Does flying start feeling like a job after a while?

[Bropofol]

Hello! Mid twenties working in healthcare with few logged hours under my belt. Been considering a career change and try for a guard spot. Current job is somewhat interesting and rewarding, but it just feels like a job and like I am putting my life on pause until I clock out. Does flying ever start feeling like that? I have read enough from pilots leaving service to understand there is a lot of desk work and duties outside of flying, but at the end of the day you still get to do some amazing flying, with amazing people, wear flight suits, and all the prestigious things that come with being a pilot. It just feels childish to quit a stable career I built so far to start from 0 with no guarantee it would work out. Cheers in advance for any advice !

[FourFans]

8 hours ago, Bropofol said:

Hello! Mid twenties working in healthcare with few logged hours under my belt. Been considering a career change and try for a guard spot. Current job is somewhat interesting and rewarding, but it just feels like a job and like I am putting my life on pause until I clock out. Does flying ever start feeling like that? I have read enough from pilots leaving service to understand there is a lot of desk work and duties outside of flying, but at the end of the day you still get to do some amazing flying, with amazing people, wear flight suits, and all the prestigious things that come with being a pilot. It just feels childish to quit a stable career I built so far to start from 0 with no guarantee it would work out. Cheers in advance for any advice !

Any and all occupations can feel like nothing more than a job after a given amount of time.  How you view it is 100% up to you.  If you're a pessimist at heart, you'll be pessimistic about it.  Likewise if you're an optimist. 

It's all perspective.  Choose yours, every single day, wisely.

Edited May 10 by FourFans

[Danger41]

5 hours ago, Bropofol said:

Hello! Mid twenties working in healthcare with few logged hours under my belt. Been considering a career change and try for a guard spot. Current job is somewhat interesting and rewarding, but it just feels like a job and like I am putting my life on pause until I clock out. Does flying ever start feeling like that? I have read enough from pilots leaving service to understand there is a lot of desk work and duties outside of flying, but at the end of the day you still get to do some amazing flying, with amazing people, wear flight suits, and all the prestigious things that come with being a pilot. It just feels childish to quit a stable career I built so far to start from 0 with no guarantee it would work out. Cheers in advance for any advice !

Flying is the fun part but that’s also a small part of it. For example, if you want to fly fighters, you’ll fly for an hour or two but the brief, debrief, and planning for that is probably 10x that much. Heavy pilots aren’t as intense on that stuff (still do it though) but they have other things to deal with way beyond just blasting off. Same with helos, bombers, you name it. 
 

Having said that, it’s way better than having a real job. And if you’re looking at the Guard, why not keep the medical job and be a pilot? Quite literally why the ANG exists is scenarios like that.

[DirkDiggler]

6 hours ago, Bropofol said:

Hello! Mid twenties working in healthcare with few logged hours under my belt. Been considering a career change and try for a guard spot. Current job is somewhat interesting and rewarding, but it just feels like a job and like I am putting my life on pause until I clock out. Does flying ever start feeling like that? I have read enough from pilots leaving service to understand there is a lot of desk work and duties outside of flying, but at the end of the day you still get to do some amazing flying, with amazing people, wear flight suits, and all the prestigious things that come with being a pilot. It just feels childish to quit a stable career I built so far to start from 0 with no guarantee it would work out. Cheers in advance for any advice !

I'm getting ready to retire after 21 years and change AD; the flying never got old for me, loved every minute of it and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.  Like Four Fans said, it's all about perspective.  Anyone can find a reason to be unhappy in any location or career field, likewise you can almost always find the good in most situations.  Best of luck to you.

[SocialD]

Everything becomes just a job, not everything is as cool as flying.  I spent lots of time not flying in the military and nearly 100% of the time I did not enjoy those duties.  However, the flying I got to do was so fun/rewarding that it offset the mundane non-flying tasks for most of my career.  Eventually the sting of those non-flying duties, paired with being gone (TDYs/Deployments), ever changing tactics/systems, it no longer offset it for me.  This is when I knew it was time to retire.  Do I wish I could still go hop in the jet and fly a High Aspect BFM ride, you betcha...do I miss all the other BS, not a chance.  I would 100% say go for it, I can't imagine you'd ever regret it.

