What would you forfeit for doing what you like?

[ClaireTalon]

Thing is, some time last year I vowed to myself to get more time behind the stick. As you can see from my profile and different other posts, I spent 20 years of my life after my engineering studies flying refueling planes for the AF. After my retirement, I picked up my engineering skills and accepted a job offer from a major commercial and military aircraft company, I have been living in California for a little more than two years then, and recently relocated to Seattle, which had meant an internal job tranfer to the commercial division, from the defense division. And now I have found out that the office job really is not my thing. My flight log has seen little new ink in the past 42 months.

I do now have an opportunity to change that. This would mean taking a job offer as either production pilot or test pilot, BUT for the currently open opportunities:

I'm hopelessly over qualified (over 20 years of netto experience and well over 15,000 h flight time vs. the demanded 5 years of experience and 2,500 h).

I'd have to forfeit nearly 20 % of my current income.

And last but not least, I would have to get back to the right seat, whereas I had left as a left-seater. This might seem like only a minor matter, and bottom line have nothing to say, but the grass looks definitely greener on the left side.

I have thought about other possibilities, too: Joining a smaller company, there is a small company here that converses piston-engine private aircraft to turbine-power, for example, or start my own air transport business.

Who has been in a similar situation, where you basically found out that you have become too used to your comfortable living to forfeit parts of it for really doing what you want?

 

[SpeedoGuy]

Who has been in a similar situation, where you basically found out that you have become too used to your comfortable living to forfeit parts of it for really doing what you want?

Good question. I am encouraged when I hear you objectively re-evaluating circumstances that a rumbling in your heart brought to your attention. It means you're thinking and planning clearly, not responding out of fear. Whatever track you ultimately choose, that's healthy.

As for me, I've had to re-invent myself a number of times due to a variety of changing life circumstances, some within my control, some beyond. Career changes, academic commitments, household moves, serious injuries, romantic entanglements. Each re-invention first required a calculation of benefits and drawbacks, a time for consideration, then a decision. Many of those decisions required some bold move away from a stale personal comfort zone.

Once decided, I plunged into those changes willingly and rarely ever looked back. In retrospect, few of those decisions resulted in a net loss for me, and even then, those tended to be temporary. A short term loss in exchange for a long term gain.

Things have a way of working out. Follow your heart, claire.

 

[viking1]

I don't know???

I've never been in that position. I have always had to do whatever I could make a living at and wherever I was actually given a job...

 

[earllogjam]

Claire,

I don't think there is a substitue for doing what you love. It is one of the greatest joys in life even if there is a 20% pay cut. I'd rather wake up every morning looking foward to my day than wake up regretting my life.

I did that for 7 years of my life outside of college working at some prestigious firms in NYC - worked like a dog, pay was excellent, life sucked. I found all those things like a big salary, owning nice things, bragging about the stuff I had, and knowing fair weather corporate friends all meant nothing to me if I felt like I was wasting my life. So at the threshold of desperation I went back to graduate school, made a career change in a field not known to pay very well but loved, and moved out of NYC. Everyone said I was crazy except me. I can't say my work now is 100% bliss but that 10% that sucks isn't so bad if I enjoy that 90%. I feel like I am building a life rather than going to work now - like this will add up to something that will take me where I want to go and something to be proud about looking back in the future.

Financially, I don't think I am doing as well as I could have done if I hadn't switched but I'm not a very materialistic guy so it's not a big deal. You tend to live by your means anyways. But I have found that people who enjoy their work are better at what they do and that usually translates to a better income. I don't regret following my talents and doing what I like. Also, I think having good friends really helps on doing a big switch like this as they have always been there for me during times of self doubt.

Like SpeedoGuy, I've found that fear makes bad life decisions. But ya probably already know that.

 

[Principessa]

I have been in your situation and it stinks. I made what I later realized was the wrong choice for me. I stayed in the high paying, high stress office job. If I had it to do all over again I would have taken the $27K pay cut and foregone some of the luxuries I had come to believe were necessities.

Sounds to me like you need to follow your inner muse.

SpeedoGuy is correct when he says, ". A short term loss in exchange for a long term gain.

Things have a way of working out. Follow your heart, Claire."

 

[Osiris]

Good for you Claire! You seem to be a very giving person and often times we give so much we forget ourselves, so give to yourself. You definitely deserve it.

I gave up the security of money and job to take a gamble on happiness and a better life for them. The win? I get to do what I like and my wife has the time to start her business and we both get to spend more time with our children.

Hard choice, but the payoff is worth more than any amount of money.

 

[2322]

I did even worse. Doing a job I hated AND paid shit. Sent me to the hospital and doctor's office four times in four years with chest pains so bad I thought I was having heart attacks. Turns out it they were panic attacks.

So I got myself fired last November and have been living off savings trying to figure out what to do with myself. I think I'm close to an answer.

 

[Principessa]

Jason, I think you should travel round the world reviewing gay bathhouses. :wink:

I did even worse. Doing a job I hated AND paid shit. Sent me to the hospital and doctor's office four times in four years with chest pains so bad I thought I was having heart attacks. Turns out it they were panic attacks.

So I got myself fired last November and have been living off savings trying to figure out what to do with myself. I think I'm close to an answer.

 

[canuck_pa]

We spend too many years of our life working not to enjoy what we do. I've been working in advertising for more than 30 years. At this point in my life I'd give up some of my income to be able to enjoy going to work each day.

