Should I major in Aviation or Computer Science

D

David

New Member
Hi i am currently a Junior in High School and am having a very hard time deciding what to major in. i want to become an Airline Pilot in the future, but also I love programming and developing software. The only reason I am considering going to an aviation college is so I can get all my flight ratings by age 23 and I can start working as Flight Instructor right away to build time and get my ATP. On the other hand I could major in Computer Science and probably finance all my flight training since starting salaries are about $55,000 a yr, but that would take longer. Coming out of college at 22 if I finance everything I would probably have all my ratings by age 25. So what do you guys suggest for me to do?
 
Cory Trevor said:
Don't major in aviation. Major in computer science and take aviation classes as an elective. Always have a backup plan.​
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What this guy wrote. If it takes you a year or two more to gain all your licenses, then so be it. You'll never regret that you have a backup when (not if) you'll be furloughed.
 
FoodStampsPilot said:
What this guy wrote. If it takes you a year or two more to gain all your licenses, then so be it. You'll never regret that you have a backup when (not if) you'll be furloughed.
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Thats what I am beginning to lean towards now. In some sense at least I wont come out of school with $100,000 of loans. Anyways thanks
 
Major in whatever interests you more. A lot of people say major in something else besides aviation, which is a great idea but if your grades suffer because of lack of interest, go to what interests you. If that's aviation, then so be it.

I did exactly what people suggested on this website, majored in business, hated life for a year, my grades suffered so I ended up switching to aviation anyway.

Do what's best for you, not what people suggest on a website.

edit: you can do an aviation degree plus college for cheap, if you're smart about it. I did all of my stuff part 61 and I am getting an Aviation Management degree on the side from UVU, plus working full time. When I'm done I'll have spent about $50,000 for everything. I hunted around for the best deals for my ratings (went to Dallas for my CMEL, Atlanta for my CFI's, etc.).
 
N519AT said:
Major in whatever interests you more. A lot of people say major in something else besides aviation, which is a great idea but if your grades suffer because of lack of interest, go to what interests you. If that's aviation, then so be it.

I did exactly what people suggested on this website, majored in business, hated life for a year, my grades suffered so I ended up switching to aviation anyway.

Do what's best for you, not what people suggest on a website.
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Thats why it's a hard choice. Because I love aviation and computer science both, but am scared that if I ever fail a medical I won't be able to get another job.
 
Do whatever's cheapest. The "backup plan" argument doesn't make much sense after 2-3 years working in another field, anyway. Heck, I have an aviation degree and fly for a living, and I still don't remember half the crap I learned in college.

If you're furloughed, go find another flying job. ;)
 
David said:
Thats why it's a hard choice. Because I love aviation and computer science both, but am scared that if I ever fail a medical I won't be able to get another job.
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It's a harsh reality of the job, but I honestly think you'll be in the same place regardless of what kind of degree you have.

If you lose your medical 5 years out of school, you'll be competing for jobs with people fresh out of school, who have up to date knowledge of the latest technology. Your knowledge is 5 years old, which we both know in the tech world that might as well be 100 years old.

The best thing you can do in aviation is have 0 debt, a good amount in savings so that if/when you lose your job, you can at least stay afloat for a while.
 
N519AT said:
It's a harsh reality of the job, but I honestly think you'll be in the same place regardless of what kind of degree you have.

If you lose your medical 5 years out of school, you'll be competing for jobs with people fresh out of school, who have up to date knowledge of the latest technology. Your knowledge is 5 years old, which we both know in the tech world that might as well be 100 years old.

The best thing you can do in aviation is have 0 debt, a good amount in savings so that if/when you lose your job, you can at least stay afloat for a while.
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Which is another reason I am reconsidering majoring in aviation. Because I will probably come out with a total of $70K+ worth of loans and with a $25K Flight Instructor job
 
Computer Science, you can make a little bit of money programming while sitting at the outstation. I've made a little bit of side money with some simple programs I have written. Some were quite a bit of fun. You never know when that medical is done.
 
Take if from a former ECE student. Stay with computers and keep up on it. It is always something you can fall back on work part time at while in the regionals and later. I have had a remote tech job running a support desk and other items for years. It helps a lot with the income. If I had my CS degree I would be eligible for a lot more side jobs as well.
 
Major in the computer stuff. You'll check the same square on the app. And I don't see any reason you couldn't have the same ratings/training/flight experience at 23 that you'd have if you got an aviation degree. Start flying now and you'll have six years to get your CFI. Money is probably the issue but the aviation degree will cost you a ton. Really, consider buying a Cessna 150. I saw one locally for 15K.

Having a background in puters will serve you well. You could do something on the side once you get that airline job that will be fun and productive.
 
My brother graduated near the top of class as a mechanical engineer. He started as a comp sci, and realized all the egg heads were distorting the bell curve significantly. So, if you want to do well as a comp sci major, you best be an egg head.
 
The only way a CS degree would work as a backup is of you continue to use what you learned while you fly. Considering the fact that you are already behind in coding the day you graduate a year in aviation and no CS work will really put you behind. The computer world is fast moving and disuse will take it's toll much faster.

Using the CS degree to finance your aviation stuff may not be a bad idea but being told you can use another degree as a backup is a lie without knowing the fact that you will have to work a second job to maintain your skills and make yourself more competitive than a fresh college graduate.

If you don't mind working a second job then you will be fine with a CS degree. Some people do not like working a second job if they can help it.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
 
I had a similar decision to make. Started off as an aviation major, and then switched majors/schools into a CS program. Graduating this may, and all I can say is that I am very happy I made this decision. It will be very easy to find a job upon graduation, as long as you keep you GPA > 3.0, and do a few internships. You will find that if you are a US Citizen, the defense contractor jobs will almost come to you. I am finding that the starting salaries are around 65-80k.

When I started, my plan was to have CS as a backup. As I progressed through school, I realized that CS was what I wanted to do as a career. Planning to flight instruct on the side of my full time job. Perhaps you will encounter the same thing. It was very difficult to turn down a 70k offer doing pretty interesting stuff, for a 20k one.
 
Ditto what everyone else said. If you have the math skills to get a B.S. in Computer Science, by all means, do it.

http://www.whycomputerscience.com/

Also, if you can pass the rather strict medical standards to be a military pilot, take a serious look at ROTC and the flight opportunities available in the service.
 
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