Barry Said:

I am a stay at home Mom, but now I want to choose a good career.Need some career advice?

We Answered:

if you are good with children, you could try working at a daycare or childcare center. That way you can do something you are good at and can enjoy it at the same time.

Gregory Said:

what are the reason to choose career as a commercial pilot rather than airforce pilot...??

We Answered:

First, I'm going to assume we're focused on flying for an American airline or flying for the United States military. I can't comment on the global picture. The answer to your question is, the advantages don't have to be separate.

Joining the Air Force is a great start to a career in the airlines, if not the absolute best ticket around. Heck, it's a good start to any career, and flying heavies in the Air Force is about as dangerous as flying 737s out of Miami, not to mention more rewarding. Yes, the airline industry is a very volatile job market with massive ups and downs. The pay travels a sinusoidal curve, as do the hiring numbers. The airline business is a challenging endeavor for any company to make money with, let alone an individual pilot.

While getting started in the airlines without the military, you'll make less than your military junior officer counterpart who's still in flight school. The money only starts coming in when you start getting senior. The flying is not as difficult as other types of flying, so for that, the pay is great. Based on these 2008 military pay tables and adding some typical housing allowance data (variable BAH) and incentive pays (http://www.dfas.mil/militarypay/military… a fresh 24-year-old 2nd Lieutenant might be making in the realm of 39,000/yr in flight school. A seasoned 34-year-old married O-4 (10 years of service) would be making in the realm of just over 100,000/yr. And that doesn't include special pay types, tax-free benefits, and per diem when applicable deployed away from home. I had a few years where I made 16K tax-free on top of my regular pay just for showing up in theater. Then there are pretty substantial bonuses to retain qualified pilots in the various services at certain career points. Adding that up puts a senior O-4 well over 100K. Some airline starter jobs are still stuck in the 20K range to build flight time. Some are in the low 30s. Yet, you can fly in the airlines until you retire of old age (if you don't get furloughed or fired), whereas the military demands a career progression as you get older that doesn't lend itself to much flying for the O-6 and above crowd (~140k+/yr) (if you don't get passed over for rank and/or command). Granted, airline flying might bore you to death, but it's flying, I guess.

And that's just the pay. There are big sacrifices away from home in the military, but the airline schedule only works for some people – it can be just as brutal on family life at times as the military, so don't get any illusions of this at-home utopia living in a well-off airline pilot ghetto somewhere. So much of it is who you work for, where you work, and what kind of flying you are doing (passengers, cargo, corporate, etc.)...just like any job in America.

...completely disagree with the "hotter wives" and "brainwashing" comments. Any fighter base O-Club will attest to that.

Courtney Said:

Why does it's so hard to choose career?

We Answered:

You might be thinking too much in terms of "careers", which are very limited categories.

You should be focusing more on non-job specific "abilities" and "talents" and "passions": maybe you are good at, or love, analyzing, observing, humor, EQ, speaking, planning, leading, listening, etc...

You discover these things by trying lots of jobs, as you did, and also looking at your interests, and the issues you care about in your life/society/the world. Even if you didn't like the job, there had to be some things that you liked/were better at, and some things that you didn't like/were worse at - and those are all clues to where your talents lie. This is why EVERY job is a great learning experience - even the jobs that weren't right for you.

When you discover your passions & abilities, THEN you find jobs/careers where you can Use and Develop them.

Avoid being a lawyer - it sounds like your heart isn't really into it. You don't want to be another of the many millions who are stuck in mediocre, passionateless, unfulfilling jobs & lives.

Be careful of thinking too much about money. It will cloud your perceptions & decisions. You should do what you love, and the money will come later. (That's because people tend to give their money to the passionate doers, and not to the passionateless moneymakers.)

Myrtle Said:

How did you choose your career or what your studying at university ?

We Answered:

I have always had a passion for helping people and knew I wanted to leave the world a little better than I found it, so I always knew I would either be a criminal justice major or some field involving children. This is my last year in school and I am CJ major. What year are you in school. The first couple of years are about finding yourself and deciding what you want to do. Plenty of people have no clue what their interest are the first couple of years. Take a lot of different classes, talk to people in different fields, find out what your strengths are, chose some creative electives, and go online and research different careers. I am sure in your time you will figure it out.

Jamie Said:

What should I choose: good career in one town, or love, home and family in other?

We Answered:

There's a trade-off for everything. I moved a lot for career purposes and in my experience, you make new friends whenever you go somewhere. It really expands your mind because you get to know so many different kinds of people. My family was a 6 hr flight away. The second move was a 12 hour flight. That was hard, but nowadays there are webcams with free voice, etc. Re the love of your life. If she really is the love of your life, marry her and take her along. I also have a flat in my hometown that I have rented out. Today, I'm 45 and don't have to work anymore, whereas most people have to work until they're at least 65. That is the trade-off. Whatever decision you make, consider this: Imagine you're 60 years old and looking in the mirror and asking yourself what your life was like. You don't want to be in a position where you'll say: oh, I wish I had done this and that, because then it'll be too late.

Wilma Said:

Did you think people choose career over your family life?

We Answered:

I would choose my family life if i didn't have so many bills to pay...