test pilot Career Path | See the Career Paths People Really Take

pilot

naval officer

aerospace engineer

flight operator

apprentice

test pilot

operations director

actor

executive officer

Actors are performing artists who portray characters in various formats including on stage or screen but also in audio only formats or less structured environments like at amusement parks. It is not necessarily a gender specific term as both men and women may be referred to as an Actor.  While working as an actor, they may perform for entertainment and/or informational purposes, may play a variety of different types of performing roles and usually must audition for casting directors to land a role.

Aerospace engineers develop aircrafts and spacecrafts, as well as other items meant to take flight.  They design, develop, and test spacecrafts, aircrafts, satellites, missiles and weapons systems, as well as evaluate the manufacturing of each. Aerospace engineers test their designs to ensure that they function as expected, and develop computer software that interfaces with aerospace crafts.

The Apprentice obtains specialized skills under the tutelage of experienced colleagues.  Their role is to increase their knowledge, skills and responsibilities in completing specific tasks in order to gain certification.  Their responsibilities are attending workshops and participating in as many learning opportunities as possible, observing health and safety procedures, positively receiving feedback, attending meetings, offering suggestions for improvement, keeping a log of everything learned, and building professional relationships with colleagues and clients.

The Executive Officer makes the decisions for a company in how to manage operations and resources.  Their role is to maintain a deep knowledge of the markets and industry of the company, analyze problematic situations and occurrences, and provide solutions to ensure company survival and growth.  Their responsibilities are to build trust relations with key partners and stakeholders, act as a point of contact for important shareholders, review financial and non-financial reports to devise solutions or improvements, enforce adherence to legal guidelines and in-house policies, make high quality investing decisions to advance the business and increase profits, and lead and motivate subordinates to improve employee engagement.

A Flight Operator is the personnel who operates an aircraft while in flight.  Their role is to coordinate all technical and operational factors for a successful flight such as the weather, overflight permits, route planning, aircraft performance, airport facilities, the aircraft's technical condition, and fuel requirements.  Their responsibilities are to deal with unforeseen circumstances in a legal, safe and cost-effective manner, liaise with all crew, communicate all changes to stations, and book hotel and tickets for charter flights.

Curious about what it’s really like to be an airline pilot? JP, a seasoned pilot, shares the exciting perks of the job—like getting paid to travel the world—and explains how you can start your journey toward earning your wings. From building flight hours to enjoying a flexible schedule, get an inside look at the career path, salary potential, and lifestyle of a commercial pilot.

<h2>Why I Became a Pilot</h2><p>I love to travel, so I thought if I love to travel, why not get paid for it?</p><p>I also have always had a passion for aviation, and I love being on the go, and so the adrenaline of being an airline pilot and always doing something new every day is very fulfilling for me.</p><h2>Typical Pilots Schedule&nbsp;</h2><p>I typically work about 14 days a month, and you really are in control of your schedule and how you want to do that. What I like to do is work two or three-day trips, and then I'm home for three or four days. It's flexible, and that's the great thing about this career, this industry—it really allows you to kind of work your schedule however you'd like to do it.</p><h2>Pros and Cons of Being a Pilot</h2><p>The pros are that you get to see the world, and the great thing is it's at the company's expense, so it doesn't cost you to go. They provide the hotel, lodging, and per diem for your food.</p><p>The cons are, if you have a family at home or animals or anything like that, you're gone for two, three, four, or five days at a time. Sometimes that can be challenging for people.&nbsp;</p><h2>How to Become a Pilot</h2><p>First, you would want to start off with attending maybe a seminar at a local community college or going to a local flight school. They offer what's called a discovery flight, which is typically like one hour, and you go up and fly with an instructor. Usually, they let you take the controls and play around to see if this is something that you're interested in.</p><p>From there, you can also go to a lot of colleges that offer flight schools or flight training. You can enroll in one of their programs, or there are also accelerated flight programs. I personally would recommend going to a local flight school and starting there to achieve your private pilot's license, which is your first flight license.</p><h2>How to Become an Airline Pilot (ATP)</h2><p>The main thing for becoming an airline pilot is flight time. Typically, people start with their private pilot's license, and then once you get that, you build onto your instrument rating, followed by your commercial and flight instructor licenses, and lastly, your airline transport pilot license.</p><p>Everyone has a different story, but typically people flight instruct to get to 1,500 hours. Once you reach 1,500 hours, the gates open, and you can start applying to the smaller airlines to work your way up to one of the larger airlines.&nbsp;</p><h2>The Path I Took</h2><p>While working as a flight attendant, I also went to flight school part-time. The great thing about this industry and becoming a pilot is that you do it on your own time, allowing you to structure flight training around a current job if you're looking to progress into this career. There are many ways to become a pilot, and you control how you do that.&nbsp;</p><h2>How Much Do Pilots Make?</h2><p>It's expensive to get your flight ratings to become an airline pilot, but it's very rewarding once you do so and become a paid airline pilot. The salaries vary depending on the type of airplane you fly and whether you're a first officer or a captain. Captains make more than first officers.</p><p>Starting salary for an airline pilot is around $50,000 at the regional level flying a smaller aircraft. A captain on a wide-body airplane can make around $700,000 to $800,000 a year.&nbsp;</p><h2>Airline Industry Career Tip</h2><p>In the airline industry, everything is built on seniority, so it's important to start accruing seniority. The best schedules, fun trips, and great lifestyle with more days off all come with seniority. The faster you build seniority, the better quality of life you're going to have.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

A Naval Officer oversees the operational duties of their assigned crew, and manages ships, aircrafts and weapon systems in the navy.  Their role is monitoring the loading and unloading process, and supervise the overall safety of the vessel and the employee working in it.  Their responsibilities are undertaking a variety of administrative and managerial tasks, and overseeing the operation of propulsion, fuel and waste systems, and commanding a ship or submarine.

An operations director oversees an organization’s daily business activities and directs and coordinates with internal teams and helps to manage suppliers and other service providers. An operations director is responsible for managing resources, developing and implementing an operational plan and ensuring execution is inline with organization policies, objectives and goals.

The Pilot operates an aircraft and plans its flight.  Their role is conducting various pre-flight checks to the aircraft’s operational setup, creating and adjusting flight plans, and ensuring secure takeoffs and landings.  Their responsibilities are to check the aircraft before every flight to confirm all equipment is operating correctly, verify that cargo weight doesn’t exceed the aircraft limits, monitor weather conditions, communicate with air traffic control during flights, track cockpit instruments like altimeters and speed indicators, and report any failure of equipment to air traffic control.

A Test Pilot flies and judges new or redesigned aircraft.  Their role is to determine if the aircraft is operating correctly and safely, and suggest improvements to the design.  Their responsibilities are to determine whether the aircraft is safe for passenger or cargo use, perform aircraft inspections before and after flying, keep in touch with air traffic control and other aircraft, and report whether any malfunctions occurred during the flight.

Test Pilot Career Path