Career Changer, the journey to making the change

TexasFlyer

Living the Dream (well at least trying to)
This might help some career changer on how I am doing it. This is my story. The short version!

So here I am. Many tough decision later, I sit on my finish line... or is it the starting line? Of course, it's both. A new start means something else must come to an end after all.

My journey extends from my first memory at 3 years old while waving bye to my grandparents as they boarded that big metal tube that fascinated me to the point of tears so my parents bought me a little Pan-Am airplane toy along with a pilot's cap. My favorite toys for years.

Then came high school when building model airplanes and flying them around my back yard pretending to be a fighter jock was more fun to me than anything else I could imagine. I also remember playing the very first Flight Simulator on a green screened Compac computer and was excited when I learned how to navigate with the VOR and the John Hancock building out of Meigs Field consisted of a see through rectangle that twisted as the graphics were maxed out... but there it was in all its' glory!

Then came college. I wanted to go to FSA back in 1991, but had no way to do it since my parents would not co-sign and I did not know FBOs were an option through hard work back then. You depend on high school counselors back then since there was no internet, no cell phones, and no way to really research the best options back in 1991. My, how things have changed!

So off to college I went. I was told to be an accountant since they make a lot of money and people would always need an accountant. So from 1991 to 1996 I worked part-time and took out the college loan, which my parents did co-sign. See, my parents were okay with me being an accountant. After all, they were the ones who told me that is what I had to do as my only other option was to lose their support, move out, and be a burger flipper. They would not co-sign for flight school since they said being a pilot was a dead end job in an industry that is too risky to depend on. They simply degraded my dreams. So there it began. Me doing something that made sense to everyone, but me. So at 18 years old, I simply did as I was told. It was the only option for me at that time of limited information in 1991.

And there I stood. In 1996 I graduated Cum Laude with an Accounting Degree and wore a suite to work every day as an accountant and future CPA. I was sunk in the typical college loans. And I did what we all do the day we graduate college and get the first job. I began to spend money. A nice apartment. A motorcycle. A new car. And a guy in love with his woman he's been with for more almost 5 years at that point. But, still empty inside. Every time I seen an airplane, it was a combination of excitement and sadness. I wanted to fly. It was time for a change. I did not want to be the typical suburban accountant. So between riding my motorcycle and racing my dirt bike to satisfy me temporarily, I would sit for hours off the end of the approach end at the local airport watching students do touch and goes.

I did have end up getting my PPL, but right at getting the ticket I quit flying. It was not the kind of flying I wanted to do. Weather issues. The cost of renting a C172 just to take a simple trip for a weekend. Struggling to keep up currency during the Ohio winter when you only have weekends off work. And tax season as an accountant leaving no time to even think of flying. It was too much work and frustration keeping up the PPL under those circumstances. I was not having fun. I stopped flying. But begun to put a plan together since the kind of flying I yearned for was the kind where I would be paid to fly.

And there I was. It's 1998. I could not resist the calling to fly. So I put together a plan to save money to get to Flight Safety in the Fall of 2002. I got rid of the girlfriend who cost too much in shoes and Coach purses and I took a Sales related job as a "Headhunter" simply to make a lot of money since flying takes just that. In the interview when they told me if I did not want to make six figures, I would not work out for them. I knew I was in the right place, at least for a few years! And just like clockwork, after a couple years I was making over $100k and had all my debt paid off except for my student loans. Living like a playboy, I still stuck to my plan for the most part.

It was now 2001 and I was living in Boston. All I needed to do was finish off the last $10k of student loans and then save a lot of money each month for a year to get to my goal. I had two of every toy from motorcycles and cars to sailboats, all free and clear. I wanted to have 50% of the money in cash for FSA back then, and be debt free. Plus have my toys too. Life is funny though. It tends to give you a reality check at times. And it sure did!

9-11-2001. What a wake up call. My business was slowing a little prior to 9-11, but my income was still substantial enough to get me to my goal. But post 9-11, my business took a nosedive. Very few businesses needed my services at that time and my whole company went from over 30 people in my location to a couple others and me! I seen people lose everything they worked for. Homes to cars, boats to summer homes, the family dog to even their wife! The whole financial crisis we fell into as a business at the time caused a lot of havoc. Even I lost a girlfriend since she could not handle the lifestyle change of us having to sell everything and no longer go out to nice restaurants, much less to a movie. I lost 80% of my income that year and could not even make my rent payment with what my monthly income became (I lived in Boston at that time and rent was over $2,000 a month).

