[ QUOTE ]
College is not just about trainability. There is a lot of personality development that occurs as part of the college experience, and I think that is an incredibly important intangible when entering the job market in any field. I absolutely encourage anybody who is even considering aviation (or almost any other career field) to go to college and obtain a four-year degree. College education pays you back in spades over time, even if you don't realize it as you're going through (FL270)
Really, alot of people wallow in their sadness about college, complaining that they didn't get anything out of it. I think those people are idiots....
I've enjoyed my time in college, and I've really learned alot. You can take from it what you choose to. Alot of my peers ask me constantly, "Why are you taking that class? It's not on your degree audit...", or "I'm just trying to do the bare minimum to get out of here...". Well, good on you, and I'm definately not hating on anyone. We've each got to make choices for ourselves. I choose to learn as much as I can (MTSU AV8R)
[/ QUOTE ]
I love these 2 posts (no sarcasm!).
If you can’t stand the idea of college and exercising your mind, then just think of a degree as an important part of your eligibility profile for a good flying job (that is what it is becoming or has become). Just make the effort to try and get the “piece of paper” so you can “fill the square” on an application.
For those looking for more, I found college to be a great experience that has enriched my mind and my personality. It is difficult to describe unless you have actually been through the process, but college study has changed the way I think, the way I critically evaluate people and situations, and my ability to function effectively in the world and in my career.
A fair chunk of my coursework has been in the liberal arts and psychology. Study in these two areas has made an enormous difference in how I confront daily situations, but usually in very subtle ways. I would love to go back and get a Master’s degree.
Sure, every college degree program will include some “klunker” classes that don’t challenge the students too much. But for the most part, I think that challenging course work will pay you back in intangible benefits. Like some others have said, college is what you make it – we have all known people who have floated through 4 years of school by taking classes that are marginally beneficial or challenging, and they emerge with a degree but no mental nourishment. If you tackle entire program with a true sense of curiosity and interest, you will benefit exponentially from your college experience. If you approach the program like a distasteful and necessary evil (a visit to the dentist’s office, if you will) then you will probably not benefit very much and you will go around professing that college was a big waste of time and money except for the “piece of paper.”
OK, off the soapbox.
BTW: I always get a kick out of people who say you should get a degree to “fall back on.” A degree in anything doesn’t guarantee a job by a long shot (well, except for a few select careers). That would be like an IT guy saying, “I think I’ll get a commercial pilot’s license so I can fall back on an aviation career if I lose my IT job.” Wishful thinking, but absurd in the real world.
