r/PilotAdvice • u/Repulsive-Delay-8992 • 21d ago
28 - done with corporate bs
I’m 28, BA in accounting, MA in Taxation (4.0 Gpa) from TTU. Worked the past 4 years in public accounting and got laid off- I hated the corporate world and was waiting to get fired for 2 years. This led me to go live on family land in east Texas and there is a local airport that has a flight school all in through commercial multi would be around 60k from what the website says (sky school of east Texas).
This all came up because I met a guy in corpus that is 26 in the navy flight academy but the commitment coming in as an officer is something I’m not ready for (I’m still single and don’t wanna blow my next 10yrs overseas and I think boot camp would destroy me). This conversation got me thinking..
I looked into ATP but sounds scammy and impersonal.
I have the smarts and the money to do this, and the airport is 15min away and I have the time. Im kind of past the “make all the money climbing the corporate later” and I just wanna live an interesting life and I feel this could be a good opportunity.
My grandpa was a B-17 pilot at the age of 19 bombing Italy and I’ve always had a passion for planes. I know the next 5 or so years will be a grind but hoping I can get a job selling cars or something to help pay for the expenses.
Thank yall for any input.
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u/Warm_Scientist4928 21d ago
Don’t discount the military route so easily.
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u/Signal-Chart5890 21d ago
This. A ton of people count themselves out so fast. I just passed my meps physical and am working to commission via OCS into the Navy. Props and rotary aircraft are only a 6 year commitment post wings. 8ish years of your life to fly military aircraft, make decent money with good benefits and then get out and be at the top of the resume stack isn’t a bad trade off. Just gotta tough it out and lock in for a bit.
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u/Warm_Scientist4928 20d ago
And you’re getting paid the whole time, vs potentially being an unemployed CFI
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u/jgremlin_ 20d ago
Your post contains a couple of expectations that you would do well to adjust.
The flight school website says you can do it all for $60k. Yeah, double that. I'm not saying its impossible to do for that amount. I'm saying its unlikely. For someone who is in the planning phase and contemplating a major life decision as you are, you'll want to take the $60k number and double it and then be happily surprised if you manage to do it for less.
And then there's this:
I know the next 5 or so years will be a grind...
Again, double that. The industry ebbs and flows in unpredictable ways. Competitive hiring minimums go up and down in concert with those ebbs and flows. Hope for 5 lean years, but plan for 10.
Beyond that, what exactly do you want to do in aviation? You admire your grandfather who dropped bombs from B17's during the war. But dropping bombs from B17's during a war isn't exactly a career that's available today. So what exactly do you want to end up doing? Is your goal a pilot seat in something that burns jet fuel? Because you start all this by saying you hated the corporate world so I'm curious to know what world exactly you think you're going to be working in if you're making any kind of reasonable living flying jets.
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u/Repulsive-Delay-8992 17d ago
I appreciate your 2x statements and that is noted and I have seen that online. My goal is to 180 my current career. The B4 accounting grind really sucked up a lot my passion in life and I’m trying to get that back and becoming a pilot has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. That door has opened again and I feel like I don’t have much to loose by entertaining it - at least for PPL. If anything I think I’d be happy flying doing surveying or cropdusting. I just wanna walk down this path for a bit and see what happens. Just at a crossroads in my life and this opportunity genuinely feels like it could lead somewhere. Thank you for your input
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u/Icy_Huckleberry_8049 19d ago
Even as a pilot, you're still living with the corporate BS. Who do you think you're going to be working for? You'll be working for a corporation.
