As a pilot, I have been tested and challenged since my very first flight with an instructor. And when I was flying without an instructor, I still found ways to be tested and challenged. It comes with the territory of keeping an airplane above the ground until you're good and ready to be back on the ground.

Every business can benefit from the skills that a pilot has. It happens that the type of business I know best is Marketing. From websites to email campaigns to event planning, I have dabbled in just about everything related to Marketing. I'd like to say I'm better prepared in my career now than before I began flying. Think I'm full of myself? Here's how being a pilot is good for business:

Multi-Tasking - You cannot be an effective pilot without the skill to multi-task. You must be able to monitor all the airplane gauges while listening to air traffic control while scanning the skies for other traffic while entertaining your passengers in chit-chat while staying on course to wherever you're going. The ability to juggle many tasks at once is a regularly exercised skill of most pilots. Businesses looking for someone who can easily multi-task need look no further than at a pilot.

Ability to Work Under Pressure - I contend that pilots would easily pass the "under pressure" requirements of any hiring manager. From day one, a pilot is trained to handle life or death situations. Every time you prepare to land an airplane, you're under pressure. There are so many variables that need to be just right: airspeed, altitude, fuel settings, confirmation of landing gear to be operational, communications with other pilots or the tower, the ability to see the runway and line up for it. Pilots learn to push a little fear aside to make decisions and corrections. Businesses looking for someone who can work under pressure need look no further than at a pilot.

Quick Thinker - Most businesses want people who can think quick. Pilots must be quick thinkers to adapt to situations and make corrections for every take-off, flight and landing. Quick thinking is most evident when it's windy and when landing conditions aren't just right necessitating a go-around. Businesses looking for a quick thinker need look no further than at a pilot.

Project Management - If you're a non-pilot, you probably have no idea how much work goes into proper flight planning under visual flight rules. Every cross country flight is a project that involves: researching the weather; plotting your course; figuring out your check points, distance, fuel and estimated time; filing a flight plan and/or getting flight following; then actually flying the airplane to your destination just as you planned it out. In business, Project Management has many similar characteristics of planning ahead, checking with other departments on your plans, and implementing your project. Businesses looking for someone adept at project management need look no further than at a pilot.

Quality Assurance - Prior to every flight, a pilot inspects the airplane and the weather before even starting the engine. To help pilots avoid complacency, we use checklists to ensure every critical component is considered before flight. If anything is less than ideal, the flight is delayed or canceled. Student pilots are accustom to the scrutiny of their instructors. It's not until the student performs basic operations without error that they are released with a license. Businesses looking for someone adept at quality assurance need look no further than at a pilot.

Intelligence - I can't say all pilots are intelligent. But I can say there's a high bar set for anyone who wants to fly. There's so much to learn: weather reports, airplane performance, radio communications, charts, performance charts, and so on. New pilots learn the lingo of control and tower communications, they must pass a written exam and demonstrate abilities in flight. I guess this also means pilots are hardworking and ambitious.

No matter what industry it's in, a business looking for a stellar addition to the team need look no further than at a pilot.