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No problem. Unfortunately we are bound by the rates set for the industry we work in and it will take a lot of effort to improve what 9/11 has taken from us. My union as well as our brothers at USAir, American etc. are working hard to get back what we deserve from greedy CEO's and an tough industry.
Too many pilots relative to number of pilots needed = depressed pay.
In a free, capitalist market system, what people deserve is secondary to supply and demand.
Sorry pal, no offense but 32 is not young,if 45k is the best you can muster here at that age, youre either not trying or have a criminal record.
What have you been doing for the last decade or so? Assistant Managers at Taco Bell make that.
If you flee I suspect your 45k will be significantly less.
Good luck.
Crooks
BTW I think youre a Y not and X.
Seriously, what is the matter with people around here? The guys a pilot, a pretty respectable position, and you come and shoot your mouth off insulting him, basically calling him a loser. What the hell do you do, Crooks?
Another great characteristic of LIers, it's not about what you do, it's about your bottom line. The boiler room stock trader gets more respect than the guy with a real skill.
I make a lot more than the op, but the bottom line is I push paper and screw around in spreadsheets all day, and I'd never think of shooting him down the way you just did.
We've got Gpsma calling social workers losers, now you're telling a pilot he'd be better off working at Taco Bell because he ain't pullin' enough coin. Unreal.
Anyway, to the op, I have a relative who is a pilot and had the same low salary as you for a long time. He got married to another air line worker and has a huge house somewhere outside Pittsburgh, and basically commutes to Laguardia from there...so he's basically away from home 5 days a week. The pay is not conducive to living on LI.
That's not ALL I can make. Like I was trying to explain to Crooks about my screwed up industry, if and when the economy rebounds and a Captain position opens my pay doubles overnight. However they should not be hiring jet first officers at $20K/yr in the first place, but it's the only way at the time a pilot can accumulate experience to move onto a major airline. So in the meantime, leaving Long Island is the choice I will be making.
I was just curious outside of my own situation what others starting out are doing? Working 3 jobs to survive, relying on a spouses income...etc. My family had worked in warehouses their whole life on Long Island, but my Dad was laid off in 1994 by Grumman then worked as a machine mechanic until he retired then moved to AZ and my mom barely missed a layoff herself. It seems as real estate gets more expensive these "warehouses" are relocating leaving thousands of workers unemployed, such as a certain cosmetic packaging company.
I understand a college education is a basic requirement these days which I have but not everyone is going that path and there seems no way that any of these "blue collar" workers have any choice but to leave. Even Wyandanch is way overpriced if you ask me.
Another Grumman kid.
Being married makes LI moderately affordable. I was married for 4 years by your age, and my wife had just landed a full time teaching position (after 4 years of subbing, leave replacements, and working other jobs to supplement income) so having 1 rent and 2 incomes really helps. At your salary you need to have a roomate, in all honesty. A 2 bedroom can be had for 1600 in a garden complex, divided by 2 that's doable for you. Or rent a house with a couple of other pilots until you get married. I live in rental houses with other 20 somethings until I got married.
Bottom line: get married.
Sorry, I know the situation sucks for a single person here.
Seriously, what is the matter with people around here? The guys a pilot, a pretty respectable position, and you come and shoot your mouth off insulting him, basically calling him a loser. What the hell do you do, Crooks?
Another great characteristic of LIers, it's not about what you do, it's about your bottom line. The boiler room stock trader gets more respect than the guy with a real skill.
I make a lot more than the op, but the bottom line is I push paper and screw around in spreadsheets all day, and I'd never think of shooting him down the way you just did.
We've got Gpsma calling social workers losers, now you're telling a pilot he'd be better off working at Taco Bell because he ain't pullin' enough coin. Unreal.
Anyway, to the op, I have a relative who is a pilot and had the same low salary as you for a long time. He got married to another air line worker and has a huge house somewhere outside Pittsburgh, and basically commutes to Laguardia from there...so he's basically away from home 5 days a week. The pay is not conducive to living on LI.
Good luck to the op.
All Im saying is its not the housing ...its the w2.
We all have choices Dman....Id love to work in a record store, but I wouldnt be able to live on LI(that and theyre extinct).
A couple of things to think about when you move (which I think keeps more people in the NY area even if the costs are bankrupting them). Of course this depends on your views/politics:
1) If you're politics are fairly liberal, or even just "moderate with a left bent", you may be a little uncomfortable, particularly if you leave the Northeast (California is just as expensive as here so I'm not counting that). Many of the "cheapest" places have the most conservative constituents.
2) If you're not fairly religious (or if you are of a non-Christian religion) you may have a bit of a comfort level issue too. I see lots of posts here about how when you "move in" in the South, you are often asked by neighbors what church you plan to attend or belong to. Much as I was kind of shocked reading this I was even more shocked when I saw that a significant number of posts were in the Atlanta area or the big Texas cities, which I thought would not be so like that.
Of course, neither of these may apply to you so it may not be the case here.
But good luck! I'm an upper Gen X'r (early 40s, I think in response to someone who called you "Gen Y" I think at 32 you're actually a "lower Gen X'r") who feels the same way that you do about the NY area in general (it's not just LI).
