I'm writing to saying goodbye...

H46Bubba said:
You bailing on JC too?
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Still here, though my engagement has honestly dropped a bit. Been a bit more of a lurker. But, nah... just aviation, at least as a career anyway. We'll see if I ever fly again, as my much needed aviation sabbatical continues. But IR training and my AMEL, we're the best parts of my primary training (to me). I absolutely hated Commercial, it was a HUGE 🥱. At some point, when I can afford it. I'd love to get more hours in a multi, just for the fun of it and eventually rent one solo. I love seeing all the Seminoles, from AeroGuard at KDVT fly over my house in the pattern. I absolutely love multi-engine GA planes. I think insurance mandates at least fifty hours PIC, to be able to rent a multi solo. I have one hour of PIC in a Seneca. Giggle. Gonna be a while at $500 an hour, and $75 an hour for a MEI in the right seat.
 
Even if you have decided this isn't a career path for you, I'd certainly encourage you to keep flying. I imagine you have the means to, and it sounds like the desire as well, maybe save doing a bunch of chandelles, or whatever the commercial involves these days. GA flying is a perfectly sufficient outlet for a lot of my friends who never wanted to do this professionally if it didn't involve afterburners. Not being at a 121 doesn't make you any less of a pilot. I imagine that it is a lot more fun and "free" in a lot of ways.
 
Knowing you, you gave it everything bro, and that’s something to be proud of. Like you said timing’s a bitch and in the end the luck wasn’t on your side, but not for lack of effort. Good on you for making a decision you have peace in. Next time I’m in town first ones on me.
 
ozziecat35 said:
Knowing you, you gave it everything bro, and that’s something to be proud of. Like you said timing’s a bitch and in the end the luck wasn’t on your side, but not for lack of effort. Good on you for making a decision you have peace in. Next time I’m in town first ones on me.
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Thanks bro, it means a lot. If I was thirty-five to forty years old, or better eighteen to twenty-five, I'd be all over it. This career is meant to be started when you're younger. It's harder, but not impossible when you're a career changer. Life sucks and it isn't always fair. But that's life.
 
I don’t frequent JC all that much any more but I have to say I felt a little sad reading this thread. I recall reading your posts since I was a teenager on here and your fight chasing the dream. That said, there’s no shame in doing what’s best for yourself. My wife is an LCSW and has her own practice. She loves it and is very fulfilled by it. Probably more than I am in the day to day of my career. Also, she has out earned me through a good portion of our relationship. It’s a solid career. I wish you luck!
 
KVNC said:
I don’t frequent JC all that much any more but I have to say I felt a little sad reading this thread. I recall reading your posts since I was a teenager on here and your fight chasing the dream. That said, there’s no shame in doing what’s best for yourself. My wife is an LCSW and has her own practice. She loves it and is very fulfilled by it. Probably more than I am in the day to day of my career. Also, she has out earned me through a good portion of our relationship. It’s a solid career. I wish you luck!
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Ooof, lol...

Thanks for the words of encouragement. That's the goal to have my own practice. I'm on the social work forum on Reddit and have read that an LCSW in private practice, depending on the cases load that their willing to take on, and specializations and can make between $150k-250k. Not bad, very encouraging. Especially if you're doing it via telehealth.

I just talked to one the Social Workers at one of my in-patient jobs, last night. They have LCSW supervision, which is awesome and it's free (huge) for full time Social Workers. That's starting to be harder to find as mental health facilities and private practice therapist, have started charging for supervision, for profit to the tune of $55-80 an hour. With three thousand mandatory hours, it really adds up. So, yeah... things are really starting to look up. I'm encouraged. Still waiting to hear back from the state universities that I applied to.
 
You don't remind me of this, but this topic (career change, challenges) does. Navy bud of mine is having a rough time getting hired in 121 land. Chatting on phone, he's kinda getting desperate now that he has retired from Uncle Sam, and is worried about putting food on the table. I told him "dude, there are literally a million awesome things you could go get paid to do right now......like 3 of them involve flying airliners (or even flying). Don't stress". And fortunately for you, you've got a mature career now. Sometimes the grass isn't greener.
 
///AMG said:
You don't remind me of this, but this topic (career change, challenges) does. Navy bud of mine is having a rough time getting hired in 121 land. Chatting on phone, he's kinda getting desperate now that he has retired from Uncle Sam, and is worried about putting food on the table. I told him "dude, there are literally a million awesome things you could go get paid to do right now......like 3 of them involve flying airliners (or even flying). Don't stress". And fortunately for you, you've got a mature career now. Sometimes the grass isn't greener.
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Honestly, that was me too. I'm no spring chicken at forty-nine. Each year each set back out of my control, was like a ticking clock for me, with age 65. It was super, super f-ing stressful and depressing. Which was leading to furtherance of my depression and anxiety, and my desire to not want be a failure. Or disappoint myself, or others counting on me. To make this lifelong dream a reality, come hell or high water. But the dream was becoming a f-ing nightmare of stress and depression. I was drowning. So, I had to give up to win. It was hard... hard. Lots of tears. I sat at the Sky Harbor observation area for hours, one day, lots of feels. But I told myself that I needed to be okay with my decision when I left. No second guessing, no looking back. No regrets. The car ride home was hard. But it got better as I got closer to home and had clarity and acceptance.

I'm excited for my new next step. I've said that I am a good stick in a plane. But this psych stuff, it comes natural to me. Everyone has natural gifts I guess. This is mine. My mom says that as a kid I was a natural leader and therapist to all my friends. I scored exceptional in high school, in regards to emotional intelligence and empathy. The test suggested that I should work in the human services field. I'm finally listening.
 
///AMG said:
You don't remind me of this, but this topic (career change, challenges) does. Navy bud of mine is having a rough time getting hired in 121 land. Chatting on phone, he's kinda getting desperate now that he has retired from Uncle Sam, and is worried about putting food on the table. I told him "dude, there are literally a million awesome things you could go get paid to do right now......like 3 of them involve flying airliners (or even flying). Don't stress". And fortunately for you, you've got a mature career now. Sometimes the grass isn't greener.
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In retrospect, I think that as a career changer that things would have been easier and the dream would have become a reality, had I probably had six figures in the bank. To be able to quit my job. Pay for training, and only focus on training and have money to live off of, while in training. Not having that, and still punching a clock and working sixty plus hours a week, yeah it kind of divided my loyalties and attention and dragged it out. Too far.

Aviation is all about luck and timing. I had neither.
 
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