I'm coming up to a point in life where I need to find another job and despite all advice have still not managed to make my mind up as to what I want to do when I grow up..I thought I'd know by now!! Aviation has been part my life since day one, and also part of my job for the past 20 odd years, I'd like it to continue, but I'd also like to explore other (more lucrative) avenues.

What would you like to do if you were faced with the choice today?

Also would you go for a job with slightly lower pay and still be involved in aviation someway or go for a better paying job in something you realy don't like on the premis that you will 'come to like it...'?

Auto mechanic/restoration

Currently managing an Apple/PC Retailer/Solution provider.

I'd love to be able to work on cars all day, and try to make people happy and offer a better experience than every single other mechanic shop out there.

I'd love to be doing external CFD stuff at Scaled Composites or SpaceX, but that's still some way off, plus being a slightly incompatible nationality doesn't help. Or doing RPG game music. Possibly both.

Payment-wise, that's a call that would depend on my personal financial situation, but in principle I'd take a lower paid job if it had better conditions and was more aligned with what I feel that I want to do. That said, would my guess be right in that you have an option that has potentially greater pay, but is outside of aviation? (Oil and gas/energy?)

I can only give you my personal preferences. I want to work a job that I can make a living at and be happy. If I could make more money and be less happy, then I wouldn't do it. I am far from rich, but getting up every day and dreading getting to work is just screwed. I have been there and done that.

Money is important, but you can't put a price on happiness IMHO.

the best job for me is the one i'm doing now - self-employed / company owner. i choose or manufacture all of my own products - some of them i hand make myself. a lot of satisfaction in that. i'm a natural marketer though so that has some impact, not everyone is suited for marketing/sales.

Singer/musician. Not the kind of fame as Michael Jackson or the most famous pop acts, something less mainstream. I never explored any creative talents, that is, if I had any at all.

That is exactly what I'm doing right now. It's actually even worse, given that so far I've only been able to find short term/seasonal contracts (very few long-term full-time positions in my field of work at the moment) The pay isn't that bad, but the city is expensive and it means moving every other six months, which takes its toll financially, but I couldn't take a job I didn't like just for the extra money.

I don't know what the situation is where you are, but around here you don't work in aviation for the money.

As I gain experience and build up my resume I might eventually manage to shoot for better paid positions (Switzerland ), but anything that wouldn't require going through a metal detector in the morning and wearing a high viz vest all day just wouldn't be a proper "Job" to me...

Cheers

Nico

Forest ranger, I love being outdoors and I'm somewhat anti-social so that job would suit me and from the rangers I've spoken to the job is interesting enough to not get stale.
Problem is that people have to be forced to retire from the job so landing a spot is about like playing the lottery.
I'm too old now to change jobs so I'll just keep going to the God forsaken hell-hole I currently work at.

Photographer....for GQ. So I could do photo shoots like this:

http://www.gq.com/women/photos/201207/kate-upton-gq-photos-july-2012#slide=1

I think I could handle that.

You spend far too much of your life at work to not enjoy what you do, at least to some extent. If aviation is in your blood then frankly, you shouldn't fight it.