Career question regarding degrees...

Pooch

Pooch

Well-Known Member
I am a newly-rated CFI trained at a 141-school in Tulsa, OK. I can get an associate's degree by getting my CFII training there (I haven't started it yet). This will cost me minimum $3000. Probably more, as they will stretch it out for money.
Or i can get my CFII through a part-61 school for probably under $1000 with minimum hours, but of course this means no associate's degree.

I have over 3 years of college that I started before I began flight school, and intend to finish and get my bachelor's degree soon.

So, my question: Do I save money and put it towards my bachelor's, or get my associate's with my present school?

Also, would that benefit my resume, having both an associate's and bachelor's?
 
Ditto what FlyChicaga said. The Associates really won't help you all that much, and when/if you go for the bachelor's you run the risk of the credits not transferring.
 
Whats your feeling on this topic...it's gone on and on in other threads. I'm gonna be starting at ATP next month...and by the end i'll have an associates, and started on the bachelors. Can i get in with a regional with an associates ? Some say yes, some say no. Airline websites say yes. I've been told both sides of the coin by many people. Basically what i've gathered is that its possible to get in with a regional with an associates, but wont be able to go anywhere further without a bachelors.
 
You probably can, but if you think you're going to have time and interest to finish it once you're online, I'm going to have to laugh!
 
LOL...well...lets talk about this for a bit. Lets assume it's an online degree program. Knock out assigments from hotel rooms on a laptop, etc. Might take awhile, but i dont see why it wouldnt be possible. If i'm wrong, or if its impossible, please do enlighten me....
 
I understand what your saying doug, and I understand your recommendation...get a bachelors. I'm just curious as to why it would be so difficult to continue a bachelors online, after getting a job. Just wondering thats all
 
From what I hear from people, the online degree program is a lot more time consuming than it looks.

Knowing how hungry/tired I am when I get to the layover hotel, I couldn't imagine having to work on an assignment. Surfing the net, answering email and bantering on jetcareers is one thing, but working on a dissertation on layovers is something else entirely.

But if you have any life changes during your tenure as a regional pilot with an AS/AA degree, your free time to finish the online degree may change drastically.

My theory is that if a person is young and of the traditional 'college age', what's the big problem with cranking out a few more years of school to get a decent bachelors degree? If you're just looking to 'check the box' in order to qualify for a job which requires a four-year degree, it might be alright, but if you're looking for a four-year degree which will serve as a great launching point for "Plan B" if you lose your medical or you simply tire of spending half of your life on the road in Holiday Inn's, perhaps a traditional college may suit you better.

But that's just my own unqualified opinion and your mileage may vary.
 
I'm with you IndianaPilot on the thought of just slowly getting the degree online. I will almost have my AA in Business and then plan on going to ATP (or somewhere else), then while instructing I'll slowly work on my BA degree and keep on going with it when I get into Regionals. I know that I am a very dedicated person to finish things when I start them and that I will do fine. Also a big reason why I want to go to flight school before I get my full degree is because if I go to a University to finish up, I know that I will not be able to fly at all due to money situations, and with already having a PPL by the time I go to a 4 year college I just cannot give up flying for that long, the bug has already bitten me hard...
 
Cool Doug thanks for the info ! Thats what i was wondering. I guess my impression of how an airline pilot feels when he gets to the hotel was a little bit off base. I always thought you were generally in a good mood, well rested, etc. I'm not to worried about a Plan B scenario...i am gonna maintain my paramedic certification...its a good fallback plan. The fire dept. and ambulance service i currently work for already told me i was welcome to come right back if anything fell through. So i'm pretty secure as far as a backup plan goes. The degree for me is really gonna be just like you said....check in the box.
 
Usually, I arrive at the hotel in need of food, an adult beverage and loads of sleep. Sometimes you have light days when you're able to venture out and taste some of the local life, but more often than not, I've been arriving at the hotel lazy, tired and hungry.
 
Need a 4 yr degree? I'll sell you mine...cheap! Hardly used! Still has that new degree smell!
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Need a 4 yr degree? I'll sell you mine...cheap! Hardly used! Still has that new degree smell!
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lol, so what now? We have a black market for college degrees?
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Oh my God, if I had to do homework on an overnight I'd smash the window with a chair and jump out. That's all I would want... go to the airport the next day to hear about all the fun everyone had on the overnight, while I was reading and writing about Plato and Aristotle.

Anyone who is thinking of getting into flying without their degree, DON'T DO IT. Don't think you can get your degree in your hotel, either. Many hotels don't have high speed internet, or you have to pay $9.95 per night for it. Do you really want to be a slam-clicker for the first five years of your career trying to bust out a bachelor's?

Yuck. Stay away. Get your degree, THEN fly. Much better combination.
 
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You can buy anything on eBay!

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lol, oh my gosh... you can't be serious! Once again, I guess you can find just about ANYTHING on eBay.
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Anything less than 10 hours, I usually check email, zone out and sleep. Anything over 12 hours, I like to find a nice local place for a bevvie and some grub.

But yes, if I had to study "Socratic Philosophy and the Prolific Effects on Post-Modern Medievalism", I'd certainly be up in the nearest bell tower with a .22 watching the co-eds thru my site.
 
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