My career
aspirations have not changed much since the beginning of the semester. I still would like to become a manager at a
smaller regional airport or the manager of a FBO that would be located at the
same type of airport. I enjoy spending
my time around the airport watching airplanes take off and land, as well as
helping customers at the airport.
I really enjoyed
hearing all that Mark Johnson had to say because he is working in the same type
of airport and same job that I see myself working at in a bit. I had no idea all that goes into working as
an airport manager and Mark was able to explain in detail all the tasks that he
is responsible for. I especially enjoyed
hearing him discuss all the steps that went into the expansion of the airport
and runway at Livingston County.
Furthermore I really enjoyed heard from the Air Traffic Controller who
came to talk to us. While it sounds like
a very interesting and rewarding job, I was sad to hear that I am above the
cutoff age that they start employment. This
class as really shown me all the different careers in aviation and that there
are certainly more than one specific way to get where you want to be in the
aviation industry. Many times you have
to be able to think outside the box and take advantage of any and all opportunities
that come your way.
My career goals for
the next five years are to 1. Graduate from Eastern Michigan with my degree in
Aviation Management and Flight Dispatcher’s certificate, 2. Join as many aviation
organizations as possible, 3. Gain valuable experience in the management side
of aviation, 4. Get into a Master’s program (possibly a MBA), and 5. Start the necessary
steps to become a certified member of the American Association of Airport
Executives.