What are your career plans?

I gave up on plans and goals a little while ago. I've decided that setting my life up to do X, Y and then Z is setting myself up for everything to come flying apart. I do what comes along and life is working out MUCH better now that I've chilled about "career goals" and other BS like that.
 
I tried planning my career and life out several times when I was at Riddle, then reality hits and It all goes to hell and back.
 
Oddly enough, my plan has been working for me so far. I've had to alter some details b/c Life interfered (like moving training from FL to TX due to a hurricane obliterating my flight school), but it's more or less gone according to plan.....so far.

Right now, I'm planning on getting a line to improve to QOL (this reserve stuff SUCKS, but at least the Holiday Inn Express in MSP has wireless.....), get some time in the CRJ, get comfortable flying it and upgrade to CA, get my PIC time in, try to go back "home" to SWA, get based in MCO and move back there, then retire somewhere between 50-60. We'll see how that all works out....
 
When I was a kid I thought flying airplanes was the coolest job in the world. Now who the hell knows. I've got too much money invested into this damn career already and as a CFI I barely make enough money to pay my loan. I can only hope that in a few years I'll be flying a jet and getting paid decently.
Because if not, I'm taking over the family wood floor business, spending every night at home drinking beer and working on race cars. Oh yeah and the money would be good too, hence the work on race cars thing.

Right now I'm just chasing a foolish dream as it seems.
 
Step 1: Get out of Iraq, preferably alive and still able to pass 1st class medical

Step 2: Return to the states and continue to build hours while chipping away at csel, but more importantly a little acro in the tailwheel and just flying to interesting places with my wife in SoCal

Step 3: Next April, moving to Vero Beach with the wife and starting at Ari with the plans to finish my CS/MEL and CFII MEI ratings in 2-3 months ( I will arrive there with all writtens complete, i am already ASEL instrument rated and should arrive there around 200 TT

Step 4: Instruct, every hour, every student i can get my hands on, for approximately 12 months to get to 1200 TT or whatever i may end up at.

Step 4 Alternate: Instruct every hour, ever student i can get my hands on for approximately 12 months, if the hours start to burn me or my wife out i will maybe try to mix it up and snag a banner tow position for a few months for variety and make a little more cash (very little more)

Step 5: Start applying to..Wiggins air, Linear air (getting 20 eclipse vlj's), Cape air or possibly something else along those lines like airnet or another 135 cargo carrier.

Step 5 alternate: Regionals, preferably somewhere that has a base in the upper northeast no further south then EWR. preferable boston, providence, portland, machester. Serve my time on reserve being a commuter until i get enough seniority to get a north east base and hold a line.

Note: my wife and i are buying or building a home in New England this winter so preferably i will be working in/near/around there to limit the commuting and time away from home. Flying left seat in an airbus or triple 7 is not my final goal, just making an honest living, being able to spend time with the family, and being home fairly frequently

Note 2: Using VA at ARI to pay for portion of flight training. I have more then enough money in bank to pay for all training so i will not need a loan, two deployments in Iraq, a wife with a great job, and me driving a 94' 4 cyl ranger has helped the savings reach new heights.

Note 3: Wife is a registered nurse with her masters, thank the lord she makes money because we all know it will be a while before i do.

So there you have it, ask and you shall recieve. There is alot more detail involved but this is the basic idea.
 
Nice aspirations all around. Well, to depart the pattern here at Riddle would require me to finish this MBA...it is dragging on into next spring. I figure I'd better have several options.

A) Go the typical airline route...Regional, upgrade after x years, Major, retire (corporate?)
B) Work for a Part 135 freight or charter comp, then after flying for 10 years or so there and learning the management side of it, start my own 135 air taxi business.
C) Do what my wife wants and return with her to Bulgaria, where apparently there really IS a pilot shortage...there is only one gov't-subsidized pilot school there, and apparently they aren't cranking them out fast enough...she said alot of guys with half my time are being hired at the majors.

With any one of these, I'll write the occasional aviation article on the side for a little extra money (and to exercise the OTHER side of my brain on occasion). Guess I've got a year to decide which route to take:)

-Brock Sargeant
MEII
 
get my PPL by next summer work on XC flying through college. Possibly get my instrument. Graduate with a BS by 2008 and then work on my other ratings. Maybe I might get a job with the degree I will receive so I don't have to borrow any money. Who knows? I think having plans is great, but sometimes things just don't work out the way we want for better or worse. Oh great 2 UPS captains want to bail out. Well I guess we can rephrase the question. Unless you are a captain for a major airline...what are your future plans.
 
Bulgaria sounds like it would be a pretty sweet gig - trudging around Europe and all. Random question but how'd your wife end up in the States?

Right now I'm set on going to a 4-year college after I graduate high school. Then, I might try and go on tour for a few years as an audio technician for the heck of it. Then I might try the pilot thing ... I don't know. We'll see what happens.

Heh, I think what the UPS captains are trying to say is that while flying is cool and all, it's ... a job. And I think if flying was all any of us did, we'd be pretty boring people. Me, I get bit by a flying bug every time I go to the airport, but is flying the only thing I can envision myself doing? Heck no ... I'm all about variety, travel, and I've got a big thing for audio engineering and I'll try my best to fulfill all of those in my life. But flying's cool too.

Edit: Oh yea, I have this newfound desire to go hiking/camping away from all forms of civilzation, too. I need to get to a park sometime soon.
 
One thing I've learned in my short life is that nothing goes as planned but this is what i'm hoping for:

1. Get a job as a CFI when I graduate College
2. get a job at Royal Air Frieght flying lears, they have a base at the Airport I getting my ratings from.
3a. Fly for a major, hopefully Delta or Southwest.
OR
3b. get a job flying for a fortune 100 company or some rich guy.
 
Career plans?

Self employed, semi-retired and full-time soccer hooligan.

Seriously. Working for "The Man" ain't where it's at.
 
After going thru the ACP Program @ ATP & flight instructing for them, then....
OldTownPilot said:
I'll get my 1200+TT there and look at some 135 freight gigs, preferably one with turbine equipment such as Ameriflight and AirNet. My long term goal is probably FedEx, UPS, Major/LCC or probably corporate.
Click to expand...


:yeahthat: atp
 
Careful. Even with aft fuselage engines, passengers will still report oil leaks during cruise flight.
 
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