Should I become a Commercial Pilot??

Question

Ok time for a little story, but I would appreciate anyone who would read it and give me their input.

I graduated high school almost 3 years ago. While I was in high school I never gave much thought to what to go to college for. After I graduated I went to work for a trucking company as a welder/mechanic. I quit after about 2 years because I couldn't get along with my boss anymore but thats another story. So I took a few months off to research jobs and colleges and decided to take an intro flight at the airport. I liked the flight and thought about being a pilot. Right now I have about 30 flight hours in at the local flight school, but I decided to quit that and go to an accelerated flight school. I have been putting off the start date because I have been sick, but I am starting to have some second thoughts that maybe I am getting into flying for the wrong reasons. I don't "love" flying but I do "like" it. I do want to finish up my PPL ASAP but flying is something I could like without. What I like about flying is its not a super physically demanding job and pretty much all pilots get decent pay. They get a chance to see the world and can realistically live where ever they want and commute across the country for free if they have to. Now what I don't like about being a pilot there is lots of competition for the few jobs out there. I don't have the greatest personality or the best leadership skills so I am not sure if I would have any chance getting hired no matter how many flight hours I can gain. And If I do get hired I can loose my job any time if I make a mistake or lose my medical so there is very little job security working as a pilot. I think I could be a flight instructor long enough to gain 1000-2000 flight hours but I would really rather not be one forever. Also I don't think I could stand being away from home and living out of a suit case 3-4 days a week. So I would for sure like to to get a job flying where I can go home at the end of the day which I don't know how many jobs like this there are. I think in a lot of ways a pilot is a very stressful job.

Now I also looked into going to school to become a certified welder/mechanic. What I don't like about that job is it can be physically hard backbreaking job that doesn't pay that great, and you constantly being exposed to harful materials. For the most part I like being a mechanic/welder I just couldn't see doing that kind of work for what they get paid when I could be sitting in an airplane making 2-3 times as much. I probably never would have considered being a pilot if I could make $80,000+ a year as a welder/mechanic.

Well thanks to anyone who it still reading. Should I get become a commercial pilot or do something else? Have I decided to become a pilot for the wrong reasons, or do all future commercial pilot have the same worries and concerns.

Thanks for any comments.

Yes I guess I do want a good paying job. I guess the major downfall for being a mechanic/welder is the low pay scale. Maybe I have a messed idea of what a good paying job is. Together my parents make about $65,000 a year, live in a payed for $100,000 house, have one car loan, one credit card to pay off, and half the time they act like they don't make enough money to feed themselves. I would love to fly and make the money that they make, its just "everything else" that goes into being a pilot that I don't know if I could deal with.

Well I have already been accepted to a flight academy and should have all my rating in 6 months or less. It is expensive but I have a friend that is going to an online college for game design who spending quite a bit more than I am so I don't think it is too bad. So which of my assumptions are inaccurate? I have been researching this job for over a year now and thought I had a pretty good understanding of it. I know most people including me have the misconception that all pilots make half a million dollars a year. But what I now understand is most pilots make between $20,000 and $250,000 a year.

Answer 1

I don't think you've decided to become a pilot for the wrong reasons. Most people have jobs that they absolutely HATE, so you would be very lucky to do a job that you liked. You don't have to LOVE it. I would say that if you don't think you could stand being away from home that much then maybe being a commercial pilot wouldn't be for you because that's usually a major aspect of that job. You should consider taking one of those career tests. They match your personality, likes and dislikes, and interests with a few different careers that would fit with you. They usually have them at community colleges and career centers/jobs and family services offices. Good luck.

Answer 2

I'm a private pilot, not a commercial pilot, but I know a few commercial pilots and they really don't make much money for many years as they build up hours. It's almost always a labour of love for them. They don't mind not making a lot of money because they are doing what they love to do. If you eventually decide that you definitely want to become a commercial airline or cargo pilot there are two ways to go about it. You can try and do it on your own and build up hours as an instructor and then after a few years work your way up through little airlines. The other way, and probably the most efficient way is through the military. If you can become a military pilot, especially a big cargo jet pilot, that is the quickest way to become a commercial airline pilot. I believe you only have to make a 6 year commitment to the military, and when you get out you'd have hundreds of hours and the military would have paid for all of your training. If you try and do it yourself it will definitely take you more than 6 years and you'll spend thousands of dollars. Weather or not you want to do this is a question only you can answer, but if you are going to do it I would definitely recommend the military route.

Answer 3

If you have to ask the question here on YA, then probably not for you. But, overlooking that and just based on reading what you have posted, I see a number of inaccuracies in your assumptions and descriptions. Even the term "Commercial Pilot" is EXTREMELY broad. I suggest you do some much further and much deeper research. But, overall, your comments reflect considerable negativity. The REALITY is that few people I know went into aviation for the money (or lack of it), especially in recent years.

Answer 4

You really really have to love flying to get all the ratings and to get enough hours to even apply for a commercial job, not to mention the cost involved. From the tone of your question it sounds like all you want is a good paying job.

Answer 5

Wow, nice story. You have incredible persistence in getting what you want. That alone is very admirable.

Keep your options open. Things change, and so do people.
Meanwhile, as you keep your plans short term, you remain open to any opportunities that come your way, which is excellent.