18 and chasing my dream of becoming an airline pilot
I’m 18 years old and currently work in the refinery industry. My long-term dream is to become an airline pilot. A couple of months ago, I took my discovery flight in a Cessna, Being up in the sky gave me a sense of freedom I’d never felt before, and it made me realize that flying is what I truly want to do. I’d really like to hear from people who have more life experience or who’ve taken a similar route. I’m hoping to get honest opinions about my plan, whether there are better options I should consider, and anything you wish you had known when you were starting out. My current plan is to continue working in the refineries for at least the next2 years. The pay is good, and in my first year I’m on track to take home around 80,000 dollars or more, depending on overtime and not including raises I expect as I gain experience. My goal is to save aggressively and avoid taking on unnecessary debt for flight training. At the same time, I plan to start working toward an associate’s degree in process technology. My thinking is that it would give me a solid backup career as a refinery process operator, and I assumed having some college might help with airline applications, though I’m not sure how much weight an associate’s degree really carries compared to a bachelor’s. If everything goes according to plan, by the time I’m around 20 years old, I’ll have substantial savings, a degree, and the financial ability to begin flight training while still having a stable career to fall back on. I’d really appreciate any advice, criticism, or suggestions from pilots, or anyone who’s been in a similar situation. Does this seem like a smart plan? Would you do anything differently if you were in my shoes? Thank you in advance.