Is it right for me?

Airline Pilot Questions & Answers
1

Hello. I am new to the forum and so far have been loving all of the information. I am sure you have received similar questions or topics that I am about to ask or bring up.

I recently graduated college about a year and half ago. Coming out of college I was dead set on going into the healthcare field. I took a year off and applied to grad school for Occupational Therapy. I got in and realized the population is not right for me. It is a lot of special needs, with elderly its dressing, bathing, and toileting, and outpatient its just hand therapy. Not that there is anything wrong with it, I just needed something more functional and exercise based seeing that sports have been part of my entire life. I played basketball in college, so school and basketball have taken up my entire time and now that I graduated I realized there are so many different opportunities career wise. I know that there is BS in any profession, but honestly from working in an outpatient clinic I was already over all the documentation needed.

I was recently introduced to the pilot career and have done two demo flights. I am an adrenaline junkie and thought the flights were really fun. I am not sure if I could be in an airplane all of the time though. ( I am a hands on person, so being able to do something for a while and then determining if I like it or not is the best way for me…which doesn’t help) I have been to the ATP school that is near me and the people there are WONDERFUL. Everyone that I have spoken too has said only go into the career if you absolutely love it and I have no idea what I love or am passionate about.

I like helping others, I like learning about the muscles and body, I like traveling, I enjoyed my demo flights, and I like being around people.

Some big things that draw me to aviation are that you can work your way up to great seniority and have good pay with good time off, you get to travel, you get to fly, and you get to meet new people.

Some things that draw me to healthcare, specifically physical therapy, is you get to meet new people, you get to help them, you learn about the body.

Some things that I am concerned about is that one day I want a family and do not want to be gone all of the time and staying low on the seniority list and I know there is a shortage of pilots right now, but how fast could you move up the ladder to gain seniority.

Any help/ advice is greatly appreciated!!

2

Alyssa,

Obviously I am a pilot, but my brother is a physical therapist. I can tell you that I make significantly more than him, but I am gone a lot more. I would say that we both have equal job satisfaction.

If adrenaline rushes are what you are looking for, being an airline pilot will not fill that role. Most of our flights are rather routine and we seek to avoid adrenaline causing scenarios.

It sounds to me like you still have some exploration to do before settling on a career, I would recommend continuing to browse this forum and reading the “Flying the Line” section. Also, of you are still interested in flying, you might want to get a private license before you commit to a full training program as this will allow you to see how you truly feel about flying.

Chris

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3

Alyssa,

I’m with Chris, it sounds like you still have some research and investigating to do. As he said if you’re looking for an adrenaline rush flying for the airlines definitely isn’t it. I’m thinking maybe you should do some flight training and see if that doesn’t push you one way or the other. Flying could always be something you do recreationally. As for building seniority it’s an up and down process. You build seniority as a Regional FO then lose it when you upgrade to Capt. Build it again as a Capt but then drop if you move on to a Major. Eventually you’d be a senior Capt but that literally takes decades. I know many women pilots who have families but it’s definitely requires some sacrifice.

Adam

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4

Alyssa,

Discovering the right career path is a personal journey. Only you can decide which career is right for you. We can’t determine what you should do based on the information you gave us. However, I do have somethings that I want you to think about.

You seem to have a good sense of self awareness. That’s good. Also, like most, it appears that you chose Ocupational Therapy based on some of your interests. Also good. However, after you decided to study OT, you mention that your current position in the OT field didn’t meet your expectations: population not right, mostly special needs type stuff, too much paperwork, not active enough or athletically involved, etc. So, my question is, why only after you made the decision to get into OT did you realize that it wasn’t what you wanted to do? More on this later.

Some other things that stand out to me are some key statements that appear in the next segment of your post. Statements like, “recently introduced,” and, “I have no idea what I love or am passionate about.” I want to focus on those statements because I don’t want you to repeat history, and I know you don’t want to either. I realize that’s why you’re here.

The fact that you have only recently been introduced to aviation and are associating an airline pilot with adrenaline junkies tells me that you need to dive deeper into the research about the career that you’re interested in before you make the decision to pursue it. It’s not enough to just list some of your interests that are associated with a career and think that it must be a good fit. That’s what it sounds like what you did with OT…?

Tory

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5

Alyssa,

I got my private pilot certificate back in 2011 as a member of a flying club. I am not sure I’d consider airline pilot to be an adrenaline junky’s career… Maybe a pilot flying the red bull circuit or flying fire fighting planes, yes. I think making a list of things you are looking for in a career and finding a career that matches would help. One idea is you could possible be a flight nurse, medevac pilot, or an EMT. You’d be hands-on helping people and flying. There are many different careers in aviation and airlines are just one part. Many people find a rewarding career, but then just fly for fun. It may be better to get your private pilots certificate and see if it’s right for you, because I’ve flown numerous cross country trips and they certainly didn’t cause any adrenaline rush :slight_smile: It’s when something goes wrong is when that happens…and we don’t want that… :wink:

Steve

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Thank you so much for your help. Being gone is one of my concerns for sure.
Is there a way that I could receive my private pilots in an inexpensive way… I know either way its expensive, but ATP wouldn’t be the best bet?

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Alyssa,

ATP does not offer just Private Pilot training. I would recommend checking into the local flight schools in y9our area if you just want to obtain the PPL. Like you said, it will not be inexpensive, no matter what school you use.

Chris

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Thank you!