Good backup degrees

Don't think of a back-up as a back-up "degree", so much as a back-up plan. Any degree you get is great, but if you're going to be marketable in ANY field you've got to maintain currency in that field. No matter if your degree is math, engineering, computer science, whatever, if you don't keep current in that field, maintaining current field knowledge, up-to-date information AND current contacts, you're not going to get many job offers out of that degree. Your marketability in the field goes down with every year that passes that you don't work to stay current in the field.

Get a degree in whatever you want. If you really want a back-up, think of it is a back-up PLAN that you must always be keeping up to date.
 
MQAAord said:
Don't think of a back-up as a back-up "degree", so much as a back-up plan. Any degree you get is great, but if you're going to be marketable in ANY field you've got to maintain currency in that field. No matter if your degree is math, engineering, computer science, whatever, if you don't keep current in that field, maintaining current field knowledge, up-to-date information AND current contacts, you're not going to get many job offers out of that degree. Your marketability in the field goes down with every year that passes that you don't work to stay current in the field.

Get a degree in whatever you want. If you really want a back-up, think of it is a back-up PLAN that you must always be keeping up to date.
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That is an excellent post and exactly on target.
 
seagull said:
That is an excellent post and exactly on target.
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Would this conflict with your ideas of better training in the civilian world?

I mean if there is a degree program that actually concentrates on raising one's knowledge of the aviation sciences, and someone elects to get an engineering degree instead, wouldn't there inherently be a knowledge gap?

Why focus on learning the art and science of airplanes part time, if that's what you're going to pursue full time?

Obviously, someone who goes into the military doesn't need that, as they get the ground-up process.
 
Polar742 said:
Would this conflict with your ideas of better training in the civilian world?

I mean if there is a degree program that actually concentrates on raising one's knowledge of the aviation sciences, and someone elects to get an engineering degree instead, wouldn't there inherently be a knowledge gap?

Why focus on learning the art and science of airplanes part time, if that's what you're going to pursue full time?

Obviously, someone who goes into the military doesn't need that, as they get the ground-up process.
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You are correct. I was answering this as a separate issue, in terms of the whole "back up " argument. In terms of making better pilots, there is no competition except for the aero engineering degree.
 
seagull said:
You are correct. I was answering this as a separate issue, in terms of the whole "back up " argument. In terms of making better pilots, there is no competition except for the aero engineering degree.
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Sometimes it may not look like it, but we see eye to eye....
 
An MBA without a few years of serious experience is not worth the paper it's written on. I used to be partners in an executive headhunting service and it was amazing to see the number of resumes with MBA's and no experience, all demanding outlandish minimum salaries because they had MBA's...meanwhile guys with 20 years of experience and MBA's were happy to find a job.

My advice to you is find something you like in a field that people always need...then do that. People gotta eat, they gotta pay taxes and they gotta die. Who cares if you make a couple of hundred grand in cash selling hotdogs and cokes out of a cart or busting your ass doing something else?

Low end food service with high profit margins (dogs and cokes), a tax preparer (though it will drive you nuts), or mortician...and plan on buying the business. There's others, you just gotta look. And you don't need an MBA.
 
Kestrel452 said:
Would an MBA serve as a good backup or compliment to a pro pilot degree?
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Math degree dude, that's what I'm doing, and though it's harder than hell, it's a great backup. Most places have a high job placement rate, because the people who actually know how to do higher math are in short supply in this country.
 
seagull said:
The aviation degree at that point. Your experience is all airline, you are most employable in the aviation industry, whether it is in a non-flying airline job, airport management, flight safety work, FAA, consulting firms, aircraft manufacturers, etc. The first choice would be aero engineering, followed by an aviation degree to get a decent choice. The people that say get a degree in a different field for a "backup" are basing that on emotional logic rather than the basic reality, IMO. I agree it sounds good on the surface, just like raising the min wage to "help the poor" sounds good until you dig a little deeper....
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ACK!
 
MarkE said:
I would have to say get a degree in something that you're remotely interested in.
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Exactly! Jet Careers is soooo major in something other then aviation friendly. I hate it. If your goal is to become a pro pilot then major in aviation if that is what you want to focus on. You want to know the best backup plan for pilots? Get your CDL. Tons of jobs even if you go local you can still earn decent money and be home everynight.
 
jspeed87 said:
Exactly! Jet Careers is soooo major in something other then aviation friendly. I hate it. If your goal is to become a pro pilot then major in aviation if that is what you want to focus on. You want to know the best backup plan for pilots? Get your CDL. Tons of jobs even if you go local you can still earn decent money and be home everynight.
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I used to be all about aviation only until I had my first job and realized that a wide base of education, with perhaps a little more breadth than simply the quickest path to the right seat of a CRJ, or a 4 year ground school might help me later on in my life. But don't do something you hate just because people on the internet tell you to, if there is literally nothing else you want to do other than get a Professional Piloting Degree, then do it. Case closed, but I want to have an ace up my sleeve if I lose my medical or get furloughed 10 times.
 
jspeed87 said:
Exactly! Jet Careers is soooo major in something other then aviation friendly. I hate it. If your goal is to become a pro pilot then major in aviation if that is what you want to focus on.
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That's right. Don't listen to the multitude of other people who have "pro "pilot" degrees and those who actually are "pro pilots" with degrees in something other than aviation--go and drop that money and get to a major...when they start hiring in a gazillion years. Good luck with the loan payment on regional pay, though.
 
Everyone get a bachelor degree in a field you love, whether it be aviation, the liberal arts, engineering, or science. Where you can separate yourself from the rest of the crowd is going to graduate school and specializing in something. I can graduate with a Bachelors degree in aviation and still get a masters in Urban Planning. Something I am in the process of looking at doing right now :D
 
I'll say: get a degree in something that interests you enough to complete the program with decent grades!
 
Murdoughnut said:
I'm a statistician, and I can tell you that there's a heavy demand for people who can think in numbers. I hated stats in grad school - but it ended up getting me into my current career.
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I took stats this year, and I loved it. Everyone I know called me crazy, but it made me want to change my major to math. In what scope do you work?

WacoFan said:
No, no. Math sucks! Quite telling about how careers centered on mathematics pay well and provide good QOL!
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I've read that math-related careers such as statisticians, actuaries, and mathematicians are consistently rated in the top-5 best careers (according to one publication).
 
bundee80 said:
I took stats this year, and I loved it. Everyone I know called me crazy, but it made me want to change my major to math. In what scope do you work?



I've read that math-related careers such as statisticians, actuaries, and mathematicians are consistently rated in the top-5 best careers (according to one publication).
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According to a thing I heard on NPR, mathematicians rate their job satisfaction level higher than anyone else on average. Higher than anyone else. That means something.
 
ppragman said:
According to a thing I heard on NPR, mathematicians rate their job satisfaction level higher than anyone else on average. Higher than anyone else. That means something.
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If someone other than myself heard this, it's true, right? :)
 
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