CFI or Great Lakes?

[coa787]

Ahhh. I understand. That option sounds like a good option for you.

Yes, yes it is. Thanks. It depends on the personal situation. Yours and mine are completely different.

 

[coa787]

Okay, hate to be the dose of reality, but this track of thinking might put you in a financial crunch. Keep in mind, I didn't take out one of the huge mega-loans people are taking out right now, but I see plenty of FOs here that have. It ain't pretty.

Taking out a $60K-100K loan for a job that starts at $18K (or LESS if you're talking CFI or Great Lakes) is setting yourself up for financial distress right off the bat. I know guys whose loan payments are more than RENT. At some point you have to ask yourself if the stress of wondering where the next meal is coming from b/c you've got a $600-1000 loan payment a MONTH you have to pay is worth having a flying job. For me, personally, it wouldn't be. Flying's fun and the job is great, but it's not worth the personal hell that puts you through. Think long and hard about taking out a huge loan in order to get a job that you won't be able to make payments for a while. With things slowing down, the "I'll upgrade in two years" argument isn't carrying much merit anymore, either. If you do decide that it's worth it, that's your decision. However, keep that in mind down the road. I hear too many people complaining about how they can't make rent, a loan payment and afford food b/c they went to one of those schools that cost an arm and a leg. Too many of them don't wanna look in the mirror to see the person that made that decision. They'd rather blame it on the industry slowing down, management, the union, etc.

Hey, it's no problem. That's why I joined this site. I need a good dose of reality every now and then, but hey, who doesn't?

As for the "personal hell", I don't know if it could be any worse than what I've already dealt with in my life. For the first six years, I've lived in Yugoslavia during a war. Yes, I experienced the killing and all that stuff first-hand. The Cetniks (a radical Serbian group) were executing all of those that were Croatian or part Croatian, so my family fled to the US. I then lived the next seven years in my life in the east side of Cleveland (oh, how the frequent gunshots took me back). Now, I live in a suburb of Cleveland in an 80+ year old house with no insulation.

So, you know, I really don't think it could be THAT bad. Eh, what do I know, I'm only in high school. I will give thought to the advice that is given to me by people who've had to deal with things such as what you've described because they know what they're talking about and it might help me out. So, thanks for the advice.

 

[CameronF]

Okay, hate to be the dose of reality, but this track of thinking might put you in a financial crunch. Keep in mind, I didn't take out one of the huge mega-loans people are taking out right now, but I see plenty of FOs here that have. It ain't pretty.

Taking out a $60K-100K loan for a job that starts at $18K (or LESS if you're talking CFI or Great Lakes) is setting yourself up for financial distress right off the bat. I know guys whose loan payments are more than RENT. At some point you have to ask yourself if the stress of wondering where the next meal is coming from b/c you've got a $600-1000 loan payment a MONTH you have to pay is worth having a flying job. For me, personally, it wouldn't be. Flying's fun and the job is great, but it's not worth the personal hell that puts you through. Think long and hard about taking out a huge loan in order to get a job that you won't be able to make payments for a while. With things slowing down, the "I'll upgrade in two years" argument isn't carrying much merit anymore, either. If you do decide that it's worth it, that's your decision. However, keep that in mind down the road. I hear too many people complaining about how they can't make rent, a loan payment and afford food b/c they went to one of those schools that cost an arm and a leg. Too many of them don't wanna look in the mirror to see the person that made that decision. They'd rather blame it on the industry slowing down, management, the union, etc.

Probably the best statement/advice yet!