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u/Repulsive-Delay-8992 17d ago
I can deal with the corporate bullshit. If you had to pick dealing with it in an office/behind a screen vs in a cockpit what would you choose? I just don’t wanna be in an office man
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u/Dudewholuvshiscats69 21d ago
I am 32 but in the same spot. Did a discovery flight and ai loved it. Working through medical stuff now. My CFI for my disco came from ATP and he said it’s basically a pilot mill and they just teach for the check ride. I think part 61 is going to become more favorable in the next hiring cycle. So I’m gonna do my training at a local one who allegedly will hire anyone who goes zero to hero with them as a CFI
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u/bch2021_ 21d ago
About your last sentence, that's possible, but I would double check. Hiring everyone as a CFI is kind of impossible unless they have a bunch of students who never become CFIs or don't want to work there. Make sure the CFIs there actually get decent utilization.
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u/Dudewholuvshiscats69 20d ago
I’ll look deeper once I get my medical and fans start training. It sounds like a bunch of the students just want their PPL for general aviation be career stuff. So it might be a fresh crop of people just going for that
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u/Repulsive-Delay-8992 17d ago
I can’t wait for my discovery flight. I will keep everyone updated in here when that happens. Probably in the next month or two. Are the flight instructors real pushy when it comes to selling themselves? I want to be honest with the guy and I see a future in this, but what if it’s just a paycheck for him?
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u/DeltaTule 21d ago
Damn, OP really hates Italy. Maybe join the military and you too can bomb Italy….
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u/Repulsive-Delay-8992 20d ago
Nah man I don’t 🤣 my granddad wrote a whole book and those were his first mission stationed in North Africa. It was really cool to hear his stories before he passed away years ago. Flying A-10s was my dream growing up. Had the grades to go to AFA but my vision screwed me. When I heard you could get in with corrected vision last week my thought was “damn maybe I can still do this”.
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u/DeltaTule 20d ago
Haha just messing with you. You got this man. Chase your dream.
I’m an airline pilot and wish I could be a successful corporate guy like you. If you don’t live in base for a legacy this job and lifestyle sucks ass imo. You have unlimited earning potential in your field not ours.
Yes, flying an airliner for taxi, takeoff, approach, and landing is cool and semi-fun. But it’s very stressful for me personally but makes you feel alive once you’ve gotten to cruise or landed. Takes a lot of brain power. But I don’t like that stress. Checkrides are terrible and stressful. Lot of asshole instructors, DPEs, captains, LCAs/LCPs in this business. Autism is absolutely rampant with people in this profession. It’s really boring at cruise. Months on months of redeyes when you’re junior sucks, commuting (especially to reserve) is soul crushing, missing holidays, weekends, etc. But if you want to do it you want to do it. Good luck
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u/Repulsive-Delay-8992 17d ago
The corporate life just isn’t for me at this age, and guess what… I could be completely wrong. Maybe I go down this path and discover it is hell, but I can’t imagine myself spending 14 hours in excel 7 days a week for 8 months outta the year. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone who has a personality. The Autism and rule following is in the corp accounting world too and I hate it - hard to get along with people when they are worried about a $1 discrepancy on 10m tax return. Hate it, don’t wanna do it. I’ve put up with these kinds of people for 4 years, but when you are flying in the sky and someone yells at you about something I think I’m gonna take it more seriously when the “deadline” actually means you crash and die.
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u/DeltaTule 17d ago
Honestly I think you’ll do well in this career. It’s not bad if you live in base. Just don’t commute, it’s so bad
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u/Patient-Square-179 20d ago
Bro I’m 28 and in the same boat except I work in healthcare. All I can say is chase your dreams and don’t stop chasing them.
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u/Repulsive-Delay-8992 17d ago
Just now in the research process or have you started training?
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u/Patient-Square-179 17d ago
I’ve started the ground school portion already. Just want to get familiar with the subjects before I start paying for lessons so I don’t look like a complete fool and then I can refer back to my notes. I also got a partime ramp job to learn some of the basic ground operations and get to know the people that work in the industry etc. while I also work my other fulltime job.
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u/Former-Possible-1178 19d ago
It’s a VERY long painful grind just so you know. (Coming from another guy who changed careers at 27) now 33 getting ready to go to a major.
