COVID sucks...

inwx_dxr

Well-Known Member
Did anyone else get their ADX in late 2019 or early 2020? If so, did you get a job and are still working? I am just curious to hear if anyone has any stories.

I personally almost got a job. I interviewed in March right before COVID really took hold of everything. The company went on a hiring freeze two weeks later and told me to "be ready" as soon as it lifts. They decided to close the requisition six months later. I was really betting on that job. Now its been a year since I got my ADX and I still have not used it. Also, does anyone know any resources to refresh my memory? I have forgotten quite a bit.
 
A few schedulers at my former shop got their tickets right before the Rona hit and were hoping to move into DX. I’ve told them to find a job outside of aviation for the next 2-3 years as that’s probably the soonest they will get a job at a 121 regional. CommutAir is hiring but there are quite a few dispatchers with experience out there looking for work


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A few schedulers at my former shop got their tickets right before the Rona hit and were hoping to move into DX. I’ve told them to find a job outside of aviation for the next 2-3 years as that’s probably the soonest they will get a job at a 121 regional. CommutAir is hiring but there are quite a few dispatchers with experience out there looking for work


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That's a fear I have for the next few years... when things start to return to normal, the industry will favor experienced dispatchers. It will be difficult for newbies to get on anywhere.
 
It does suck but you gotta to improvise, adapt, and overcome like the sgt said.

I moved my family to Ft Worth Texas so i gain experience that would support me to start Dispatching at AA or MQ. Covid hits and 140+ dispatchers are now furloughed. It’s clear to say that it’ll take some time before i start dispatching at AA or elsewhere.

I’ve decided to enroll back into college to study aeronautical engineering in the meantime.

Sorry to hear your bad news but just be glad you and your loved ones didn’t have the rug pulled out from under you financially.


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Also, does anyone know any resources to refresh my memory? I have forgotten quite a bit.

Do you still have any of your books/ study material etc from school? If so go make some flash cards and break them out from time to time to refresh your memory. I use quizlet, but you can do any digital flash card platform or make real ones if you so choose. Using your study material to make the cards will help and then using them periodically will maintain it.
 
It does suck but you gotta to improvise, adapt, and overcome like the sgt said.

I moved my family to Ft Worth Texas so i gain experience that would support me to start Dispatching at AA or MQ. Covid hits and 140+ dispatchers are now furloughed. It’s clear to say that it’ll take some time before i start dispatching at AA or elsewhere.

I’ve decided to enroll back into college to study aeronautical engineering in the meantime.

Sorry to hear your bad news but just be glad you and your loved ones didn’t have the rug pulled out from under you financially.


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Luckily I still have a job with the company I was at before I even received my ADX. AA is where I hope to end up as well. Either that or go back to UA.
 
Do you still have any of your books/ study material etc from school? If so go make some flash cards and break them out from time to time to refresh your memory. I use quizlet, but you can do any digital flash card platform or make real ones if you so choose. Using your study material to make the cards will help and then using them periodically will maintain it.
Unfortunaly, my school used Gleim's test prep software and that expired. I might get Sheppard Air's Study Software.
 
Unfortunaly, my school used Gleim's test prep software and that expired. I might get Sheppard Air's Study Software.

I’m not sure that Sheppard will help with real life ADX and prep for an interview. That program is more for the written and the written doesn’t reflect reality.


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This is a good study guide that a dispatcher told me to buy.

I have it on my iPad and i also have the physical copy since I find writing on paper more useful.


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I’m not sure that Sheppard will help with real life ADX and prep for an interview. That program is more for the written and the written doesn’t reflect reality.


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Sheppard Air is just fundamentally wrong as a study guide. It’s only useful for conserving time for those questions that take 20+ mins to answer.


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Luckily I still have a job with the company I was at before I even received my ADX. AA is where I hope to end up as well. Either that or go back to UA.

I’m homegrown at AA. I’d love to stay but i wouldn’t hesitate to go.


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Did anyone else get their ADX in late 2019 or early 2020? If so, did you get a job and are still working? I am just curious to hear if anyone has any stories.

