Want To Be An Airline Pilot- Folks Disagree and I'm Questioning Myself Too

"dolfan94 wrote:

Dont know if this is the right place for this.
Well. Im 16. Have awesome grades and could go to a good college if I want to. Until now I wanted to study medicine or law. But the pilot job really interests me. Do we have any pilots here? My parents dont like it but they'll let me do whatever I want. But I'm questioning myself now. I dont want to spend too much time away from home and my future family. I dont want the wife cheating on me since Im away from home either.

Do you guys know any pilots? How is the job like?

I have no idea. But you're 16 years old. You have time to figure things out, and more than likely you'll change your mind another 10 times before you go to college.

Don't let anyone or anything hold you back.

If you don't believe in yourself who will?

It took me a long time to realize that.

"opfinistic wrote:

I have no idea. But you're 16 years old. You have time to figure things out, and more than likely you'll change your mind another 10 times before you go to college.

I know Im 16. Im entering my junior year of high school, but you can take a "career path" sort of in high school. Like if you want to be a doctor, you can take an anatomy class, or if you want to be a lawyer, you can take a debate class. Not a big deal, but I want to sort of set myself in the right path. Although I agree with you, I will probably change my mind about 30 more times. Although when I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer I had doubt, but now I feel like its the right job for me. The only concern is the time away from home.

"anlgp wrote:

Don't let anyone or anything hold you back.

If you don't believe in yourself who will?

It took me a long time to realize that.

I am realizing that. Its just that if my parents don't want me to be this, they must have a reason why, and we've discussed this, and their reasons why are legitimate. Mostly the same concerns that I have, plus other stupid ones. But I won't let them hold me back, and my parents have told me they would support me whatever my choice

What would you do every day if you didn't need to worry about money?

"opfinistic wrote:

What would you do every day if you didn't need to worry about money?

That's a great question for anyone looking for a career.

"opfinistic wrote:

What would you do every day if you didn't need to worry about money?

That's a question we all answered in school on the last day, and we got some pretty funny answers. Honestly, I think that as of right now, I would become a pilot. But Im so ignorant about the job that I don't know. Im really good at business, but its not something that I would like to do every day. It stresses me out. Its a question I'll have to truthfully think about and be honest to myself about it

"dolfan94 wrote:

That's a question we all answered in school on the last day, and we got some pretty funny answers. Honestly, I think that as of right now, I would become a pilot. But Im so ignorant about the job that I don't know. Im really good at business, but its not something that I would like to do every day. It stresses me out. Its a question I'll have to truthfully think about and be honest to myself about it

Whatever it is try to go that direction in your life. Even if it's not feasible as a career, find something that brings you close to it and makes you happy. Too many of us made poor decisions when we were young and have lived long enough to regret them. Don't let that happen to you. :up:

"opfinistic wrote:

Whatever it is try to go that direction in your life. Even if it's not feasible as a career, find something that brings you close to it and makes you happy. Too many of us made poor decisions when we were young and have lived long enough to regret them. Don't let that happen to you. :up:

Yeah. I can imagine. One of my favorite hobbies is sports. So every thing I do, I try to associate it with sports. Like if I do medicine, it would be sports medicine, etc.

But thanks for the advice. Its really helpful! Keep it coming!

Be a pilot. Have lots of sex. Everything else will figure itself out. If you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. If we don't dream, then we're no more than ants; moving from job to job without purpose or happiness. I moved to another country to fulfill my dreams, and I don't regret it for a second. That's what's great about your 20's, you have the time to screw stuff up and still recover.

"Lab3003 wrote:

Be a pilot. Have lots of sex. Everything else will figure itself out. If you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. If we don't dream, then we're no more than ants; moving from job to job without purpose or happiness.

:pointlol:
Between my last post and this one we paint a bleak picture for the lad!

My uncle is a pilot. It's a cool lifestyle in your 20's. It does put a strain on your marriage and raising your children. Good income but you might have to wake up at any given moment and fly. He told me that with the technology nowadays all you have to do is take off and land, the rest is just punching in coordinates. He ultimately did it because he couldn't cut it as a Doctor.

