Carreer change

I’m in my late 20’s and currently in a carreer that I could walk away from for training. When I mean walk away from, I mean quitting, financially it would be tight. I live in Jersey, which is an expensive state to live in.
I always wanted to be a pilot but got talked out of it by a recruiter when I was in HS citing the price. I shouldn’t have listened to him, he said it would be 200k plus to learn.

I started simming a year ago on the Airbus Boring and Crjs, thinking it would current itch but it’s made it worse.

I guess my questions are.
How hard financially is it not having a steady source of income for 6 months.
How well does being a flight instructor help financially
Could I live on a first year regional airline salary and pay off my loans?

I guess it’s the money that is holding me back. If anyone who switched carreers to come a pilot could weigh in on the expierence I’d grately appreciate it.

Hi Connor,

I have to be honest the questions you ask are very difficult to answer as none of know YOUR personal financial situation.

  1. If you have some savings, get a loan to cover expenses or a partner to help it’s not hard at all. If you have none then you could starve.

  2. While you won’t get rich being a flight instructor most pilots find it to be a livable situation. Particularly if you factor in the Tuition Reimbursement being offered by many Regionals. Again it does depend on your personal financial situation. If you have a ton of bills and debt and live above your means it can be impossible.

  3. Same answer as the instructor question.

Adam

Connor,

Check out the Tuition Reimbursement Program. It can be a huge help in those first few years.

https://atpflightschool.com/airline-career-pilot-program/tuition-reimbursement.html

Chris

Connor,

I walked away from a career to become a pilot when I was 25. It was tight,
but I had the grit to persevere. Here’s a link to give you an idea of what
an instructor at ATP makes.

https://atpflightschool.com/jobs/cfi-flight-instructor.html

Tory