Get your ratings.. THEN go to College!

Firebird2XC

Well-Known Member
Here's why:

It just clicked for me.

As a former military man, I used Army programs to take some classes while I was still 'in' and stumbled across a program that Embry Riddle has.

Their four year degree programs include some various programs for advanced placement consideration with the school.

Here's how it works.

You go get your pilot certificates. Get them all, through the CFI ratings. (You need at least a multi/commercial and 500 hours for this.)

Do this all before you set foot on campus/satellite location/online class website.

Show up at Embry Riddle, and watch in awe, as they give you approximately a year's worth of class credit (mostly electives) FOR SIGNING UP.

I'm not sure what a year at Riddle costs the average person, but it's a big chunk of change. You just got DOUBLE the usage out of that money you spent on your flight ratings.

Note: DO NOT get your ratings at Riddle. I hear the markup is HUGE.

Now, while you finish that last three years of college, you can flight instruct on weekends. This provides plenty of time to run up your logbook and learn about flying. It also provides a meager income. Maybe you can even flight instruct for Riddle for additional discounts and a salary.


Not to mention, if you can't really live so easily and pay down those flight training loans for the time being, you can defer them while you're in college.

'Does this work'? Absolutely. It was like getting a year's worth of credits for free. I did it myself, and now I'm nearly at an Associate's Degree. (I had a year's worth of credits already done/tested out.)

Hope this helps somebody.

Of course, run the numbers first, and make sure it works for you. But it's a definite alternative to the "College First/Ratings Later" method and might save you some real money in the process.

Cheers!

Note: I don't recall precisely, but I think there were credit programs for A&P's and some other certified specialists as well. Look into it!
 
I actually agree with your perspective although not for the specific reasons.

. . .more to follow.
 
Here's why:

It just clicked for me.

As a former military man, I used Army programs to take some classes while I was still 'in' and stumbled across a program that Embry Riddle has.

Their four year degree programs include some various programs for advanced placement consideration with the school.

Here's how it works.

You go get your pilot certificates. Get them all, through the CFI ratings. (You need at least a multi/commercial and 500 hours for this.)

Do this all before you set foot on campus/satellite location/online class website.

Show up at Embry Riddle, and watch in awe, as they give you approximately a year's worth of class credit (mostly electives) FOR SIGNING UP.

I'm not sure what a year at Riddle costs the average person, but it's a big chunk of change. You just got DOUBLE the usage out of that money you spent on your flight ratings.

Note: DO NOT get your ratings at Riddle. I hear the markup is HUGE.

Now, while you finish that last three years of college, you can flight instruct on weekends. This provides plenty of time to run up your logbook and learn about flying. It also provides a meager income. Maybe you can even flight instruct for Riddle for additional discounts and a salary.


Not to mention, if you can't really live so easily and pay down those flight training loans for the time being, you can defer them while you're in college.

'Does this work'? Absolutely. It was like getting a year's worth of credits for free. I did it myself, and now I'm nearly at an Associate's Degree. (I had a year's worth of credits already done/tested out.)

Hope this helps somebody.

Of course, run the numbers first, and make sure it works for you. But it's a definite alternative to the "College First/Ratings Later" method and might save you some real money in the process.

Cheers!

Note: I don't recall precisely, but I think there were credit programs for A&P's and some other certified specialists as well. Look into it!

Or..................Go to college, major in something other than aviation, and get your ratings on the side while in college. That way, when you graduate you have your degree, your ratings and a little flight time under your belt which might make you marketable....I did it and it is very doable....Hope this helps too :D
 
Good point.. but...

Once you have that sheepskin, it's all too easy to sidestep your way into an additional degree in another field.

I'm still working on my four year degree. When I'm done, I'm going to sidestep my way towards a degree in airport operations/management. (Note: Note 'Airline' management.. bleah).

In the meantime, once I get the bulk of it done, I'll probably pick up some stuff on contract negotiations or labor law. That'd be useful, I'm sure. :)
 
Yeah I have triple credits for embry riddle. Since I was a Craftsman mechanic in the Air Force they give you over 32 credit hours and then I got my A&P License. So I doubled those credits. Then I got my PPL and added some more.

Embry Riddle Worldwide classes are around $630 a class. I don't remember the exact number. Pretty damn expensive considering I could go to a state college here is GA full time for double that price.

BUT, you only "need" to do certian classes with embry, I.E. aviation related classes. Which only equates to about a years worth of classes with them. The rest you can just take at a community college.

I plan on doing some community college while getting my ratings at Air- Aviator and instructing since I have most of my embry riddle classes done.

Another thing to think about is just getting your ratings and flight instructing at Embry Riddle in Daytona and getting free tuition...
 
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