Dream Job?

[La Li Lu Le Lo]

Back in October I went to QuikTrip on Mingo and Pine to get gas. A young man in the pump lane across from me asked me if I had pliers on me because he was having trouble getting a cap off his motorcycle (oil I think). He noticed my AA badge and stated he was currently going to Spartan to get his A&P and really wanted to work for American Airlines. He said it was his dream job. I just did not know what to say so I just froze.

I did not have the heart to tell him that the profession is in decline due to back door UNION deals and company greed. It really shows how far America has fallen when a person is dreaming of working in a declining profession for a company that despises it's employees.

The government is predicting a critical shortage of qualified A&P mechanics in the next five years. I hope this is correct and his license really pays off. As of today he has a lot of challenges ahead of him.

The point of this post is this.
What would you have said?
Do you feel there is a future in the trade?

 

[777 / 767 / 757 Love]

Your view of AA is skewed by your "expectations" while the young kid has seen his other options and feels that compared to other options, AA is a good one.

I worked for companies that I hated and others loves, so I avoid speaking ill of any past or present employers because I want people to form their own opinion because I cannot view the world thru their eyes or vice versa.

Cheers,
777 / 767 / 757

 

[cf6mech]

Let him pursue his dreams, nobody can predict the future, although the state of affairs right now is pretty bad.

 

[AA-MRO.COM]

You should have told him to go work for UPS or Southwest. If he wants to have the worst benefits and pay in the industry you should have told him to climb aboard.

 

[La Li Lu Le Lo]

777 / 767 / 757 Love that is a pretty good analysis. I disagree about one aspect however. I think with the price of Spartan compared to other local area schools he probably had a lot of options for an education in other fields. Or were you referring to available A&P jobs?

You are also right that expectation influences perception and my view is indeed skewed.

 

[FWAAA]

You should have told him to go work for UPS or Southwest. If he wants to have the worst benefits and pay in the industry you should have told him to climb aboard.

No doubt those two have much higher pay and benefits, but it's also likely that because of their payscales, both have far more applicants than openings. AA employs more maintenance personnel in Tulsa than UPS and WN combined. Quite often, the employers who pay the most can be the most selective. Nothing wrong with encouraging him to aim high, but sheer numbers indicate that he's more likely to end up at an MRO.

The OP makes a great point - there will at some point be a shortage of A&P licensed mechanics and the current starting payscales will increase when airlines can't get sufficient numbers of applicants.