Are there any piloting careers that are good for introverts?

[Zakatak]

I've set myself on the career path of a pilot and have already put tons of money into it. I've acquired my PPL and night rating along with 93 hours of flight time, and I've already payed the expenses for a semester at a university. I just moved into my on-campus residence today actually, and I'm mostly set up for the year. One of the first thing I noticed during the mandatory community meeting was that everyone there was rather extroverted, and most of them were party animals and athletes to boot. Aviation and flying machines has been the closest thing to passion of mine since I was a little kid, but I never thought to check if the career fit my psyche. Now that I'm studying up on pilot personalities, I realize I don't fit the norm nor the recommendation.

 

If you're not an introvert, I'll try and make this short. I don't have a problem with most people and I can have plenty of respect for people I don't get along with. Unfortunately, that that doesn't change the fact that most social interaction makes me physically sick and I find even small talk to be incredibly draining. Telling me to "just go out and make friends" as if I desire to will accomplish about as much as telling a homosexual to get attracted to hot girls.

 

With that out of the way, is there any jobs for a pilot that favor introversion and have fairly minimal social interaction? Stuff like ATC doesn't bother me since that isn't like small talk, it's just procedure that is part of the job. I don't care if it doesn't pay a whole lot in comparison to other careers, because an enjoyable career is more important than a high paying one. Thanks in advance.

[WRAITH]

Hi Zakatak,

 

Honestly depending on your age if you are younger than 30 years of age I can honestly advise to seriously think about a military pilot career preferably for the Navy.

 

There are many roles a pilot in the ADF can take Helo, Private Jet, Transport, Search and Rescue so on.

 

I'm personally hoping my youngest son will take this path even if he serves a term of 8 years in the service. What you take with you is more than what you gain in civil commercial aviation and will be highly regarded rewarded and favorably looked upon once your looking for contract or long term employment even private work.

 

As for personalities you got to be student minded willing to study, good memory not nervy type person quick logical thinker and prepared to follow command and be committed to routine scrutiny and meeting those demands.

 

If that is you in a nut shell I say go for it whilst your young!

 

I might add ATC roles are very stressful type positions and career wise not all that crash hot if you ask me.

 

Best discuss this privately with an ADF career personnel officer at your nearest recruit center.

 

There are many tools that you can learn, acquire and master to be better in the workplace.

 

Also many on-line resources for you to prepare yourself........... http://aviationknowledge.wikidot.com/aviation:communication-in-aviation-effective-communication-s

 

All the best!

 

Cheers,

 

:beer:

Edited September 1, 2014 by WRAITH

[cichlidfan]

I am going to hazard a guess that military life might involve just a wee bit more social interaction than the OP has in mind.

[Flagrum]

Being an introvert myself, my random thoughts on this:

- fwiw, it is getting better when you get older. :o)

- based on TV documentaries (heh, lol, sry): the pilot training requires you to be a good learner, to have good maths skills and the ability for logicial thinking, to be stress resistant and to be physically fit. You don't necessarily need to be the agressive or have the "typical fighter pilot" attitude. You don't need to be the football star or Olympics athlete. You don't need to be the center of every party - but you must be a team player.

- based on other documentaries (...): becoming a military pilot is becoming a soldier. That means, to follow orders, and to live with other people close together that have all sorts of different personalities and habits.

 

Personally, for me as an a bit socially awkward person, these social aspects of "being a soldier" is what would trouble me the most. To have to deal with strangers to share a bunk bed with ... uhm ...

[GGTharos]

With that out of the way, is there any jobs for a pilot that favor introversion and have fairly minimal social interaction? Stuff like ATC doesn't bother me since that isn't like small talk, it's just procedure that is part of the job. I don't care if it doesn't pay a whole lot in comparison to other careers, because an enjoyable career is more important than a high paying one. Thanks in advance.

 

 

Nope. Going to business for yourself means working with others, namely your clients, whom you must find. If you're not your own boss, you still must work with others - namely your boss and his clients.

 

You could get planes for a living, but it may mean flying with copilots on long hauls (in fact I believe two pilots are required for those).

 

If you want to be a military pilot, you can flat out forget about minimizing interaction.

 

 

In other words of you really want to pursue your passion... Get out there and make friends. At least with people in the industry... You'll need them. There's no way to avoid small talk.

