Commercial Pilot
Fly passengers and cargo safely across domestic and international routes
About the profession
Commercial Pilots operate aircraft carrying passengers and cargo for airlines and charter companies. The career demands extensive training, medical fitness, and accumulated flight hours. A massive pilot shortage worldwide has driven salaries to record highs, with major airline captains earning $300,000+. The path requires significant upfront investment in flight training but offers exceptional long-term compensation.
How to Get Started
Take a personality test to see if Commercial Pilot fits your profile
Career Match Test →Explore the Career Path section to see progression from junior to senior
Jump to Career Path →Start learning — check the Learning Path for free courses
Jump to Learning Path →Personality Fit
Based on the Commercial Pilot role, here are the RIASEC personality types that tend to thrive in this career. While these alignments are common, individual success depends on motivation, skill development, and finding the right work environment.
Realistic
Hands-on, practical, technical work
Artistic
Creative, expressive, original thinking
Enterprising
Leading, persuading, business
Not sure if these types match you? Take the full RIASEC assessment (4 min) to discover your personality profile and see how it aligns with hundreds of careers.
Career Path
Your career progression roadmap with salary growth at each level
Career Ladder
First Officer (Regional) → First Officer (Major) → Captain (Regional) → Captain (Major Airline) → Chief Pilot
Where are you on this career path?
Click a level below to set your current position
Salary Growth
5
Levels
$350K
Top Salary
Learning Path
Skills you need to develop and courses to get there
🚀
Set your current level first
Go to the Career Path tab and select your current level to see your personalized learning plan.
Go to Career PathCareer levels
Base: $60,000 - $80,000/year Base: $90,000 - $130,000/year Base: $130,000 - $180,000/year Base: $180,000 - $250,000/year Base: $250,000 - $350,000/year
Skills used in this career
Click any skill to see how to learn it and what salary boost it gives
Learning Path 0 → Junior
Step-by-step plan from zero to first job
Obtain Private Pilot License (PPL) and instrument rating Build flight hours through CFI (flight instructor) or Part 135 operations Earn Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and ATP…
Market 2026–2030
Trends, AI impact, prospects
Growth Rate: Above average through 2035, severe pilot shortage Remote Trend: Primarily on-site, cockpit presence required Top Industries: Major airlines, regional airlines, cargo…
💰 Salary Range
BLS OEWS, May 2023Half of U.S. workers in this occupation earn more than this, half earn less.
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Create Free AccountPersonality types that fit this career
Based on career-match data from our Result Library:
The fit level is JobCannon’s editorial rating of how well a result suits this career — not a statistical prediction. How we rate each test’s validity →
🎯 Is Commercial Pilot right for you?
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Related Reading
Related Holland / RIASEC Types