Job in Aviation That Involves Travel

[Iberia A340-600]

As I get older and closer to college I am starting to think about what I want in life and what I would like to have as my occupation.

When I was younger I really wanted to be an airport manager but after some visits to the flight deck on a 747-400 and 777-200 I decided that I wanted to be a pilot.

Now that I have turned 15 and as I am reaching the third-quarter of my freshman year my thought have turned away from piloting and to a job that I would be able to have a more profitable job that would be able to sustain a family easily.

I look at my sister and brother who sometimes spend the morning in New York City, lunch in Chicago, and are back home in New York City for dinner or when they go to Los Angeles for the weekend on business. I also read about Tom Alfano for example traveling between place to place for business.

I love to travel and would love to have an occupation that would have me traveling from let's say Chicago or San Francisco to London for the weekend in business class or to Tokyo for the weekend.

I'd also really like to have a job in aviation since it is pretty obvious that is my passion in life, it's all I know besides soccer.

I was talking to my mom about this subject and she suggest public relations for an airline or aircraft manufacturer. I am quiet fond of public speaking so I am starting to think that might be the job for me.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or tips?

I have also started to think of colleges like The University of Chicago, Berkley, UCLA, Stamford, and The University of San Francisco. I'm not sure if a pacific degree or college might help.

Thanks!

[nwafan20]

For me the only job is a commercial pilot. I wouldn't think of doing anything else if possible. Once you start working for the majors you make a pretty good salary as well, that is always a bonus! :)

All i can tell you Gordon is, follow whatever YOU think you want to do. Don't let anyone tell you what to do, or to not take a job because of money. I have a buddy who wants so badly to be a ramper, he knows the pay is next to nothing but he still is following his dreams.

[moose135]

Not to try to talk you out of anything, and I haven't done the kind of road warrior thing Tommy does, but traveling on business isn't as glamorous as it sounds.

I've done that "morning in New York City, lunch in Chicago, and are back home in New York City for dinner" type thing a bunch. In my case, it's a 6:45am flight out of ISP (so I'm up at 4:30am) fly 2+ hours to MDW, cab to the client, a couple of meetings, lunch, a couple more meetings, taxi back to MDW, hope you have time for a bite before boarding the flight home, arrive at ISP at 8:30pm, drive home, just in time for bed. That's assuming you don't have a weather hold, and spend 2 hours sitting in the jet waiting to return home. Then it's up the next morning and back in the office.

On the other hand, I have a good friend who runs the IS department of a large investment company. He has had the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Ireland, and London, and due to the nature of his work, he got to spend some time in each place and see some of the sights.

I think it's more important to find something you enjoy doing, and if there's travel involved, and you enjoy it, so much the better. Good luck!

[T-Bird76]

Well Gordon it all depends on what interests you in life and that you truly follow your heart. I'll give you some insight into my world, yes I do travel allot, over 160,000 miles last year. Is it glamorous or dashing? No not really. Many of my friends have trouble with the kind of travel I do. They think I go to all these great cities and party it up. Its just the opposite, I get up go to an airport get on a plane, rent a car, check into a hotel, get up early go to work and then fly home at some point. Basically I see the airport, rental car center and hotel.

Now don't get me wrong it’s not all bad and in many ways the good out ways the bad. I've been to cities where I've had enough time to go explore and enjoy what the city has to offer. I've also racked up enough miles and hotel points to ensure my personal travel is free the next two years. My job has given me the opportunity to go anywhere I want on the miles I've earned by traveling on business, example this weekend I went to LA, cost me 160 bucks. The flight was free, the hotel was free, the food at the hotel was free, and the drinks on the plane were free. So there is some benefit for getting a job that requires lots of travel. Being I like travel does help, like this week I'll be flying Cathy Pacific, which I'm pretty excited about. There are good and bad and ups and downs, some of my close friends know about both the ups and downs. Follow your heart and do something you love.

[SoPictureThis]

Hey Gordon,

I remember being in your exact position just 4 years ago. I want to offer you some advice that I don't think will come from anyone else, and I'm not quite sure if it's right for you, but you let me know...I'm gonna throw it out there anyways.