Edited September 1, 2014 by GGTharos

[KLR Rico]

I haven't been in your shoes, but I'm pretty introverted myself. I don't think you should stress about the social aspects of piloting. On the bright side, you're going to be more inclined to stay back and study vs going out to party. ;)

 

My personal feelings on socializing are pretty similar to yours, generally it bores me to death... however you want to talk about aviation or something else I'm passionate about, no problem at all. If you're cast from a similar mould, then I think you'd do fine in any branch of aviation, except maybe small charters and tours and stuff like that.

 

If you do find your social anxiety overwhelming and a barrier to where you want to be in life, you could also consider medication, I've known several people who have benefited from it.

[Gloom Demon]

Zakatak I'm a noisy and intrusive extravert, but I understand pretty well how exhausting I can be for some introverts. If an introvert would want to avoid my smalltalk and social pressure coming with it, I would think that directly approaching me and humbly explaining the situation would do the trick. Saying something like "I am very sorry, You are a great guy and obviously the heart of the party, but I was born a thick introvert and this burden is mine to the grave. Unfortunately, most social communication for me is exhausting. So please don't take it as an offense if I am not communicative enough - it is REALLY difficult for me". It may sound silly - but this would work with me and I will try not to frequently overwhelm the guy.

 

Good luck :-)

[KLR Rico]

Except that's what an extrovert thinking like an introvert would say. ;)

[Gloom Demon]

Except that's what an extrovert thinking like an introvert would say. ;)

 

Most certainly :-)

 

"To beat the enemy you have to think like the enemy" (c.)

[bongodriver]

Hi Zakatak,

 

The need for an extroverted personality in aviation goes way beyond just social interaction, it's more to do with dealing with pressure and stress and when working as part of a crew a pilot is meant to be an authority, even if you are a First Officer you will be expected to be able to act as pilot in command, an introverted personality does not fit well with those requirements.

 

Don't be fooled into thinking dealing with ATC is purely a procedural experience, it can be more political than you think, ATC, other operators, passengers, operations all have their own expectations and will put pressure on you, the aircraft commander, to make things go their way, your job is to not let yourself be pushed around and to make things go your way so you don't get overloaded with stress and pressure to ensure the safety of your flight, if you are an introvert you can't do that.

The military will be no different considering you will be expected to be an officer to be a pilot, officers are not introverts, they must be able to take charge of a situation.

[Kaiza]

I have to agree with the bongodriver here, but it depends on where you want to go in your aviation career.

 

Of course there is never any harm in trying, its better to have tried and failed than look back and wonder. Typically (not always) military pilots are extraverts. In most military's you are an Officer as a pilot, which means you have to be a good communicator, confident, and social. You need to be able to lead airmen on the ground and in the air and you will require very good social skills daily.

 

As an airline pilot these days you could argue your ability to interact with the crew in the cockpit (Crew Resource Management) is more important than your piloting skill. Selection for the top airlines will typically focus around an interview where they will assess your ability to work in a team, motivate people, communicate and interact with customers.

 

If interacting with others is not your thing there are plenty of jobs about flying single pilot aircraft, however not earning the big bucks. I wouldn't write anything off though, if it is truely your passion then you will naturally find a niche that fits you. I am not sure how old you are, but you may find that your personality changes a little as you get older too.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Kaiza

[PFunk1606688187]

Perhaps some therapy could aide you in developing a stronger resistance to the typical stresses you experience.

 

I don't think that its necessarily the same thing being social with people making small chat and being totally professional and taking charge of a situation. Anyone who's spent anytime in any social or work settings can tell that there are always louder extroverts but that not all leaders are limited to that template.

 

I know its not as easy to overcome anxieties as extreme as yours by simply 'making friends' but certainly there's some measure of personal development that could be done to adapt on some level. Considering the degree to which extensive psychotherapy can help persons afflicted with things even as extreme as Borderline Personality Disorder, I would find it unlikely to think that someone with introversion issues couldn't make some progress.

 

Frankly I think just about anybody out there could be helped by a little therapy. When people go looking for life coaches or just need to sit down with their loved ones to talk things through, thats basically therapy. Issues more extreme, such as extreme anxieties, just need more focused and studied support. Considering the passion and the financial commitment already made it could be worth exploring.

