Aircraft Maintenance Isn’t for Me. What Else Can I Do with My License?

You spent all that time and money getting you’re A&P License. Then you created your resume, submitted for jobs, interviewed, and finally accepted an offer. Congratulations! What a wonderful progression! ## The Unexpected A few months or even a few years later you are still unhappy and worried. You found out you don’t actually like working on aircraft as much as you thought you would. It’s not fulfilling, it’s not challenging, it’s not work you enjoy, it doesn’t have the career trajectory you thought, etc. Whatever the reason, you’re now feeling stuck. What are you going to do now? Well, I have some news for you, and it’s surprisingly not bad at all. So many industries require the same skills being an aircraft mechanic does. You have a plethora of proven skills and experience you can leverage to find a new career. To list a few: – Read & Interpret maintenance manuals/engineering blue prints – Mechanically apt – Structural Assembly/Disassembly (bucking and drilling rivets, installing and removing hi loks, etc.) – Use of calibrated precision measurement tools – Systems Troubleshooting – Experience with complex mechanical systems – Experience with complex fluid mechanics (hydraulics, fuel-draulics, potable water) – Experience with pneumatics (ECS systems, APUs) – Experience with oxygen and nitrogen systems – Basic electrical systems experience – Sheet Metal Fabrication (this is a bit more specialized, make sure you explicitly have this experience before listing it) – Avionics Installation (this is another more specialized field, don’t list it if you don’t have it) You can see how some of those skills translate. Using this lens you’ll be able to better analyze why you’d be a potential candidate for your next step. Being able to show your value to hiring managers outside of aviation who don’t speak the language is going to be crucial to landing an offer. Now you can calibrate your shot. Next is giving you some examples of industries you can leverage your license with. The idea is to require little to no retraining or education. Let’s explore some fields! ## Theme Parks & Attractions Places like Busch Gardens, Six Flags, Disneyland, Universal Studios, Seaworld, Holyland, and many others need skilled mechanics to work on their rides and attractions. Your skills, experience, and license are exactly what they’re looking for, even if they don’t know it yet. ## Plant Maintenance Whether they be waste plants (water, chemical, etc), power plants, or manufacturing plants someone needs to fix the complex systems in these places. That person could be you! Do note that some places will ask for specific experience with PLC programming, working with belt driven machinery, and some other items you probably won’t have experience with. ## Wind Turbines/Renewable Energy There are plenty of companies looking for mechanically inclined folks, one example being FieldCore. They need specialized experience that has been proven to work on these multi-million dollar machines and systems. Take note that these jobs usually do require heavy travel. Before applying make sure you understand what you are submitting for. ## Manufacturing/Assembly Any manufacturing or assembly type job is going to require the ability to read, analyze, and interpret maintenance manuals and engineering blue prints. You will also need to be mechanically inclined. Beginning to sound familiar? It should. If you prefer repetitive tasks over unplanned maintenance this may be a good fit for you. ## Millwrights/Unions Skilled labor and trade unions have been around for decades. While it may be difficult to get into one, this is a potential avenue for you. There are numerous trades you could leverage your license with, check out your local millwright for more information. ## Aerospace This one may seem extremely obvious, but there are some people that don’t ever give it a thought. You can have an Aerospace Technology degree or you can have an A&P License. Having that license is considered an equivalent, and often times, a preference. If turning wrenches on rockets and spaceships sounds more enticing, then go for it! ## The Takeaways Deciding to move on from Aviation doesn’t make you a failure, it makes you a better expert on yourself. In a recent mentorship phone call I remember my mentor expressing the importance of the personal “why’s”. If you can’t pin down your “why’s” you won’t be able to hit your “where’s”. Your “why’s” are what keep you going when things are bad enough for you to quit. “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” -Aristotle Show up, demonstrate your value, and shine with enthusiasm as you open that next door.