Career progression in this economy

[Marsh]

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Then you have to live in China, which would suck a lot.

Not necessarily, You could easily live in Singapore or Hong Kong and just jump a quick flight to China to fly out.

[bjstare]

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Regarding the O&G landscape right now, Canada is still a tough place to make much "progression" on both the producer and service side of things. However, if you are currently employed, now is a great time to make sure you are really learning things and differentiating yourself from your peers. Get to the field as much as you can, get some complimentary skills in data science, public speaking, sales or management (cheap online courses in all of these). Read SPE papers and keep up on best practices from other regions even if you can't implement them in your current projects. Get overseas or USA experience if you can.

Level advancement will come in a few years, but if you aren't working now for it, it won't come to you.

This is solid advice. Only thing I'd add to that, is find an extracurricular at your company and get very involved in that. There's no better way to network with your company leadership than being involved in/driving non-profit work that the company supports, and having personal relationships with leadership is a great differentiator (arguably the best, in my experience).

[ExtraSlow]

For sure. And of course all this advice is only helpful if you have the mental energy to do it. So many people are suffering depression or other mental health issues after watching thier friends and family get laid off. Now is also a great time to make use of your company health services and talk to a counsellor or therapist. In many cases even two or three sessions can be a really healthy reset.

[Darkane]

Damn extraslow and his great advice.

I think you motivated me to take some additional courses.

I’m already involved in a work side project where I rub elbows with the GMs and VPs.

Time to step it up, regardless of economy. Standing out is the most important thing.

[vengie]

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Coursera, udemy, Khan, really it doesn't matter where you get the course from, because you aren't doing it for the certification in most cases. If it's anything to do with coding or data science, you also want to built up your portfolio in the developer communities (stackexchange etc)

Actually, if you want someone to critique specific courses or learning platforms, those communities would be the place to ask that question.

I can't rep you anymore unfortunately, but thank you for this post.

[ExtraSlow]

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I can't rep you anymore unfortunately, but thank you for this post.

I accept high-fives at the foodie meets as well.

[Maxx Mazda]

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You know that in Asia right now, they are paying INSANE $$$ for bush pilots from Canada? You know, the ones who can actually FLY a fucking airplane hands on? (instead of pushing buttons and reading a chart). HUGE problem with pilots there who just go through the motions but know very little about HAND flying.

Senior captains (777, etc.) were getting offered something like 1/2 million $$ a year in China for eg. (as a contract pilot).

I know a few guys who have made the expat mistake overseas (both in Asia and the sandbox.) they all say the same thing. There’s a reason they have to pay insane amounts of money, and STILL can’t put qualified guys in their airplanes.

The phrase “because China” doesn’t even begin to cover it...

[revelations]

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I know a few guys who have made the expat mistake overseas (both in Asia and the sandbox.) they all say the same thing. There’s a reason they have to pay insane amounts of money, and STILL can’t put qualified guys in their airplanes.

The phrase “because China” doesn’t even begin to cover it...

I was thinking of a 3 year contract perhaps - and then come back to NA ready to fly the majors. I know people who (white canadians) went to live in China (not as pilots) and they did just fine.

Is there a forum or discussion group that talks about the major problems expats face?

[95EagleAWD]

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I was thinking of a 3 year contract perhaps - and then come back to NA ready to fly the majors. I know people who (white canadians) went to live in China (not as pilots) and they did just fine.

Is there a forum or discussion group that talks about the major problems expats face?

AvCanada if you’re willing to put up with the cesspool.

But yeah China sucks balls. I’d rather make less money here.

[Maxx Mazda]

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I was thinking of a 3 year contract perhaps - and then come back to NA ready to fly the majors. I know people who (white canadians) went to live in China (not as pilots) and they did just fine.

Is there a forum or discussion group that talks about the major problems expats face?

Problem is, if the airline gig is your goal, even if you go overseas and make a million bucks and come back here in 3-5 years, even IF you get on with a major here or in the states, you’re now ~1200 seniority numbers behind where you’d have been if you just stayed on. Once you do the expat thing you can’t really come back from it. I’ve seen a few guys go back to corporate, but you’re starting all over again if you head the airline route. Doesn’t matter if you’ve got 20,000 hours on the 777 you’re still going bottom of the list.

[Buster]

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Problem is, if the airline gig is your goal, even if you go overseas and make a million bucks and come back here in 3-5 years, even IF you get on with a major here or in the states, you’re now ~1200 seniority numbers behind where you’d have been if you just stayed on. Once you do the expat thing you can’t really come back from it. I’ve seen a few guys go back to corporate, but you’re starting all over again if you head the airline route. Doesn’t matter if you’ve got 20,000 hours on the 777 you’re still going bottom of the list.

So unions suck basically

[revelations]

Ah - true - but heres the deal - there is an actual (starting to be) pilot shortage - even in North America - which will get worse in time.

More and more potential pilots realize that going 200,000$ in debt combined with 50,000$ a year in income, makes no sense. Fuck, 10 years ago some of the regional low time FOs were making 9,000$ a year.

Soon the unions will have to make concessions to let in the pilots with heavy experience, in at a certain level (not bottom). Otherwise no one is going to work for them.

[ExtraSlow]

Unions are awful for skilled professionals.

[msommers]

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Ah - true - but heres the deal - there is an actual (starting to be) pilot shortage - even in North America - which will get worse in time.

More and more potential pilots realize that going 200,000$ in debt combined with 50,000$ a year in income, makes no sense. Fuck, 10 years ago some of the regional low time FOs were making 9,000$ a year.

Soon the unions will have to make concessions to let in the pilots with heavy experience, in at a certain level (not bottom). Otherwise no one is going to work for them.

A family friend of ours has been a pilot for a long time with Air Canada, doing transpacific flights for the last...10? As far as I understand, he's making quite good money...

It'd be a hard life anyways as a pilot. Plus I recall some statistic that it's just hard on your body with the large swing in changing altitudes, year after year.

Someone at Westjet told me that long-time flight attendents can make upwards of 70-80k+/yr....

[ianmcc]

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Unions are awful for skilled professionals.

Unions are awesome for unskilled laborers.

[ExtraSlow]

True dat bruvah.

[Toilet_X]

Liuna out here in Toronto pays great. Labourer wage of around 35 an hour. Our swampers are something like 38 an hour. But then again, that cost of living here.

[95EagleAWD]

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Liuna out here in Toronto pays great. Labourer wage of around 35 an hour. Our swampers are something like 38 an hour. But then again, that cost of living here.

Depends where you are in Toronto, as I’m sure you know. Toronto proper is expensive as hell. If you’re out in Durham or Hamilton or Vaughn or something it’s quite a bit cheaper.

[speedog]

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Depends where you are in Toronto, as I’m sure you know. Toronto proper is expensive as hell. If you’re out in Durham or Hamilton or Vaughn or something it’s quite a bit cheaper.

Yeah but a bitch of a commute from Durham to Toronto proper.

[95EagleAWD]

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Yeah but a bitch of a commute from Durham to Toronto proper.

Oh god it sure is. My gf does the reverse commute from our place and it’s not bad but the other way looks like hell.