 

The only real limiting factor long term I could see with an aversion to being social, provided you can find a way to adapt to a degree necessary to get into the business, is that unfortunately merit doesn't always play into career advancement. Often charisma and social connections aide in getting ahead, so that could be its own limiting factor in longterm career success, but that runs the gamut generally in all careers so it might not be terribly relevant. Even mostly introverted fields like computer related work tend to get dominated by the extroverts, if anything more I'd think.

[Gloom Demon]

Frankly I think just about anybody out there could be helped by a little therapy.

 

There are no healthy people, only undiagnosed. (c.) :-)

[ZaltysZ]

I think, introversion is overused as excuse for poor social skills, shyness and phobias in Western cultures, and is even taken as label for social failure. This is wrong. The main difference between extrovert and introvert is from where they get the energy/strength/drive for going trough their lives. It is social interactions for extroverts, and "inner world" for introverts. Craving for interactions is not a requirement, nor it is a guarantee that you will be good at them. Communication is a skill, which has to be learned by both introverts and extroverts.

 

P.S: I am strong introvert with extroverted skin. :)

[ericoh]

Fly cargo in remote areas, alaska or something. :D

 

But realy, we all know this sounds like a broken record, but most of us im sure had their fair share of social anxiety problems over the course of their life. You can realy work on this, never give up. :thumbup:

[bongodriver]

I think, introversion is overused as excuse for poor social skills, shyness and phobias in Western cultures, and is even taken as label for social failure. This is wrong. The main difference between extrovert and introvert is from where they get the energy/strength/drive for going trough their lives. It is social interactions for extroverts, and "inner world" for introverts. Craving for interactions is not a requirement, nor it is a guarantee that you will be good at them. Communication is a skill, which has to be learned by both introverts and extroverts.

 

P.S: I am strong introvert with extroverted skin. :)

 

labas!

 

it's a little more complex, in aviation they like to have a profile based on 4 characteristics, these are introvert/extrovert and stable/unstable, the ideal model for pilot is stable extrovert, the worst case is unstable introvert, all of this has nothing to do with social interaction but rather how you would deal with situations in general (social interaction is just a possible situation) a stable extrovert is likely to face a challenge assertively but rationally, perfect for quick thinking actions required by aircrew, potentially a stable introvert could also make the correct decisions but could lack the key assertiveness required for certain situations, at the unstable end of the scale you will get problems, unstable extroverts are too aggressive and rash, unstable introverts will shut down and curl up and avoid dealing with anything.

[ZaltysZ]

labas!

 

it's a little more complex, in aviation they like to have a profile based on 4 characteristics, these are introvert/extrovert and stable/unstable, the ideal model for pilot is stable extrovert, the worst case is unstable introvert, all of this has nothing to do with social interaction but rather how you would deal with situations in general (social interaction is just a possible situation) a stable extrovert is likely to face a challenge assertively but rationally, perfect for quick thinking actions required by aircrew, potentially a stable introvert could also make the correct decisions but could lack the key assertiveness required for certain situations, at the unstable end of the scale you will get problems, unstable extroverts are too aggressive and rash, unstable introverts will shut down and curl up and avoid dealing with anything.

 

Is this a classification according to Hans Eysenc?

[bongodriver]

Is this a classification according to Hans Eysenc?

 

Don't know, but it does fit with his classification.

[Darkwolf]

Don't think too much about that. nothing says you'll be an introvert in a few years from now.

 

I used to be one. Wouldn't talk to any one, too shy to even look at girls at school.

Years later I became a well known paintball player in France and in an incredibly shot time, I've made my way in the industry, without even writting a resume. Now, wheter it is in video games or paintball, everyone just stick with me like a magnet. From the shy little boy that speak not much, I'm now the guy that everyone wants to drink, play and discuss with.

I never saw it coming neither planned for it.

 

.... And i'm still not too much of a party guy, neither an athlet.

 

And now, I'm seeing the same process in one of my paintball players.... from the shy guy that started with a few days back in the corner of the place, not talking, he is now one of the most respectful and involved player i have around. His friends told me he completely changed.

 

 

Dedication and passion can bring you in a lot of unexpected place, and do a lot of unexpected thing to you. Following my passions... I've been firefighter, paintball tech and sales, and now ... I do sushis...

 

 

So just don't put too much concern about that. Do your life, don't waste your dream over such a detail like this. If you don't try, you'll regret it. Don't force yourself to change either.... It'll come in time. :)

 

 

 

 

Wolf,

Former intravert.

