So I’m currently a first time 32 year old single mom to a 4 month old. I’m also currently a flight attendant for Southwest.
My biggest and most important question as a woman and mother is how can I possibly become a pilot while still trying to show up for my child? Would it be best to wait a while? I moved back in with my parents a while ago in the great area of Tampa so the support system is there but my little requires a lot because what baby doesn’t.
I just don’t want to be discouraged because I’m really interested in becoming a pilot for him and also because as a flight attendant, I’m never leaving aviation unless I’m being dragged out by my hair. Is it doable? Are there other options other than fast tracking it? I want to start my journey and complete it in a timely manner but I want to be realistic and reasonable especially with time and finances.
SEND HELP!!! & a prayer and a little encouragement but some real real
Successful flight training requires time, energy and consistency. While it’s possible to train part-time, it’s terribly inefficient and most people end up spending too much time and money with little to no results. They ultimately get frustrated and quit.
Others may disagree, but I literally can not conceive you going through an accelerated program like ATP with an infant at home. Support system or not, the program requires 100% commitment for success. Further even if you were, time building and Reserve as a newhire will not provide you with a whole lot of free time. If it were me I’d wait until your child it’s a little older.
I do not see how one could possibly commit to a full time flight training program while having a young child at home. Either your flight training will suffer, your relationship with your child will suffer, or both. I would wait.
Hey Ty! Welcome to the forum and thank you for your question. You may have already run into a handful of fellow SWA cabin crew going through flight training, so you’re in good and ample company there. Being completely honest, I must discourage you from trying to undertake an accelerated program with an infant at home. The program is a full-life commitment. You will be busy, stressed and exhausted pretty much for the duration and there will be little left there for your “mini-me”. You will also be that way for the first 2-3 years of your career. As a parent myself, I know that my schedule didn’t really open up for my own undertakings till my kid was in VPK and beyond. After all of these thoughts that you may perceive as discouraging, here are some positive thoughts…
You have plenty of time to start with a long possible career even if you wait a few years now. I started at 39. I joined Southwest as a new hire FO at 44.
Explore whether flying up front is really for you. It’s a huge financial and time investment. Take a discovery flight or two. See if the “flying bug” is there.
Talk to your flight crews. Tell them about your interest in moving up front. You will find that 99 percent of the time, the eyes light up and we will talk your ear off about flying and will be very candid about pluses and minuses.
Lastly, don’t forget that as an employee of Southwest, you have a separate track into Destination 225 program. Look it up on SWALife.
My indoc class president was a SWA FA until the day before our start date! Let’s hope you can follow her path.
I can understand your concerns. I don’t have children of my own yet but I have been very thoughtful on my career choices to get in the right position before having kids because I know how tough it will be to juggle it all. Being a working mom and wanting a career is hard but it is doable with the right decisions.
I don’t want to discourage you from pursuing your dream but unless you’re ready to almost give over most parenting responsibilities to your parents, it’s not the right time YET. The first two years getting in this industry is bar far the hardest. You’re getting your ratings, building time, incredibly busy and making hardly anything. Once you get to a regional it gets better. Pay is better than ever and with some movement still you’ll progress to a better schedule.
I have many nieces and nephews and it seems the first 2 years with a child is the most demanding. Not that it gets much easier until they are more responsible but maybe you’d feel more comfortable putting your career first after they are a bit older and less of a handful for your parents helping out.