School, Marriage, Kids. Can it be done.

I have been looking into collage. I always wanted to go but never seen anything they had to offer that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Thanks to this website I relized that I can study anything I want and get a 4 year degree and still get accepted by the Major carriers. Thank you Daug Taylor for such a nice website.
 
Don't forget that there are plenty of non-flying aviation jobs that can have more stability, better pay, "easier" advancement (i.e., merit-based and not seniority-based).

Air traffic controllers are home every night (or day) and do well for themselves. FBO employees, dispatchers, schedulers.

It's refreshing to see someone who isn't jumping through hoops and flushing money down a toilet without doing his homework first.
 
Jshutt64 said:
hard pressed to get hired even by a regional without one.
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Bad advice.

To the op-make a plan and stick with it. Call the BBB on whatever flight school you choose and track down former students to get the straight dope. All flight schools lie-thats not to say all the instructors do though.
If you want to fly get all of your ratings for as cheap as possible and start doing whatever you can to earn money for flying.
I would highly recommend freight to you. Its a lot more stable and the home life tends to be a lot better. Plus the pay tends to be better, too.
There is so much more to aviation then working for a dirt bag regional.
 
My dad did the Air traffic controllers gig in the navy. He did not like it. He said that is to stressful to handle all the air craft. But then again he was handling Jet fighters and enemy coordinates with minimal training. Plus he said you can only do it for 10 years. That might of changed, I don't know. But flying with the wind and the sound of the blades turning and the smell of fuel is what makes me want to fly.

Just wondering, When you get your private flying license can you get a job? Like taking ppl sight seeing, working for a skydiving company and such? Or do you have to wait until you get all your certificates?
 
DrDigitized2 said:
Just wondering, When you get your private flying license can you get a job? Like taking ppl sight seeing, working for a skydiving company and such? Or do you have to wait until you get all your certificates?
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No, you cannot be employed as a pilot until you complete your commercial rating!
 
BajtheJino said:
Bad advice.

To the op-make a plan and stick with it. Call the BBB on whatever flight school you choose and track down former students to get the straight dope. All flight schools lie-thats not to say all the instructors do though.
If you want to fly get all of your ratings for as cheap as possible and start doing whatever you can to earn money for flying.
I would highly recommend freight to you. Its a lot more stable and the home life tends to be a lot better. Plus the pay tends to be better, too.
There is so much more to aviation then working for a dirt bag regional.
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Bad advice to go to college and get a degree, or even think about getting on with a regional?
 
OK guys heres my poke at it. First, I don't want to sound like "the old man" but I agree with what IAN says. he is wise. you have to provide for your family first, including food, clothes, kids schooling and rent. just for starters (before) you think of spending money for a career job which may or may not repay you enough money back to pay the note on the loan. I say this because everything in this world is backwards nowdays. back in the day, it was easier. you have to be on your game not to get ahead, but just to survive these days. pretty much, my advise would be back to basics, get things squared away, get a job, and move forward,( always, always, always..move forward) and in the meantime buy a king school private course and study. if you know this material, it will save you some money later in your training. but make (all) your decisions with a "need it" or "want it" attitude. thats going back to basics. I wish you all the luck and i'm not trying to discourage you from aviation. take care.
 
Ian J said:
Here's a recommendation - it's free advice so you're getting what you paid for. ;)

You don't make enough money as a family to do this - and you won't make enough money to pay for all the financial aid you will be taking out. Taking out a loan of any type buys you risk. In this case, the risk is after training is complete you may not be able to make the payments on the loans.

If I were in your shoes and really wanted to fly for a living, I would do the following.

1. Work about 80 hours a week doing anything from lawn mowing, bartending, or pizza delivering.
2. Live a very spartan lifestyle. Provide the basics for my family and save.
3. Build 6 months worth of expenses as an emergency fund.
4. Save all the money needed for flight training.
5. Pay cash as you go at a reputable flight school.

Basically, sacrifice now in order to have a better life later.

Best of luck!
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Ian is right on here and has some great ideas and the family has to come first. I was in the regionals with a family and a stay at home wife and made less than your wife makes now and it was hard.

I would suggest having 12 months of an emergency fund instead of 6. Research your schools and avoid the universities or the schools that say they can guarantee you job. They can't and overcharge. If you want to get a college degree, start at a community college and pay as you go and don't major in aviation. You want something to fall back onto in case flying doesn't work or you get laid off from that later on. Then find a good local flight schools and pay for ratings as you go. Going that route will save you thousands over the big box named schools.

Also, remember some schools will allow you buy a block of time in advance for a reduce rate. Never buy more than a 10 hours at a time. Keep your cash in you bank account not theirs. If the go under then you are only out 10 hours and not your entire savings.

Study and work hard and you will make it. It is worth the wait and struggle if you really want it. You will thank yourself later on when you are flying for peanuts but not paying back a six figure loan like the guy next to you.

GOOD LUCK and Jet Careers is hear to help. There is a lot of good advice and experience on this board.
 
Yes. Thank you all for your advice. I have decided to get a job and go back to school. I am going to get my degree in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Technology. That way I will have my two year out of the way and I can put that to good use while trying to save money for the future. I realize now about how long it is going to take me to get there and I accept it. Even if it takes ten years. At least then I will only be 34. And thats not to late to do what you want.