Airline pilots get paid a lot of money because they have to be able to make crucial decisions in a crisis. 99.9% of the job you could train a monkey to do, it's the 0.1% that is where the crucial bit comes in.

If you really want to fly try the airforce, or air arms of the other military fliers. The flying is much more exciting and rewarding, but the financial rewards aren't the same.

If you are serious join the air force and see if you can make it as pilot. If you fall short that's ok because you still come out a better man and better prepare with the skills you learned.

How's your eye sight?

Are you in good physical shape?

Family health history?

Look for possible disqualifiers.

If you can find a job that's not "like work" all the time when you do it, then you'll know.

Any job can hurt a marriage if it's put above the marriage. Sometimes it's necessary (i.e. long overseas routes), sometimes it's not (i.e. puddle jumper routes). It's all about the sacrifices you want to make.

Focus on your career first. A lady will come along later and then you can work it out.

I have a slightly different take than a lot of people. I say find something you LIKE and make it a career and save the things you LOVE for fun.

No matter the career, there are always aspects that take the joy from it. Whether it be dealing with bosses or clients or just the daily rut. Even porn stars call what they do work. Keep what you are passionate about free from all that.

I view it like this, you have 3 sets of 8 hours in a day. 1 set is spent working, another is spent sleeping. That leaves only 8 hours a day for you to do as you please. That is even knocked down by commuting, eating, bathroom, dressing, etc. If you don't save what little time you have everyday for things that qualify as a passion then there's no point in life in the first place.

Airforce isn't for me. My eyesight is perfect. Im in perfect physical health, ok family history, with some setbacks. I'll just have to wait and set my proprities straight.

"opfinistic wrote:

What would you do every day if you didn't need to worry about money?

I would fish. Hence my decision to join the pro bass tour...:lol: I wish...

"dolfan94 wrote:

Dont know if this is the right place for this.
Well. Im 16. Have awesome grades and could go to a good college if I want to. Until now I wanted to study medicine or law. But the pilot job really interests me. Do we have any pilots here? My parents dont like it but they'll let me do whatever I want. But I'm questioning myself now. I dont want to spend too much time away from home and my future family. I dont want the wife cheating on me since Im away from home either.

Do you guys know any pilots? How is the job like?

Did you watch 'Catch Me If You Can' again? Not all pilots can mack like Leo

Study medicine, earn a shed load of money then become a pilot. You'll always have medicine to fall back on if planes aren't around by 2015...I'm still waiting for my flying DeLorean Zemeckis, still waiting..

"opfinistic wrote:

What would you do every day if you didn't need to worry about money?

Do drugs and bang hookers. Next question.

My advice is don't go into medicine unless you really want to help people or really want money, because anything in-between means you will be miserable.
Don't go into law unless all you care about is money, unless you decide to go down the path of something you believe in like environmental law, where you won't make any money :lol:

I find, through all the many college kids I used to instruct, that many of them picked pre-med or pre-law because they couldn't find something they really wanted to do instead. Don't make that mistake and waste four years of your life.

I wanted to study medicine or law

Everyone who I know who is in law school, is in hell.
Its that ****ing difficult, even for grad school apparently.

I was once thisclose to going through that career path. I decided not to but from what I remember the hardest part was getting the job after school.

There are plenty of pilots out there so the competition is really high especially from guys that have flown for the Armed Forces.

If you are willing to take your lumps looking for a gig after school and you love to fly by all means do it. Just remember that way before you even finish school you need to network and try and get on somewhere, anywhere (any airline or even charter) so that you can land the/a job and they dont see you so green. Doesnt mean you need to get a pilot job ahead of time but a job working with an airline/charter wouldnt hurt either.

maybe consider a prestigious and thorough flight education in the airforce. you could always goto college first, and then enter the airforce as an officer. i'd have to think thats the absolute best way to learn to fly.