How to stop obsessing over the future?

Posted by fgflyer@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 37 comments

I know there might be other posts like this so I’m sorry if this is redundant or anything. But, anyway, I’m 23, have my instrument rating, and am approaching 290TT. I’m about to start working on my commercial single, but I feel like I cannot stop worrying and have constant anxiety over the future. I missed the huge hiring rush because I had to fight for 3 years to get my medical through HIMS, but better late than never. With the hiring market being as abysmal as it is right now, I feel like I’m completely screwed and have absolutely no chance at getting a job by the time I get my hours and whatnot. I’m trying to make connections; I’m working full time as a customer service rep at an FBO. The other thing is that I’m under an immense amount of pressure to just get a job as soon as possible; my mom is bankrolling my entire flight training and all of my timebuilding - I’m currently flying a T182T. She’s a Netjets subscriber so I may have an “in” there and I’ve met a few Netjets pilots but I really don’t think that’s gonna happen. For anyone that’s in a similar boat or has been here, how do you just enjoy the ride and stop worrying about job prospects in the future? This pervasive FOMO coupled with the hiring environment is eating away at me and is honestly starting to *reduce* my motivation instead of feed it. I’m trying to stop this defeatist mindset but I seriously do not know how to snap out of it and stop feeling like this total failure when there are other people my age flying Gulfstreams or CRJs.

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37 Comments

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Suspicious-Ad-4768@reddit

This is a troll post right? Time building In a t182t? Mom uses netjets? I really hope it is?

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fgflyer@reddit (OP)

No, I’m not trolling, I have no reason to *be* trolling, it’s not worth my time. I’m just sick and tired about worrying and was simply seeking advice

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X-T3PO@reddit

Dude, I’m sick and tired about worrying about my rent increases, health insurance premiums, and other actual adult problems. FOH.

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Suspicious-Ad-4768@reddit

Dude you have to chill out. You get your commercial, cfi, and time build. You have someone literally paying for all of your certs. You have no idea how cushy your position is.

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X-T3PO@reddit

There isn’t going to be a future after the incoming administration crashes the economy and destroys the regulatory agencies. When you see people ‘flying Gulfstreams or CRJs’ what you are seeing is survivorship bias. Aviation is a pyramid scheme, every instructor who gets to 1500 hours does so on the broken dreams of the students who kept paying and never made it. You only see the successes, not all the ones who got stepped on along the way.

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flyingwithfish24@reddit

I honestly tend to not think about it at 650 hours now. I paid for all of my ratings out of pocket and haven’t been rushed to find a job. As a CFI I’m happy I can show others the wonders of general aviation and make safe confident pilots. I still have a flexible trade to cover expenses outside of flying If I get a jet job down the road, great! If not I’ll just keep CFI’ing and networking and hopefully the good vibes return positive leads

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CaravanPirate@reddit

JFC, it sounds like you’ve been handed life on a silver platter, but you have absolutely no perspective on life. Stop acting so pathetic, and be thankful for all that you have.

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fgflyer@reddit (OP)

When did I say I wasn’t thankful? I know what the aviation industry is like right now, and I see peers my age who are in excellent positions and doing what they love, while I missed everything due to circumstances beyond my control and have to play catch-up at the worst possible time, with the potential that I won’t actually be able to make this a career with the way the industry is looking at the moment. I’m not complaining about what I have, I’m anxiety-ridden about the *future* and the possibility that I will not only disappoint myself, but also my entire family who are supporting me because I was too late to do anything.

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UpdateDesk1112@reddit

Do you seriously think there are going to be no jobs in the future? You think this is the worst possible time to get hired? Look up what was required in the 90s and early 2000s. You seriously just said”I missed everything” and say someone is being a sanctimonious douche while being an emo child. You might feel better is you started acting like an adult.

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CaravanPirate@reddit

> Edit: I’ve seen you around in other posts here on the subreddit, and you seem to have a penchant for being a sanctimonious douchebag. I’m sure you’re a real hoot at parties. At least I’m not a whiny little pussy.

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oranges1cle@reddit

Yeah bro you’re fucked

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Catkii@reddit

What will be will be. Everything in this industry comes in cycles, hiring, simulator, firings… I had nearly 3000 hours before I got my first turboprop job, the market sucked for a long, long time in my own country. Try not to stress too much about the future. Just work on the now, train smart, study hard, and put yourself in the best possible position when the time comes. Don’t focus on the employment pages of December 2024 when you have 250 hours and no CPL. They’ll be entirely different in February 2027.

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Bandolero101@reddit

I think logic helps here to quell the anxiety Peak airline retirements happen around 2030ish I believe You’re so fucking young, even if it takes you 10 years from now to get to your goal airline, you’ll be early 30s and still have over a 30 year career with very high pay and QOL compared to gen pop. Just stop obsessing over optimization of your life. Getting hired at 25 vs 30 is a 40 year vs 35 year airline career. How different does that actually sound in your head? You will still retire on a mountain of cash having traveled to all parts of the globe if you desire. Feel grateful that you have the means to train with your mom bankrolling you and the conviction to start training at such a young age when so many others couldn’t start/decided to start in later stages in life. You are going to have an amazing career if you stay the course at your age. And get off this subreddit. It’s an extremely negative echo chamber. Malcontents are much more likely to frequent forums and post their opinion than people that’re happy with their lives. tl;dr - breathe, don’t think in the immediate micro of today’s hiring market, think in the macro of age you’re starting and the fact that if you stay the course, the data shows you will be a ok even in a “worst case scenario” of getting hired in your early 30s (which I’m willing to bet won’t happen with retirements and deliveries down the line)

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BradKfan2@reddit

Yeah this for sure, to add on. Someone is hiring the 1500hr cfi’s that keep leaving me

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ndwilly@reddit

THIS^^^^^^

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Plastic_Brick_1060@reddit

Bro, if she's a netjets subscriber, your little bill for 182 time isn't phasing her. Also, I don't know how else to say this but you seem like a mess emotionally. Work on yourself now or it'll just get worse as real responsibility enters your life. I don't mean this as shit talk, I hope you can be healthy and have a healthy career. Good luck

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damastah93@reddit

Lmao. My thoughts exactly

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Anphsn@reddit

You have 290 hours, one step ahead not 5.

