Re-igniting Your Aviation Career during and after COVID-19

I constantly hear new students questioning their choice to begin a career in aviation. The global pandemic has crippled the industry, leading the next generation of airline professionals wondering whether there is something else they should aspire towards.

I've been hearing it everywhere.

My students are seriously questioning whether aviation is a wise field to pursue. People are saying COVID-19 has 'grounded' their dreams of being a pilot. The UK pilots union is telling people not to become pilots because they won't get a job. Pilots are facing 'career anxiety' and The Pilot Survey 2021 presents some daunting statistics about the employment of aviation professionals.

I'll say it now to everybody who wants a career in aviation: Go for it.

Whether you want to be a pilot, an aerospace engineer, an airline manager, an airport consultant, an air traffic controller or a drone specialist: Don't give up.

It might be easy for me to say - I've had a long career. Yes, the aviation industry is doing it tough right now, and it will be changed forever.

But do not let that stop your goals of a successful career in aviation.

Forget the old assumptions

Old assumptions and old ways of thinking won’t get us back on our feet.

The daunting and dismal outlook that future aviation professionals are facing is the product of an environment holding onto old assumptions of what aviation was - not what it will become.

Even during times of crisis, opportunities abound. Most of us are just wired in such a way that we cannot see them. But if we learn to think differently, we can start seeing the world from a different perspective.

Due to the pandemic, I am now working on three new major aviation projects.

I am not alone. Airbus has announced the ZEROe, the world's first zero-emission commercial jet. There are also a swathe of new start-up airlines such as Airseven (Denmark), Ita Linhas Aereas (Brazil), Aero K (South Korea) and PLAY (Iceland).

In fact, now is an excellent time to start a new airline. With the insolvency of major airlines, the time is ripe to use smaller, narrow-body aircraft and the fast recovering domestic market to the industry's advantage. Aircraft leases are at all-time low rates. There are a sea of highly-trained pilots looking for jobs.

And, most importantly, slots are abound - especially at major airports such as Sydney Airport.

In the Federal Government's 2020 Issues Paper on the future of Australia's Aviation Sector, called Flying to Recovery, the Federal Government focused on facilitating new and emerging technologies as key component of shaping aviation's future. This has included, for example, the emergence of new electric propulsion systems fitted to existing aircraft designs.

20-20 Thinking can help your aviation career

In my previous post, I discussed how 20-20 Thinking can help the aviation industry survive and thrive after the pandemic. I also discussed how corporate culture needs to change in order to make of the most of the opportunities presented by the pandemic.

The exact same can be said in order to re-ignite your aviation career.

20-20 Thinking is about embracing creativity and shifting your way of thinking in order to adapt to a radically changed landscape - both in your personal and your professional life.

In my newly released book, The Corona Dilemma: 20-20 Thinking for the Next Normal, I provide the tools and strategies to show you how to make the most of the new aviation environment.

For an investment of less than $30, you can explore new career possibilities and create your Next Normal. Buy now online at www.TheCoronaDilemma.com.