The Future of JC

N826AW said:
As I said earlier, I've been thinking a lot about the site since Vegas. I'd like to see JC's primary focus continue to be one that links those with a career in aviation to those who pursuing one. But I think we need to make an effort to bring fresh faces to the forum.

If I could offer up a few things I'd like to see the site accomplish in its next 25 years it would be the following:

My first visits to the site began with the profile pages; a forum introduction then progressed to on/offline networking with other members. Those writeups helped me identify with existing members and it made joining the forums a natural transition. So I would echo the sentiment to bring them back along with developing additional aviation career content.

Many of us can trace our career path back to JC and would love the chance to 'pay it forward' by extending a hand to those coming up after us. If we think big for a moment, I think there's an opportunity for us to do more with the career profiles than we previously did. It would be great to have a dedicated set "trusted members," "mentors," "ambassadors" whatever you wanted to call them. Nothing too formal. Maybe they have forum mod capabilities or maybe not. Just a system where if a new career changer posted, a designated member like @killbilly or I reached out in a DM.

Also, identity is everything. I think it would be very cool to see this section of the site enable a more diverse set of people to connect with existing members. There has been a tremendous effort to diversify hiring pools but when was the last time a female student pilot posted on the forum? Hell, when was the last time a female besides Kristie posted here? Would our LGBTQIA+ friends say JC is a resource to connect with others? I think it's important to intentionally cast a wider net for new members. Wouldn't it be amazing if OBAP or NGPA had their house forum hosted on JC?

A part of getting people here and getting them to stick is to make sure the conversations we are having are at the level of professionalism we seek in our career field. I think there needs to be some discussion around the scope and tone of conversations allowed on the site. Back in the day we treated this place like Doug and Kristie's living room. Somewhere along the way a small number of us lost that decorum. I'd hate for a new member's intro to the site to be some of our lav topics and the virtrol found within them. I think there are members of the site who are great professional resources but candidly, don't belong in the lav.

I hate to sound like I'm handing out tasks to @derg. JC and its community occupy a very special place in my heart. Especially with the goals I've achieved this year. I'm always up for the challenge to help make this a better place. So anything I can do, let me know.

-TheDo
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I think you and I are on the same page here - what I'm thinking about and what you're thinking about dovetail pretty well. Gonna text you later this morning and see if we can get a realtime skull session on some of this. That whole "be the change you want to see in the world" type of thing....
 
If anything resonates with me about this place, it’s the genuin-ness of the focus, overall. I’ve been a member of several other sites over the years, but this is the only site where I’ve been able to trust that if I say or ask something, most of the replies will be real by real people. Since “AI” is a thing now, I should point out that I mean to say when I post something on other sites, sometimes the replies are mean spirited just to be mean spirited. That’s not real. It’s pretend. I don’t come online to pretend. I want to connect. I’ve long considered JC to be the “Quiet Community.” I still have the bag tag and I still get quizzical looks when I mention what JC is. I’ve come to the conclusion that most people aren’t hungry for this specific thing. They just want access to SOMETHING and it doesn’t matter what, as long as someone responds. I’m not that person and after almost 20 years here, I know for a fact that there are more like me and I’m still thankful I stumbled upon this place. I don’t know if that means much, but that’s my take.
 
JordanD said:
I wonder what the hell happened to the generation after me
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Maximilian_Jenius said:
Air Wolf Attack Helicopter parents happened.
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"Kids today suck."
-Signed, the generation that raised all those kids.








I'll save my thoughts on the future of this awesome place for the vampire hours when I usually post stuff because apparently I can think more coherently on a red-eye schedule. I will say that I still promote it as much as I can, and the idea of 'pilots helping pilots.'
 
WacoFan said:
Maybe just a name change. "JetCareering" with subforums for "Alimony...how is everyone affording it" and "ED Meds - which is best" and "Layovers" which, given the advancing age will include tips on how to have a regular bowel movement on the road.

Just a thought. Why reinvent the wheel?
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1) No merged assets.
2) I hear custom blends are the new hotness
3) Probiotics

In all seriousness, I think it's not the content that's a barrier these days....it's the platform/methodology.
 
So admittedly I didn’t read all 8 pages, but someone back on page 1 mentioned that forums aren’t really a thing for younger people.

A suggestion. Maybe a discord? It’s more trendy and “in person” than grandpas BB.
 
poser765 said:
So admittedly I didn’t read all 8 pages, but someone back on page 1 mentioned that forums aren’t really a thing for younger people.

