Having worked in other industries and a wife who works in finance/construction/taxation I look at some of these comments in disbelief.
When my wife was full time she worked twice as hard for half the pay of my job. Recently with the recession she's lost her medical cover (£3k) worth and a host of other benefits. She works part time but has to work out of hours pretty much fulltime for no extra money. Survived two rounds of redundancy but is involved in a third. In all industries Capitalism is seeking to make the most money at the expense of the workers, that's just the way it is.
My father was an electronic engineer and a senior manager in a UK defence company. He worked long hours and told me not to enter the industry due to the poor pay and long hours!
Anansis, best of luck with Law. Great career, people seem to think that all lawyers earn £250,000 and work 9-5. Knowing many Lawyers nothing could be further than the truth. Most work long hours for less money than a UK Jet Captain and then there's the office politics and stepping on your colleagues for your promotion. No thanks....
This career isn't utopia, far from it but it isn't the poorhouse either. It provides (me) with a good standard of living and a UK based Jet Captain can still expect to be in the top 1% of salaried professionals in the UK.
As for respect, well I don't need people or my management to respect me, I don't really care what they think, I enjoy my job.
When my wife was full time she worked twice as hard for half the pay of my job. Recently with the recession she's lost her medical cover (£3k) worth and a host of other benefits. She works part time but has to work out of hours pretty much fulltime for no extra money. Survived two rounds of redundancy but is involved in a third. In all industries Capitalism is seeking to make the most money at the expense of the workers, that's just the way it is.
My father was an electronic engineer and a senior manager in a UK defence company. He worked long hours and told me not to enter the industry due to the poor pay and long hours!
Anansis, best of luck with Law. Great career, people seem to think that all lawyers earn £250,000 and work 9-5. Knowing many Lawyers nothing could be further than the truth. Most work long hours for less money than a UK Jet Captain and then there's the office politics and stepping on your colleagues for your promotion. No thanks....
This career isn't utopia, far from it but it isn't the poorhouse either. It provides (me) with a good standard of living and a UK based Jet Captain can still expect to be in the top 1% of salaried professionals in the UK.
As for respect, well I don't need people or my management to respect me, I don't really care what they think, I enjoy my job.
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scottie well said
My wife's a lawyer.
Most high st lawyers in this country earn somewhere in the 20-50k bracket. Not many lawyers earn as much as a jet captain, certainly not 50% and almost by definition 50% of pilots are captains! Of course some baristers and city lawyers earn 100s of thousands but that is a newspaper headline, not reflective of the profession as a whole. Some pilots earn that, once theyve climbed the greasy management pole.
The legal profession has been decimated by the recession, hundreds of law firms have been driven out of business. Many lawyers have seen massive reductions in T's and C's due to 'supermarket law' and the deregulation of the profession - sound familiar?
I spent 15 years in an office as an engineer before this career and even with the current climate, the uncertain future and everything else, I wouldn't change back for anything.
I suspect most of those that make some of the comments here, have never done anything else. Is it the same being a pilot in 2009 as it was in 1989? nope, but then that isn't the choice is it. The choice is between 2009 pilot and 2009 {insert alternative career here}. And I guarantee that there ain't gonna be a whole lot else that offers anything more out there.
My wife's a lawyer.
Most high st lawyers in this country earn somewhere in the 20-50k bracket. Not many lawyers earn as much as a jet captain, certainly not 50% and almost by definition 50% of pilots are captains! Of course some baristers and city lawyers earn 100s of thousands but that is a newspaper headline, not reflective of the profession as a whole. Some pilots earn that, once theyve climbed the greasy management pole.
The legal profession has been decimated by the recession, hundreds of law firms have been driven out of business. Many lawyers have seen massive reductions in T's and C's due to 'supermarket law' and the deregulation of the profession - sound familiar?
I spent 15 years in an office as an engineer before this career and even with the current climate, the uncertain future and everything else, I wouldn't change back for anything.
I suspect most of those that make some of the comments here, have never done anything else. Is it the same being a pilot in 2009 as it was in 1989? nope, but then that isn't the choice is it. The choice is between 2009 pilot and 2009 {insert alternative career here}. And I guarantee that there ain't gonna be a whole lot else that offers anything more out there.
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I've been working in Europe for a year and a half and I can say that I am enjoying my job and being paid well for it. Having done a lot of my basic training in the US with American instructors I can safely say that if I was an American I would probably not tried to follow the same career- it realy isn't worth it over there. My instructors were earning at least 2.5x what they would be flying Piper Warriors than E145s at the local regional airline.
All I can say is that thank God its not quite as bad as that over in Europe (yet)
All I can say is that thank God its not quite as bad as that over in Europe (yet)
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What's frightening me is the outsourcing to regionals like Republic. Most pilots there are completely blinded by their shiny new jet syndrome aka the E190. Let's wait how long this will last.
Republic, taking us all down, one code share at a time.
Republic, taking us all down, one code share at a time.
Needless to say, this argument has led to much public ugliness and frothing at the mouth in more U.S.-centric pilot media. I'm quite happy to be on the verge of escaping this market.
Last edited by thepotato232; 26th Oct 2009 at 16:24.
