When deciding on which among multiple different career paths to pursue, pilots have a few separate choices to make. One could follow the very straightforward path to becoming a pilot, which is by earning a Bachelor’s degree and then proceeding to undergo years of intense training, before ultimately earning a commercial pilot’s license and flying for a regional airline. At a carrier like SkyWest Airlines, a first-year first officer will often make less than $50,000, meaning that most will eventually look to graduate to a larger carrier like Delta Air Lines, where benefits are much better and salaries continue to grow each year.