Howdy Everyone, Im new to this whole thing and have recently been feeling doubtful and unsure of my future.
To simplify things, I want to know if this career path is worth the risk (financially), and if it is, is ATP the place to do it? (will it provide help in getting a job in this profession?)
Im 19 years old and unsure about University. I don’t want to jump the gun on a decision this big again.
I apologize for coming off as unethused, rude, or hostile. I’m just a nervous kid trying to make a future for himself and I would REALLY appreciate some advice.
Welcome to the forums, this question and feeling is very common to have. One thing you didn’t mention is if 19-year-old you had any flying experience or ever had the opportunity to take control of a small airplane. I highly recommend taking a look at some Student Experiences to see what a day-in-the-life of an ATP student may look like, the FAQs and of course, ATP’s website.
Only you will be able to determine if flying is meant for you, even more-so if ATP is meant for you, you would want to schedule a Training Center Tour & Introductory Flight through our Admissions team. You can reach them at 904-595-7950.
That’s why we’re here . Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with. The world is full of options, exploring at your age is never a bad thing. Be open-minded to all the possibilities!
Ramon,
Welcome to the forum. No worries at all, that’s why we’re here. So because of your age, we recommend you first complete college. You need a four year degree for the majors plus the college experience will better prepare you for the rigors of flight training. Major in something you are truly interested in and could see yourself pursuing as a career if you don’t pursue aviation. If you do, it provides a good back up career in case of future furloughs as well. Since you don’t have any flight experience, it would be best to take a discovery flight and see how it goes. Flying in a small trainer is vastly different than flying in the back of an airliner. If you’re still unsure after college, try getting your PPL at a local school at your own pace and see how that goes before committing to more. If you decide becoming an airline pilot is what you want to do, an accelerated program like ATP upon completion of college is the most efficient route. They have been successfully training airline pilots for decades. They have the training plan, the aircraft, the instructors and job placements and opportunities available to grads. The question of whether it’s worth the risk, we’ll that’s up to you. It depends on how passionate you are about the career and what you’re willing to do to achieve it. In terms of financial risk to the payoff, we’ll if you’re successful with training the jobs are there and the career earnings far outweigh the cost of the loan.
-Hannah
No need to apologize. You don’t sound like any of the adjectives you listed. You do however sound like you could use some guidance.
I’m glad you’ve decided to take an Intro Flight. That’s is critical. Without one you’re essentially saying you’re thinking of spending the rest of your life eating Nepalese food because your saw a picture and it looked tasty. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe your won’t.
Beyond that it’s like Hannah said, we strongly recommend your finish your education first. Without a 4yr degree you could be severely limiting your potential in the industry.
That all said again you need to fly. After you maybe feel stronger about being a pilot but you could also decide you’d rather be a chef or an accountant.
For people that are not 100% sure they want to be pilots, we often recommend going as far as getting your private license, or at least completing your first solo. It is normal to have reservations about choosing a career, this is a way to help make sure you are choosing the correct one for you.
As for if this career is worth the risk, I can tell you that for me it certainly was. I live a very comfortable life style, have plenty of time off and enjoy my job. I am personally a big fan of ATP as when I went there I got exactly what I was promised and was very quickly in the seat of an airliner.
Take some time and look around this forum, there is some great information on here. As always, feel free to ask us any questions you can think of.