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InGeorgeWeTrust_@reddit

It be what it be man

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PullDoNotRotate@reddit

They think it don't be like it is, but it do.

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InGeorgeWeTrust_@reddit

It really do be brotha

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PullDoNotRotate@reddit

Resignation, in this regard, is a defense and coping mechanism, not a hazardous attitude.

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19Mook@reddit

If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that hiring is cyclical. There’s a ton of pilots getting ready to retire and will bring the hiring back up a bit. Then it’ll happen again, and then again. It’s up and down, just stay focused and do all you can do- network, talk to recruiters, do what you can do get your foot in a door

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Ethandg_2003@reddit

Hey bro join cadet programs, I’m currently in the Republic Cadet program and it definitely gives me that peace of mind knowing that once I wrap up the rest of my ratings and flight hours i’ll have someone waiting for me at the finish line. It’s funny how last year this subreddit was so anti cadet programs, but now they’re proving to be extremely beneficial during this hiring market.

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Yesthisisme50@reddit

There are *much* better cadet programs that aren’t republic. You’re basically in indentured servitude to them for the next 5+ years.

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Ethandg_2003@reddit

I mean the norm was never transitioning to the majors after 1-2 years at the regionals. That was only cause covid skewed things over so I can’t be too bothered with 4-5 years serving at the regionals

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Yesthisisme50@reddit

You say that now when you don’t have any experience

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Ethandg_2003@reddit

I say this now cause I still have a 40+ year career ahead and 5 years is only a small fraction to that.

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Yesthisisme50@reddit

You could also never leave Republic

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freedomflyer12@reddit

I mean you’re pretty far from employable anyway and if you want it bad enough or enjoy it you can get over the worry and just get it done. Go get your commercial and CFI that’s the quickest way to a job.

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fgflyer@reddit (OP)

I’m full aware that I’ve got a long way to go, it’s more about feeling like once I actually *approach* that point, it’ll still be extremely bad. I can’t shake that feeling. Obviously I want to get there, of course, though. I just feel like I will be uncompetitive no matter what I do, unless all the stars align on a blue moon on a Friday the 13th and I get lucky.

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Yesthisisme50@reddit

You could fail 5 checkrides by the time you’re ready to apply. If that happens then you should probably worry. But for now just keep getting your hours and focusing on what you can control. You might not never make it to applying to an airline

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PullDoNotRotate@reddit

One thing that Mom needs to hear and understand (and perhaps you, too) is that it'll be ready when it's ready, and not a minute before it's ready, career-wise. When that first dollar comes back the other way it really suddenly feels like it was all worth it (even if it was only $20, and you spent tens of thousands). Or at least it did for me; YMMV, there. The best time to start learning to fly was always two years ago. The next best time to start, of course, is today. As a note (and I'm so tired of saying this over and over): the legacies still intend to hire more pilots in '25 than *in most years in recent memory excluding the last few years.* 2021-2023 was wildly abnormal in this regard and skewed a lot of peoples' perceptions about the business. As it stands, you're ahead of the next pilot who's just starting out; by the time you've got the requisite flight experience and all the other bits, we may have either a better or a worse hiring picture. But it's always best to be qualified than starting out to be qualified.

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ItalianIce64@reddit

1. Leave this subreddit 2. Fly

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prex10@reddit

One day at a time. It'll either work out or it won't

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Yesthisisme50@reddit

Idk man it’ll either happen for you or it won’t. Like 99% of people who have ever became airline pilots started their flight training when it was hard to get hired. It’s actually still way easier to get hired now than it was like 15 years ago. Yeah you might’ve missed out on the fog a mirror days but you’re still lucky compared to people before 2011 or so.

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity: --- I know there might be other posts like this so I’m sorry if this is redundant or anything. But, anyway, I’m 23, have my instrument rating, and am approaching 290TT. I’m about to start working on my commercial single, but I feel like I cannot stop worrying and have constant anxiety over the future. I missed the huge hiring rush because I had to fight for 3 years to get my medical through HIMS, but better late than never. With the hiring market being as abysmal as it is right now, I feel like I’m completely screwed and have absolutely no chance at getting a job by the time I get my hours and whatnot. I’m trying to make connections; I’m working full time as a customer service rep at an FBO. The other thing is that I’m under an immense amount of pressure to just get a job as soon as possible; my mom is bankrolling my entire flight training and all of my timebuilding - I’m currently flying a T182T. She’s a Netjets subscriber so I may have an “in” there and I’ve met a few Netjets pilots but I really don’t think that’s gonna happen. For anyone that’s in a similar boat or has been here, how do you just enjoy the ride and stop worrying about job prospects in the future? This pervasive FOMO coupled with the hiring environment is eating away at me and is honestly starting to *reduce* my motivation instead of feed it. I’m trying to stop this defeatist mindset but I seriously do not know how to snap out of it and stop feeling like this total failure when there are other people my age flying Gulfstreams or CRJs. --- Please downvote this comment until it collapses. --- I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. If you have any questions, please [contact the mods of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/flying).