I personally almost got a job. I interviewed in March right before COVID really took hold of everything. The company went on a hiring freeze two weeks later and told me to "be ready" as soon as it lifts. They decided to close the requisition six months later. I was really betting on that job. Now its been a year since I got my ADX and I still have not used it. Also, does anyone know any resources to refresh my memory? I have forgotten quite a bit.
The Aircraft Dispatcher Practical Test Standards has a complete reference list of everything you theoretically need to know to earn the certificate. Many, if not all, of those resources are available as free downloads.

If it were me, I'd start by reviewing the written test guide, and/or taking some practice exams. That will help target the knowledge deficiencies. Then, start studying those concepts using the aforementioned resources.
 
Did anyone else get their ADX in late 2019 or early 2020? If so, did you get a job and are still working? I am just curious to hear if anyone has any stories.

I personally almost got a job. I interviewed in March right before COVID really took hold of everything. The company went on a hiring freeze two weeks later and told me to "be ready" as soon as it lifts. They decided to close the requisition six months later. I was really betting on that job. Now its been a year since I got my ADX and I still have not used it. Also, does anyone know any resources to refresh my memory? I have forgotten quite a bit.

QOL sent me running from my former shop and brought me back northeast in 2016. Was hired back on the ground ops level of stuff, and MGMT / SOC had me in mind to get picked up DXing as the operation expanded. First interview didn't go well in 2017; second interview was better in 2019, but the third interview this past Feb was papers and alert status. A week later the world imploded, and I'm still on ground ops status standing by.

You get used to the uncertainty in this life, as it's the one certainty we have.

That all said and considered, be mindful of your own happiness. Quality of life dips and rises, so keep your frame of mind in mind. Friends and family too. Don't slave away doing this life, my friend. My niece is 3 already.
 
This is a good study guide that a dispatcher told me to buy.

I have it on my iPad and i also have the physical copy since I find writing on paper more useful.


026db48063594d9af15d7f9500691f68.jpg



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Thanks for sharing that! I'll probably order it. Thank you to everyone else for the advice as well.
 
That all said and considered, be mindful of your own happiness. Quality of life dips and rises, so keep your frame of mind in mind. Friends and family too. Don't slave away doing this life, my friend. My niece is 3 already.

This is the reason I’m thinking of exiting the industry altogether. I’ve already been furloughed so this seems the perfect opportunity to exit the industry.
 
QOL sent me running from my former shop and brought me back northeast in 2016. Was hired back on the ground ops level of stuff, and MGMT / SOC had me in mind to get picked up DXing as the operation expanded. First interview didn't go well in 2017; second interview was better in 2019, but the third interview this past Feb was papers and alert status. A week later the world imploded, and I'm still on ground ops status standing by.

You get used to the uncertainty in this life, as it's the one certainty we have.

That all said and considered, be mindful of your own happiness. Quality of life dips and rises, so keep your frame of mind in mind. Friends and family too. Don't slave away doing this life, my friend. My niece is 3 already.

This is good advice. If you are over the age of 30 right now, I would advise against career changing into dispatch. Seniority based schedules and furlough mean you are risking both your health and financial security. With airlines modernizing dispatch systems, growth not likely to be at 2019 levels for a while, and many retirements having taken place in the early out offers, it could be a long stay on midnights for anyone who does get hired once hiring resumes.

At my airline out of 475 dispatchers, the bottom 200 mostly are young ranging in their 20s to early 40s. Thus for any new hires, there will be around 200 dispatchers that will for the next 30-40 years be above you in seniority. It is pretty similar at every major airline that has hired a huge amount (all four of them) the last ten years. If you are over the age of 30 right now, you wont likely ever make it above the 50% mark in seniority. You might never get weekends off, holidays off, vacation in the summer, and the easier to work desks will likely always be impossible for you to bid. Every economic downturn will mean you will be on the chopping block.

Yes, this job does pay a lot of money. You do need to consider the QOL. Consider the stability of the industry.
 
In one aspect I agree with what was said above me. Yet what one person sees as an issue another will not. Thus each situation is different.

I don't mind working nights and if I end up back on them, so be it. I soon will be starting my 25th year as a dispatcher. Have been through 2 bankrupt airlines and now this. It is not fun. Yes there were times I seriously considered leaving this career. Yet I opted to stick it out knowing what the risks were.

If someone asked me about this career because they were thinking about it as a career change. I would explain to them everything that they could expect and let them make that decision based on their needs and not my opinion.

There are good and bad things in every job you will take. Yet in my opinion, the pros of this career far outweigh the cons.
 
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