This is a story of a man who dreamt of becoming a pilot his whole life, and did whatever he could to do it. After finishing his piloting license, he realized this particular license was not recognized in Malaysia, leading him to be unemployed for a long time. As he entered fatherhood, he realized that his children were the ones that brought him fulfillment in life.
I grew up in Butterworth, Penang, right next to the Air Force Base. Since I was a young boy, I watched airplanes fly above me every single day. Fighter jets practicing in formation. My favourite was when they would practice right before the Merdeka parade. Hours upon hours I would lie down on the grass, gazing above, dreaming of becoming a pilot. I knew since I was 6 what I wanted to be and I never changed my mind.
I did not do well in my SPM certificate, and did not get the required credit for Physics. I did so much prep work but still failed short as it was not a strong subject of mine. I couldn’t enter a Malaysian flying school with my grades. I had the option of re-doing my SPM but I was adamant to find another option as I just wanted to become a pilot as fast as possible.
They used every last saving
I saw an ad for a piloting school in Bangkok, and that I met the requirements to get a Private Piloting License. I convinced my parents that this was the route I should take and that I was meant to be a pilot. The fees were extremely high and my family was a single income household. My parents ended up borrowing a lot of money through personal loans and gifts from family. They managed to gather the RM100k needed for the six month course and the living expenses.
My parents took out every saving they had to send me to become a pilot, hoping that I would become a high earner and be able to look after them. I was confident as I knew that pilots were able to earn well while working. My time studying was one of the best times of my life. Especially when it came to the practical part of the studies where we had to complete the hours needed to fly. Being in the air was even better than I had dreamed and hoped for. Not just the freedom, but to look at life from above, it’s something that’s hard to describe.
The dream came crashing down
After I graduated, and I was trying to look for a job, it was only then that I realized that in order to work for an airline, you needed a Commercial Piloting License and I had a private license instead. I had to get my license converted and it would require an astronomical amount of money we did not have. Back then it was around RM300,000 to convert the license and the moment I found out about it, my heart dropped.
I knew my parents could never afford it, and it was way too much to ask family for help. When I broke the news to my parents they were disappointed at me, but they never took out any anger. I think they saw the disappointment I had in myself. My only option at that time was to try to become a private pilot to some rich man or work for a piloting school.
Within the private piloting industry, most people who had their own plane, would prefer to hire a retired pilot who had more experience flying, and same for the school. All the places I applied to gave me the same answers – that I didn’t have enough experience. My piloting journey came to a halting stop.
Reality was kicking in, fast
During this whole time, my then-girlfriend (now my wife), was extremely supportive. She was a rock that kept me steady through all of it. I was unemployed for more than a year during that time, trying to look for any opportunities in different countries. She encouraged me to look for other alternatives while I figured out what to do with my useless piloting license. She was working as an accountant and bringing in a steady income. I did some part time jobs and gigs here and there to earn some extra income. Even though my career was downhill, we knew we wanted to start a family. When we were 26, we decided to get married.
When we decided to start a family, I knew I had to bring more to the table so we could have some financial stability. That’s when a friend introduced me to being an insurance agent. The first 5 years I worked hard to bring in a steady income. Even though it’s not as much as I wish I could make, the extra money helped in supplementing the joint income with my wife.
We have been happily married now for almost 9 years with three little children. We have a six year old boy and twin girls that are four. I feel extremely fulfilled by them, and being a father is the greatest privilege of my life. I quit my job shortly after my girls were born. My wife started a new job that would give us a comfortable living. Now I am a full time father, from preparing their breakfast to getting them ready for school. I keep the home clean and tidy, and prepare healthy meals for my family. I love playing with my kids, taking them to the park, to their classes, and watching them grow.
This wasn’t the life I expected myself to have. I thought I would be travelling around the world as a pilot, and meeting different people each day. I have to say that I don’t regret anything. I wish I didn’t waste all that money, but if that’s what it took for me to have a beautiful family and be a present father, then it was all worth it.
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