My Journey to Flight School

by Joe
(Raymore, MO)

My Journey to Flight School

A mere 6 months ago, I was still struggling with the question of “what I wanted to be”.

I’ve always been extremely goal oriented, and the fact that my career path wasn’t obvious to me the second I set foot on a college campus was very frustrating to me.

I wanted it to fall into my lap.

I wanted to be that little kid who said “I’m going to be a teacher” or “I’m going to be a firefighter”…and actually attained my goal.

While I watched those around me slipping behind their cubicle at their salaried jobs, watching the clock until their 8hr day was over....I actually figured it out!!

I DO NOT want to be one of those people.

I really began to think that I wanted to be a Nurse.

I took a job, at which I am still employed, at a local children’s hospital.

I aid Nurses in performing their jobs on a Hematology and Oncology unit, and started taking classes to prepare myself for Nursing School. School is not easy for me, it never has been.

But one thing was always true, I worked hard.

The battle wasn’t what was deterring me, though. It was the lack of heart I found myself having for the profession to which I was about to commit my life.

For a moment, I was embarrassed by my decision and felt that I was backing down from my original goal.

Ultimately, I figured one thing out.

While I wasn’t meant to be a nurse, I know why I was drawn to the profession in the first place.

They, at least the ones I work with, have PASSION. They truly care about what they do.

They chose a career that will give them good days and bad, but in the end, they feel good about what they do as a whole.

So, I didn’t want to hang IV bags and calculate chemo dosages. I did, however, want to love what I did.

I took some time off of school to do some “soul searching”.

Talk to different people, test some different waters.

All the while, aviation kept knocking at my thoughts.

I pushed it back, thinking such a job was unattainable by a regular Joe like me.

“Business? (aviation). Teaching? (aviation). Sales? (aviation)…..” Alright already!!!

Maybe there’s a reason for this recurring dream, and maybe I should pay a little attention to it.

I searched for aviation schools, and there were a couple of HUGE names coming across my Google search.

When I contacted one of these schools, 2 States away, I instantly had a recruiter offering to come to my home and talk to me.

My wife and I talked with a recruiter who shuffled flyers around our kitchen table, and led us thru is Power point presentation like a robot.

He had the menu memorized and was rolling the specials off of his tongue like a pro. To someone who’s got flying on the brain, it sure sounded tasty.

Then, bits and pieces started to put out some red flags. I was considering moving away from my family, and making HUGE monetary sacrifices, to attend a school that would help me achieve my goal for the low, low price of $76,000.

I might learn how to fly, but the only thing I would be an expert at after leaving this school was different ways to make Ramen noodles, and guessing what my daughter looked like because I couldn’t afford to go home.

I also asked the recruiter if he was an alumni of this school he glorified so well, and he laughed and in a round about way said “No, I just sell it.”

Must be some place, huh?

My search continued and led me to a school only one city away.

Fifteen minutes from my house is an aviation school? I wanted to know something about it, and quickly typed the instructor about 5 words. I didn’t get a pre-typed “Dear ______, thank you for your inquiry…” response, I got a real response telling me about the school, as well as asking about my goals and expectations.

My wife and I met with the professor at ATU on a couple different occasions and found ourselves being interviewed almost as we were assessing the school.

The school was not only close, but affordable.

The class time, flight time, and structure of the program were extremely manageable.

Being a firm believer in the adage “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is…” my sensors were on overload.

But no matter which angle I came in, ATU was able to ease my fears.

No matter how much would squint my eyes and read thru the lines, I couldn’t find the glitch.

All I’ve found is everything I’ve been looking for; An amazing professor, who truly cares about my goals, and wants almost as badly as I do, to see me attain them.

A great schedule, an affordable program, and the confidence that what I will achieve from ATU will give me the tools to love what I do, for the rest of my life.