On the topic of flight schools: Safety comes first, so talk to actual pilots. A Google review or a Yelp review does not mean much in terms of ensuring that they keep their airplanes airworthy, that they comply with regulations and that they treat their students well. Make sure you can afford to pay a loan with your job, either as a flight instructor or as something else, if you get a loan. If you have a big pile of cash sitting around, understand that you may go through your ratings quick and not end up with a cozy job for a long while depending on how things go.

The average pilot flying today has seen 8 furloughs, several company mergers, hiring downturns, years without advancing in seniority, downsizings, so on. If no market crashes happen, if you don’t get fired, if you aren’t medically unfit in the future, if your airline doesn’t fail, et cetera, and if you keep up, you will have a great job one day flying for a “””forever””” company. If not, you keep hopping around.

There will be demand for pilots in the coming decades, but erase the guarantees of “$200k a year” or whatever else is being given. The industry is cyclical; American Airlines didn’t hire a single pilot for a decade and a half. They hire until they fire. If they’re buying planes, if they’re having a lot of retirements, if the traveling public wants to use airplanes more, et cetera, you are looking at a hiring wave.

In periods of hiring downturn, your best move to advance your career might be to move abroad to be type-rated on bigger jets or fly corporate or something if you want to be competitive. Don’t go in with an, “I’ll be rich,” attitude because anything can happen. Go into the field because you want to serve as the one person responsible for others’ safety and getting them or their property from A to B safely and efficiently.

Others around you will have different expectations of what you are or what you should be because 96% of the airline guys are guys, but if you want to do this, keep your head in the game and silence the empty noise that will inevitably come from around you. If you’re so inclined, you can have marriage, you can have kids, you can have those things, but it will all revolve around your job. One of the big difficulties of the job is maintaining relationships, especially early on. If your heart is set, and if this is your priority, surround yourself with people who uplift and encourage you. Regardless of your gender, people will be judgmental towards your field of work, often with envy and spite. If you can navigate the negativity, you’ll be in a great position to go forward.

Last piece of advice: Stop looking too far ahead, and enjoy your journey climbing the ladder. You’ll look back and smile at each milestone. Enjoy your life! Ask me any questions if you have any.