What to do?

[Bigsweetie]

Hi All,
My husband is a cargo pilot in Michigan. They have been dangling an upgrade over his head for about a year and four months now. They have been starting and stopping his training, telling him "next month" every month. Currently he brings home a very, very small paycheck, but this upgrade would mean financial security. He and I both feel like he's beeing jerked around and should leave, but where too? He has applications out all over the place, but some of the jobs would pay him less than what he might make with this upgrade. If he does get this upgrade he would make a living wage, if he doesn't and goes elsewhere we will still be financially strapped for a few years.

I'm not trying to complain, I just don't know what to do. Tell him to stick it out and hope for the upgrade so that we can survive, or tell him to leave and take a job that will not pay much for a number of years.

Not sure what to do... anyone else experience something like this?

Tanya [img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[Kathleen]

Hi, Tanya -- I don't have any experience to share, but maybe just some things to think about. How does your hubbie feel about the company in general? Is it somewhere he's happy other than this uncertainty with the upgrade?

Also, if it's a publicly traded company I'd get my hands on the latest reports. (Many times available for download/printing on the company's webiste.) That may be able to help you determine whether the company is facing some difficult economic conditions that are causing it to stall his upgrade, and what future prospects look like.

The industry is so bad right now that I'd be reluctant to jump ship unless he has a sure thing somewhere else. It'd be a shame to start over somewhere else where he might experience the exact same delays.

Good luck.

[lisa71]

I agree with everything Kathleen has said, with today's industry, I'd be sure that I had something secure before I left that company. I kinda went through that with my husband in his last job, also a freight company. They kept telling him he was being upgraded and would cancel the class a day or two before it was supposed to start. Eventually that company went bankrupt and my husband was furloughed for 2 years!!! I would really look at the company's economic situation also and see what's going on that's causing the cancellations.
It's so tough to say what's the right thing to do! If the company is stable however, I would suggest staying until the industry gets alittle stronger.

[Anonymous]

I agree!

with a lot of companies being so unstable right now, it's time to check out the company he's working for and do whatever needs to be done (whether staying or switching) to move ahead... my hubby used to work corporate before going to Skyway (regional) and he was always told by his captain and the owner of the company that they would be flying on so and so days etc - but they never came to fruition... truth be known, Doug went into something like depression about then because he didn't know where to go from there and didn't know how long to let the up/downs continue before moving on.... eventually, he got fed up and started to network and before he knew it, his networking paid off and he got in at Skyway... granted, he did have to start at a lower pay level (about welfare wage - $10K), but it has paid off in the long run...

just depends on if he's wants to and is willing to make the jump, if you two can afford a lower paycheck for a year or so and if you both have the willpower to make it work...

doug was at skyway for about a 1+1/2 yrs before getting onto delta.. of course, now a days, it may be longer - but he would continue building total time no matter if he stays with the company he's at or moves elsewhere and that's is what is important to the airlines....

if the company seems like it's not doing too good, check out the paperwork and base your move off of that - always have some feelers out there & some people to network with because you never know when someone will "notice" you before your even ready to jump ship... also, I've learned that if you jump ship, make sure you jump ship before everyone else at the company is looking for a new job - it gives you a better chance of scoring!

[Bigsweetie]

Thank you to everyone for replying. It is so nice to have a place to talk to people about what we're going through and get advice from people who have been in similar circumstances.

Eric's company is doing quite well financially, they just keep jerking him around. They'll get him almost done with training (1-2hours away from completion) and then panic and hire someone off the street. That has happened twice in the last three months. Meanwhile they're letting some of his training expire, which is making this whole thing take even longer. :evil: Eric has talked to his boss about it, but he just keeps getting one excuse after another and Eric is afraid that if he complains too much that he'll lose his job (which I believe would be true). This company has been known to fire people and have someone to replace them the next day. His boss tells him that he is a great pilot and all of his captains have told his boss that he is excellent. We just can't figure out why they won't finish up his training :?:

Anyway, I guess it's more my fault that we're in this financial mess. You see, I had a job that paid good money and I quite because I was extremely stressed out all the time (I would literally cry everday and get migraine headaches). Eric was so supportive and now I have to take a new job that is only part-time and with crappy pay. I feel terrible that I had to quit, but I honestly couldn't work there anymore. I want to find a good paying job so that Eric can have the freedom to leave his company (once he finds a new job of course) and not worry about the pay.

If any of you work from home and can give me some info on some legitimate work from home places (I know that alot of them are scams)that would be great! Maybe I could do that along with my part-time job and make enough to let Eric do what's best for his career. I want to do whatever it takes to be supportive, but also get our bills paid (we're also trying to save for a house next year so that we can start a family - right now we're in a small one bedroom apt.)

Anyway, sorry this is so long... but thanks again to everyone who responded. I really appreciate it.

Tanya [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Kristie]

Whatever situation your in is not at all your fault... it's a combination of things and I wouldn't say that your to blame for the financial part of it because if Eric's boss finished his training, he could get so much farther ahead....and who knows, maybe they don't want him to finish his training so he doesn't gain all the hours and take off for a newer/more paying/better job?! could be that the company is reluctant to watch anymore people move on and up... who knows - but it's not all your fault!!

I had a job like that once - the pay was good but it wasn't what i wanted to do and was struggling with the change in roles and my new boss was telling me that i wasn't taking the cake, so i'd come home cry on the "then fiance's" shoulder, bitch/moan and get all stressed out... it's just not worth it to keep a job that puts you in that situation.. so even though you had to give up the high paying dollars - your probably affording yourself a much longer life by not having to deal with the stress of it - know what i mean?

I'm almost at that situation with the job i'm at now where the company isn't doing so good - we have to carry all of the offices on the phx office's back which puts us in a rock and a hard place.. we keep getting bitched out for doing a good job and doing what we need to do but not keeping the company more afloat - bozo's!!

I'm also trying to figure out where to go from here - get a job at a different engineering firm or try to find a job that brings in the $$ without having to do so much work (no.. not stripping! haha)... just wish i could win the lottery or win big money when we go up to vegas next month! hahaha

i understand where your at!! just take it one day at a time and keep looking forward or as hubby's usually say "max power, props forward"

[Kathleen]

Tanya, I totally agree with Kristie. No amount of money is worth being miserable.

My first job out of law school was terrible. One of those pathetic ambulance chasing personal injury firms (complete with t.v. ads and everything). But the job market was awful and I was lucky to even have a job -- most of my friends from school had nothing.

Plus, the work environment was downright gross. The partner I worked for constantly made sexually suggestive comments to me -- they even got one of those naked female (boobs!) cakes for another attorney's birthday. Hello? Ever heard of sexual harassment?!? I felt like I was working at Hustler or something.

Like you, I cried almost every day, but I felt trapped there because I knew if I quit before finding another job I'd get an awful reference from this nasty, nasty partner -- not because of my work but simply because he was an a$$hole and he'd be pissed if I tried to leave. So I stuck it out until I finally found another job, and things have been great since then.

My point? (Yes, I have one... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ) Hang in there -- I truly believe that everything works out if you don't give up hope. Your happiness matters above everything else.

[MQAAord]

My opinion:

Have the pilot put out resumes and fill out applications any and everywhere that's hiring. Lay low at the current company, but work hard at finding another flying job. Then when the time comes to accept employement with another company, go to the current employer and say, "hey, I've had this upgrade carrot dangled above my head long enough, finish my training, or I'll have to find employment elsewhere". See what they say. They'll probably be rather indifferent, in which case the pilot can leave knowing he really never would have been given that upgrade.