Life will bring you all sorts of hardships, challenges, and tribulations. It’s not a matter of if, but rather when. There will be many times in your life when you might say, “why me.” Or wonder for days, weeks, and months how you will climb this mountain with no peak.
I’ve had many similar experiences. Times when I didn’t know what to do, where to go, and how to believe in myself.
Today I want to share with you one of these challenges. I believe it’s a challenge that has shaped my entire life, and without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
I was 19 living on my own in Vancouver, Canada. A freshly licensed Commercial Helicopter Pilot with 100 hours of flight time. The previous year I spent over $50,000 on training.
I was chasing a dream blindly. Young and risk-oriented.
I struggled right from the get-go. Not knowing anyone, having any resources, or being able to lock in a job in the industry.
I began to understand the thing I was going through was more common than not. Aviation is a tough industry, competitive, and not for the faint of heart.
Tons of others paid big bucks for a license and never flew again.
That year when I was 19, I got hit hard. Broke, in massive amounts of student debt, and with no opportunities in sight.
I can’t tell you the number of companies I sent resumes to, called, showed up to, or phoned because I honestly don’t know. But the number was very, very high.
I’ve always believed that you need to be open to everything early in your career—travel, moving, schedules, people, and everything else.
If you’re picky, you will limit your opportunities, thus limiting your true potential.
I was willing to go anywhere and everywhere (in Canada, of course) because that’s where I was certified to fly.
Little did I know that no one wanted to hire a 100-hour young pilot. The reason? It was too risky, and there was far too much liability.
Who in their right mind would trust a teenager to fly their helicopter that cost anywhere from $300,000 upward to $2,000,000 plus!?
I know I sure wouldn’t…
But this didn’t change the fact that I was broke, in debt, and jobless at 19. Living thousands of kilometres from family and friends, out on my own.
I took on jobs that I had experience in previously in the meantime. I got back into snowboarding, instructing that first winter to pay the bills. Once the season ended, I had to work back at a hardware store (which I had a lot of experience in from high school).
I was firing off resumes to aviation companies across Canada the entire time. I was willing to move in an instant at the first opportunity.
But the opportunity never came…
Running out of money by the month, I was getting into a tighter and tighter situation. Not only financially but mentally as well.
Pressure and stress were building up, and I knew I was close to the breaking point. I knew I could only survive a bit longer before I’d have to throw in the towel and figure something else out.
Then the day came when I hit rock bottom. I had a negative balance in my bank account. No money to pay rent, bills, or survive.
I had to make the dreaded phone call back to my parents to see if they could transfer me a bit of money to survive for the next month (luckily, they did). Otherwise, I don’t know what would have happened that month.
From there, I needed to backtrack to move forward. The plan? Move back 3300km to Ontario from British Columbia and moved back in with my parents.
A hard yet necessary decision. I needed to go back to the drawing board and figure out what I could do next.
With these simple yet powerful questions in mind, I was able to figure it out. I started working back at the company in my hometown during high school. It was hard being asked why I was back and what I would do next. But that’s life.
From there, I was in rebuilding mode. I knew I would still pursue aviation. I wasn’t giving up by any means. But, I began to look at the bigger picture.
If flying isn’t working out right now, what if I try something else in the same industry?
This would allow me to gain experience, get into the workforce, and then eventually. More doors would open.
I wasn’t giving up. I was pivoting with intention.
I worked for a solid year full-time at the hardware store. Saved up everything I could. Trying to pay off some of the debt (which I barely could), but also saving for the next plan.
The idea was to become an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (or AME for short). An AME is the title of a person in Canada who does aircraft maintenance.
Being already certified to fly helicopters, I knew that if I went on this journey, I would specialize only in helicopters again. Allowing me to get my foot in the door of the industry.
The following year and a half, I was enrolled, accepted, and on a flight back to Vancouver, BC, to redeem myself.
4 years following that, I was a licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer. In school, a teacher gave me a business card for a company that his friend worked at. A week later, I had a job.
While the story continues, I don’t want to bore you. But I want you to see and understand the valuable lessons I’ve shared.
Nothing was working out for me. I was chasing passion and hearing no’s month after month. I was open to moving, working hard, and saying yes to everything and anything, but there was nothing available to me.
I knew giving up was never an option. But, doing something else in the same field was 100% necessary to move forward.
I committed to something new and exciting that wasn’t part of the original plan. Guess what? Plans change! Being open to new paths and new places is a must.
It costs more money to go back to school and much more time. But it’s what was needed for me to move forward.
Making the right connections while in school was the catalyst of change. And that led to work immediately after I graduated. I had secured a job before I finished school, a big feat from not finding work for over a year and a half solid.
I hope you found value in today’s post. If you did, share it with a friend or three. Let’s build a community of doers, go-getters, and supporters. We’re stronger as a team. It’s time to grow together like never before.
Chris M Wilson
Chris Wilson is a keynote speaker, CTI coach, and entrepreneur. Through his Hover to Fly framework, he aims to impact the next generation in their careers and lives
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