I just got my schedule for December. I have 31 days off. This means that my last day flying as an airline pilot will be November 30. I’m absolutely clueless about where to go next. Aside from applying for unemployment, I really don’t even know what the next step is. Last time I found myself unemployed, flying jobs were really easy to come by, as we were in the middle of a huge pilot shortage. It’s a very different story now, with tens of thousands of pilots out of work, many of whom are far better qualified for what few jobs there may be out there.

It might be time to move to Alaska, but there’s not much hiring going on there, either. I’m willing to consider just about anything at this point, but there’s also the issue that I like living in Colorado. If I take a job somewhere else that doesn’t pay any better than what Jonah’s making now, I’m not sure that we’re much better off. Things will get better, and in 2 years or so, I think it’ll be pretty easy to find a flying job again. But I’m not really sure how to hang out in the mean time. I’m considering going to college, but that means a lot more loans, and I’m not sure that a college degree would get me anything that I don’t have now.

I probably should have started searching for jobs today, but I can’t seem to find the motivation. The whole thing is just terribly depressing these days. I’ll probably see if I can find any part time flight instructing work in the area, but even that’s very doubtful.