Advice/Suggestions

J

JWages

New Member
I've decided the military route is going to be the best way for me to do what I want to do. First and foremost, I'm going try and become a pilot, if that doesn't work, I want to do Air Traffic Control. This probably isn't the right spot, but it includes the military :p What majors would best help me get a pilot job/ATC job after I served in the military?
 
Dude, do some searching on these forums, as well as airlinepilotforums, baseops.net, and wantscheck.

Anything you'll ever need to know is in there for the taking.


The major is a double edged sword:
1.) You can study something difficult: may result in lower GPA, but you'll likely be a better critical thinker.
2.) Major in underwater basket weaving. You'll have a 4.0, but you'll be up a creek when you actually have to use your noggin.'

There are some people in my flight here at OTS that are very intelligent people, but they really have trouble with the tricky multiple choice tests that the AF pumps out there. I have had pretty decent success, which I attribute to my background in accounting. I also thank my mother for not drinking while I was in the womb and for not dropping me on my head while breastfeeding.

My advice: major in something you enjoy. These will be the best 4-6 years of your life, don't jack them up by studying something you hate.

Best o' luck.
 
frog_flyer said:
My advice: major in something you enjoy. These will be the best 4-6 years of your life, don't jack them up by studying something you hate.
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3x.

Maybe consider something technical that isn't aviation related. Plenty of chief pilots / flight ops management here who majored in finance, business, accounting. One is a dentist on the side. College is a veritable cornucopia of possibilities. Explore them.

And like Frog said, lurk on the forums - there's tons here for the taking.

:beer:
 
I hope that what you want to do is be an officer in the Air Force and not just be a pilot. There are better ways to get flying. Going in for 12 years to get flight school and being unhappy the whole time would be a shame both to you and the person who you beat to get your spot.
 
Getzen2 said:
I hope that what you want to do is be an officer in the Air Force and not just be a pilot. There are better ways to get flying. Going in for 12 years to get flight school and being unhappy the whole time would be a shame both to you and the person who you beat to get your spot.
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I was going to consider being an Officer, but the recruiter I talked to said it was really hard and that he has seen people with a 3.9GPA fail. So I decided to take the ANG route.
 
JWages said:
I was going to consider being an Officer, but the recruiter I talked to said it was really hard and that he has seen people with a 3.9GPA fail. So I decided to take the ANG route.
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You do realize to be a pilot you have to be an officer first right?

Don't let a recruiter talk you into enlisting if you want to be an officer or pilot. If you're going to go ANG you can still fly and serve as an officer it just depends on the unit's needs at the time.

Like frog_flyer said go to Baseops, Wantscheck, AirForceOTS, etc and do some research on your own before you speak with a recruiter.
 
Superfly7XAF said:
You do realize to be a pilot you have to be an officer first right?

Don't let a recruiter talk you into enlisting if you want to be an officer or pilot. If you're going to go ANG you can still fly and serve as an officer it just depends on the unit's needs at the time.

Like frog_flyer said go to Baseops, Wantscheck, AirForceOTS, etc and do some research on your own before you speak with a recruiter.
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I thought that was the case, but the recruiter for the ANG never mentioned it so I figured it was just the AF.
I'll look at those sites, but they'll probably just lead to more questions.
 
JWages said:
I thought that was the case, but the recruiter for the ANG never mentioned it so I figured it was just the AF.
I'll look at those sites, but they'll probably just lead to more questions.
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Here's a couple of links that should help you out:


http://www.wantscheck.com/PilotSlotResources/ANGPilotSlot/tabid/63/Default.aspx

http://www.baseops.net/archive/archiveupt.html


Check the menus at the tops of those links and that should answer a lot of your questions. FYI, beware of asking questions on the Baseops forums before "UTFSF"; you've been warned.
 
JWages said:
I was going to consider being an Officer, but the recruiter I talked to said it was really hard and that he has seen people with a 3.9GPA fail. So I decided to take the ANG route.
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Don't expect a cupcake from the ANG, either. It's a marathon of challenges.

Reading the BaseOps forums, like SuperFly said, can make you a little weary of calling squadrons for fear of sounding like an idiot. Just be professional and ask intelligent questions and they will be very friendly.
Don't forget - you're calling and asking a pilot to talk about himself! It's not exactly pulling teeth!

As far as the criminal justice major; I have a history degree and I got picked up by the Guard (with a few years of airline ops experience). Knowing what I know now, I wish I'd gotten a double-major in chemistry or physics. The Guard takes people from all backgrounds and if you're thinking ahead (unlike I was) it might be good to think of a degree as a backup plan to flying. CJ wouldn't hurt - just make sure you enjoy it.
 
Superfly7XAF said:
You do realize to be a pilot you have to be an officer first right?

Don't let a recruiter talk you into enlisting if you want to be an officer or pilot. If you're going to go ANG you can still fly and serve as an officer it just depends on the unit's needs at the time.

Like frog_flyer said go to Baseops, Wantscheck, AirForceOTS, etc and do some research on your own before you speak with a recruiter.
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Word. Becoming a military pilot and/or an ATC are two completely different pathways/entities if you choose to go the military route. Are we talking Air Force or what? Branch of service is of importance as well. Once again, you have to be an Officer to become a pilot for the military... whereas ATCs are usually enlisted.

Either do ROTC in college or complete OTS and then go from there. Like others have stated, take what your recruiter says with a grain of salt. Do some of your own research. ;)
 
Being a US Navy flight instructor on two different tours now, college major means nothing when it comes to flying.
 
:yeahthat:

I'm not in the AF yet but was picked up on a rated board last year for a pilot slot - heading to OTS early next year. My major in college was financial management. The poster above is right - the military (any branch) doesn't really care what your major was; just so long as you have your degree.
 
dml02b said:
:yeahthat:

I'm not in the AF yet but was picked up on a rated board last year for a pilot slot - heading to OTS early next year. My major in college was financial management. The poster above is right - the military (any branch) doesn't really care what your major was; just so long as you have your degree.
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Well that too but I meant more in terms of performance. Meaning, I've seen liberal arts major's rock the flights while technical major's suck ass....and vice versa. One doesn't need a technical degree to perform well in the cockpit. Now if someone likes that sort of major and/or plans for things like TPS, then go for it.
 
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