If you love traveling, airplanes, foreign cultures, meeting people from all over, and photography as much as I do, then how about considering the road I am trying to take my first steps on...the road to becoming a professional travel photographer. These things I listed are my absolute passion in life, and I feel that in order to be most happy in life, I'll have to do something that involves each one of them. In fact, I've come to realize that I WILL be doing something along these lines. If you tell yourself "this is what I'm going to do, no matter what...no matter what obstacles I may encounter, I'll get there...." then you're bound to find what you're looking for sooner or later: happiness.

I feel like this road is going to be extremely tough, especially at the begining. A lot of this world involves people skills and pretty much "selling yourself" to others. I will be the one going out there, meeting as many editors, photographers, magazine...people....that I can. I know it's going to involve tons of communication and hard work. But thats where my public speaking skills pay off!!

I went to The George Washington University in D.C. (one of the highest ranking schools in the country) as a freshman and half of my sophomore year after tons of hard work in high school. There I took communication classes (one about public speaking entirely) until I decided that if I truly want to go down this path, I need to get more serious about my photography. That's when I decided to apply to the Tisch School of the Arts at N.Y.U. I've been here for 5 weeks already, and I'm absolutely loving it. Already I know that this is what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. When I get out of college, I may not have a whole lot of money for the first few years, but I've decided frankly thats not the most important thing to me. I've come to realize that I'd rather be driving a 84' Chevy Geo and living in a shack somewhere in L.A. or NYC but get to do my dream job of traveling around the world to far away and exotic locations, interacting with tons of cool people and recording some of the most beautiful elements of life with my camera...as opposed to living in some high rise in NYC, owning a really nice car, and being completely miserable. I'm not saying that it's one or the other in life, but I'd much rather live simply and happily than have most everything I desire with the exception of happiness.

I strongly urge you to think about this!!! It's so unbelivably cool, and I know one day, after years of hard work it's going to pay off. I'm sure your parents are as supportive of you as mine are of me...and they'll love you unconditionally for whatever you choose to do. And once you meet someone you love, they'll love you for you who are as well...not just for how much your able to provide for them. Think about it, and follow your dream mate, that's what I'm going to do...and nobody's going to stop me.

- Josh

[hiss srq]

Let me reccomend a few things to you. First off is that if you want to be a pilot, if your passion is to fly. There is not other thing that is more enjoyable. Besides, who the heck wants to work for a living anyway? If not that dispatchers get out and about a little bit. Not close to as much as others in this profession but at least you can jumpseat when you need to really get someplace. Or you can become an F.A.A. inspector. Check out being a flight attendant as well. My girlfriend has her interview with CO on Wednesday morning. I am kind of hoping she gets the job.

There are many avenues. I will stress that if you elect to become a pilot beware. The pay in alot of cases is low and it is an expensive road to go down. I figure that it is cost me around 80 grand plus to get all I have and right now I am not even flying. I am sitting in the control tower at LGA. Not that that is such a bad gig at all but my heart is with CRT's throttles and some form of device whether it be a sidestick or yolk making things go up and down while burning kerosene for a living.
Do what you love. If you love flying GO FOR IT! I reccomend taking a few introductory flights at your local FBO perhaps. See if the bug bites you. If it does not oh well... If It does your wallet is screwed!

[stuart schechter]

Gordon,
I had to pick this topic back up even though you have posted this many months ago. This same sort of thing happened to me just a few months ago. I am part of a Virtual Flying community called VATSIM. Basically we use Flight Sim and then have people that are trained, like myself, to almost real-life standards. I have been controlling there for two years and realized where I want to go. I want to be a controller sitting in some tower one day. Hopefully I will get a job eventually working in a New York tower. That is what I want to do. You have to see where you want to go. I have thought many times about this decision and I think that it is where I will end up. It would get me TSA clearance. I may end up as a commercial pilot snapping shots of cockpits all my life but that’s just me. You have to see what you want to do in life. There is more than enough evidence in this post to lead you on any path you choose! I’ll be in the same boat as you!