Seizing the “Perfect Opportunity”
How many times does a “perfect opportunity” present itself in life? Well, that’s certainly an impossible question to answer. However, those who actively pursue personal improvement and challenges greatly enhance their chances of recognizing these opportunities. They are also more likely to seize rare opportunities by pursuing a new adventure, working to realize a lifelong dream, or looking for some other way.
This year, I’ve been blessed with a few “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunities. For many years, I’ve dreamed of the possibility of someday owning my grandfather’s old 1973 F100 truck. This truck is closely associated with many good memories of my grandfather — including the days he and my grandmother would pull into the driveway with their little camper in tow. After my grandfather’s passing, my father allowed me to borrow the truck to use as my vehicle while at school in Texas. After college, the truck ended up back at my father’s farm in Missouri — and eventually simply sitting on blocks. Through a chain of a few interesting events, I was recently presented with the opportunity to purchase the truck. I’m grateful for friends and family who made it all possible, and today the truck is sitting in my driveway ready for restoration, with the promise of decades of additional memories to be made!
In addition to this personal opportunity, I’ve also had the chance here at Sweet Aviation to become rated to fly a customer’s 1955 T-28B Trojan! I never imagined that someday I’d be flying around in a warbird. However, it’s an amazing, super-fun experience, and I’ve learned a ton about a whole new sector of the aviation world.
Finally, in September, I’m scheduled to complete a jet-type rating for future business development purposes. It’s just one more awesome new opportunity that I’m extremely excited for!
So what is your next “perfect opportunity” or dream? I realize this could be a number of things, but if it happens to be a career in aviation, the time is now to get started on this incredible journey, and we’d love to help you along the way through our FAA 141 certified flight school. The industry is in dire need of more career pilots — not only for airlines, but there’s also a demand for corporate and GA career pilots as well. As far as the airlines go, the job opportunities are really improving. Gone are the days of comparing the initial years of pay to that of working for a fast-food chain. You may now count on a good, decent-paying job that will give you a strong return on your investment in your education. If you’re interested, check out this link regarding Boeing’s pilot and technician outlook for 2017–2036.
If you’d like to stop by sometime and talk about the details involved in learning to fly and becoming a career pilot, please do so! I’d love to meet with you — even if you know you want to go to a traditional college, join the military, etc. I also highly recommend that we all challenge ourselves to be on our toes, ready to seize new opportunities and challenges that could have us set for takeoff on a new and exciting adventure of a lifetime!