Stephanie Wells

First of all, pick something that you feel your heart is something you want to do, something you'd enjoy, something that would be meaningful to you, something that would be enriching, enjoyable. Don't let them tell you no, or you can't - keep pushing. Sometimes you have to push a little harder than, say, a man might have to do. Make sure the little stepping stones along the way are also things that are enjoyable to you, because people are much happier and much better at whatever work or profession they do if they really enjoy it. It means a lot to them - it's more important than pay, it's more important than location. If you're gonna have a profession, it should be something you find rewarding and enjoyable. For becoming a pilot specifically, it's a long road and it's not easy, it's not cheap, but there are people to help you along the way and there are also scholarships and such things. You just have to be ready to persevere. It's gonna take a little doing to get there, and it should be enjoyable all along the way to get there. And if it isn't, maybe that's not the right job for you. You gotta have good health and various other things, but if you have those and the perseverance, you can do it.

It's a long road, and it's not easy, it's not cheap to become a pilot. Most people get excited about it from an opportunity to go fly with a friend or something, and they find out it's something they really like. Then they find out how long the road is and how expensive it is to get to a place where you can actually make money at it. So you have to kind of be willing to push through that, and it should be enjoyable all along the way to get there. Being a pilot is not something that women typically choose very often - probably only around 10-15% of all the professional pilots in the U.S. are women, maybe less than that even. Whereas other professions such as being a lawyer or a doctor, women have reached a 50% point on those. Women also seem to not be choosing to be pilots or engineers as much as men either. When I was young, it wasn't a choice - it wasn't open to women. I was lucky in the 70s that, one by one, these various professions formerly closed to women started opening up. Now the door is open - a woman or a man or anyone who wants to be a pilot, if they have the perseverance and good health and various other things, they can do it. Most professional jobs like airlines or military require you to have a college degree to be a pilot, and more women nowadays are getting college degrees even than men.

I think it's really important for people to be open-minded, to keep learning, keep exploring, keep moving. My value is that each person should do their own thinking. Respect is probably one of the most important values - not only respect for older people or other people, but respect yourself, people you work for, people that work for you. And if you keep that as your number one item, you'll be best off. I also believe in quality of life and life balance - it's all about that, and it shouldn't be all about working through everything. Those values are important too.