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Originally Posted by Sprint100  We sure do. Do bill collectors stop calling because of the wait till I become captain clause in debt collections? I could go on and on but I'm not at all trying to down anybody that flies professionally. Hell, I'd love to fly professionally myself. Some refuse to sacrifice for that specific reason, some can't sacrifice for that specific reason. Ya darn skippy in saying that people look at FO pay combined with the money and time for training. |
Depending on ones situation, yes, sacrificing a few years on FO pay can be hard. For someone young, and single, it shouldn't be too hard.... someone trying to do it with a family, your looking at some difficulty. All I am saying, is that while FO pay isn't the greatest, it does get better. Regional captains, while they don't make enough for the job, do make good money, salary wise.
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Not true compadre. Yep everyone needs to work their way up, but depending on how you work it, market yourself, and the industry you choose to pursue pay jumps can be early and significant. I took a few courses in college, but at 19 I was making as much as some captains. Not including money I got from side work.
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This highly depends on the career field. The majority of career fields start in the $30-$40K range, out of college -- the same a FO can make, after first year. Many jobs top out, years later, at $70-$80K -- the same a typical 5-6 year regional CA can make. Only 10% of people will ever make $80K or more in their career. Of course some people make more, but it isn't nearly as prevelant as some people like to think. I recently saw a statistic that said the average salary in this country for someone with a bachelors degree is $65K, masters degree - $83K, and PhD - $103K. Good salaries, but not the $200K salaries some people seem to think it typical outside of aviation.
NOW, that being said, YES pilots are underpaid for the job they do, and YES they deserve more money. But it does help to realize that, at least as a captain, you aren't pulling in less than your average American.
I think pilots would be much more happy with the wages if the job of being a pilot was a 9-5 job that had you home every night.