Job Plan

At the beginning of the course my job plans upon graduation were to build flight time to the minimum requirements to qualify for a first officer position with a regional airline company. With so many regional carriers not only increasing the number of pilots being hired but also the first year pay for their new pilots, the airline route seemed like a good option for someone like myself.

As of today I have not really changed my mind. While both the topics discussed in class, and the presentations given by the guest speakers, has opened my eyes to alternative career avenues in the aviation industry, I still find the airline industry to be the more appealing option that suits the quality of life I am looking for as a professional aviator.

After hearing several gust speakers talk on the lifestyle of corporate pilots and how ridiculously flexible corporate operators must be at times, I've decided that the consistent airline schedule, along with the type of operations being conducted as an airline pilot, is much more appealing to me.

The two topics that peeked my interest the most this semester were the blog posts and discussions that we had on professionalism in the aviation industry and the flight and duty times with regards to the cargo and airline industry.

I found it especially interesting to dive into the rules and policies associated with the  rest and flight/duty times that airline operators must follow. That blog topic was practical for someone like myself who will be operating under those rules.

The blog post and discussion on professionalism in the aviation industry was also particularly interesting to me. The short film we watched in class was eyeopening to the reality of how dangerous, in terms of safety, the regional airline industry was and how far it has come since the early 2000s.

My least favorite topic that we discussed this semester was that of the commercial space industry. While I do believe that there is a benefit to looking into opening up space travel to the public through commercial space operations, I do not think the topic serves much benefit to someone in my position looking to make a career in the airline industry.