There are, in life, several times that an individual seriously considers career choices:
- At about age seven, when we all want to be a super-hero
- At about age eighteen, when we graduate from high school and are dipping our toes in the pool of life.
- At about age thirty, when the realization that we have a family to raise and a career really matters.
- At about age fifty, when we feel like all of our previous choices seemed to have missed the mark.
“Interestingly enough,” Dale Wolcott, President of TURBINE TRAINING in Manhattan, Kansas, pointed out, “getting into the aviation field, even as a pilot, at age fifty isn’t all that far-fetched.”
As evidence of Dale’s statement, must one only consider the fact that BRITISH AIRWAYS cadet program – the British Airways Future Pilot Programme – accepts individuals between the ages of 18 to 55 with no previous flying experience. This is an important issue, as BRITISH AIRWAYS intends to hire 350 new pilots in 2016!
“One needs to remember,” Jason Wolcott, Vice President at TURBINE TRAINING, advised, “that there are some basic axioms regarding working as a new pilot that are the same as getting a new job anywhere else.”
These “axioms” include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- New workers have to “start at the bottom.” Neither knowledge nor experience can be gleaned overnight.
- It is imperative to keep training throughout your career to ensure you are not “left behind.”
- As much as we may hate it, “who you know” is more important than “what you know!”
- Likability plays a large role in career success - - it is important to work hard to ensure that you “fit in.”
- Practical Experience is an important part of anyone’s training.
To learn more about TURBINE TRAINING go to:
www.turbine-training.com
(To learn more about this topic, research "Pilot Opportunities in 2016")