Scyther Posted December 14, 2017 Report Share Posted December 14, 2017 Alright mates? It's been a while since I've posted on here. I blame it on life and lack of flying. ANWAY, I'm back for more advice from those "in the know". Some of you may remember me (probably not) but here's a quick little reminder... I'm an American working as a firefighter in the UK. BUT I feel lonely as ever and quite out of place living the UK. I've spent most of my 20s here and yes I've made friends but when it comes down to it, I just don't feel very settled. I also feel like I've peaked in my job since being posted to the busiest station... I love being on the back or driving the fire engine and that's it- going up in the ranks would take those positions away from me. I'm not in it for the money but we simply aren't paid anywhere near enough to fly as a hobby or even to live in the actual city we serve. So as you can see it's complicated... I genuinely love my job- it would be very tough to leave but at the same time I feel pretty lonely/miserable in my personal life and I can't afford to fly as a hobby... Not regularly enough to take care of that itch anyway! I know this is helicopter forums and ideally I'd like to fly helicopters but I've been reading a lot about fixed wing being the more lucrative path at the moment. Apparently the bachelors degree thing is no longer an essential prerequisite either- this was a massive thing that put me off from going fixed wing. I personally have zero interest in going to college for anything and for four years of my life plus with what extra money on top of what I've saved for flight training?!... So say you were in my situation, a 28/yo with maybe around $50k in your pocket- would you ship yourself back over to the states and enroll in something like the $70k ATP airline career pilot program? I'll definitely need a loan to get through the whole thing! OR would you do a few more years at one of the busiest fire stations in the world and then come over with a more comfortable amount of money to start flying with? My thinking is It might be too late by then and I ain't getting any younger. Also, keep in mind I would like to start a family one day so changing careers earlier on may be better in the long run. Isn't life overly complicated?! Oh no, I meant FUN... Isn't life FUN!!! Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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