Flash to 2003. Time for a restructure to get back on track. Starting over. At this time I had no savings, a car that barely ran, and a laptop computer. Everything else was sold or pawned off to simply survive in Boston. Sounded like the perfect time to move to Texas based on research I done. So in 2003 San Antonio was the place of choice. I needed a less expensive place to live and a more basic lifestyle to get back on the flight plan. The wake up call of 9-11 done me well. I learned a lot about what really is important in life. You can replace things, but not people.

2003 in San Antonio, now this place I love. The people are nice, weather is great, economy consistent, lifestyle simple, and it's cheap to live well. All I needed to get back on track. In 2004 I finally got back on track with my income. So after loosing everything and being forced to live on credit cards and sell everything, my business began to recover in 2004. Things began to really look up. But I was in a tremendous amount of debt since I had to leverage my good credit to pull me through those last few tough years. But with income restored, I was able to pay off a large sum of debt over about 24 months (large sum being about $80k of debt between credit cards, student loan, and a vehicle!).

In April 2005 I found Jet Careers. I was still on flight plan and expected to start flight training around October 2007 to October 2008 timeframe. I posted this thread on here back in April 2005 (I'm 34 in May 2007 for reference):

http://forums.jetcareers.com/showpost.php?p=215352&postcount=1

Then in January 2007 I posted this! Definitely on track still:

http://forums.jetcareers.com/showpost.php?p=504703&postcount=35

And as of today, I am all set up to start flying full-time at Falcon Aviation Academy. I learned of them on Jet Careers. I went to visit them this month and liked what I seen, felt they offered the best value for me. And I want to thank Jet Careers for being the best resource for making such a decision. I'll be starting at Falcon the end of July from the look of it. I already have an apartment in Peachtree City Georgia lined up too. I still live and work in San Antonio for now, as I will be wrapping up my business here. I need to be sure those who depend on me at work are taken care of and will carry on and be successful without me.

I also will have $40k in cash saved up in 30 more days, which I determined to be enough now. The hardest decision really is, how much is enough? Based on my savings rate versus the rising costs of flight training every 6 months, I determined now is the time when enough has been reached. Here is what things look like (estimates a little high to not under-calculate):
* All program costs from PPL review course through all CFIs: $45k.
* Living cost for 10 months (I think I'll complete in 6-8 though): $30k
* TOTAL COST OF TRAINING FULL-TIME: $75k

Financing the $75k:
* SLM with no Co-Signer: $30k at 10.5%
* Personal Line of Credit: $15k at 6.9%
* Savings in bank: $40k ($10k more than needed)

So there it is. Years of hard work later. Many tough decisions later. A lot more mature. And still being criticized by some, like some X-girlfriends I had to leave behind as they would not (and will not) follow me or provide mental support in this decision. And I still struggle with my parents who have nothing positive to say about me being single at 34 and chasing a dead-end flying dream according to them (hope to prove them wrong on that one eventually).

So as you can tell. It's a tough ride following your passion. Many may not understand you. Some will admire you. I have not made all the right decisions, but in every decision I learned a life lesson. And what a crazy journey this has been. Yet, I still feel like it is just beginning. There are many ways to get to the goal.

So here I sit, today. I owe nothing to anyone, have a plan in place, and everything I own will fit in my truck and strapped to the motorcycle trailer with the Harley. All since I know I need to keep it simple, and I need to stay mobile in aviation when starting in the career in order to pursue the best career options for fastest career progression. And the only people I'll owe money to once again will be the student loan companies. But that is an investment in myself. No one can take that away.

And that is my story of how I got to where I am today. The point where you question, is it the finish line or the starting line? It's both.

See you all in the sky... :rawk:
 
Congrats on your decision! Brave man..it's all on you now..best of luck to you. You can do it!!!LOL..Aloha.
 
You said it best, "Alot more mature" . I think you will be fine this time around. Next time you think you have to have 2 of this or that just go back a few years in your mind. Sometimes things that are great today dont work so well tomorrow.
 
