Thoughts on retirement.

[Sprint100]

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I'm thinking avation isn't the most practical career out there....How right am I about this?


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That is a question you would have to answer for yourself. Everybody has a different situation and different mindset so you would get a multitude of answers.
I'll give you the advice I was given... "Keep your immediate family in mind and selfish ambition in check and I'm sure you'd come up with a good answer".

 

[tonyw]

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I'm thinking avation isn't the most practical career out there....How right am I about this?

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There's no such thing as a safe job anymore, period. Let's take the so called "safe job" when I was a kid going to college, engineering. There are a lot of engineers who don't have jobs now.

 

[Claude75]

Thanks for your opinions, especially MDPilot.

tonyw. I'm not looking for opinions of the general job market for everyone, just pilots.

Sprint2XC, your thoughts on "selfish ambition" are great. Somehow I'd like to think like that the pursuit of Flight is not selfish, that it contributes to a geist, a love of boundlessness, and the insatiable desire to fight the limits of nature, thereby redefining our role in nature.

I saw Harrison Ford on Charlie Rose the other day (Ford is an avid pilot, though for not that long I think) and he said when he's up there, he's measured only as a pilot, nothing else. So there's a universality to it all I guess. A humbling feeling I imagine.

Hey, it's better than working in advertising, and selling widgets all your life. That's my opinion.....

 

[tonyw]

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Thanks for your opinions, especially MDPilot.

tonyw. I'm not looking for opinions of the general job market for everyone, just pilots.

Hey, it's better than working in advertising

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I guess I didn't make my point clear. You said that things looked grim for pilots, and they certainly do now. But I'm saying that things look grim for a lot of careers, so if you are interested in aviation, go for it.

And I do work in advertising, and if you think the aviation market is grim...

 

[I_Money]

The more I think about it the more I want to retire - maybe in October.

 

[Eagle]

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The more I think about it the more I want to retire - maybe in October.

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Yeah I did it last june. it is kinda nice... but it gets boring after a bit, which is whY i am goging to fly some more... Plus that way I can spend some quality time in different parts of the world. like Yakton South Dakota!!

 

[wizard96]

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I made absolutely zero headway trying to get a job with a BS in Aerospace Engineering and a MS in Aeronautical Science.

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MDpilot

Just curious on your engineering background. How long have you been in engineering and what companies? Also how long since you have been out of engineering. I find it surprising you couldn't find a job in engineering job with a degree.

 

[Claude75]

Tonyw.
I'm sorry but that dosin't help me....

Advertising here in NYC is picking up quite nicely... And many professions, law, medical, etc. are doing fine.

Every industruy has it's own quirks.. and your contention that "it's grim," does not mean anything to me. Sure it's bad in many industries, but that's a vauge, broad generilization. "Grim" is not an informitive word. I don't know what grim means... I'm interested in the ups and downs of the aviation industry, an industry that's yes tied to the current economy, but also seems to suffer/grow from factors in like terrorism, new airlines like jetblue, passenger trends, etc. So please, don't tell me it's just part of the "bad" economy, and tell me your toughts on retirement and/or how the avaition industry is doing, and why.

p.s. Don't just tell me the industry is "grim."

 

[MDPilot]

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MDpilot

Just curious on your engineering background. How long have you been in engineering and what companies? Also how long since you have been out of engineering. I find it surprising you couldn't find a job in engineering job with a degree.

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That is part of the problem. When you graduate from college, and immediately go into a flying job/career, you never develop a background in your "field." Since I have never had an engineering job, (in fact, until after I was furloughed, basicly never had any other job than flying) it is difficult to get an engineering job with a 24 year old BS degree and no engineering experience.

 

[wizard96]

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That is part of the problem. When you graduate from college, and immediately go into a flying job/career, you never develop a background in your "field." Since I have never had an engineering job, (in fact, until after I was furloughed, basicly never had any other job than flying) it is difficult to get an engineering job with a 24 year old BS degree and no engineering experience.

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MDpilot,

I understand. I thought you may have been employed as an engineer then left and had some years of seperation. I am leaving engineering to pursue another career. Not sure if its going to be in aviation but love flying recreationally. Just haven't decided if I want to do it professionally.

I was just trying to understand your recommendation for others not to go after an aerospace engineering degree. AE can find employment outside of the aviation industry. Many of the AE graduates at my school during the mid-90's got nonaviation engineering or other professional jobs when the aerospace market was stagnant. I still suggest people that aerospace enigneering is a good degree to have if you have a kindred affection for aviation and is up for a challenge. I agree like any other job it has its downturn cycles.

 

[tonyw]

Well, I could lie to you and say that the economy has nothing to do with aviation. It is a cyclical industry, and if you don't believe me, just ask the tens of thousands of pilots who are out on the streets right now.

It's kind of like a manic depressive industry, where they hire like crazy when they're going through their manic phases, and then lay thousands off and demand wage concessions when it's depressive phase time.

Here's a great article on the industry if you want to check it out.

http://www.avweb.com/news/columns/185019-1.html