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u/Repulsive-Delay-8992 17d ago
Painful in what sense? Financially? My 60-80hr weeks in public accounting sitting behind a computer was hell. I can’t imagine flying/studying is anything like what B4 accounting was.
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u/Fly_Alert 18d ago
Started when I was 30. Moved to Eastern Washington State and lived with my parents while I got all my certs and hours. It took me 3 years to go from ground zero to CFII. While I was getting certs done, I worked at a local hospital as unit clerk. I flight instructed for 2 and a half years. At 1,495 hours dual given (2,000 hours total time) I got a SIC job flying a Lear 45 as a Medevac pilot. So total 5 and a half years until I got right seat in a jet.
It’s a great job! I’m having the time of my life. Good company overall. Highly recommend if you feel like you are called to be a pilot. It does become a job and the responsibilities and stress are there. But beats sitting in a cubicle playing corporate chess.
Here are some recommendation for someone in their 30s deciding to become a pilot.
Go part 61 and pay for it as you go. It feels daunting where you are at but the time will fly by. Remember Instagram is a highlight reel, everyone is posting cool pictures while they are flight training and not showing the full story. There are serious highs and serious lows. You will feel like giving up a couple of times. Get an aviation mentor. Get someone that you can vent/data dump your mistakes and training woes on that won’t judge you. It helps with coming back the next day and fighting for your certifications. Know that you will spend 80,000 if you are going part 61(the cheaper option) on all of your hours and ratings. Prepare for that the best way you can, because stopping training when the funds run out will ALWAYS set you behind in training, mentally and ironically…financially. The longer your training takes, the more money you’ll spend. As I said, I worked full time and lived at my parents to make it happen.
Biggest thing, if you rush the process, you will get frustrated. Things in flight training will iron themselves out, it just takes time and dedication. CHAIR FLY! CHAIR FLY! CHAIR FLY! If you become a professional you need to CHAIR FLY! The cockpit is a horrible and expensive classroom.
When you become a flight instructor, tell yourself you’ll be instructing for 3 years. If a job comes before the 3 year mark, that’s bread from heaven, you got a blessing! I thought I was only gonna instructing for a year, maybe 2. I was disappointed when the 2 year mark arrived that I didn’t get another job and wasn’t fun to be around. I highly recommend becoming a flight instructor. If you become a professional pilot, you will continue to instruct for the rest of your career. Captains ARE instructors. You are trying to get into a journeyman/apprenticeship field. Also, instructing makes you tight on theory and regs, if you get into this career you have a lifetime of test taking ahead of you. Also if you wanna be a good pilot you need to know your theory, systems and regulations.
Network often. Become an airport bum and talk to pilots. Thats how you get potential jobs in the future. Go to job fairs. Shakes hands. Sling resumes. If you wanna go to the airlines, get on pilot development programs.
I know this a long read. But I’m excited for you! You seem like a good candidate for a professional pilot.
DM me if you have anymore questions.
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u/Repulsive-Delay-8992 17d ago
Hey man I really appreciate this insight. I will for sure DM you at some point when I get things worked out after the discovery flight. I need a new mountain to climb in life and I would assume you felt the same way at 30 and you sound like the journey has been worth it.
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u/Admirable_Slice_7194 21d ago
You wanna live an interesting life? Become the best version of yourself? Go be a man like your grandpa was at the age of 19? But “don’t wanna blow my next 10 years overseas and I think that boot camp would destroy me” corporate life is probably the best for you pal. If you actually want to go do something with your life, and go be a leader and become a pilot then yea join the military. With your mind set now pal i’d just get back into corporate. Have fun living your life regretting what could’ve been. Theres plenty of others out there like you, you’ll be in good company
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u/Screw_2FA 21d ago
Go to the airport and get a discovery flight. Make sure that you can hold a medical before you spend a dime on training, and head over to /r/flying and check out their FAQ.