Interesting reading all the replies . If I had a do over , guess I would have taken less advice from well meaning people and did what I thought .
That’s encouraging. Ken Miles was older when he got into it as well, so maybe I’ve still got time. Now if only this shop would get finished...
I dunno, there's about twice as many active doctors in the US than there are commercial/ATP pilots, and no one says medical school is a walk in the park. Even at this point in my life, it would be quicker for me to go back to school and get my MD by the time I get the equivalent money flying for FedEx or UPS. Unless of course you want to count being a line guy "breaking into the aviation field." I guess I could get a job as a janitor and break into the medical field.
2016-2019 was a really easy time to get into the 121 world. 25 hours of multi, a pulse and ATP mins were all that was required for any regional. My class at Delta had 23, 24, and 25 year olds in it.
When I said aviation was easy to enter, I was talking about entry level jobs. That's why they're called that. It's in the name. I can't see anyone considering FedEx captain (or FO) an entry level position.
Have you spoken to any millennials or later generations? Of course that's an entry level job, and don't forget to tell them how good they are at it... Especially ATC... "THAT was a GREAT landing, captain! Please turn off at the last taxiway...."
By that measure, just about any field is easy to enter. Go to school for XYZ and you start out with an entry level job, go to a flight school and get your ratings and you get an entry level job. Pretty much par for the course if you ask me.
An “entry level” Doctor job requires a lot more work than an “entry level” burger flipping job. They’re both entry level. That was his point. Sadly some “entry level” pro pilot jobs also pay lower than the burger flipper job, especially if your time has any value. And it’s so cyclical. The “pilot shortage” years now are gone for a while. There were even rumblings of “Street Captains” at a handful of places there for a while. Aviation is downright odd.
I'm sure it's true for some and not others, but I'm not an expert on every possible career field. By now I'm not even sure what my own point is, other than I originally wanted to try to help, but myself and others asked for more detail about your situation and you declined to give any so I'm done with this thread.