Career pathway
Commercial Pilot
Fly passengers and cargo for airlines, charter operators and corporate flight departments.
Typical salary range
$70K – $180K
Median $110,000
- Time to qualify
- 2–4 years
- Education
- Certificate
- Outlook
- High (5% growth)
- Remote
- On site
A typical day
What the work actually looks like between nine and five
A representative day combines hands-on work, coordination with a team, documentation, and problem-solving against a deadline.
The pathway
What the route actually looks like, stage by stage
- 1
Learn the fundamentals
Coursework, certificate or the first stage of an apprenticeship.
≈ 1 year
- 2
Get credentialed
Pass the license or certification the role requires.
≈ 1 year
- 3
Work and specialize
Build hours, take the harder jobs, pick a specialty.
≈ 2 years
- 4
Lead or own
Move into supervision, or take the ownership route.
≈ 3 years
Skills that matter
- Airmanship
- Navigation
- Decision making
- Crew coordination
- Regulations
Credentials
- FAA Commercial
- ATP
- Medical certificate
The path to ownership
Where this leads if you want to run it yourself
First officer → captain → check airman or charter operator.
Explore training
Where to start, and where the openings are listed
- Education, training and licensing profileO*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor)Training · opens in a new tab
- Becoming a pilotFederal Aviation AdministrationTraining · opens in a new tab
- Search current job listingsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)Openings · opens in a new tab
Occupation profile at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (illustrative)