Quote:
Originally Posted by jtrain609  I figured this was coming.
It's not about saying, "This is how I did it, I know everything, do what I did or you're hosed!" It actually has more to do with going above and beyond the minimum qualifications. Let's face it, once the flood gates shut down here soon there are going to be a lot of folks complaining about how they "have to instruct" or "have to go to college." That trend, quite frankly, scares the piss out of me. We're turning into a country of people that wants to do the minimum amount of work necessary, but they still want a big pay out in the end.
This is about going above and beyond, about not having the blinders on about what is likely to happen in this industry. It's about not being a hack, which is exactly what I think we've been promoting. This has nothing to do with selling anybody out except for yourself, which is again, something I think we've been promoting. It's about wanting to be the best possible pilot you can be, by broadening yourself as much as possible, so you can beat the living piss out of the guy next to you in the interview.
That doesn't seem very important these days, and it concerns me that anytime somebody brings up the idea that people might be advised to go above and beyond, they're ridiculed for being elitist. It used to be that if you advocated doing anything but doing as much as you possibly can to prepare you the best for this industry you were ostracized. But now the opposite seems true.
The pissing match this thread is about to turn into is another reason why we've lost a lot of good people from these forums, because airline pilots got sick of folks screaming about what they wanted to hear instead of what they needed to hear.
EDIT: BTW I think this whole discussion is akin to attacking the guy that says, "You know, the market looks like might be going through some rough times. Investing in high risk ventures might be a bad idea right now as you've got a better chance of getting burned than you do of recouping your money," with, "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT YOU POOPY FACED SOB!!! I WANT TO MAKE LOTS OF MONEY NOW! DON'T TELL ME WHAT I DON'T WANT TO HEAR AND GIVE ME SOUND ADVICE!" |
I buy your retort and I agree with most of what you've said. But to a certain extent, I think it's somewhat overly optimistic to expect a considerable amount of professionalism with this gig, for a few reasons.
First of all, as you have alluded to, it's the new American creed to do as little as possible. I've seen it in 5 years of college teaching just as you see it in your field. The problem is that we compete with these folks. I spent two years at Ohio State working on my Masters degree, yet was surpassed by folks in education who earned theirs in 9-months from a barely accredited college, all the while never leaving their computer. Unfair? Absolutely. But it's the unfortunate twist the market has taken.
As unprofessional as some of my employers have been, airlines take the cake. You're talking about companies who have survived a considerable race to the bottom against other bottom feeders - how much could the possibly value their employees if they have little to no concern for their customers?
I really wish you guys had a union with the backbone and power to put a stop to all of this - and I say this primarily as a passenger who wants to ensure the safety of myself and my family. I believe that what you describe is a problem - but I believe the responsibility (in the absence of corporate responsibility) lies with your unions. You guys have to collectively say enough is enough. Problem is, now your ranks are filling with the sort of pilot you're trying to preclude.
I probably came off as more of an arse than I meant to - I'm sorry. I agree with you, but I just don't think you can blame the new pilots. By most accounts, the first few years of an airline career are pretty awful. Can you blame someone for wanting to get past them as soon as possible?
And to your other question, no - I decided a few months ago that professional aviation wasn't for me. Interestingly, it had a lot to do with some of the people I met in aviation - folks who had, IMO, very little concern for safety (this all stems from a horrible attempt at gaining my multi-certificate). This happened about the time my plane was involved in a fatal accident. A few weeks later I had the unfortunate experience of flying the USAir system. The look of despair and fatigue on the faces of the regional crews I encountered in that weekend were enough to make me reconsider. But this is all personal to my situation - I wouldn't tell anyone else that it was wrong for them to go into the profession, of course. Each case is unique. From what I can tell, you seem to be enjoying it which is great.