Sighhh. You guys got any suggestions?

[titansox]

Once again I suggest: mechanic.

Mechanic sounds kinda cool, I'm not going to lie. But ATC is back in the picture for now.

Out of curiosity, what kind of education/training does that involve?

 

[tonyw]

You are in a good spot. You're in school, and you're about to graduate with a degree that will get you a job that will pay you well.

Once you graduate, though, making $20K a year won't be a pay cut. It will be a pay hike from $0 a year.

What I would say is take a shot at it, see if you like it, and if you do, then stick with it. And if you don't, then you go back to IT work and get out.

You have something that a lot of those of us who were thinking of switching careers don't. Youth.

For me, to invest $60K to get a job that would require me to take a pay cut of around 70 percent isn't something I can do. I've got financial commitments that require a decent chunk of my earnings, and while I have savings, I'd blow those in six to twelve months at the pay rate that an entry level position would pay me. Plus, I've gotten accustomed to living a certain way, and that way is not achievable at the income I'd be getting from an airline initially.

Not gonna happen.

You, on the other hand, do not have those financial commitments. Thus, you can take the plunge.

And having the backup of an IT career is a hell of a trump card.

 

[v1valarob]

Isn't the IT field downsizing though because of all the outsourcing? I would try to go computer engineering and make sure you work in some sort of defense security arena, that way you are assured your job won't be sent overseas. Ensure you have a level of stability, and then get your own plane.

May be true everywhere else. But in the DC area the IT field isnt dead. Friends my age are making 4 times what I make, with a quality of life 4 times better than mine and are in the IT business.

The government does not downsize. And if they told you they did, they lied.

 

[skydog2]

I've come to the conclusion that I really want to get a job doing something in aviation. Right now I'm a freshman at George Mason University studying IT(computer stuff). Over the last 4 months I've really set my sites are ATC. I've done days worth of research on the topic. I even set a date to go visit The Community College of Beaver County and meet with the admissions office. After months of selling it to my parents, I think I've finally gotten them to come around to the idea. However, in the one thing in the back of my head that I knew could derail this plan was my dyslexia. I down played it until today when I finally realized that I could put people's lives at risk and ATC probably wasn't for me. So I guess you can cross ACT of my list of possible jobs.

I was told by Doc that I could be a pilot with my dyslexia as long as I could read/wright. I graduated HS with a 3.6 GPA and my senior year I had a 3.91 GPA so I don't doubt I can read or write. As for being a pilot, I am skeptical. I love planes, I love travel, I love hotels, ect ect. but the initial pay is terrible. How would starting a family work? Seems like a hard thing to start when you are away for 2 weeks a month. Could I be a good father being a parent? I suspect I could since thousands of pilots do it. If anyone is willing to share some personal experinces on this topic, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'd love to make this work but I'm skeptical.

What other jobs are out there that deal with aviation? I don't have a set of particular skills. I have about 50,000 dollars of school savings to work with. I'm more than willing to transfer from GMU. I'm willing to go to training. I'm willing to do just about anything.

Lot of jobs out there in aviation: Engineers, dispatchers, airport managers, mechanics, airport rescue and fire fighting, airport planning and consulting, aviation consulting, flight attendant, ramp agent, ticket agent, aircraft fueler, airport maintenance worker...

I'm sure there are more that I haven't of. Being in aviation doesn't mean you have to be a pilot, or work at an airport.