Is it worth it?

[mward]

I have a comment/question for anyone who would like to respond.
I'm currently a junior in college with a PPL and have aspirations of being a professional pilot. However, the more I read, learn, and hear about the industry it leaves me with some serious questions and doubts. I don't think there are many on this website who don't like to fly. I personally love it, but I am looking at finishing college and flight training in debt anywhere from 30-40 thousand dollars. Afterwards I will mostly look forward to flight instructing which does not seem to pay well or be stable. And if I'm lucky get a job with a regional airline after years of instructing making 18 or 19 thousand dollars while trying to maintain a decent standard of living and making my 300 to 400 dollar a month student loan payments.
Is it worth it? How long does it take to get to the point where you can make enough money to have breathing room and live comfortably? Do those in the industry see signs of revival in the near future, and have any advice for those of us trying to break into the industry? Is the quality of life and job satisfaction worth it? Right now I am single and in my early twenties, but would some day like to have a family I can support and be there for. Anyone else in the same boat or am I just thinking about it tooo much. Please fire away.

 

[mtsu_av8er]

Is it worth it? That's all up to you!!

 

[PaulRix]

I think only you can answer the "is it worth it?" question. The answer is an individual thing. The question is, how important it is to you? What sacrifices are you willing to make in the persuit of this particular dream?

I am lucky, I have had a lot of support from my wife and family. Today I flew my first trip as SIC on a King Air charter flight. It was a challenging and rewarding experience (and somewhat overwhelming at times)... but a dream come true. When you consider how much of our lives we spend at work, it makes sense to at least do something that you enjoy. Money is not everything IMHO.

 

[shooter13]

I guess something you can look at are teh older guys on this board.

A lot of us, decided at some point that it wasn't worth it to us. Most of us have come back to flying though because we felt that our good paying jobs were not worth it to us. We spend way to much time working to not like it. Bottom line, it is up to you.