SeanD
Well-Known Member
I would never put my family in financial jeopardy and I don't believe that I ever said a word about borrowing money for this. Thankfully my antique clock addiction/collection will fund my venture which is a win/win situation because my wife has much more room in the house for her stuff. However no I'm not an oil tycoon, trust fund baby, millionaire or anything like that. The whole pilot shortage isn't my reasoning, I don't buy that line of crap.
I have read the fine print understand it fully. That is why in my first post about ATP, I stated that "if all goes well". I know that there is a real possibility of not instructing with them, lack of students, not getting my CFI etc. It all boils down to taking one step at a time and crossing that bridge when I get there and roll with it. Just understand I am not banking on anything at this point.
A300, you have made some very valid points and I appreciate your response and concern. As far as the what if's and many pitfalls go, that is true in any business. My funeral director/embalmer license took a fair amount of commitment, time & $$ to attain as well. The year of internship at minimum wage wasn't a ton of fun, but it's what I had to do. The nice thing is, I am licensed and will hold it until I die and therefore have a fairly solid backup plan. While the funeral profession isn't the "professional career" as it once was, it's not all bad. Some days suck and some don't. Economy plays a huge role in this business as well, and more family owned firms are being bought out by corporations now than nearly ever. The pitfalls, while different than the airlines, can end my career in an instant or quite possibly my life. Formaldehyde is not joke and neither are all of the wonderful microbiological elements that thanks to HIPAA we usually know nothing about. Now while we practice universal precautions, that doesn't mean that accidents such as a needle stick or scalpel cut won't happen, that's why they are called accidents. And stress, oh boy I could go on and on about stress. I agree wholeheartedly on your comment regarding common courtesy...add death to the mix and it gets very interesting at times.
If things don't work out, yet I attain my Private, Commercial and Instrument Ratings, etc. I have lost nothing but 5 months of time and some money that I have set aside for just this. And yes, I do know that I could save a little bit of money and go through a local FBO and take years to do it. I know that it is fast paced at ATP and that you are getting a lot of information in a short period of time, but I learn quite well that way.
I am not a "What if" person, if life were meant to be lived based on the negative side of "What if", most of the advances our daily life since cavemen would have been just that...a "What if". I am much more of a positive "What if" and "oh well" type of person. I am choosing to go after something that I have thought out in its entirety, weighed the possibilities, taken experienced pilot advice into consideration, etc. This isn't some on a whim type thing where I woke up one day and said I want to be a pilot.
This whole thread has brought out some great conversation and thoughts and I appreciate the opportunity for discussion. And yes I am looking forward to the challenging road ahead, no matter how it unfolds. I also am looking forward becoming a full-fledged member to the career changers club!
Good deal, it sounds like you have it figured out and you have a pretty solid plan. Hell, if I wouldnt have blown up all of my vintage Star Wars toys when I was younger I could have funded everything
. With that said, go for it and best of luck to you. At the very least, you get a few ratings and have a blast doing it. This place is a treasure trove of information. There are a few folks on here who converted careers.