[Beaker16]

I’ve been in the HC-130J for 6 years now, and flying is always awesome. At this point in my career routine sorties are a reprieve from admin duties and tasks. After making instructor I’ve found it extremely rewarding from brief, execution and debrief both homestation and deployed. There is a bit for the variety of mission events we accomplish and it is always different knowledge levels across crew positions and individual experience. 
 

Hopefully landing on unlit LZs or flying dissimilar formation at on NVGs will never feel like a job. If it does that would be my cue to leave. 

Edited May 11 by Beaker16

[uhhello]

The homestation flying definitely gets monotonous especially when combined with the environmental aspects but its still involved flying at low levels through the desert and shooting machine guns often combined with other airframes and missions.  Like Danger said though, flying was probably 20-30% of my week.  Sometimes more sometimes less.  The office jobs have to get done.  To top it off, we pretty frequently were involved in real world rescues.  There isn't a better feeling in the world that hopping on board your aircraft and saving someone's life.  

[VMFA187]

The flying never got old. It was like sex. The other stuff certainly did. 

Go for it, you won't regret it. 

[Polar Bear]

What is happening on BO. Positive posts about the AF. Wow, I don’t even know what to say. The now banker who was scared off after posting he got an AD slot might be a pilot now if he posted a few years later.

[dream big]

Flying is the only “job” I had that never felt like a job. It never got old.

I’ve never met a pilot in the military that regretted becoming a pilot.

 

[O Face]

44 minutes ago, Polar Bear said:

What is happening on BO. Positive posts about the AF. Wow, I don’t even know what to say. The now banker who was scared off after posting he got an AD slot might be a pilot now if he posted a few years later.

If someone gets scared away because of anonymous online posts, then he was probably not gonna cut it anyway.  This isn’t a USAF recruiting website.  Yeah, a bunch of us are old and tired of some of the bullshit. However, I don’t think any pilot hates the flying part. Your posts are super weird. Are you a pilot?

[LiquidSky]

20-25 days out of the month I loathe every second of my job. The other 5-10 days I'm sitting in the cockpit either flying to some place you've never heard of and am expected to just make it work or in a low level formation at the end of which I'm getting off a bunch of dudes cursing up a storm as we're stop to stop eating up leads wake like it's your favorite cousin. 

Those are the days I love my job. Flying is a drug and we're all a bunch of addicts. 

[O Face]

4 minutes ago, LiquidSky said:

at the end of which I'm getting off a bunch of dudes 

Well said, except for this part

[Biff_T]

I love flying as well.  I never looked at military flying as a job, it was more of an adventure  (probably the gayest thing I've ever said).  I hated the non flying part.   I did not excell at that portion of the USAF. 

I even liked flying for the Regionals.  

I miss it.  Flying that is.  

[Bropofol]

11 hours ago, FourFans said:

Any and all occupations can feel like nothing more than a job after a given amount of time.  How you view it is 100% up to you.  If you're a pessimist at heart, you'll be pessimistic about it.  Likewise if you're an optimist. 

It's all perspective.  Choose yours, every single day, wisely.

Very stoic. Thank you sir, I'll try to apply that to my life.

[Bropofol]

10 hours ago, Danger41 said:

Flying is the fun part but that’s also a small part of it. For example, if you want to fly fighters, you’ll fly for an hour or two but the brief, debrief, and planning for that is probably 10x that much. Heavy pilots aren’t as intense on that stuff (still do it though) but they have other things to deal with way beyond just blasting off. Same with helos, bombers, you name it. 
 

Having said that, it’s way better than having a real job. And if you’re looking at the Guard, why not keep the medical job and be a pilot? Quite literally why the ANG exists is scenarios like that.

Worried that I might not be able to balance both. Working in healthcare is nice in that schedule is very flexible, you can work 10s,12, 24 hour shifts, 7 days on 7 days off, you name it. But being proficient in both medicine and flying would be rough. At the very least I feel studying would consume all my free time. Then again when I get free time, I think about going flying, might as well get paid for it. Cheers for the insight !

