College?

B

bradenmcc

New Member
Hey guys and gals,

I'm a 26 year old with no college degree. I have an aspiration of becoming an airline pilot, now I'm just looking for the right path.

I know most if not all Majors are not requiring a degree anymore (that doesn't mean they don't look for one) but I'm stuck. Do I go straight to flight school and try to get as many hours as possible and work my way to a major or do I go to school and delay my flight training just to get a degree and tack on more debt?
Do you guys think it would be worth it either way?
 
Do you have any community colleges in your area that offer aviation programs? I know there are certain community colleges that will offer flight training associate degrees. The problem with jumping straight into flight training without a degree right now is for all we know, once all the dust settles from COVID, every airline including the regionals may require a degree because it is so competitive.

There will be others on here who could probably give you better advice being as I’m still in my flight training. However, if flying is truly what you want to do, I’d go for the 4 year aviation degree. With enough hard work, you could graduate in 3 1/2 years and be at the airlines in 4 1/2... assuming everything is back to normal by then. What I would NOT recommend doing is wasting time and money on a degree that doesn’t interest you and then pay more money for your flight training. Just my .02
 
Pretty sure the consensus will be to get a degree. GO down a path that interests you and try to diversify from aviation stuff. I did mine in History and loved it after attempting Biology and hating the curriculum leading up to it. Have a good fall back degree.
 
Screaming_Emu said:
The longer you wait, the harder it is to knock it out. Life gets busy!
Click to expand...


This is the truth. I’m 32, married with a kid, and back in school. Wish I would have just plowed through it before starting the career. I was one of the people that decided experience was priority over degree. But.. it depends on what kind of school you are going to. Online? Then no need to postpone the career moves as you can do that while working. Brick and mortar? Then yeah I’d say knock that out before even getting that first job or while being a CFI at most.

BTW I’m sure you’ve heard, not much movement going on right now. So maybe this is a great time to get the degree going.
 
I just finished a BA in December at age 42. I wish I’d done it sooner. The only plus to completing a degree now as an (older adult with a working spouse!) was I could pay as I went and not suffer debt. Plus, life experience makes coursework easier.

Find a way to get a bachelors. Before all this coronavirus began, that was a key to many friends moving on from the regionals. All this awfulness won’t last forever, if you start now, you could be done and be in a good spot. Good luck.
 
bradenmcc said:
I know most if not all Majors are not requiring a degree anymore (that doesn't mean they don't look for one) but I'm stuck. Do I go straight to flight school and try to get as many hours as possible and work my way to a major or do I go to school and delay my flight training just to get a degree and tack on more debt?
Do you guys think it would be worth it either way?
Click to expand...

Are you sure that the bolded part is true?
 
killbilly said:
Are you sure that the bolded part is true?
Click to expand...

It's a moot point now since none of them are hiring right now nor will be for years, if ever again. If they do they'll have their pick of applicants so I'd be surprised if it's possible to get hired without a degree but who knows.
 
USMCmech said:
I waited until Wikipedia, Google and Youtube had been invented.

Made studying much easier.


West Brook HS class of 96
LeTourneau University class of 2015
Click to expand...

Absolute truth. I appreciated our advancements in technology immensely during the two years I finished a law-centric BA. It would have been way harder the old way being a "non-traditional" student. Even though campus was only 40 minutes from my house, I never set foot there except to walk at graduation.
 
Yakob said:
It's a moot point now since none of them are hiring right now nor will be for years, if ever again. If they do they'll have their pick of applicants so I'd be surprised if it's possible to get hired without a degree but who knows.
Click to expand...
Ever again? You really think the majors are never gonna hire again?

Wow.
 
Yakob said:
They might, but it wouldn't surprise me if they don't. I don't see demand for air travel ever reaching 2019 levels again.
Click to expand...

That's what the doomers said in the fall of 2001.

Given the number of early retirements and buyouts at the majors I wouldn't be surprised if hiring slowly started back up 24 months after this virus is under control. I don't see another "lost decade" happening again.

I could be completely wrong.
 
Precious few of us are qualified to render an educated judgment about air travel demand, but not unlike “when should I start learning how to fly,” the question as to “when should I start to get a bachelor’s degree” is always “right now.”
 
USMCmech said:
That's what the doomers said in the fall of 2001.

Given the number of early retirements and buyouts at the majors I wouldn't be surprised if hiring slowly started back up 24 months after this virus is under control. I don't see another "lost decade" happening again.

I could be completely wrong.
Click to expand...

I hope you're right. So far the drop in passengers has been worse than 2001, and almost all business travel has disappeared. Then again I've always been a pessimist so maybe it won't be as bad as I expect.
 
Autothrust Blue said:
Precious few of us are qualified to render an educated judgment about air travel demand, but not unlike “when should I start learning how to fly,” the question as to “when should I start to get a bachelor’s degree” is always “right now.”
Click to expand...

Quotes for emphasis. Flying is easy, getting your degree at 31, with a full time job, a wife, and a kiddo is a lot harder than doing college when you’re young. Ask me how I know!
 
Finny said:
Quotes for emphasis. Flying is easy, getting your degree at 31, with a full time job, a wife, and a kiddo is a lot harder than doing college when you’re young. Ask me how I know!
Click to expand...
I just wrote what I hope is the last paper for my M.S., and that was supposed to take 2 years, and it’s taken just over 3, as it turns out, because life happens. And I don’t have the wife and kid to worry about to add to that.

Work and life (or both) get in the way occasionally, so “right now” is always the answer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

barchaim
Possible to be Too Cautious/Conservative?
Replies
14
Views
692
form810
F
NewsBot
  • Locked
Mission Coordinator
Replies
0
Views
208
NewsBot
NewsBot
barchaim
40 Year Old Career Changer - Looking for Advice
2
Replies
34
Views
3K
///AMG
///AMG
A300Capt
A little rant….
9 10 11
Replies
212
Views
12K
Richman
Richman
Dacuj
Recruiting
6 7 8
Replies
146
Views
8K
Richman
Richman
Back
Top