Hey all... looking for opinions, comments, advice on my situation.
I'm considering leaving the Army this summer. To be more clear, I AM going to leave the Army either this summer or next... but I am seriously starting to think about doing it sooner rather than later.
I'm leaving the Army for many reasons that really aren't important here, but just so everyone knows, staying in is not on the table.
I want to continue being a pilot, despite the all the negatives (pay, QOL, uncertain future, etc.) associated with it.
So my first major decision: Well, it has everything to do with my wife. She has not been able to break into her career field (publishing/editing) since being with me because of the places we move. She'd really like to go to BOS or NYC due to the large amount of publishing houses in those cities. Naturally those are to very high cost of living areas, and restricting myself to one city to look for a flying job (and I know I could commute if I choose the airline route) wouldn't work very well. So either we agree we follow her dream and I do the best i can wherever we end up, or vice versa. I'm leaning towards her dreams because not being able to find a meaningful career has been killing her.
Next up, helicopters or airplanes. I'll list helo pros and cons since most around here are familiar with airplane pros and cons.
Helo Pros:
- Higher starting salary (45-50k)
- I have 4 times the helo hours I do airplanes, thus a quicker path to a job
Cons:
- Would have to start in the Gulf of Mexico, most likely in a pretty remote location - my wife and I wouldn't like that a bit- would have to do that for a year or two to build hours for a better job
- 7/7 or 14/14 schedules - whereas the 7 or 14 on would be away from home
- Salary tops out lower and slower than the airlines
And with airplanes, thanks to this site I'm pretty much up to speed on my options (I think)... and I'd essentially just have to flight instruct full time to gain experience
And lastly, getting out this summer or next. I'd like to get out this summer to finally get me and my wife into the next stage of our lives (sans Army), but if I stayed in that's just another 12 months of saving I could do to defray the large paycut I'll be taking.
And really, not looking for anyone to make a decision for me... I'm a big boy.
It's a complicated issue my wife and I need to figure out. I know, and it sucks because of all the unknowns and variables out there. I'd just appreciate any opinions, suggestions or whatever from people who have been there, or people who are just outside the situation so I might be able to see viewpoints I might not have considered.
Thanks for the help!!