 

[whatireallywant]

What's really bad is that at age 44 I am still trying to figure out what I really want to do. Although really, at this point I would just be happy to have a steady job where I won't get fired or laid off! (as long as it paid enough to pay my bills, with a little extra for fun stuff.) I'm wanting to take an actual skills test, not an interest test. Career interest tests ALL (without exception!) tell me that my ideal careers are IT, engineering, or accounting. Well, that'd all be great if I could get and KEEP those jobs! I've done the IT work before. And I'm going to tax school so that's "kinda sorta" accounting... Plus I need to brush up on my math skills. I'm decent enough at math, it's just been a long time since I've done anything besides keeping track of my bank account and that sort of thing.

 

[D_Kay_Sarah_Sarah]

Im at the other end of the spectrum. I work for minimum wage in a job i hate an ultimately i am in the process now of trying to work out what i want to do for a career and how far i plan on going with it. Problem is i have never placed much emphasis on work and being successful in any given career. Ive always had the idea i do a job and live a life, NOT have a career and spend my life working towards establishing myself as the best in that field, only problem with that is a basic "job" pays crap compaired to having a career

 

[ClaireTalon]

Another problem is, when I retired in 2004, I got a lot of job offers from major and minor carriers: FedEx, United, Northwest, etc. Even private companies with company jets had been among them, but at that time I had decided only to fly again for my private pleasure. That went pretty well during my first year as civilian person, which I had spent mostly doing nothing and living off my retirement pay. Then came this office job, and with it came too many busy weekends and weeks that kept me away from flying.

As it is now, I'm seriously considering the production pilot job offer, even though that may come along with a loss of my prestigious left seat, and the payment cuts. I'll rely on impressing the greenhorns with my bigger account of flight time, and try to radiate seniority from the right side :biggrin1:

 

[Not_Punny]

Claire, don't accept an almost.

And don't take the first inviting offer that comes along.

Sorry if this sounds preachy, but your posting really touched a nerve for me because I spent most of my working life in jobs I would never, ever have chosen for myself (long story, but that's the way it ended up).

But now, thank goodness, I am FINALLY doing what I love.

Formula for job success:

1) Make a list of what you REALLY want in a job. (And that includes LOCATION)

2) Make a list of which jobs/ companies would offer you what you want.

3) Send out your resume.

4) And remember, a person already IN a job is more marketable than a person who is between jobs.

 

[2322]

Claire, you are a born flyer. You belong in a cockpit. It just about radiates from your attitude, your confidence, your manner of thought. I would trust you to fly any plane with me and my entire family in it even if it was made out of bamboo, lianas, and coconuts :biggrin1:.

Sometimes the wrong people become flyers. You're not one of them.

 

[ClaireTalon]

I have considered my options as systematically as that. I am not going to relocate again, mostly because I feel really good here. I have just moved here to my boyfriend, and I don't feel like dragging him with me just because I found a better job elsewhere.

However, I have expanded my search a little, and am also looking into line business. Northwest and Alaska/Horizon are first on my list there, I am currently checking on the availability.

Claire, don't accept an almost.

And don't take the first inviting offer that comes along.

Sorry if this sounds preachy, but your posting really touched a nerve for me because I spent most of my working life in jobs I would never, ever have chosen for myself (long story, but that's the way it ended up).

But now, thank goodness, I am FINALLY doing what I love.

Formula for job success:

1) Make a list of what you REALLY want in a job. (And that includes LOCATION)

2) Make a list of which jobs/ companies would offer you what you want.

3) Send out your resume.

4) And remember, a person already IN a job is more marketable than a person who is between jobs.

 

[Not_Punny]

Well best of luck -- and keep us posted!! :wink::wink:

 

[b.c.]

What I've already forfeited... because freedom to live my own life in the way I choose is worth more to me than "all the gold in China".

 

[Captain Elephant]

I can't even begin to think what I've forfeited for doing what I like. I made a decision right out of college to continue making music and it has been a hard fought battle. I've made many sacrifices: relationships, sleep, income and sometimes integrity to be true to my muse.

I am now very thankful that I pursued my passion. I'm now doing what I love: making music and helping others bow to their muse.

 

[JustAsking]

Claire,
I was laid of a number of years ago for the first time in my life. I was doing very well at the time and I almost rushed into another similar job. But at the last minute, I decided to start a company with an ex-coworker. We have been working at it for a few years now and it has just started to take off.

It is the hardest thing I have ever done, and the scariest. I have had almost no income since we started, but it looks like it is going to go through the roof. All in all, I have to say that I love every minute of it. It has been tremendously stressful at times, but somehow the stress of your own company is infinitely more tolerable than the stress of working for others.

Naturally, everyone is different, but you have always struck me as someone who is fearless enough to do something like this.

 

[ClaireTalon]

It is the hardest thing I have ever done, and the scariest. I have had almost no income since we started, but it looks like it is going to go through the roof. All in all, I have to say that I love every minute of it. It has been tremendously stressful at times, but somehow the stress of your own company is infinitely more tolerable than the stress of working for others.

Naturally, everyone is different, but you have always struck me as someone who is fearless enough to do something like this.

I had thought too that I was fearless, but Air transport is a very risky kind of business. I don't know wether you've heard that saying, about how to become a millionaire: Be a billionaire, and then buy an airline. Also, I think I don't want a desk job again. I already have one, and founding my own air transport company would again mean a lot of administrative jobs, which I don't want to return to.