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There is a survey on Yahoo today of the 5 most disliked professions or jobs, and mechanics is one. Now this is pretty brief, and does not specify what kind of mechs, probably not aviation, but it may also apply. The problems were average salary of $36,100 and not much chance for advancement and also sometimes working in cold or dirty conditions and often with some time pressure. And you have to keep up with advancements to stay current.
Bill,
Not to mention that mechanics supply their own tools for the most part. And not just hand tools! The average auto mechanic probably has 30-50k in equipment nowdays.
The term "mechanic" covers a LOT of ground. For every FAA certificated A&P holder, there are 100+ guys who claim to be "mechanics". A fraction of those guys can put certificates of attendance for manufacturers schools and ASE credentials on their walls. So I will suggest that a simple, unstructered "survey" on a web site like Yahoo is not very informative.
A quick Google search came up with Ask.com claiming that the average aircraft mechanic salary is in the mid-$50K range. Salary.com suggests that GA mechanics average $50K - $60K depending on the job title you use, and jet machanics average $76K.
So I suggest that you not place too much weight on unstructured Yahoo info.
Best of luck,
Wes
N78PS
Ok, as an A&P that chose to work in another career field rather than doing what I love (working on airplanes), my reasons were/are: Better salary, more chance for advancement, and better working conditions, which would be exactly the flip side of what Bill stated.Quote:
Originally Posted by WLIU
30 years ago, my starting salary as a mechanic would have been roughly where I started in my current career. But 30 years later, my salary is about 2 - 3 times what I would be making working on planes and my working conditions are so much better. As it has applied to my life, Bills original post about the Yahoo poll has some merit.
-CubBuilder
There is merit, but I suggest that the survey in question is not statistically valid when applied to aviation.
30 years ago I was a low paid professional pilot. Looking at the deregulation of the airlines I chose to make use of my engineering education outside of aviation. My finances have done much better than some of my friends who suffered through airline bankruptcies, furloughs, and the discarding of their pension plans by their employers.
My experience does not mean that aviation is not a good career choice. But looking at the history of the various aspects of the field a participant has to choose to pay attention to business and step around the potholes much more than if they go to work for Humongous Manufacturing Company.
But my original point is still that a Yahoo survey that lumps together anyone who touches a wrench and claims to be employed as a "mechanic" has little relevance to the real numbers for aviation technicians.
Best of luck,
Wes
N78PS