"There Will Be Furloughs"...

"There will be furloughs", my manager told me.

With that, my greatest fear was confirmed. I was in a position where I would be furloughed from my job. The economy played a big factor, but another factor that caused the layoffs was the recent transition to the flight boarding method the airline I work for adopted: from two agents to a flight to only one, and a computer to scan boarding passes. Technology, which is what many airlines have been pushing for, is killing jobs everywhere. I'm all for the progress of aviation, though; don't get me wrong. However, I realized that most progress comes at the expense of people. Eliminating the navigator, then the flight engineer...all that was a product of the advancement of aviation.

However, aviation as an industry should stand out, not as a cutthroat industry, but one that helps people do what they need to do. And that is my vision for my contribution for aviation.

After getting the news, I have already applied to work as an air traffic controller (which, coincidentally, the FAA started hiring off the street the same week that I got the announcement). I'll keep you guys posted on how that goes, if it does blossom into anything. I'm just hoping to get a test date right now.