[ZaltysZ]

Don't know, but it does fit with his classification.

 

It does sound like 4 personality types from his older 2D questionnaire (EPQ). However, Eysenck's definition of extrovertness/introvertness has some peculiarities. It includes not only a psychological aspect, but physiological too. Basically, extravert is the one, which constantly lacks excitation and seeks it, and introvert is the one who is constantly overexcited and seeks shelter from stimuli.

 

It makes sense that extravert is desirable as pilot in the context of EPQ, but I find people rarely have EPQ in mind when they talk about being introvert/extravert. Jungian or MBTI definitions are more popular and common. I.e. I am ISTJ (I for introvert) according to MBTI, but I score as stable extravert according to EPQ :pilotfly:

[cheap charlie]

Drink Beer!

[NoJoe]

Zakatak,

 

Just to throw my 2 cents in, many night cargo flying jobs are done single-pilot. There's really not a lot of social interaction involved, except at base before takeoff and ATC in between (though that interaction probably doesn't count).

 

The catch is that in order to meet the minimums for such a cargo job, you'd have to build time somehow. If you're rich you could rent or fly your own plane, but the traditional paths are either as a first officer at a regional or as a flight instructor, both of which involve quite a lot of social interaction. Flight instruction especially is exhausting because you have to be "on" 100% of the time, either keeping your student from crashing, or otherwise watching and communicating with them.

 

I'm an introvert (in the sense that I "recharge" by being away from people), and flight instruction leaves me basically empty of energy at the end of the week.

[Crescendo]

There seems to be a grave misunderstanding by some in this thread of what an actually introvert is.

 

Being an introvert does not mean you are shy, have poor communication skills, lack leadership potential, lack social skills, and lack confidence. Not at all. An introvert can excel in all those areas.

 

All being an introvert means is that you require regular periods of solitude to relax and recharge your mental energy. This is as opposed to an extravert, who recharges their mental energy from regular periods of social interaction.

 

There is no reason why an introvert cannot become a pilot, military or otherwise.

 

That said, the introvert will always have to push themselves harder than an extravert. Socializing and networking is important professionally, and here the extravert has it easy because they find regular and sustained social interaction effortless, while the introvert often (not always) has to overcome significant inertia to feel like socializing. Overcoming this inertia requires willpower and metacognition, i.e. the ability to think about your mental state (which you should be practiced at as an introvert) and recognizing your moods and thought processes. You will regularly have to 'force' yourself to socialize and network for the betterment of your career, and it will be up to you to detect your moods and then decide if you are willing to expend your mental energy or not.

 

This all seems unfair sometimes, but remember that everyone has their own set of problems - introverts and extraverts alike. Moreover, don't forget there are advantages to being introverted too.

 

The key here is to recognize the challenges of your situation and equip yourself with the tools of metacognition. Understand that there will be times where you don't want to socialize, so come up with a system that will make you do it most of the time anyway. Expect difficulty and adversity and preempt your inevitable mental states. If you do this it won't be so bad. Take a page from the philosophy of Stoicism and you can work towards offsetting many kinds of adversities (read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius as a primer).

 

It sounds to me that the big hurdle is already over. If you are as passionate about flying as you say you are, you will be able to offset and endure the discomfort of not experiencing as much solitude as you naturally prefer.

 

Leverage the passion and emotion you feel, and convert it to a well of willpower that you will draw upon in tough times. And consider yourself lucky for finding your passion.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Crescendo

[bongodriver]

Sorry but this 'have a big hug and follow your dreams' is inaccurate, unless you are going to sponsor yourself entirely then at some point you are going to have to go through a selection and if you want a job you will get an interview, they will base that selection on the personality profile I mentioned, the wrong personality in any cockpit can get people killed.

[Random]

Zakatak, similar issues here although I'm not looking to get paid to fly. Just for fun.

 

I am however paid to drive so the social aspects are similar. Dealing with customers and colleagues etc. I don't know your background obviously but If you are anything like me you can reduce most interactions to an almost scripted level. Bit like dealing with ATC but without the strict format. So limiting the stress.

 

IIRC you dont need a commercial license for instructing or glider tug work (as part of a flying club) so that could be a less expensive way to test your ability to deal with the social aspects without the huge cost of the commercial license. Though theres still training to be done!