first post. college next year...

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pwilliams

New Member
hi everyone, i'm going to come out of lurker mode and let everyone get to know me. first off, this is a wonderful site. it's full of great, valuable information that has kept my attention for hours and hours. the members seem friendly and i enjoy that. from my little experience in the aviation world, the majority of people seem to be kind individuals who are easy to get along with. i'm thinking the reasoning behind this is that we all have or have had similar goals. ;)

my name's patrick, i'm seventeen years old. i live in northeastern ohio and am an aspiring pilot. i've never had any other career goals set in stone so it makes sense to get a college degree to be a pilot, right? i've talked to many many pilots, (mom works for united) and they've said the same thing as literally everyone on this forum. "Do not get a degree in Aviation."

I understand this and the principles behind it, and i'm still looking for advice on what to do. right now, i've applied to three colleges. (Ohio University, Kent State University, Bowling Green State University) all have aviation programs and i'd like to be involved in one somehow. this is what i'm thinking: major in an area in some way related to aviation (or any other area that i may become interested in), and minor in flight technology to get my necessary licenses and ratings. is this a good idea, a bad idea? the major i'm most interested in is the aeronautical systems engineering degree at ksu, although i'm not exactly sure what possible career paths are.

alright so help me out. feel free to throw out some ideas, opinions, suggestions, ect.

thanks so much for any help:)
 
I majored in Aviation tech and now going for my master in aviation science and because I am majoring in something I love. I have noticed my GPA and studying habits are a lot higher because I'm doing something that I enjoy doing.
 
Welcome Pat. I'm currently going to KSU, not a flight major but I have friends in the program, if you have any questions let me know. There's also several other ne Ohio guys that post on here regularly.
 
Welcome! I am a freshman at Purdue University in Central Indiana, and I came into the professional flight program with my Private Pilot's License. It is a solid program, but after seeing how "things are" here at school, and reading countless posts here on JC, I decided to get a different degree. When I sat down and thought about it, the only thing that truly interests me is aviation, so I decided to get a degree in Aviation Management (concentration in airport management) and get a CTI endorsement. I am also minoring in Aviation Reciprocating Engine Technology and Law & Society. It's not easy to get all of this done, but when I graduate I will be able to pursue ATC (pending testing, OKC, etc), try to get as a federal agent with the government, or be an airport manager. The engine tech classes are mostly for personal reason--I'd like to be able to work on my own airplane one day. Hopefully I will be able to continue my flight training while I am up here (part 61). There are a lot of options, but if ATC is interesting to you, try going to a CTI school. If you have any questions--shoot me a PM.
 
pwilliams said:
the major i'm most interested in is the aeronautical systems engineering degree at ksu, although i'm not exactly sure what possible career paths are.
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An aerospace engineering or mechanical engineering graduate from a college of engineering could potentially focus on theory and research more than hands-on fabrication. As an engineering technology major from a college of technology you would probably be exposed to engineering theory, but you would be more exposed to a lot of hands-on sort of issues. A possible role would be at aircraft companies serving as liaison between the shop floor and the design or analysis team. The idea is to be able to talk to the wrench AND talk to the pocket protector.

Additional info:
I would make sure any major with the word "engineering" in it is ABET accredited. If you ever sought employment at a manufacturer, such as Boeing, they might require you to have an ABET accredited degree.
 
I am not very familiar with any of those schools, but if they are similar to where I went I would encourage you to get at least your private before you start. They will probably tell you that they would like you to start from nothing with them, but it is good experience to fly outside of that college "bubble". I had my instrument rating when I started college, and it helped me get through the rest of the ratings and classes faster than most people.
 
personally I would not apply for a college flight program. I would attain my licenses outside of college. Either ATP or at a FBO school.
 
Realms09 said:
An aerospace engineering or mechanical engineering graduate from a college of engineering could potentially focus on theory and research more than hands-on fabrication. As an engineering technology major from a college of technology you would probably be exposed to engineering theory, but you would be more exposed to a lot of hands-on sort of issues. A possible role would be at aircraft companies serving as liaison between the shop floor and the design or analysis team. The idea is to be able to talk to the wrench AND talk to the pocket protector.