A suggestion. Maybe a discord? It’s more trendy and “in person” than grandpas BB.
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Too late, this was my suggestion first!!

Of course I only suggested it because my students and brother helped me learn what Discord is, I had no idea three months ago... :D
 
FlyChicaga had some excellent ideas that I believe will help bridge the gap we have with the new generation of pilots coming behind us. I'm about a decade older than my college-aged brother and I've noticed that the way his generation communicates is completely different. It would be wise to adapt if there's any hope of reaching them. I agree that what's likely happened here is that for the most part everyone has reached their goals. I've checked out r/flying over the past several years and I've noticed a shift as well from mostly GA posts to seemingly there being a lot more airline related posts nowadays. It's like we all moved up as a cohort but there was no class coming after us to take our place and for us to mentor. I don't remember if I am misremembering but was there a mentorship component to JC? Maybe there could be a way for us to match with people to act as mentors?

The lav is definitely something that should be considered to be on the chopping block. I think it's where it creates the most divide between members and it's not even the main purpose of the website. The "What are you cooking?" thread is great through so if we get rid of the Lav it'd be great to see that moved elsewhere. 😬
 
First off, I’ll say I literally owe my current job to the great people I met thru JC. If it wasn’t for JC I wouldn’t be in my current job which I love. And for that JC will always be in my debt. The offline community that JC has created is also nothing short of amazing and great.

I first discovered JC when I was a dumb flight sim kid playing Fs98 and this was the first website I stumbled upon when researching it as a career. - the perspectives, day in the life, and various subjects especially the education and various paths to a flying career section helped convince my now piece of • father that a kid from the ‘Rez can indeed become a pilot.

As for where to go now? My ideas echo are what a lot of my honorable colleagues say here before me - perhaps some consolidation of sub forums, I say keep the lav (but ban or give long timeouts to 2 particular members who love to seem to make themselves the subject of every thread) because it gives a cool human real life perspective to all of this.

As for other platforms ? It seems to corner the “my kid wants to become a pilot from parents “ would be Facebook but Reddit or discord to interact directly with the younger crowd. I’ll leave that to those more tech savvy than myself.

You mentioned operating costs - i guarantee if you open a contribute option, it’ll be fulfilled by the end of the year.

Maybe showing my age here, but I’d be a big fan of bringing back perspectives, day in the life, education and various paths webpages that we use to have. Hell, some stuff has changed so little it would take a few minutes to update them, and we have an amazing group of aviators here that I’m sure would contribute new perspectives and day in the life submissions. I sure would and would help in other areas. It is one thing to watch a TikTok or YT shorts from some fancy influencer but so much more can be conveyed in written form.


I yield the floor to my honourable colleagues.

#JCForever
 
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Jetcareers has been a part of my life since the early 2000's or at least 2005. Based on interacting with the community here, I chose my flight school, Skymates, to finish up my ratings and ended up instructing there while making life long friends that are also part of JC.

Like many, as years went by life got busy and I would ebb and flow between being active on the Forums versus not, including when I left aviation for years until coming back. Like a family, of course the community was still here for me when I returned.

When Covid hit, the weekly Zoom became a thing and as we interacted more frequently and in real time I felt the connection and friendships strengthen to another level, even though my time on the Site/Forums itself dwindled.

Now for someone that is new to aviation or at least new to JC, that wants advice etc., a platform that serves only an existing tight knit community, like the weekly Zoom isn't something they are just going to jump into. I try to think back to where I was in the early 2000's, and how I would discover a place like this today. Maybe not forums, but also not Reddit/FB/TikTok, etc. as those places don't lend themselves to the type of real-world, moderated, civil discussion from a real world community. Maybe it is something like Discord (I haven't used it) where that can exist and also be relevant to meeting new people where they are today platform wise?

It seems there are two things about JC that stand out. 1) The social connection and support for the existing community and 2) helping new and existing members navigate their careers, mentorship, etc.

The first is supported by chats, discussions, video calls, real world events like NetworkJC/cruises, etc. The second, also discussions, the ability to see past discussions for lurkers, real world networking events (that are cheaper than The Palms that one year), etc.

I'd hate to see the forums go, especially because I could use a bit less change in the world this year. But if we can figure out what platforms would facilitate the above two aspects and also be something new people would seek out I think that would be a win.

Also, @derg , though I've said it before, "Thank You" does not begin to describe my and many of our gratitude towards the work you and Kristie have done over the years and your mentorship.
 
