What pays more an engineer or a pilot?

Question

i kinda more want to be a pilot now than a engineer now i want to know what pays more because well evry1 loves money so if you know tell me plyz

Answer 1

Airlines are hiring in record numbers right now. However the process to get to the "mainline" airlines, ie: Delta, Southwest, etc., you will most likely have to start at the lower rung, which is the regional airlines, with starting pay for First Officer at around $18,000 a year. The first year or two will be tough, schedule wise.

How about combining the two? Working as pilot/engineer for one of the aerospace companies like Boeing?

Answer 2

Probably Engineer im guessing.

Answer 3

Bill Gates did pretty well as a software engineer.

Answer 4

In general, an engineer who works hard and contributes to his corporation makes a little more than a pilot who does the same. This is probably due to the nature of the employment contract; an engineer works as an individual and is judged by the merit of his own accomplishments. A pilot is usually part of a union, so he is judged by the accomplishments of the group.

Unions are a common source for underachievement. Everyone gets the same pay, regardless of how hard they work - so why work hard?

Exceptions to this observation in aviation include corporate pilots, who are usually paid well (but have strange schedules) and military pilots, who are underpaid but are motivated to work hard by non-monetary considerations.

Answer 5

I am an engineer by profession having an experience of 18 years. My sister's husband is a commercial pilot who flies Gulfstream V for a corporate. Earlier he used to fly for Air Force (same GV as well as Beechcraft 200). We both are of same age. In the initial years I use to get more than him. Now a days he is getting much more than me due to the aviation boom. Again, due to boom in automotive industries picking up, I am now catching him (but to summarize, its our experience at this stage which has started paying off plus the boom in the market).

So the point is that both markets are paying at the moment but it's you who has to prove your worth through consistent and diligent work. There is no substitute for hard work (plus luck, of course). To reach the kind of money you are talking about, you will have to judge your capabilities whether you  are good in engineering or really love flying (because for flying you should have a passion, not just the money factor).

And this is applicable in other fields also (I mean other than aviation or engineering). Patience is the key in both fields, if you count my experience. By the way, I am also an SPL licence holder and could have joined an airline with a little more hard work, but know in what I am better at...as I love automobiles.

Answer 6

By 'engineer' do you mean a designer/builder of aircraft, or do you mean it in the UK sense of what the U.S. terms a 'mechanic'?

Either way, at an entry-level position the engineer will be likely to make more than a pilot. If you can stick with it, build some hours, and get some advanced type ratings, your skill and experience as a pilot will start to earn you more.