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I feel that way too bud
Where did that phone come from? 😆
Travel much, buddy?
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Austin making clear where it stands.
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Ive heard you have to pay for parking like anyone else
Depends on what you want to do? Work for an airline or work for the actual airport?
Airport pay maybe better/Airline pay is typically a little worse but you get flight benefits. You might be able to get your foot in the door at corporate in something other than grunt, but a lot of onsite jobs typically are fed by lower level positions. I was trying to get my foot in the door here at the port and with the local airline. I got 4 interviews over a year all but 1 in corporate. The only advice I got was from the director of station ops was get your foot in the door doing something and then move around inside and see what you like and move up there.
You have a PhD and you want to work at the airport?
I have a degree in aviation, director at a non-hub airport, and am now a manager at another (ignore my emp. tag), so my comments will be focused from that lens.
The above commenter is generally correct. A lot of people also work their way up at a smaller airport then pivot to a larger airport at a lower role. That or pivot between private and government, that flow goes both ways in the aviation industry. A lot of people don't have PhDs though, so starting out provides you some options in the overall industry, depending on your degree.
Engineers and environmental scientists are always needed. Even out the gate, with a PhD, you could likely land mid level as long as you know how your education applies to the role.
AAE and ACI have industry specific certs (from OPS and MX, to FIN and MGMT) that can help you translate school knowledge to applicable knowledge prior to stepping foot on an airfield.
Good airport job search sites:
https://careercenter.aaae.org/jobs/
https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs?keyword=Airports&location=
https://adkexecutivesearch.com/current-projects/
Working for the AIRPORT is a government job. So compensation doesn't have the upside of consulting but managers at a most medium & large hub airports make over 100k, sr managers or directors pay scale can be in the 200k range. No bonuses. A lot of rural airports make substantially less. It's government though, so steady. Airports are seen as necessity so even during COVID there was no shut down, people came in and worked at the port.
Even beyond the airlines or airport though, the FAA and DOT (maybe NTSB) are all hiring for scientists of some nature. A lot of places are the govt agencies are understaffed and underfunded but the new reauthorization (H.R. 3935) was just signed providing more resources.
There are also a lot of exciting startups that are working on: Low space orbit (not just SpaceX or Blue Origin, there are about 40 US based VC backed startups), electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) and urban air mobility (UAM), sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), hell even asteroid mining companies are starting up again.
Don't forget to think about what is truly exciting to you, where you will be the tip of the spear, or where you feel like you might best fit in and search those companies out. With all that being said, the government is and will continue to be hiring to determine regulation, impact, and safety for all these. Right now might be a good time to reinvigorate your job search, start applying once federal money is released and jobs become posted (or both private and public).
Best of luck! Any questions (from anyone), DM me.
P.S.: ICAO is the international FAA standard. Don't forget to explore options all over the world, though private Av companies will be easier to break into internationally. Also of note, in general, the industry has a hiring pipeline issue. 50% aircraftpower-plant mechanics (and soon pilots) are over 50yr old. If you know of anyone interested a lot of airlines will pay for schooling and guarantee job placement, also managerial opportunities abound.
K. Byeee!
I'm thinking this has all changed since the new administration took office