Are You Happy With Where You Are?

Who is genuinely happy with where they are in their career/aviation?

  • Total voters
    107
BCTAv8r said:
About how long did it take for you to get over the novelty of flying planes for a living and having it become just a job?
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It depends on where you are. I flew for the AF for 15 years and never got tired of it, wouldn't change a thing. It was definitely "just a job" at times, certainly, and there were definitely times I was scheduled to go fly that I really didn't want to (hoping for a weather cancel or maintenance cancel....), but it was absolutely the best "just a job" that I can think of.
 
I perfectly happy where I am. So far, there hasnt been a single day where I just didnt want to come to work.
 
Goodspeed said:
I'm happy where I'm at, it all depends on your perspective.

Currently I'm at a regional trying to support a family on year one pay again after my previous regional went bankrupt.

Before getting into aviation, I was a New York City Police Officer for 5 years. As a police officer I have, been punched, kicked, spit on, sued, broke my hand, been in shootings, spent Fourth of July guarding a prisoner in the pysch ward, Christmas with a DOA waiting for the medical examiner to show, froze my butt standing on a foot post in Janurary, had to get tested several times for AIDS, and had days off denied missing family events.

I witnessed the worst of people on a daily basis, watched politics force good people to lose, my friend's throat was slashed, another was stabbed in the eye with a kitchen knife and have been to too many funerals for officers killed in the line of duty.

I had some good times too as a police officer, but more often then not, coming home at the end of my shift I was both physically and emotionally tired.

Yes being a pilot is hard at times, being away from family, pay issues, and commuting all stinks but I won't trade it for anything else.
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All in all, not to different from regional flying!
 
Could be better. Where I'm at now('muriflight) is only to satisfy a formality and, if I can help it, won't be doing it for more than 2 years. My only gripe is that I'll be moving 1-2 times over the next 2 years and my initial base is probably going to suck. I am already looking back and missing what I had for a schedule and location at FLX, but the stability and equipment wasn't there.

The only job that went from novelty to "just a job" was flight instructing at UND. I was SUPER ecstatic that I had made one of my goals and was definitely on the "fast track" and in a fantastic spot given the state of the industry at the time. I quickly became burned out, bored, and at times, frustrated.

The complaining you're seeing on this forum are mostly things that everyone already knows. All that information regarding most of the gripes is out on the internet. Don't like it, don't go there. Noting wrong with a little bitching I suppose, and pilots are good at that! :D
 
BCTAv8r said:
About how long did it take for you to get over the novelty of flying planes for a living and having it become just a job?
Click to expand...

I've been flying professionally for 5.5 years, and I still love flying. Beats the hell out of working in a cubicle, which is what I used to do.
 
Eleven years at the same job and my family situation make it not worth leaving, but even subjectively I can tell that complacency and boredom are creeping further and further into my "career". I don't hate what I do and I still put maximum effort into doing the best job I can, but it's really just a job now. That seems to be common amongst my coworkers here too.
 
I take it day by day. 90% of the time i'm extremely happy with my compensation, work rules, and the lifestyle they have afforded my family and I. Sometimes I miss the predictability provided by airline bidding and contractual protections. I tend to be a "grass is greener" type of person. But I am very aware of how extremely fortunate I am to have this job. Do I think that I will retire from here? I tend to be pessimistic and say, no. My glass is half empty. Its not intentional. It comes from 4 furloughs, 5 airlines, 7 airplanes, etc.

We are all a product of our experiences. I wouldn't change a thing because, if I did, I wouldn't be the man that I am.
 
I marked could be better.

I'm pretty happy. Sure, the pay kind of sucks but I knew that coming in. After almost a year of employment, I'm in the top 33% in my seat/base in seniority, I bid a good line, get a decent amount of days off and am looking at upgrade next year. Plus chicks are always telling me how much they dig beta. Then I tell them I have beta and they really start to dig me.

The crews that we have here are awesome, the people make it like one big family... The airline has its share of problems, I'm not going to lie. Airplanes break, sometimes you get screwed by scheduling, but it seems like the place has turned a corner.. It seems like an okay place to hang my hat for a while.

The only real thing I have to complain about is my almost 2 hr drive to work, but with some good music and a car that gets good gas mileage, it's hardly anything to complain about. It's actually the only real reason I marked could be better.
 
I'm about 99.9% positive I'll be happier not teaching Chinese students how not to kill themselves. I also marked could be better:cool:
 
My current place started out good, but has gone in the other direction since. I'm certainly looking and keeping my eyes open to new and better opportunities.
 
As I am just a student pilot in a two year program, I have yet to learn the ins and outs of the industry. All I know is everyday I have a new flight and a challenge in the syllabus, which excites me. I have only experienced the military side of life where at times it was hard, but very rewarding and prideful during my enlistment. I still hang on to my father's words who is twenty plus years in retail..."sometimes, the more you make, the more you want, which makes you a victim of the inevitable pursuit of happiness." I plan on taking the day to day challenges of the aviation industry that of a moral test. I will take the experience and friendships to a greater level, which will hopefully make me a better person no matter the outcome.
 
Short answer is yes. Could be better but I'm quite happy I landed here. Looking forward to the next step but it's been a good place to call home for the last 7 years.
 
If AirTran were sticking around, then I'd be the happiest guy on planet earth. I don't think any job could get better than what I'm doing right now. But sadly, AirTran is disappearing, and after the seniority raping, I'm not really interested in a career at SWA. I'm working on getting out of aviation. But I certainly don't discourage anyone from getting into this career. With the pilot shortage that is coming, now is a great time to get in. There will be many great opportunities at the legacies for up-and-coming pilots.
 
Hacker15e said:
It depends on where you are. I flew for the AF for 15 years and never got tired of it, wouldn't change a thing. It was definitely "just a job" at times, certainly, and there were definitely times I was scheduled to go fly that I really didn't want to (hoping for a weather cancel or maintenance cancel....), but it was absolutely the best "just a job" that I can think of.
Click to expand...

How many more years do you have left?
 
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