<prompt> Human: Im going to be striving for earning my pilot license next summer, giving me a year to save up around 10,000. This is exceptionally difficult because Im only 15, so theres not too much income I have. Currently Im just doing side jobs and earning any money that I can. Recycling, car cleaning, law mowing, etc. How should I approach this?  <response>: As someone who has bug smashed a full summer while working to pay for it, dont wear yourself out. Aviation will always be there, so if you dont solo or get rated in a summer dont worry. I would like to make some suggestions about flying though. Dont just go with the cheapest or first FBO you find. Most places will have an orientation flight thats like a 30 minute hop for less than a regular lesson. Take a couple orientation hops and put them in your log book. Look at Microsoft Flight Sim, it used to be that you could complete all the flight sim certifications and count some of that towards ground school time. Even if you cant its a great tool. Just getting used to the vernacular of radio chatter is a big thing, I used to also listen to various towers and ABQ center streaming online just to keep my head in that space. A lot of instructors will recommend you get a handheld radio and just stand at the flight line to watch and listen. Join the AOPA yesterday. Dont get hung up on the ratings. Everyone wants a full pilots license. But to get that you learning a lot! A great option is light sport...there are a ton of great light sport aircraft out now and its basically a pilots license with a few exceptions: basically you cant fly at night and you cant flight into an airport you havent been into with an instructor before. Its WAY cheaper and you get virtually the same training. Then you are 85 of the way to a pilots license when the moneytime are right. Hope you enjoy the experience! Look around at youth programs, some a great, some are crap. Civil Air Patrol is hit and miss from squadron to squadron, and Aviation Explorer Scouts are rare these days. 