Become a Pilot: There’s Never Been a Better Time

An MMA student studies to be a pilot.If you would like a promising career in the travel industry, your future is literally up in the air. Pilots are in high demand …. and the demand is expected to increase over the next 10 years. Besides the breathtaking “office” view, below are just a few good reasons for you to seriously consider the pilot profession.

A Few Good Reason to Become a Pilot

FREE Travel

Getting paid to fly to a different city, state and even country is a cool job perk! Even if you only have a couple of hours to visit a city during a layover, you can still try the local cuisine, meet new people and get a “feel” of the area. Best of all, when it’s time for vacation, you can “jumpseat” on most airline or cargo planes for free. If you work for a passenger airline, you will also receive free travel passes for your family members.

Better Starting Pay

The time for first-year pilots to earn $20,000 a year (or less) is finally coming to an end. With the demand for qualified pilots, many regional carriers are offering up to $38 an hour for first officer pilots. More importantly, as a pilot you have a strong income potential of six figures. As you gain experience, you can earn more money in at least three ways: your annual pay increase, being promoted to plane captain and/or moving to a major airline.

Time Off

Pilots normally work for days or even weeks at a time, but they receive extended time off to make up for it. As a pilot, you can enjoy between one to two weeks off a month. (This is not counting the vacation hours you accumulate each year.) With this nice block of days, you can work on a project, pursue a hobby or relax with your friends and family — or travel to any spot you pick!

If you believe a pilot’s life is for you, then read How to Become a Pilot.

Marine Military Academy is a college-preparatory boarding school for boys in grades 8-12. Since the 1970s, MMA been graduating young pilots. The flight training program at MMA allows students to earn a private pilot’s license in just one school year. To learn more about MMA or its flight training program, visit MMA-TX.org.