To young?

andy hughes

andy hughes

Well-Known Member
Just wanted to get some other peoples opinions, hopefully from people in the industry already.
I will be graduating from a community college in may, and I would like to hopefully go to ATP after graduating and get all my licenses,instruct to build up my time, and get hired at a regional in the near future. I will turn 21 in may of 2013,- (when I would be done instructing when atp)- Do you think the regionals will turn me down because of my age?
 
Depends on the regional you apply to. You can apply to Silver Airways (Gulfstream renamed), 18 is their requirement. Others require 21 or 23, just depends on where you want to end up. Take into account you may be needing an ATP in 2013 to fly 121, and at that point you would still be two years junior to the requirements for that certificate. Or...you can join me, get your four year degree and private license, all while enjoying what college has to offer. Then head to ATP after you graduate.
 
Hey man, first off welcome to JC. You'll get a lot of opinions on here so listen up and do what's best for you. With that my question to you is what's the rush? You said that you are finishing C.C. Why not go for your 4 year degree? Live life kid, the flying will be there later on. Yes ATP has a good program. A little pricey but good overall. I went the quick time building route too. Wish I knew this site existed b4 I spent all that cake. Good luck to whatever you choose to do.
 
Well hiring seems to be pretty good right now..so you know what they say in aviation...seniority is everything..so the sooner i get in the faster my QOL gets better!
 
Yeah, go for the 4 year degree. By then you should be well versed on the difference between "to" and "too." Until then, you're wasting TOO much money learing TO fly.

Just saying . . .
 
Hiring is good now, but nothing in this industry is guaranteed. Don't make a huge life choice like getting into a ton of debt to get your ratings quick because hiring has picked up. Frankly, it's foolish and short sighted. Make yourself a well rounded individual. Don't look for the fastest way to a seniority number that might not mean squat. A degree will always mean something.
 
Definately get a degree, but do it quickly. Summer classes can cut a 4 year program down to 3 and if you are flying on the side you can have the degree, ratings, and time at 21.
 
Get the seniority number and work on the degree part-time via distance learning, assuming you are capable of the dedication to stick to it and finish. If you think you won't stick to it part-time while flying, then finish the degree first.
 
College only happens once. Get into a decent university after your associates and have fun. Get your ratings on the side. I believe most young kids who work full time, school full time, and get all their ratings in a rush end up missing out on the FUN years of being a teenager/early adult. Relax and enjoy the ride!

@CrazyJayDawg... you know what kills me the most on pilot forums? Descent and decent. Every single time it gets me... Grr!
 
bb10pilot said:
College only happens once. Get into a decent university after your associates and have fun. Get your ratings on the side. I believe most young kids who work full time, school full time, and get all their ratings in a rush end up missing out on the FUN years of being a teenager/early adult. Relax and enjoy the ride!
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Eh, maybe, but it depends on what your priorities are. My goal is to retire as early as possible. I'd like to be done no later than 55, preferably 50. The only way to make that possible is to start putting away good amounts of money in your 20s. That's impossible if you're "enjoying the ride" at that age. I started putting money into a 401k at 19 years old, and it's been non-stop since. I'm well on track to retire in my 50s. Then I'll be able to "enjoy the ride" for the rest of my life instead of flying until I die like so many are doing now. Figure out your priorities, and then set up your plan based on your goals. For some people, it may be living it up in their 20s. For others, it may be working hard to get done sooner and enjoying a very long retirement with good amounts of money to do it.
 
I'm certainly not THAT old, but I am not that young either. I know at my airline i see "kids" all the time who look like they are about 19. I know they are older than that, but they just look like babies. I don't think youth is that big of a hangup at my company...provided you know what you are doing and are not a •.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
Eh, maybe, but it depends on what your priorities are. My goal is to retire as early as possible. I'd like to be done no later than 55, preferably 50. The only way to make that possible is to start putting away good amounts of money in your 20s. That's impossible if you're "enjoying the ride" at that age. I started putting money into a 401k at 19 years old, and it's been non-stop since. I'm well on track to retire in my 50s. Then I'll be able to "enjoy the ride" for the rest of my life instead of flying until I die like so many are doing now. Figure out your priorities, and then set up your plan based on your goals. For some people, it may be living it up in their 20s. For others, it may be working hard to get done sooner and enjoying a very long retirement with good amounts of money to do it.
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Unless your George Clooney (looks and tons of money), very few 55 year olds can live it up like a 20 year old.