Good for you!!! Sounds like it's been long in coming, but with that kind of determination and focus, you're gonna do great! Best of luck to you!! Keep us posted on your progress.
 
This might help some career changer on how I am doing it. This is my story. The short version!

So here I am. Many tough decision later, I sit on my finish line... or is it the starting line? Of course, it's both. A new start means something else must come to an end after all.

My journey extends from my first memory at 3 years old while waving bye to my grandparents as they boarded that big metal tube that fascinated me to the point of tears so my parents bought me a little Pan-Am airplane toy along with a pilot's cap. My favorite toys for years.

Then came high school when building model airplanes and flying them around my back yard pretending to be a fighter jock was more fun to me than anything else I could imagine. I also remember playing the very first Flight Simulator on a green screened Compac computer and was excited when I learned how to navigate with the VOR and the John Hancock building out of Meigs Field consisted of a see through rectangle that twisted as the graphics were maxed out... but there it was in all its' glory!

Then came college. I wanted to go to FSA back in 1991, but had no way to do it since my parents would not co-sign and I did not know FBOs were an option through hard work back then. You depend on high school counselors back then since there was no internet, no cell phones, and no way to really research the best options back in 1991. My, how things have changed!

So off to college I went. I was told to be an accountant since they make a lot of money and people would always need an accountant. So from 1991 to 1996 I worked part-time and took out the college loan, which my parents did co-sign. See, my parents were okay with me being an accountant. After all, they were the ones who told me that is what I had to do as my only other option was to lose their support, move out, and be a burger flipper. They would not co-sign for flight school since they said being a pilot was a dead end job in an industry that is too risky to depend on. They simply degraded my dreams. So there it began. Me doing something that made sense to everyone, but me. So at 18 years old, I simply did as I was told. It was the only option for me at that time of limited information in 1991.

And there I stood. In 1996 I graduated Cum Laude with an Accounting Degree and wore a suite to work every day as an accountant and future CPA. I was sunk in the typical college loans. And I did what we all do the day we graduate college and get the first job. I began to spend money. A nice apartment. A motorcycle. A new car. And a guy in love with his woman he's been with for more almost 5 years at that point. But, still empty inside. Every time I seen an airplane, it was a combination of excitement and sadness. I wanted to fly. It was time for a change. I did not want to be the typical suburban accountant. So between riding my motorcycle and racing my dirt bike to satisfy me temporarily, I would sit for hours off the end of the approach end at the local airport watching students do touch and goes.

I did have end up getting my PPL, but right at getting the ticket I quit flying. It was not the kind of flying I wanted to do. Weather issues. The cost of renting a C172 just to take a simple trip for a weekend. Struggling to keep up currency during the Ohio winter when you only have weekends off work. And tax season as an accountant leaving no time to even think of flying. It was too much work and frustration keeping up the PPL under those circumstances. I was not having fun. I stopped flying. But begun to put a plan together since the kind of flying I yearned for was the kind where I would be paid to fly.

And there I was. It's 1998. I could not resist the calling to fly. So I put together a plan to save money to get to Flight Safety in the Fall of 2002. I got rid of the girlfriend who cost too much in shoes and Coach purses and I took a Sales related job as a "Headhunter" simply to make a lot of money since flying takes just that. In the interview when they told me if I did not want to make six figures, I would not work out for them. I knew I was in the right place, at least for a few years! And just like clockwork, after a couple years I was making over $100k and had all my debt paid off except for my student loans. Living like a playboy, I still stuck to my plan for the most part.

It was now 2001 and I was living in Boston. All I needed to do was finish off the last $10k of student loans and then save a lot of money each month for a year to get to my goal. I had two of every toy from motorcycles and cars to sailboats, all free and clear. I wanted to have 50% of the money in cash for FSA back then, and be debt free. Plus have my toys too. Life is funny though. It tends to give you a reality check at times. And it sure did!

9-11-2001. What a wake up call. My business was slowing a little prior to 9-11, but my income was still substantial enough to get me to my goal. But post 9-11, my business took a nosedive. Very few businesses needed my services at that time and my whole company went from over 30 people in my location to a couple others and me! I seen people lose everything they worked for. Homes to cars, boats to summer homes, the family dog to even their wife! The whole financial crisis we fell into as a business at the time caused a lot of havoc. Even I lost a girlfriend since she could not handle the lifestyle change of us having to sell everything and no longer go out to nice restaurants, much less to a movie. I lost 80% of my income that year and could not even make my rent payment with what my monthly income became (I lived in Boston at that time and rent was over $2,000 a month).

