[cool pilot dude]

Okay, so I asked a question before regarding what degree I should do. Now I am wondering what career path I should follow!

Being a pilot has always appealed to me. I love planes,aviation,travelling (I am a frequent flyer) and plus I come from an aviation-blooded family. E.g. my dad is an aerospace engineer; I have a cousin who is a pilot, another who is cabin crew etc...

However, I’ve just suddenly been having this feeling if this is really the right career... I plan to have a family in the future and I am wondering whether being a pilot will have an affect on a relationship (I plan to get married by 32). Also, I’m afraid of the novelty wearing off like other pilots have told me and my dad who is an aerospace engineer and is always travelling is starting to become sick of flying.

I am from the UK, but have Canadian and US citizenship as well. (My father is from Quebec and the US is my second home). I am planning to join the Canadian forces as the commitment time is lower and they pay for your degree. Once my commitment time is over, I will be around 30-33 and will move onto an airline. But now I am stuck on where I want to live and work as a pilot! as I said, the US is my second home (my dad lives there and I have a house there), I will be in Canada for quite a long time as I want to learn to fly with the Canadian forces and do a degree in perhaps pharmacy (in Canada) or maybe a law degree here in the UK. I also mentioned I want get married at least by the age of 32.

My back-up plan if I dont become a pilot is to join the UK FCO as a diplomat. I will still be able to see the world, stay in hotels etc... But I’m worried about family life again... I understand that I could take my family with me if Im posted abroad. However, I don’t want to live in a country abroad for the rest of my life. I dont mind say living in LA as that is my second home, I have my dad there, a house and the British consulate is like 20 minutes away from me over there I don’t mind living in Montreal (where my dad is from) as it would also feel a bit like home to me and I have family there.

If I don't end up being a diplomat, Pharmacy is my next choice. This is also something I found interesting (I’m taking English, Law and Psychology though so I will have to do a foundation year). What is good about this profession is that I am able to choose where I want to live and will be at home and have a family life. However, I am dreading the life of standing in a Pharmacy all day or working in a hospital and doing the same things and working with the same people.

As you can see I am stuck on what career to follow. I now need opinions on what degree I should pursue!

Pharmacy will allow me to go into many things. But will it allow me to become a diplomat? I understand that no specific degree is needed to be a diplomat. But will they choose someone with a Law degree over a Pharmacy degree?

The reason why a Pharmacy degree will be good is because if becoming a diplomat or pharmacist does not work out. I can always go onto my 3rd back-up plan of becoming a pharmacist.

Do you guys think I can work as a Pilot for a while till the age of 34-36 then go into diplomacy? Will I be too old? But then if I have a family, I will have to move them with me to Whitehall for the training....

Should I want to quit being a pilot, and go into diplomacy but have no chance; will it be too late to become a pharmacist at say 36? Will it be allowed in the US, Canada or the UK? Will I have to do a refresher course considering I would be obtaining my degree in my 20s....

Do you guys think I should enjoy the glamour of being a pilot first for a while, then become a diplomat for a while and make pharmacy as my final career?

Sorry for writing so much! I just need your opinions! Also, I know there may be some grammatical errors in my post; but I am too tired to correct them

[cool pilot dude]

Anybody? I know its long to read, But I really need your ideas and opinions!

[threeportdrift]

(Original post by cool pilot dude)
Anybody? I know its long to read, But I really need your ideas and opinions!

It's a daft set of questions. The roles you offer are about as far apart as possible, so you need to do more research. For example, would you qualify to both service in the Canadian Forces and the FCO? What degree would you get as you would certainly need Pharmacy to be a pharmacist, but I don't suppose a pharmacy degree would make you competitive for the FCO - in fact it wouldn't, do some research on what qualifications and experience junior FCO staff have.

Also, it is just daft to plan ahead and say things like 'I want a family by the time I'm 32'. You can't really plan falling in love and having babies!

So what you need to do is do some more proper research on those careers (which doesn't include just asking on TSR). Talk to people that work in those businesses, get some work experience, read up the technical requirements on the appropriate websites. Then match your skills and qualifications against the various options.

Careers aren't permanent, you can change career a number of years down the line, but each role you have described requires a different payback time on training, most notably pilot, so you need to consider that.

[non]

(Original post by cool pilot dude)
Anybody? I know its long to read, But I really need your ideas and opinions!

Take a gap year before university and you sound like you've got lots of connections get work experience in all those disciplines. I don't know how you become a pilot, I'm not sure if a degree is required. But I guess that you know.

[M1011]

Why settle for one out of the three? Surely the only answer is to become a flying diplomat pharmacist? I'm thinking a bit like Iron Man but with drugs instead of guns?

[philistine]

Obviously a pilot.

I mean, why else would you be named 'cool pilot dude'?

[smithsmith]

Pilot all the way if you can become a pilot go for it.

[y-y]

Live up to your name!!!

[gt94sss2]

(Original post by cool pilot dude)
My back-up plan if I dont become a pilot is to join the UK FCO as a diplomat.

Do you know have competitive it is to get into the UK Diplomatic Service (or their US/Canadian equivalents)?

Probably much harder than it is to be a pilot or pharmacist..

I'm not sure how appropriate it is for a 'back up'

However, you asked some specific questions about being a diplomat so.. (sightly shortened)

Will I be too old at the age of 34-36 to go into diplomacy? will they choose someone with a Law degree over a Pharmacy degree?

The answer to both of these is no. In fact, I know someone who qualified as a doctor before joining the FCO but as per my comments above its very competitive

[TheMeister]

(Original post by gt94sss2)
Do you know have competitive it is to get into the UK Diplomatic Service (or their US/Canadian equivalents)?

Probably much harder than it is to be a pilot or pharmacist..

I'm not sure how appropriate it is for a 'back up'

Indeed, it's naive to think it's a normal career path - it's a vocation you stay in for a lifetime. You don't simply leave when you feel like the grass is greener in the private sector. I would you argue that it's something you have to know you want to stay in for the long haul.

[rockrunride]

I think you've highlighted the problem with careers in diplomacy: they seem rosy and vacancies are hence oversubscribed thousands of times over, and even then people find they hate the lifestyle when they move up the ladder. It's more of a career for the budding policy maker and international relations garnering than for the avid traveller. It's a career path most join young, stay in and move up later on.

In short, unless you're gifted with extremely good luck and a Midas touch at job applications and interviews, you won't be able to become a "diplomat for a while" on a whim.