anyone under 21 sending resumes to regionals?

killbilly said:
College is not immediately available to everyone right out of the gate for lots of reasons. Nor is it necessarily an immediate good idea for everyone right after high school. Fortunately, they let you go back at any age.
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Like dough said...If you can pay for flight training, you can pay for college instead. And if your not mature enough at 18 to attend college, there are other issues there that you probably should deal with. My point was not education as I said before, but the experience while you're that age (18-22).
 
FlyingNole said:
Like dough said...If you can pay for flight training, you can pay for college instead.
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Fair enough. Fortunately, I'm not in flight training right now.

And if your not mature enough at 18 to attend college, there are other issues there that you probably should deal with. My point was not education as I said before, but the experience while you're that age (18-22).
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Experiences vary for everyone, I suppose. I'm glad things worked out for you.
 
Doug Taylor said:
Just a little battle I'm having with my 18 year-old nephew who's a smart kid, has the resources, but is taking "a few semesters off to work at Pizza Hut and hang out with his unmarried 22 year old friend with two kids".

Out of the people that "took a break" after high school before attending college, very few actually went back.

Not that it's impossible because it isn't, but a lot more improbable than many realize.
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Wow, that doesn't sound like a very good career plan. And I was very nearly in the "never go back club."

My plan was like this out of HS:

ME: I want to go to Riddle to become an airline pilot.
Parents: No, it's too expensive and only military pilots become airline pilots. (was too dumb and agreeable to question my parents back then)

ME: Ok, I want to go to school X because they want me to play Football for them.
Parents: No, football is not a reason to go to a particular school.

ME: Ok, well I don't know where else to go. How about I go to the State school at the local campus because it's much too late to be considered for the Main campus.
Parents: OK.

After 1 whole year of not wanting to be at State School local campus.....I had a choice: quit or be kicked out. I think I was sporting a whopping 1.4 after the year. I wasn't doing my work....wasn't going to class....wasn't doing very well....DUH

ME: Quit school and joined the Marine Corps Reserves. After completing my required active duty, I worked as a ski instructor in the winter and a landscaper the rest of the year. Realizing this was not the way I wanted my life to go, I did finally go back to the same State school I previously quit after a 5 year hiatus. Dug myself out of the poor GPA I earned previously because the school wouldn't erase my directionless 1st year. Well, finished my undergrad w/ a 3.0 which considering that I was starting at 1.4, 3.0 is pretty damn good. Then, I went on to med. school to complete a graduate program in prosthetics. Worked for a couple years in this field and realized I still wanted to fly after all this time. Actually, I've always known I wanted to fly for the airlines, it's just that I finally said to he!! w/ what my parents think. (For the record, they still thought this was a BAD idea since I had a great career making lots 'o money) Nevertheless, I quit my job, started flight training and the rest is history. I've never looked back and am happy w/ the results......thus far.

So, the moral here is that you can, in fact, go back to school and do well. However, it just takes some more time than others. I beat the odds.....most who "take time off" never go back. My cousin for example.....he was in the top 10% of his HS graduating class......he "took time off" and is still "taking time off." He's now 23 and still washing dishes at a local restaurant. WTFO? When are you going to wake up and get your life on track dude? Well, at least that's what our family is thinking.....LOL

Bottom line: there's still time for him, but w/ each passing day, the odds shift significantly towards the "never going back side."

GO TO COLLEGE.......WHEN I FINALLY APPLIED MYSELF, IT WAS THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE. MAN I LOVED COLLEGE.....WHAT A BLAST!!!!!
 
Well, let me further explain.

The site gets quite a few readers and if I start endorsing high school kids to have fun for a few years and THEN go to college, for most people that's not going to work. Most of the guys that did that who I knew in high school are still working at Wal Mart today, almost 20 years later.

Small town true story.

But that's also why i don't speak in absolutes. It's possible to go back later, sure, but I (unscientifically) gather that less than 50% actually do.

So on an advice-driven website, what's a boy to do. Do you say, "Hey! Screw college, it's just a big frat party, plunk down $50K to get a $20K/year job" and pray that by the time he's burned out flying CRJ's that one of the top employers would overlook the lack of a college education? Or do you implore them to prepare themselves to be as competitive as possible to be able to capture the job they want?
 
It should not even be that way Doug. You should want a college education for your own benifet and feeling of accomplishment.
 