Flash to 2003. Time for a restructure to get back on track. Starting over. At this time I had no savings, a car that barely ran, and a laptop computer. Everything else was sold or pawned off to simply survive in Boston. Sounded like the perfect time to move to Texas based on research I done. So in 2003 San Antonio was the place of choice. I needed a less expensive place to live and a more basic lifestyle to get back on the flight plan. The wake up call of 9-11 done me well. I learned a lot about what really is important in life. You can replace things, but not people.

2003 in San Antonio, now this place I love. The people are nice, weather is great, economy consistent, lifestyle simple, and it's cheap to live well. All I needed to get back on track. In 2004 I finally got back on track with my income. So after loosing everything and being forced to live on credit cards and sell everything, my business began to recover in 2004. Things began to really look up. But I was in a tremendous amount of debt since I had to leverage my good credit to pull me through those last few tough years. But with income restored, I was able to pay off a large sum of debt over about 24 months (large sum being about $80k of debt between credit cards, student loan, and a vehicle!).

In April 2005 I found Jet Careers. I was still on flight plan and expected to start flight training around October 2007 to October 2008 timeframe. I posted this thread on here back in April 2005 (I'm 34 in May 2007 for reference):

http://forums.jetcareers.com/showpost.php?p=215352&postcount=1

Then in January 2007 I posted this! Definitely on track still:

http://forums.jetcareers.com/showpost.php?p=504703&postcount=35

And as of today, I am all set up to start flying full-time at Falcon Aviation Academy. I learned of them on Jet Careers. I went to visit them this month and liked what I seen, felt they offered the best value for me. And I want to thank Jet Careers for being the best resource for making such a decision. I'll be starting at Falcon the end of July from the look of it. I already have an apartment in Peachtree City Georgia lined up too. I still live and work in San Antonio for now, as I will be wrapping up my business here. I need to be sure those who depend on me at work are taken care of and will carry on and be successful without me.

I also will have $40k in cash saved up in 30 more days, which I determined to be enough now. The hardest decision really is, how much is enough? Based on my savings rate versus the rising costs of flight training every 6 months, I determined now is the time when enough has been reached. Here is what things look like (estimates a little high to not under-calculate):
* All program costs from PPL review course through all CFIs: $45k.
* Living cost for 10 months (I think I'll complete in 6-8 though): $30k
* TOTAL COST OF TRAINING FULL-TIME: $75k

Financing the $75k:
* SLM with no Co-Signer: $30k at 10.5%
* Personal Line of Credit: $15k at 6.9%
* Savings in bank: $40k ($10k more than needed)

So there it is. Years of hard work later. Many tough decisions later. A lot more mature. And still being criticized by some, like some X-girlfriends I had to leave behind as they would not (and will not) follow me or provide mental support in this decision. And I still struggle with my parents who have nothing positive to say about me being single at 34 and chasing a dead-end flying dream according to them (hope to prove them wrong on that one eventually).

So as you can tell. It's a tough ride following your passion. Many may not understand you. Some will admire you. I have not made all the right decisions, but in every decision I learned a life lesson. And what a crazy journey this has been. Yet, I still feel like it is just beginning. There are many ways to get to the goal.

So here I sit, today. I owe nothing to anyone, have a plan in place, and everything I own will fit in my truck and strapped to the motorcycle trailer with the Harley. All since I know I need to keep it simple, and I need to stay mobile in aviation when starting in the career in order to pursue the best career options for fastest career progression. And the only people I'll owe money to once again will be the student loan companies. But that is an investment in myself. No one can take that away.

And that is my story of how I got to where I am today. The point where you question, is it the finish line or the starting line? It's both.

See you all in the sky... :rawk:

Thank you for your insight. Good to see people taking risks. Now if I could only get rid of my house, I'd be following you!

Falcon looks pretty good and I would like to get down there to visit also. Atlanta and the surrounding suburbs are nice areas. Get ready for the humidity though. If you don't mind me asking, how much was the apartment you found? Did they have any kind of discount or affiliation with the school?
 
