ATP Vs. Police officer

D

djnorton

New Member
Im am really stuck here all.

First off,

I am a real big person on avaition, However never took a Cessna flight in my life, plan to next week. I always when im at the airport just watch as these guys take off and land, Something ive wanted to do. I searched on all the flight schools i could find, ATP sounded like a winner, then i look at what funds i have to pay for school, i have 23K saved up for school. Thank you grandma.

However,

I am also a huge person on Criminal justice and ive wanted to become a police officer, I am currently a Cadet with the local police, and man i love it so bad.

Pros and cons.

Pros with police officer: Better pay, liveable pay. You have fun, tons of fun.

Pros with Airline Pilot: Better Benefits. Once again fun

Cons Police: Ok benefits, can get a Degree and attend the Police academy for the fraction of the cost of Airline School

Cons Airline Pilot: Bad starting pay, High cost in traning schools.
 
djnorton said:
Pros with Airline Pilot: Better Benefits. Once again fun
Click to expand...


really? have you seen my companies 401K contributions? its ridiculous. If thats the only Pro you see, I say be a cop. Because better benefits isnt the case. Isnt being a cop considered a government job? I always thought government jobs had great bennies.
 
If this helps...I had a friend who went to ATP in Florida, graduated and earned a job as a F.O. on a Learjet out of El Paso, TX. He worked there for a year and although he loved his job, a police position at the local city station came about and he took it. He says he does not regret his decision and loved what he does!
 
i mean i guess im a bit biased, since i work with cops alot on the roads when im out, i dont get to work with airline guys.

I am slowly leaning towards law enforcement, still kinda in the middle still though.
 
If it helps, go to ATP, dont be a police officer. You'll love both jobs in the beginning, but the whole police officer mystique will wear off really, really, really, quick...TRUST ME....
 
the few things that hold me back from going to ATP is the price, im afraid i wont be able to pay it back u know. I have 23K saved for school. i would have to take out 33K out in loans to pay for it.

Or i could go to get a degree in Criminal justice for 19K. and have money left over.

Im not tryin to dis ATP or anything, just i suppose i need some motavating factors in it, i just dont see me being able to pay it back in a reasonable amount of time.
 
hey i am in a situation kinda like yours which is kinda cool. i have one more year of school which sucks but is cool i guess?! i have always loved the whole mystique of police work but remember that police officers have a tendency to get burned out with their jobs early in their career, and the rate of depression and failed relationships sky rocket too. i suggest take a few ride alongs and talk to the officers. im not saying dont do it, but its jsut something to think about. about the flying, yea the cons you have are pretty true across the board but i live down the block from a husband and wife who both fly for fedex. they seem to never ever work. although when they do they are gone for about 9 days flying all over the world which is really cool if you ask me. both have there ups and downs like you have stated i dont know from personal experience its jsut what i have gathered from the two sides. good luck in whatever you do or decide but i hope you get degree. it always helps to have that silly piece of paper. my couple of cents.
 
From what ive learned, Police work is what you make it out to be, if you 110% enjoy the field, you wont get burned out on it, If u like it cause u carry a gun, kiss ur as$ goodbye.
 
If you have 23k saved, I would get my degree first..Thats prob. one of the most important things to have, cause regardless of your chosen career, you can always fall back on it.. But, at the same time, if you want be an officer, there is no need to have a degree, barring you wanting to get promoted to the rank of Lt. and above, and even some places you still dont need one a degree for that.. However, that being said, you can always fall back on the degree if you get burned out(which the avg. time is 5-7yrs for an officer), hurt, or just decide that police work is not for you. Also, A lot of departments have agreements with local community colleges which give you 30-60 college credits towards a CJ degree upon successfull completion of the police academy, which in most cases is 6 months. So if you couple that with tuition remission wich most departments give for officers to be able to take 1-2 classes a semester, you would be able to complete your degree for free in around 8 yrs or so. Sounds long I know, but with the majority of police departments working both rotatating shifts and days off, it is very, very, very difficult to maintain a regular class schedule. Then couple that with the times you have to go to court on your day off, regardless of what your vacation/personal plans may be, and you find that there is little time to do much else, but work, sleep, eat, or divorce/cheat on your wife.
So, just my two cents worth,
1) get your degree
2)be a pilot over being a cop(youll prob. live longer, have a better home life, better health, less stress, and be much more happy)
3)Remember that regardless of the job, leave the job at work dont take it home with you.
Hopefully this post makes sense, I am suffering from a banging hangover...
 
I encourage you to find out if being a cop is for you, FIRST HAND. I was in a similar situation before I graduated college, and heard many of the same comments. It took me the last year to realize that being a cop is something that I'd rather not do (hired on by a major metropolitan department). If you all think "paying your dues" in aviation is bad, you'd be shocked to see policework.

Both careers have drawbacks, but for me, flying makes a lot more sense. I am content. The best advice I received on this board was from a former cop turned Lear operator. In a nutshell, he said that I would need to see for myself. He was right - I now can go on with aviation never wondering "what if?"

J.
 
I am in a similar postiion, being torn between the pay and benefits. IMHO, dealing with the $ of flight training is well worth it after you "pay your dues" even if it takes 10-12 years to get a decent flying job, it would feel like the biggest accomplishment to know that you stuck with something you love to do.

If I took the flatfoot gig, yeah it would be easier along the way, but I just dont see myself being happy with it down the road. Although, after 3 years police work, in most departments there is an opportunity to apply to be a police chopper pilot, (at least in tucson, thats the story)

That's my viewpoint, hope it helps. But again, it's all about what works for you! Good Luck!
 
Thanks alot all.

Im still a bit stuck. I mean a police job is something i would love to do.

But i like avaition, as long as i can get by with bills and payments.
 
THe one last thing I would add is dont bank on getting onto a chopper unit anytime soon...3 yrs is usually the minimum you are required to wait before being able to apply for specialized postions, promotions, etc.. But in the case of aviation units, they are by far the toughest to get into.Unless you know the guys in the unit, are friends, etc..Dont bank on it...At least not on the first few trys.. Good luck with whatever you decide to do, just remember the best thing is to get the degree, what you do with it is up to you, but its a hell of a lot easier to go to school full time and get the degree, then to be a pilot or a cop fulltime and do the degree on the side. Besides, no department in the country is fully staffed, nor will they ever be, so even if you wait 4 yrs and get your degree, youll get picked up pretty much anywhere you want to go, of course thats provided you pass the written, poly, physical, psych, oral and the academy, which I am sure you will.. Good luck
 
thanks much for the advice.

I truthfully wasnt planning on getting a degree if i was gonna go the ATP route, but it seems its nessacary to progress in the airlines.

I am most likely gonna be going to college in JAN/FEB. Gonna get at least an Associates in Criminal Justice, then up it to a Bacholors. Things change as time goes on, I'll just take it one step at a time, and see where it leads me.
 
hey did u ever think about flying helicopters for the police department. that could be a cool job. i know that in los angeles to get into the program you have to have a license. just an idea. look at it this way its the best of both worlds.
 
helos are quite my thing of choice if you know what i mean.

Flight for life planes are pretty neat, as well as planes that transport prisoners
 
heres another question for yall, is it better to get my ratings over a peroid of time, or get it in 150days with atp.
 
You need to determine whether A) you enjoy flying and B) you have the aptitude to fly. Accomplish this by getting your private, which is a prequisite for ATP anyways. Then I'd worry about doing an accelerated course or learning the old fashion way (which I did and do not regret - there are tradeoffs to both, however).

J.
 
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