[herkbum]

Worried that I might not be able to balance both. Working in healthcare is nice in that schedule is very flexible, you can work 10s,12, 24 hour shifts, 7 days on 7 days off, you name it. But being proficient in both medicine and flying would be rough. At the very least I feel studying would consume all my free time. Then again when I get free time, I think about going flying, might as well get paid for it. Cheers for the insight !

We had a Dr in my ANG unit that was a pilot. She never had a problem being proficient at both. It’s very doable if you want it. A few years after retirement from the ANG, she obviously remained a Dr, but she missed flying. So she now flys for AA, and does her Dr thing on off days.


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[FDNYOldGuy]

51 minutes ago, Bropofol said:

Worried that I might not be able to balance both. Working in healthcare is nice in that schedule is very flexible, you can work 10s,12, 24 hour shifts, 7 days on 7 days off, you name it. But being proficient in both medicine and flying would be rough. At the very least I feel studying would consume all my free time. Then again when I get free time, I think about going flying, might as well get paid for it. Cheers for the insight !

+1 to what everyone else said; especially with your attitude to what the life presents. Traveling to the Middle East on my own dime is not super high on my list, but getting paid to take an all expenses paid trip to do so and carrying some cool stuff with great people, makes it pretty awesome. And sometimes that trip is to Hawaii…

Does it entail some queep that is less than optimal at times? Yeah. But, it’s all part of the cost of the ride.

You can easily make both careers work; it’s even easier with that type of schedule.

Signed,

A guy with a similar civilian schedule that has thoroughly enjoyed the last 5+ years of playing Air Force part(ish)-time. 

[Danger41]

3 hours ago, Bropofol said:

Worried that I might not be able to balance both. Working in healthcare is nice in that schedule is very flexible, you can work 10s,12, 24 hour shifts, 7 days on 7 days off, you name it. But being proficient in both medicine and flying would be rough. At the very least I feel studying would consume all my free time. Then again when I get free time, I think about going flying, might as well get paid for it. Cheers for the insight !

Ah, okay. Well quit medicine then. Sounds gay.

[tac airlifter]

13 hours ago, Bropofol said:

Worried that I might not be able to balance both. Working in healthcare is nice in that schedule is very flexible, you can work 10s,12, 24 hour shifts, 7 days on 7 days off, you name it. But being proficient in both medicine and flying would be rough. At the very least I feel studying would consume all my free time. Then again when I get free time, I think about going flying, might as well get paid for it. Cheers for the insight !

 

9 hours ago, Danger41 said:

Ah, okay. Well quit medicine then. Sounds gay.

Possibly the best exchange on BO ever!

OP, medicine is a noble calling and I salute you for pursuing it.  However, the first time you kill someone who deserves it (while flying) you’ll realize the deep truth in Danger’s post.  
My advice: fly.  If you have the itch you’ll forever regret not scratching it.  7000 hours mil flying & 2000 civ flying; I'm not bored at all!

Edited May 11 by tac airlifter

[TreeA10]

After 4000 hours of military flying and 14,000(?) hours of commercial flying stretched over 39 years, I'm still not bored and wondering what I'm going to do when I finally grow up and have to get a real job.  

[Bropofol]

Cheers everyone. I think I’ll go ahead and try my luck for a spot.

Side note, do you find time to go on vacations and travel? I think that’s one part that I like about my current job and would like to keep. Though most of you are probably airline pilots and just want to be home most times. I think I read somewhere that you have to check in with your unit and so long you are not going to Moscow you should be good.

[BashiChuni]

5 hours ago, Bropofol said:

Cheers everyone. I think I’ll go ahead and try my luck for a spot.

Side note, do you find time to go on vacations and travel? I think that’s one part that I like about my current job and would like to keep. Though most of you are probably airline pilots and just want to be home most times. I think I read somewhere that you have to check in with your unit and so long you are not going to Moscow you should be good.

another victim of Danger41 bullying 🥲

[Springer]

12 hours ago, TreeA10 said:

After 4000 hours of military flying and 14,000(?) hours of commercial flying stretched over 39 years, I'm still not bored and wondering what I'm going to do when I finally grow up and have to get a real job.  

After being paid to fly, some of us will pay to fly.

 

Edited May 12 by Springer

[brabus]

I need that airplane Springer. Looks awesome!