Oh and by the way. You know how I was asking about Air Safety Flight Academy? They closed there doors today and left students broke and with out training. The news feed is here. http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/81282757.html

Sure glad I did my research before going in debt for this crap.

 
DrDigitized2 said:
Yes. Thank you all for your advice. I have decided to get a job and go back to school. I am going to get my degree in Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Technology. That way I will have my two year out of the way and I can put that to good use while trying to save money for the future. I realize now about how long it is going to take me to get there and I accept it. Even if it takes ten years. At least then I will only be 34. And thats not to late to do what you want.

Oh and by the way. You know how I was asking about Air Safety Flight Academy? They closed there doors today and left students broke and with out training. The news feed is here. http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/81282757.html

Sure glad I did my research before going in debt for this cr@p.
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WOW! They were in business what 3 months?

Anyway all the advice on here has been great. Might I suggest Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, OK.. You can major in anything and still minor in flight and get all your certificates and ratings on federal loans at low interest rates. Of course they do offer Aviation, Avia Management and tons of other degrees! Good luck with your decisions!

I used to work line service at the Grayson County Airport while i went to school at SOSU and pay was decent and they work around my school schedule. Made a lot of contacts there!
 
Excuse the necropost but I've got some advice:

As one who has had a CDL long before a commercial pilot's certificate may I suggest AK? I was between flying gigs in the summer of '08 in Anchorage, and was able to get about 1 full time and 2-3 part time driving gigs that summer, made a decent amount of money, half of which was cash and had a good time. Do something like that then start bugging trucking companies like Lynden, Carlisle, who do all the runs up the north slope and make pretty decent money.

Get that all in order, then join CAP so you can get privileges at the Aero Club at Elmendorf AFB which is WAY cheaper than anything in town at ANC, pay as you go and enjoy life. If you're 24 now (which is how old I was when I started) in a few years you could be doing an AK bush gig with pay that's way better than regional FO pay (sometimes CA pay too!) with half the month off.

Just a thought.....
 
FWIW, I am making it happen. I am currently flight instructing seven days a week to make ends meet. My wife is the bread winner, for now(I hope), but those shoes have changed feet. I have a fall back career that I can go back to if I have to. Are we rich, no, not at all. Are we poor, no, but close. Are we happy, yes. In the end, that is all that matters. I am happy with the career change I made, even though it cut my pay to 1/3. But we make it work. And if you decide to jump in, just make sure that every decision you make is educated.
 
DrDigitized2 said:
Hi. I am 24 years old. I am planing on attending a flight school in Aug. I am also going to enroll in aviation classes online. My wife is the only one that works and she only makes about $23k a year. We have 2 girls, ages 3,4. I am planing on enrolling them in school as well as seeing if I can get free child care to help watch them while I take the classes. One other thing that makes it hard is that my wife works from 10pm to 7am Tuesday through saturday. We are also going to have to take out financial aid and grants to pay for all of the schooling. The flight training is supposed to cost around $45k and a guarantied job at $15 dollars an hour to be a flight instructor to help build my flight hours. But they don't guarantee 40 hours a week.

Really what I want to know. Is this evan possible? I know my family can handle me being gone once I finish my training and get a job, But how do I get that far. Does anyone have any suggestions or any success stories? That would really help.

Also the school I am planing on attending is Air Safety Flight Academy and there website is http://www.airsafetyacademy.com/index.htm
Please let me know what you think about the school and its prices.
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Actually we have been in a similar situation. We had a 6 month old son, he was working & I wasn't. Then he decided to make a career change, so we did what we had to do. Was is hard? Yes, very hard. It took a while to get to where we are today. We are not rich, but we have everything we need to survive. We may not get to go on vacations every year or have a nice new car, but we are okay with it. It's about understanding the sacrifices you have to make & jumping in with both feet. If your wife is 100% on board, then it can be done. Also, we have alot of family that has been backing us up, so that support has helped alot as well. In my opinion, it doesnt matter if it's the wife or husband that is "financially" supporting the family. I trust that you are making the right decision for your family, I dont think you would be considering it, it if wasn't. Plus, you are young you have plenty of time to get to where you want to be. Good luck!
 
DrDigitized2 said:
Hi. I am 24 years old. I am planing on attending a flight school in Aug. I am also going to enroll in aviation classes online. My wife is the only one that works and she only makes about $23k a year. We have 2 girls, ages 3,4. I am planing on enrolling them in school as well as seeing if I can get free child care to help watch them while I take the classes. One other thing that makes it hard is that my wife works from 10pm to 7am Tuesday through saturday. We are also going to have to take out financial aid and grants to pay for all of the schooling. The flight training is supposed to cost around $45k and a guarantied job at $15 dollars an hour to be a flight instructor to help build my flight hours. But they don't guarantee 40 hours a week.

Really what I want to know. Is this evan possible? I know my family can handle me being gone once I finish my training and get a job, But how do I get that far. Does anyone have any suggestions or any success stories? That would really help.

Also the school I am planing on attending is Air Safety Flight Academy and there website is http://www.airsafetyacademy.com/index.htm
Please let me know what you think about the school and its prices.
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Also, I dont know where you live, but you should look into getting help from the state. You have 2 kids & your wife only makes 23K, you should be able to qualify for something, possibly even free daycare. I got that when mike was in AZ in school & I was working. Take advantage of it, that is what it is there for!
 
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