Aviation Colleges: Best Bang for the Buck?

WCAT1918

WCAT1918

New Member
I was curious to see from what others feel the value of training at an aviation college provides, and for the purpose of this I'm assuming most aviation colleges are 141, such as mine. I am a college aviation student coming in with a private and let me tell you the transition from 61 to 141 in terms of getting my credit has been hell here. However, I am looking forward to my next four years out here in the Pac NW. Honestly though, to play devils advocate for a minute why would I want to go through an aviation college? Most of them are very expensive and charge sometimes double the cost for what it takes to get the same rating at a 61, they also can gouge you on groundschool costs, while the hour requirements are lower, it still takes a year to get your private, instrument, and commercial because of all the in class groundschool(classes) they throw at you, the quizzes, homework, tests, and...well more tests. Certainly I feel there are advantages and I did my research and this place fit for me and my family's budget and that it would steer me towards my goal of where I wanted to go in the industry. But, what if after college I realize I want to do something else, does all those hard hours of studying and thousands of dollars go down the drain along with that aviation degree? Are most people that went through an aviation program at college happy with it or do they feel cheated and that it was a waste of their time? I would love some feedback and experiences and/or insight towards it all...regards, Chris
 
I moved this to the general fourm for more exposure.

"But, what if after college I realize I want to do something else, does all those hard hours of studying and thousands of dollars go down the drain along with that aviation degree?"

I think any four your degree is better than no degree when looking for jobs outside of aviation. So, the degree itself, wouldn't be a total waste. I don't see how your flight training and time in your logbook would do squat for you in a non-aviation job.
 
No need to play devils avocate. Plenty of people will do it for you:insane:


In all honesty though... Going through an aviation college really doesn't do much more for your then getting your rating part 61 while going through a regular college and getting a degree in something else. It doesn't matter what really. As far as 95% of aviation employers are concerned a degree in underwater basket weaving is just as good as an aviation science degree. What does matter is down the road if you decide to bail on aviation (or maybe move into a non flying side of it) a degree in something like business or engineering or even communication will do you a lot more good then your basket weaving degree. Will it be more useful then your aviation sciences degree? Depends. Most aviation science programs I have heard about a pretty much business programs focused on the aviation world. How transferable that is I don't know.

All that said, if you are liking the school where you are going then don't sweat it. If you are having problems with the pace of the 141 environment then definatly look at alternatives as you will truly be no worse off getting a non aviation degree and completing your ratings in the part 61 world.
 
Are you at Central?

I earned a pair of associate degrees in aviation and am going back to school and completing my degree online. I don't know if the degrees really helped, but I'm sure they didn't hurt. A bachelors degree is a must, and I'm working towards a double major now. The nice thing about going towards the aviation degree is all the work on the certificates/ratings that you've done (or will be doing) will count towards something else (a degree). Any degree will be good for checking that box for an airline, however, take note of what recently happened with this last recession, especially seeing just how competitive jobs became. Try talking with a counselor and see if it is possible to do a double major without a lot of extra cost. It looks like I can do one for about 9 additional classes, so I will definately pursue that.
 
WCAT1918 said:
I am a college aviation student coming in with a private and let me tell you the transition from 61 to 141 in terms of getting my credit has been hell here.
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Haha, you're not alone there! Apperantly the FAA certificate isn't proof enough that I've passed my writtens!?
 
BobDDuck said:
No need to play devils avocate. Plenty of people will do it for you:insane:


In all honesty though... Going through an aviation college really doesn't do much more for your then getting your rating part 61 while going through a regular college and getting a degree in something else. It doesn't matter what really. As far as 95% of aviation employers are concerned a degree in underwater basket weaving is just as good as an aviation science degree. What does matter is down the road if you decide to bail on aviation (or maybe move into a non flying side of it) a degree in something like business or engineering or even communication will do you a lot more good then your basket weaving degree. Will it be more useful then your aviation sciences degree? Depends. Most aviation science programs I have heard about a pretty much business programs focused on the aviation world. How transferable that is I don't know.

All that said, if you are liking the school where you are going then don't sweat it. If you are having problems with the pace of the 141 environment then definatly look at alternatives as you will truly be no worse off getting a non aviation degree and completing your ratings in the part 61 world.
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BobDduck is correct, airlines just want you to have a degree, doesnt matter if it is aviation or not. As far as a degree in aviation, I would not recommend as Ratings and Certificates provide all the knowledge you need in the field. Moreover, if something should happen down the road and aviation is no longer a career choice, that aviation degree won't do much for you in the real world. I started off a professional pilot major and switched to aviation management my sophmore year. Also, not sure about other schools but at my school you have to complete all your ratings (Private, Instr/Commercial, Mult, CFI) before you can graduate.So if you have money problems that keep you from flying, you could be in school a while!

As far as affordable colleges, don't know where you live but my college, Southeastern Oklahoma State University has to be one of the most affordable aviation colleges. Just go to http://aviation.sosu.edu and take a look for yourself. As far as social environment, lets just say it very conducive to studying! (hint:theres nothing to do)
 
Get a degree in something OTHER than aviation!!!!! I went to Bowling Green State University and went through their college of business while I worked on my certificates and ratings. Its good to have something to fall back on, and in my opinion a degree in "flight technology" or "professional pilot" is worthless.

Get a degree in something you can use in life if aviation ends up not working out, get your ratings on the side, and enjoy college! A friend of mine from college is a CFI and his vision just went to hell. He won't be able to hold a first class. Airlines is what he wanted to do... now hes spending another $50,000 on his MBA because his undergrad in Flight Technology couldn't land him anything in the regular work environment. Just my $.02
 
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