If you don't mind me asking, how much was the apartment you found? Did they have any kind of discount or affiliation with the school?

Peachtree City is a great learning environment from what I seen. Small town and family oriented which will keep this single guy from playing too much. But close enough to Atlanta for an escape a couple times a month.

Falcon has no affiliation with the apartment. I know they do have some king of agreement set up with another complex for some students, but I do not know the details since that complex did not offer a garage.

I also know some other people there are living in houses with rooms for rent (some furnished) for around $500/month. I know the school had a posting board and one of the CFIs had a room for rent in a house owned by an airline pilot for around $500/month too if I remember correctly.

You can find apartments within a 30 minute commute around $550/month to $650/month in Newnan. As long as you are okay driving 30 minutes. A 10 minute commute in a place without a garage option will set you back around $650 to $700/month. Overall not too bad. I am not sure if those other places offer a flexible lease term though, whch could be real important in the long run since you never know when that new job brings you from CFI to First Officer.

The place I got is a one bedroom with about 800 sq-ft for $785/month. It's pretty nice and upscale, other than too many little kids running around when school is out. The garage is $100/month extra and a washer/dryer cost $35/month extra. Peachtree City seems to be all families like I mentioned, so no matter where you go there seems to be kids everywhere. The place is called Camden Peachtree City and has 2 pools with a gym and DVD library and other stuff. They also only require a 30 day move out notice and even though you sign a lease. So you can break the lease anytime with 30 day notice and paying one extra month rent. They require $0 security deposti which was also nice, but the application fee was rediculous at $250 if I remember correct (guess it's never perfect). The nice part about this, even though it costs a little more, is that if you get a good job before your lease is up you will not be held to a long term lease. Being in aviation, that could be a huge advantage since being stuck in a lease with 6 months left on it would not be a good situation to be in when a great opportunity knocks on your door.

There were a couple cheaper places in Peachtree City within the 15 munite or less commute to the airport also. Those places did not offer a garage for my truck and harley, so I am stuck paying a little more due to that.

So there are certainly many options.
 
Peachtree City is a great learning environment from what I seen. Small town and family oriented which will keep this single guy from playing too much. But close enough to Atlanta for an escape a couple times a month.

Falcon has no affiliation with the apartment. I know they do have some king of agreement set up with another complex for some students, but I do not know the details since that complex did not offer a garage.

I also know some other people there are living in houses with rooms for rent (some furnished) for around $500/month. I know the school had a posting board and one of the CFIs had a room for rent in a house owned by an airline pilot for around $500/month too if I remember correctly.

You can find apartments within a 30 minute commute around $550/month to $650/month in Newnan. As long as you are okay driving 30 minutes. A 10 minute commute in a place without a garage option will set you back around $650 to $700/month. Overall not too bad. I am not sure if those other places offer a flexible lease term though, whch could be real important in the long run since you never know when that new job brings you from CFI to First Officer.

The place I got is a one bedroom with about 800 sq-ft for $785/month. It's pretty nice and upscale, other than too many little kids running around when school is out. The garage is $100/month extra and a washer/dryer cost $35/month extra. Peachtree City seems to be all families like I mentioned, so no matter where you go there seems to be kids everywhere. The place is called Camden Peachtree City and has 2 pools with a gym and DVD library and other stuff. They also only require a 30 day move out notice and even though you sign a lease. So you can break the lease anytime with 30 day notice and paying one extra month rent. They require $0 security deposti which was also nice, but the application fee was rediculous at $250 if I remember correct (guess it's never perfect). The nice part about this, even though it costs a little more, is that if you get a good job before your lease is up you will not be held to a long term lease. Being in aviation, that could be a huge advantage since being stuck in a lease with 6 months left on it would not be a good situation to be in when a great opportunity knocks on your door.

There were a couple cheaper places in Peachtree City within the 15 munite or less commute to the airport also. Those places did not offer a garage for my truck and harley, so I am stuck paying a little more due to that.

So there are certainly many options.

Wow, thanks a ton for all of this info! Extremely appreciated! Keep us updated and let us know how it goes!
 
Best of luck to you and bravo for recognizing you needed to make the changes that would make you happy. Keep us posted on how your training goes.
 
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