I am a flight instructor. That simple five word statement says more about me than I could possible explain in this short essay. It says so much about my work ethic, dedication, problem solving, and ability to learn. Most importantly my ability to take what I've learned and apply it in one of the most difficult ways imaginable, passing it on to those who lack any knowledge of the subject.

6 AM, I wake up and go over notes. 8 AM, I'm at the airport, being taught by the numerous instructors needed to maintain my schedule. 5 PM, I have time to myself. By myself, I mean hunting down anyone willing to listen as I practice teaching. If I can't find anyone, it's studying and cramming. 12 AM, sleep. Maybe. Seven days a week, for nearly a year straight, all to achieve a singular goal. Passing a six hour oral test where I lived or died on how well I can teach nearly everything I've managed to learn in the past year. In the end, earning a small plastic laminated card stating "Anon, Certified Flight Instructor". I struggle to find a way to express the amount of hard work and dedication that it took. I can barely express the sheer amount of overwhelming material that I had to understand. The best I can put it is to compare it to Purdue's own aviation program. I did in under a year, what would have taken four years at Purdue. Luckily, I have the drive and determination as well as a need to learn that allows me to achieve whatever I set my mind to.

Now that I am an instructor, I have an even more daunting challenge ahead of me. I have to pass everything I've learned, thousands of hours of knowledge, on to someone who at times know little more than the basic shape of an airplane.