Many of the podcast hosts I listen to run discord servers. In most cases you have to be one of their patrons to access it which given their content is probably useful to filter out the drive by weirdos.
 
invadertim said:
2) I'm not sure ditching the lav is a good idea. Yes it does get stinky in there from time to time; but getting rid of it won't mean no more stink, it'll mean the stink gets everywhere. As it stands you have to be logged in/be a member to even see it; perhaps a more blunt warning that its not the most zen of places would be in order. And perhaps more direct warnings to those who use anonymity to push the limits of civility, no one is going to win the internet, so stop trying. Its a fine line though, and I do recognize the dissonance with point 1 above...
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So, I've spent a lot of time over the years thinking about this, and yes, I agree.

When I got involved, GA was kind of this "wonderous" place. There were all kinds of on ramps and off ramps where you could get involved. No interweb, so you were forced to interact with people in person or by phone. You had to be an uber nerd to maybe go on line to a BBS or maybe AVSIG on Compuserve.

There was vast, vast assortment of airplanes, people, shops and places of every taste. GA was still in the business of being a business, and not some weird ham radio hobby, tuner crowd or resto-rodders only for the very wealthy. Small airports were full of friendly people, bigger airports had flying clubs with a huge assortment of types to check out, and even the biggest fields were tolerant of GA, some with very nice facilities. Rockwells, 210s, Meyers, Grummans, all kinds of singles and twins.

Each cross country was an adventure. Brief by phone, void times, hope the NDB is up. Each airport a mystery, with maybe just your little brown Flight Guide to point out where the gas pump was. Flying was expensive, but not exotically so. Lots of colorful shops and, yes, the not so good ones as well. But lots of them. No booking your annual inspection a year out, and finding parts was a matter of calling your local piper dealer.

For those looking for a job, yes, it could be an interesting journey, but there was plenty of activity to employ the faithful. A natural progression and loyalty, relation or good timing could greatly advance your efforts.

Everything had a "robustness" and "sense of purpose" to it. Today, eh, not so much. Everything is pretty sterile, cloistered and seems like everything is state secret.
 
Thoughts on “The Lav”

We need somewhere ti dump the non sequined posts.

How about if I make the Lav something a user can’t see for the first, say, month and the. Do something like $5/year for people that want access.

Super nominal but discursive.

It would dissuade new people from going there (because pilots are cheap), it wouldn’t attract users because they don’t even know it’s there (it’s not indexed by search engines or even viewable if you’re not already registered).

Pros? Cons?

I don’t have my glasses on so please excuse the typos.
 
derg said:
Thoughts on “The Lav”

We need somewhere ti dump the non sequined posts.

How about if I make the Lav something a user can’t see for the first, say, month and the. Do something like $5/year for people that want access.

Super nominal but discursive.

It would dissuade new people from going there (because pilots are cheap), it wouldn’t attract users because they don’t even know it’s there (it’s not indexed by search engines or even viewable if you’re not already registered).

Pros? Cons?

I don’t have my glasses on so please excuse the typos.
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Perfect.
 
derg said:
Thoughts on “The Lav”

We need somewhere ti dump the non sequined posts.

How about if I make the Lav something a user can’t see for the first, say, month and the. Do something like $5/year for people that want access.

Super nominal but discursive.

It would dissuade new people from going there (because pilots are cheap), it wouldn’t attract users because they don’t even know it’s there (it’s not indexed by search engines or even viewable if you’re not already registered).

Pros? Cons?

I don’t have my glasses on so please excuse the typos.
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Yep.

How about if I make the Lav something a user can’t see for the first, say, month and the.
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Maybe add a post count to the time requirement to ensure some level of involvement…maybe only 1 post…
 
derg said:
Thoughts on “The Lav”

We need somewhere ti dump the non sequined posts.

How about if I make the Lav something a user can’t see for the first, say, month and the. Do something like $5/year for people that want access.

Super nominal but discursive.

It would dissuade new people from going there (because pilots are cheap), it wouldn’t attract users because they don’t even know it’s there (it’s not indexed by search engines or even viewable if you’re not already registered).

Pros? Cons?

I don’t have my glasses on so please excuse the typos.
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I want to be grandfathered in. Because I'm cheap. And old.
 
derg said:
Thoughts on “The Lav”

We need somewhere ti dump the non sequined posts.
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Or, have the discipline to quash the need to make those posts, with no Lav.

There’s no requirement to have to host non-sequined posts on an aviation site.
 
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