Additional info:
I would make sure any major with the word "engineering" in it is ABET accredited. If you ever sought employment at a manufacturer, such as Boeing, they might require you to have an ABET accredited degree.
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alright, i will check on that. who are some other possible employers? what are some possible job titles?

N18040 said:
I am not very familiar with any of those schools, but if they are similar to where I went I would encourage you to get at least your private before you start. They will probably tell you that they would like you to start from nothing with them, but it is good experience to fly outside of that college "bubble". I had my instrument rating when I started college, and it helped me get through the rest of the ratings and classes faster than most people.
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i'm trying man. :) money's the issue. i have some hours in a little CTLS at a local flight school. that's my goal, to get a private before fall semester starts.
 
DO THIS:

Major outside of aviation but take aviation classes as electives, you'll get the best of both. Also, join the local aviation club at school, another great way to meet people.
 
One more thing, I know that at least two of those schools have NIFA programs. I would do everything that you can to get involved with that. I know that I learned more through NIFA than I did in some of my classes.
 
I don't know anything about those schools but....


Remember you only go to college (undergrad at least) once! Have the time of your life because once its over.... well its over.

Doesn't Ohio State have an aviation program? I am by no means a OSU fan (as you can probably tell where I went to school) but it seems to be a fun school to go to. Obviously you want to go to a college for academics first, but your only 19 years old chasing hot sorority girls once in your life... you'll have until 65 to fly heavy aluminum around the friendly skies!
 
PGT said:
DO THIS:

Major outside of aviation but take aviation classes as electives, you'll get the best of both. Also, join the local aviation club at school, another great way to meet people.
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i plan to. any ideas on a major?

N18040 said:
One more thing, I know that at least two of those schools have NIFA programs. I would do everything that you can to get involved with that. I know that I learned more through NIFA than I did in some of my classes.
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thank you! OU & KSU both have NIFA programs.

SFCC/UND said:
personally I would not apply for a college flight program. I would attain my licenses outside of college. Either ATP or at a FBO school.
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any particular reason why?
 
I am going to agree with the advice to get your ratings away from the school. It will be cheaper, and more than likely less silly little rules.

As for the aviation degree, do what you feel is best. Know the pros and cons to getting such a degree. If it seems like it is something you want to do, then by all means do it. If it doesnt work for you then go do something else.
 
Welcome aboard. I'm from Youngstown, OH. Totally agree with all the posts so far. Degree outside aviation
 
Realms09 said:
.

Additional info:
I would make sure any major with the word "engineering" in it is ABET accredited. If you ever sought employment at a manufacturer, such as Boeing, they might require you to have an ABET accredited degree.
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Make sure to do the PE exam in college too. Not that it is hard, just do it when you get the chance. (I didn't, but it isn't terribly common for EE's to need it either).

I'll repeat what everyone else is probably going to say, do not major in anything aviation related. The biggest reason being, it is good to have another career option unrelated to aviation. Engineering is an especially good choice, the job market has been very good for my entire lifetime, and there is almost always a shortage of US born engineers capable of holding a security clearance. Knowing that you want to be a pilot, you aren't going to something stupid in college that would interfere with a TS/SCI.

My own personal opinion? The structure of most college aviation programs is not something I would like. The cost is inflated, and wearing a white shirt with epaulets does not help you learn to land a C172 in a crosswind. You'll learn the same things at a part 61 school. Delivering pizzas for 4 years in college will cover getting your CFI by the time you graduate.
 
pwilliams said:
any particular reason why?
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ASpilot2be said:
I am going to agree with the advice to get your ratings away from the school. It will be cheaper, and more than likely less silly little rules.
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:yeahthat:

I've went through a college flight program and I must say I wasn't happy with the progress I was making. It felt like it was slow especially through all the stage checks. For some reason I always went through when 10 other people were going for their stage checks. It really boils down to time and money. Part 61 you take your time and you're allowed to bond with your flight instructor. Part 141 it is like a hurry up to get to the stage check and wait around to actually to get through it.
 
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