Get a 4 year degree, have fun, be young and live life to the fullest. Planning for the future is great, but since none of us know what the future holds, it is all just a guessing game. Live it up while you are young, it is what being young is all about, you have your whole life to work.

I wonder how many people said "I want to retire early" and lost a huge chunk of their retirement in the last 5 year slide. Many of them will be working well into their 60s if not beyond. No living it up for them.

Also, yes there are people saying they were turned away from regionals due to their age on their very site. Aug or Oct 2013 the rule goes into effect, after that you need to be 23 to fly 121 unless they change the law.
 
bb10pilot said:
College only happens once. Get into a decent university after your associates and have fun. Get your ratings on the side. I believe most young kids who work full time, school full time, and get all their ratings in a rush end up missing out on the FUN years of being a teenager/early adult. Relax and enjoy the ride!
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Yup! I did that. I even went to a 4 year school and hated every minute of it because I was too focused on "what do I have to do next to get outta here." If there is any regret that I have, its not slowing down and enjoying the ride. I enjoyed parts of it, mainly instructing. But it didn't really hit me until about month 6 of working for a regional of "whoa...umm...I worked my ass off for THIS?"

Not that I'm saying don't go the airline route. I'm really not sure what else I'd like doing better. Just that all the people with me in my class talked about how much they enjoyed college and how they wished they could back.

I'm also not saying "screw it, party like a rockstar, you'll figure it out later!" Just find the happy medium. That happy medium is called happy for a reason.
 
Matt13C said:
Live it up while you are young, it is what being young is all about, you have your whole life to work.
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That's exactly the problem. With that philosophy, you will be working your whole life. Because of the time value of money, just a few years early in life goofing off could mean a whole hell of a lot more working years later in life to make up the difference and finally retire.
 
Learn the correct forms of "to," "two," and "too" so that you can write remotely professional and we can finish this conversation.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
That's exactly the problem. With that philosophy, you will be working your whole life. Because of the time value of money, just a few years early in life goofing off could mean a whole hell of a lot more working years later in life to make up the difference and finally retire.
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Going through life worried about the time value of money is just depressing, especially in your early 20's. Sorry man.

Work to live not live to work. The older you get the more busy everyone gets, the less free time everyone has and the less able your body becomes. I wouldnt trade my late teens or early 20s year for any amount of potential money in my 60's.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
That's exactly the problem. With that philosophy, you will be working your whole life. Because of the time value of money, just a few years early in life goofing off could mean a whole hell of a lot more working years later in life to make up the difference and finally retire.
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I am house sitting for my parents in what is basically a retirement community on a golf course. I always found it a waste that these people live in huge houses, drive amazing cars, and all they do is garden. There is nothing that irks me more than seeing a beautiful Jag or Mercedes going 25mph on a windy stretch of country road with a speed limit of 50.

However, like I said, you gotta find the balance. Work hard, make money, but if you focus on the end and something happens where you don't make it all the way there, its kinda a life in vain in my opinion. But dropping out of college to go pursue a career as a standup comedian (when you aren't even remotely funny) like my cousin in law is doing...probably not the best option either.
 
Fwiw you can do plenty of partying in 3 years. The difference of a year of seniority can be a huge difference. I have one buddy who has seen 2 furloughs and never made it off reserve, while others are years from upgrade. It's all about priorities. Get the school work done, do the flying, party on "party" nights. It's not hard and sets you up quite well in seniority to be in a place (both QOL and money) for a bachelor life or a wife and kids with retirement more realistic than "hoping" you can fly til 65.
 
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