Thoughts on the current state of the industry

Be careful who you step on on the way to the top, because you have to see the same people on the way back down.

I think that's a very good post, Doug. I will add a few thoughts of my own if that's okay. I am not sure that young pilots are often prepared, no matter how much they have heard, read and discussed, and been told, for how flexible they need to be and how long it may take them to realize their goals. Some of them I think may also be too focused on the "one thing". Opportunities can come from unexpected sources and you may wind up doing a type of flying that you really enjoy and have a good QOL that you did not imagine ever doing. I keep saying it, but it doesn't matter what type of flying you do for a living, none of it is the end all be all of life. I can't imagine how crappy I would be as a bush pilot in Alaska now for example. Man, it would be like starting over again in many respects. I really admire and respect that type of flying and in those conditions. So someone flying a 747-400 internationally is not necessarily "better" than you are or more important. It can all be rewarding financially and emotionally. I think while you are young and before you have kids and a mortgage, it's the time to experiment a little and consider different types of flying. If nothing else, you gain experience and time and build hours and have some adventures. You have to be realistic too. That is sometimes, hard to face and accept. Not everyone is cut out for everything. That's okay. Be open to all decent possibilities. Your goals and career road will change and deviate either by your hand hand or by the hand of fate and the hand of how this crazy business is.

Networking really never ends and the friends and relationships that you make along the way are the same relationships that you may be able to build a new career with or because of at some point and vice versa. Stay in touch with your contacts and always stay upbeat and positive with them. Never forget to thank those along the way and pay it forward all you can. Associate yourself with those who are positive and upbeat. Those who put their noses to the grindstone and get the job done and hang in there. Don't waste time commiserating with the whiners and the complainers. That isn't going to get you anywhere. And don't blame others for your failures. Accept them as yours, don't make excuses, learn why, don't repeat them and move forward. Never ever burn your bridges with former employers either. You would be surprised how many of them down the road may know someone or recommend you for a great position or you may be applying for a job where they know who you worked for personally and will speak to them about you. Have them remember you well and not as "that guy".

Also, it is never too early to start saving and safe investing. Even a few dollars a week. This is money you don't touch. You let it grow. There are plenty of things we can all do without if we needed to, and doing without all the toys or eating out all the time or whatever, is much better to give up when you are young and save the money for the lean times or for your future. Pilots, for some reason seem to be terrible at finances and I myself, have made some real bonehead decisions in the past that I regret. So this is something that I really wish everyone would educate themselves on, and discipline themselves on at an early age. Stay the hell out of debt. If you have debt, pay it off sooner rather than later and don't go into debt again. Consider some side work early on, no matter what it is, just to build up some financial reserves. No mater what kind of work it is or how much it's not your cup of tea, you aren't going to be doing it forever. Just persevere and work towards the results. That is all that matters.

All we need is one good run. I'm in.

I will also add, keep your record clean! This includes your driving record. I was in H.S. 8 years ago and getting caught doing a burnout would get you a spinning tires ticket and maybe loud exhaust. Now, you're lucking if you DON'T get reckless driving. A HS friend of mine actually got arrested for reckless endangerment for doing a burnout. Things that one might think wouldn't carry harsh consequences actually do today. The driving record gets scrutinized more and more all the time as well. The DO of the company I work for now puts more emphasis on an applicant's driving record than criminal charges. Driving infractions are misdemeanors too by the way...

There's nothing worse than having all the is and ts dotted only to be held back by something on your record.

Why do I emphasize the driving record. Well because pilots like fast cars/bikes and going fast of course!!!

I second what A Life Aloft has to say. Seniority is preached constantly, but with me personally, getting most(if not all) your debt paid off while you're in your 20s is HUGE. Getting a significant saved while you're still in your 20s is even better. Someone that's financially sound in their 20s is going to be living a much better retirement than someone that "made up for" bad pay later in their career. So to me, finding the higher paying jobs early in your career is more paramount. There are A LOT of opportunities in the 91/135 world that pay double, triple, and even quadruple what a regional FO gets. So keep an open mind early in your career. Some, maybe most, will disagree with that last part. Just sayin...

Nice post Doug, this industry is always changing I've been in it for 10 years now and I've seen the best of the best and the worst of the worst. Hopefully things move in a positive direction, and I agree with the networking advice, in fact thats probably one of the few pieces of advice that was relevant 10 years ago just as it is now...

I try to remind my students that its about the ride too, a lot of guys just want to bury their heads in the sand until they're in the left seat of a 747 and by then your whole life has passed you by... Theres a lot of fun to be had a long the way, thats for sure!

Great post! I myself don't have a 4yr degree yet, I am however working on it, taking my homework with me on the road, and staying up late after flying all day to get my assignments in. I'll have a degree in my hand in less than a year hopefully! I've made it so far without that piece of paper, but I regret not doing it a few years ago when I graduated high school.

After flying in corporate aviation for a year now, I had my first real chat with a young private pilot who was at the airport a couple weeks ago. He came up to me while I was cleaning the cabin and asked me about the airplane, and had a look around. We chatted for about a half hour, and I gave him my opinions when he asked about how to get to where I, and others are, in our career fields. He was going to be graduating high school this year and I told him if he plans on flying for a living, to go to college and fully enjoy that time. I stressed that point over and over again, telling him that while I really enjoy my job, if something were to happen, I'd be out on the street again with no degree. I think I got the point across and hopefully he's successful in all that he wants to do. He reminded me much of myself at 17, full of drive and suffering big time from the aviation bug.

I really enjoyed that Doug, and the same for ALA, its nice to have a realistic perspective put back on things when, on a daily basis in our industry, all you hear is negativity.

And that is the most important thing right there. When conditions are wonderful, pilots always find things to grouse about, or they are always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It never ends. Now, they may have some good reasons for this considering the history of air transportation, but the crappy times never last forever. And whatever happens, have your network in place, keep the door open to all decent opportunities and have a back up plan to survive. Meanwhile, enjoy the damn job, be grateful to have one, relax, have some fun, learn all you can and really appreciate the experience. Us old poops have survived much worse and we are still here. All of you will survive too. You have to find every positive, happy and good thing about what you are doing and focus on that. Be proud of where you are, be thankful, look ahead, take a deep breath and just keep flying.