"There are a lot of pilots out there. There are a lot of writers out there. But if you combine those two together, you get a unique skillset."
To better familiarize our users with our team and make us closer, we decided to open a new blog section where we will interview our employees. We want to show you that EduBirdie is not just a website. We are a family, a single organism, and a whole team full of bright and enthralling personalities.
Disclaimer: For privacy reasons, EduBirdie is not allowed to disclose the identity of our users as well as our authors. It doesn’t make Capt EB's story any less engaging though!
Capt EB
On personal life
What is the thing you’re most proud of?
I am proud of achieving my childhood dream of becoming a pilot.
How do you spend your free time?
Reading, watching movies, and learning new skills such as playing the guitar and learning a new language.
What are your three most favourite books and why?
Winner stands alone, the book thief, and subtle art of not giving a f*ck. The first two books have a gripping story while the third book teaches important life skills.
What makes you angry?
Irrational people.
On professional experience
What do you like about your job and being a writer the most?
The flexibility and the opportunity to learn new things through research.
What do you seek in your clients?
Communication and clear about instructions.
What is the most interesting topic you had to write a paper on?
I find all topics concerning psychology interesting.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been doing it since 2017.
You mean professionally. Has it ever been like a hobby before?
When I was at school, it was a hobby. It was one of those skills I’ve earned over time at school. After I finished my training, I had a lot of time at hand, so I decided I should start doing something else. And I thought, “I have a hobby. Might as well monetize it.” So, I started writing professionally.
You were writing something for yourself, right? What was it? Short stories or novels or what was it?
When I was at school, I used to write poems. I had a blog on blogspot. My poems were quite strange now when I look back. They were well-written, but the themes were very… odd. Then, I used to write content for friends and family. For their website. And then, I started writing academically as a freelancer. I mean, I used to write academically as a student before but never professionally.
So, what’s the difference between writing for yourself and professionally? I mean, not from the professional point of view, but your own perspective. Do you still enjoy it as much?
Well, there is no direction in creative writing. The thing is, when I’m writing academically, it’s nothing like a writer’s blog because I know what to write. It’s the order, and you do what’s required. I do enjoy academic writing, but it may lack creative freedom. I do not write for myself as much anymore. I always have work to do, but I still enjoy it. The thing is, I have my job also besides academic writing.
So, writing is your second job. What’s your primary occupation?
I’m an airline pilot.
For how long?
Right after school, I got into aviation. I went for flight training in Florida. When I finished, the market was sort of down, so I didn’t have a job for about a year. That’s when I started writing academically. Then after I got a job, the company made us sit at home and do nothing for about a year.
But why?
One of the airlines collapsed, so my airline took in about 400 pilots from them, and they had to train them first, so our training was sort of pushed back. They had to train those pilots; they were much more experienced, so they got priority. Then, the airline finally inducted us. We started working. And then… the pandemic happened. Now everything’s paused for another year. So, I am a pilot, but I forgot that I am one.
Oh, that’s horrible. How many flights did you manage to do for this company?
I did like two in March and Feb, and that’s it. Haven’t flown since then.
What sort of flights are they? Passengers?
I am rated in A320. It’s a 160-seat passenger aircraft.
How does it influence your writing? If it does. Does it make you better? Have you ever done maybe something related to the topic?
I have. I get really excited when I see topics related to aviation. I go like, “Can I write this please? I’m a pilot, let me do it!” I wrote about the environmental impact of aviation. A lot of that related to the engines, what types of engines there are, and how new engines are more environmentally friendly because they are less noisy and have fewer emissions. But not a lot. Maybe five or six essays in two years. I wrote a dissertation, but it has less to do with the aviation point of view and more with the servicing.
I think a lot of people would consider that flying is way more enjoyable and interesting than writing. That’s what I think. If you had to compare them, how would you do it?
The thing is, they both have their pros and cons. I’ll tell you this, being an airline pilot can be really mundane because you’re doing the same thing again and again and again. Every day, six days a week. You have long hours. The one thing about writing is that you learn so much about different things that you wouldn’t do randomly. I can talk to students in the field of economics. I can talk to students in the field of business. I can talk about environmental issues, legal issues. I think that’s awesome, and I’ve learned a lot over the three years since I started writing essays for money.
So, you did write about aviation, and being a pilot did influence our writing? What about vice versa? Can your academic writing ever influence your flying skills?
I don’t know. I think it’s unlikely. But I’ll put it this way. There are a lot of pilots out there. There are a lot of writers out there. But if you combine those two together, you get a unique skillset.
You started working with us before the pandemic, right? Did you feel the topics changed? How do you think COVID affected students?
I think a lot of topics were on COVID 19. Not a lot, compared to the number of orders. I’ve written a couple. I’ve written a lot of essays on BLM as well. The thing is, current events influence the topics students need essays on. I’d say I didn’t see any notable change.
What’s that you’d like to write about the most? If we stay in the academic sphere. What interests you the most?
Number one is, again, current affairs. I find it very interesting. Not only are there a lot of credible sources. It’s engaging. It’s like news. I love reading the news. I wish I read it more often. Environmental issues is another one. And aviation, obviously.
To sum it up, if you could change the way you live right now, what would it be?
Get back to flying. That’s like my biggest grief over the last few years. Just give me a plane, god dammit. I enjoy writing. I truly do. I mean, of course, my primary occupation is being a pilot. I have training in it. I’ve spent a lot of money on it. It’s my passion. But writing is something I really enjoy, and I’m glad it’s something to get expertise over time and make something out of it.
We absolutely agree with Capt EB, and there is no one happier that she could make something (obviously more than just something) out of writing than EduBirdie. We wish her best of luck and hope she can get back to her favorite thing as soon as possible.