And I agree, but how do you convey that to someone with the starry-eyed "D00d I g0tta fly a 1337 j3t n0w!" that you just know are going to be back at your website in a few years moaning and complaining that FDX won't give them the time of day?
 
killbilly said:
If I'd gone to college when I was 18, I would have flunked out.
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I did go to college right out of high school. And I DID flunk out. I wasted my time, and my money in those 2 years. I got accepted to the private university in Tulsa where my (genius) brother went, but I didn't have quite the GPA or ACT scores he had, and I didn't get the same financial aid package. Therefore, I couldn't afford it. So I ended up a small state school in northern Wisconsin. Had a blast, but my heart wasn't in it, and it showed.

Why did I fail? Because I didn't have a goal! If your goal is to be an airline pilot, you need your degree! Let that goal be your focus point, let it keep you going when school gets tough and you don't want to go to class and you don't care if you do well or not. If you don't have a goal, then maybe you shouldn't go to college right away, or at all. But I think kids reading this website DO have a goal, they have the goal of being a professional pilot, and to achieve that goal you need every tool possible in your arsenal. One of those tools is a degree. Be motivated, know your goal, get the degree.

Older and more mature now, I plan to go back.
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I did that. I finally did finish my BS, via correspondance while working full time. Finally finished 2 months before my first baby was born because I knew if I didn't get it done before he was born, it would be many many years before I would ever get back to it. But I'll tell you this, it's not as easy as it sounds. It's hard to find the time to study when you're older and set in your daily routine. It takes even MORE dedication and determination. Of course it can be done, lots of folks here have. But be prepared to work for it.

And for what it's worth, both of my parents earned their degrees in their 40s - Dad did an executive MBA at 40-something, Mom finished her bachelors and masters degrees in her 50's.
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That's great for them. My mom never did go to college, when my brother and I were old enough to be in school full-time, she made the decision to help my dad get his business going full-time instead of going back to school herself. She could probably qualify for her MBA with what she did with that business! But she has no formal 'degree'. My dad went to one sememster of 'college' in 1968. He couldn't afford to live on campus and had to drive 40 miles each way. That became too expensive too, and he dropped out to go to work to help out his family. He went in the Air Force, worked for the phone company, then took the plunge of being a small business owner for 20 years. Finally, at age 45, he went back to school to get his A&P. He was top of his class, and now teaches at the school he attended. Going back to school was hard for him, he was in class with kids who were my age at the time (18-19). He was motivated, and he had a goal. And he succeeded wildly.


Dropping out of college is something that has haunted me ever since. Every now and then I have a freaky dream where I'm back on that UW-RF campus, I've 'gone back' to school to finish. It's a failure in my life that my mind won't let go of.
 
i still dont get.....how is it possible to get a regional job without a degree when ur that young of a age?

no offense but i give u young pilots prop for making that far with passion.
man for me, im only 18 and still having trouble controlling a 172:nana2:
argh i wish i was there at that point.

my great uncle says "A college degree now will make your options open and have a better life"

that has motivated me till now to keep it up and reaching my goal:insane:
 
Doug Taylor said:
Just a little battle I'm having with my 18 year-old nephew who's a smart kid, has the resources, but is taking "a few semesters off to work at Pizza Hut and hang out with his unmarried 22 year old friend with two kids".

Out of the people that "took a break" after high school before attending college, very few actually went back.

Not that it's impossible because it isn't, but a lot more improbable than many realize.
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Ahhhhh...does he call you uncle Doug?
 
I was one of those guys who learned to fly right out of school and skipped college. Now im 21 flyin freight and lovin my job but like these guys are saying, I am starting to realize what I missed out on. Im gonna go to college, although now because I work I cannot really GO to college so I will have to do it online. Anyway though I want the degree and im 3/4 of a way to an associates with several colleges with the ratings that I have.

Advice to the guys trying to decide, GO TO COLLEGE FIRST, because you will regret it if you dont.
 
MQAAord said:
If you don't have a goal, then maybe you shouldn't go to college right away, or at all. But I think kids reading this website DO have a goal, they have the goal of being a professional pilot, and to achieve that goal you need every tool possible in your arsenal. One of those tools is a degree. Be motivated, know your goal, get the degree.
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Y'know, it's funny, but I blame the JC forums somewhat for altering my plans. :)

I'd originally come here looking for some additional information about ATP, but I found much much more. It dawned on me that while I still desperately want to fly, my education will be a better long-term investment. I'd been considering going back to school anyway, but wasn't sure about the absolute necessity at first. It was sort of an ethereal need...nothing concrete because I've had a fairly lucrative career and enjoy a nice lifestyle right now. But then the issue of not having a college education materialized; the ethereal became concrete in harsh relief. I realized that I was stuck no matter what I wanted to do going forward. Seems simple, and I felt quite foolish having this realization this late in life.