Thanks for the reply. It's hard to place myself in one political category or another, but I lean more to the right in my views with limited government and limited spending with an overall desire to reduce consumption of fossil fuels.
Christian I am, and I wouldn't mind going to church but I feel one shouldn't feel forced or pressured to conform to any group. One doesn't need to attend a service every Sunday to be a good man or woman. I love Long Island, but miss how it was when I was growing up when it was more trees, less congestion and CHEAPER of course. Then again, maybe it was never cheap. Maybe I am just noticing it in my adulthood because I am actively looking for the best "value."
As a pilot I fly all over the country and looking down there is sooo much land out there that is not habited. Why are we all cramming ourselves into NY and surrounding NYC at the expense of our quality of life? I think cities like Charlotte and Atlanta bring great opportunities for people who are just starting out or looking to settle down.
Being married makes LI moderately affordable. I was married for 4 years by your age, and my wife had just landed a full time teaching position (after 4 years of subbing, leave replacements, and working other jobs to supplement income) so having 1 rent and 2 incomes really helps. At your salary you need to have a roomate, in all honesty. A 2 bedroom can be had for 1600 in a garden complex, divided by 2 that's doable for you. Or rent a house with a couple of other pilots until you get married. I live in rental houses with other 20 somethings until I got married.
Bottom line: get married.
Sorry, I know the situation sucks for a single person here.
Thanks Dman and your kind words. My grandfather worked and retired from Grumman and my Dad worked for Grumman for over 20years before he got the shaft. Growing up and seeing my Dad build F-14's and with Top Gun out at the time I had no choice to do anything else. I've been flying on Long Island since I was 12 with the Civil Air Patrol and I've been a commercial pilot since 2005 working for 1010 wins doing traffic watch, flying rich folk in the Hamptons and as a flight instructor for SUNY Farmingdale. When I go to work at LGA I never think of it as a job even after 4 years. It's a passion and the pay will return as the industry is in an evolution stage going from Legacy carriers like American to Low Cost like Jet Blue.
I've been living with my girlfriend for 3 years who helps out on the rent but I am independent and don't want to rely on her income to make ends meet because not all relationships work and I wouldn't want to be out on the street if that happened. Not that it will after 4 years but anything is possible.
My plan is to move to Charlotte and jumpseat to LGA, like Cpt. Sully did from California and like most other pilots do. It's only an 1hr and 30 min flight which I feel is better than fighting rush hour from Medford to LGA and nearly getting rear ended every time or rear ending someone else.
I could fly business jets on LI for coin but I wouldn't get 16 days off a month or be able to fly me, family and friends to Hawaii for the week for less than $300. As an airline pilot it has advantages and disadvantages. It just sucks that Long Island is on a runaway freight train of price inflation in it's property taxes.
And what happens when one of the two gets sick, has a job loss or needs to stay at home to take care of family? Two incomes should make a place very affordable.
gspace7, get off the Island, as it's just too darn hard to get started on without a large income. I also don't think salaries are going to be going up in any industry any time soon. Good luck, while you may miss the wonderful things the Island has to offer, living in the South isn't bad.
BTW, are you looking to just move to a hub city? If so have you looked at some of the mid-west ones?
And what happens when one of the two gets sick, has a job loss or needs to stay at home to take care of family? Two incomes should make a place very affordable.
gspace7, get off the Island, as it's just too darn hard to get started on without a large income. I also don't think salaries are going to be going up in any industry any time soon. Good luck, while you may miss the wonderful things the Island has to offer, living in the South isn't bad.
BTW, are you looking to just move to a hub city? If so have you looked at some of the mid-west ones?
You get it! My gf and I were rearended about a year ago. Not very bad but she has a small frame and had become more injured than I. Anyway she was out of work for a month where I took a hit and just recently she pulled her back at work probably aggravated the same injury and was out another month. I watched my checking account suffer all the savings I had for an emergency just like this. Relying on two incomes is dangerous, I like safety nets.
I like warmer weather, the east coast and being <2hr flight from home and with the frequency of CLT to NY it works great. I could move to one of my companies podunk bases in the midwest but they constantly open and closes bases displacing pilots all over the US. The regionals are a crime! So I don't want to live for my company and move all over God's earth but live someplace I will enjoy and just bite the bullet and commute via jumpseat. Moving too much will take a toll on my relationship and when I do have a kid probably in the next few years it is also difficult to move too much. I figure if it sucks that bad I will come back to LI but I have been here for 32 years...what's a 1-2 year trial? I would like to buy a house in 2011, build equity and come back when I'm a Captain or working for a major if I do decide to comeback. Thanks for your reply.
I could fly business jets on LI for coin but I wouldn't get 16 days off a month or be able to fly me, family and friends to Hawaii for the week for less than $300.
Interesting.
Excluding teachers, most folks only get 8 or so days off a month.
Excluding teachers, most folks only get 8 or so days off a month.
Yeah it's has benefits. I was working another job driving forklifts until a certain cosmetic packaging company laid everyone off. Just trying to pay down my student debt ASAP!
I'm actually kind of mad I only have 14 days off next month
It's a job unlike anything else.
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