The plan is to return to school part time while working full time, and dedicate some hours to flying recreationally to earn my PPL and Instrument. At that point, I'll figure out what the rest of the way is. But the goal, as you eloquently put it, is to get on the path. The next goal is to complete the first stage of the journey. Breaking the whole thing down into small milestones with a general idea as to where the journey ends is what works for me. This got a whole lot more attainable when I found out that my company has a tuition reimbursement program - going to take full advantage of that if I can.

I'm also looking into some Klepp tests (I think that's what they're called) to see what courses I can test out of. It would be really nice to go right into my freshman year with 9-12 credit hours already under my belt. We've got a good local Community College system here in Dallas which feeds well into several Universities for completion - it's entirely do-able for me.

FlyingNole really did say it succinctly (and correctly, in my opinion) though referring to a sense of completion; the need, in this case, dovetails nicely with the want. In that way, I think I'm luckier than a lot of the kids in school because I've been in the "real world" since high school and know why I'm there. I'm not there because I have to be, but because I want to be.

In short (and I know this has been long) JC has helped me open my eyes a bit to the possibilities, and more importantly, the necessities as far as my own future, whether or not flying professionally is the ultimate goal. Flying was the catalyst. Make sense?

Now if someone would buy my damned house, I could really accelerate these plans...
 
Ya know, the secret to beating college is to just go to class. Stay awake, take notes, and you'll pass. Profound really...
 
Dooood, I've been in college two days and I would rather be heer than getting my ratings bro, Life isn't all flying!!!!! yeh it would be nice to have a flying job at a airline at 21... But making less than I would being a manager at K-mart???? cmon now, at some point we gotta put our foot down and just say we are worth more than welfare wages ya'll.... cmon now...


Thats my blissed 5am post for everyone... :D
 
Hey I'm currently a 19 year old sophmore at Riddle and i want to thank you for having this discussion on here, it has really given me encouragement on my decision to go to college. A lot of times I get discouraged and wonder if I made the right choice because I see a lot of my friends that have gone to FBO's and now at 19 and 20 have decent jobs and brand new cars flying small charter flights. But since I hear the seasoned, experienced pilots say the best option is to go to college then I am glad I chose that route. On another note I love the comment that I think Lineguy had which states "The good life starts when you stop wanting a better one." This is so true. The first year of college I spent looking at my friends and wishing I was like them getting paid to build time and wishing I had an income to have decent things. But this year I'm going to take a different approach and enjoy the fraternity parties and just doing stupid stuff and piloting gliders with no worries. So once again guys thanks.
 
Italianaviator said:
Hey I'm currently a 19 year old sophmore at Riddle and i want to thank you for having this discussion on here, it has really given me encouragement on my decision to go to college. A lot of times I get discouraged and wonder if I made the right choice because I see a lot of my friends that have gone to FBO's and now at 19 and 20 have decent jobs and brand new cars flying small charter flights. But since I hear the seasoned, experienced pilots say the best option is to go to college then I am glad I chose that route. On another note I love the comment that I think Lineguy had which states "The good life starts when you stop wanting a better one." This is so true. The first year of college I spent looking at my friends and wishing I was like them getting paid to build time and wishing I had an income to have decent things. But this year I'm going to take a different approach and enjoy the fraternity parties and just doing stupid stuff and piloting gliders with no worries. So once again guys thanks.
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And, now start the Riddle bashing....in 3...2....1....:insane: :)

Okay, I had started it, but chose to not be the first one. Carry on!!
 
Totally Agree on the go to Europe thing. Awesome times that you will NEVER forget. Oh yea go do South America while you're at it.

I am 21, 3 years into (2 to go) a BS in Mechanical Engineering, Still flying on the side, debating on the career of a pilot vs engineer.

You don't want to be "that guy" on your four day that has nothing to talk about besides work because you've done nothing with your life besides work.
 
OldTownPilot said:
......

You don't want to be "that guy" on your four day that has nothing to talk about besides work because you've done nothing with your life besides work.
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:yeahthat: Don't be that guy (or gal)! Go live your life; unfortunately, work will be waiting for you on the other end of fun.
 
As an update.... I sent out resumes again right when I turned 21 and got hits from Pinnacle and ASA. I only interviewed with Pinnacle and got the job. I start on 9-11 (what a day). I guess for future reference the 21 age thing may truly be an obstacle. It was mentioned to me at the interview that a 4 year degree + young age was worth something (maybe without being cocky- it showed I was serious and motivated..) Looks like the 1000/200 is not very firm though, I am hearing rumors of very low times in the class- I guess I will see tommorrow!
 
Well, I heard from one of your classmates that are at least a couple of guys in that class with 1500+ total time.
 
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