Hello I'm trying to decide the best path to an airline career for me. I can either go to school for finance and then get a job in finance to fund my training. Or I can pay a lot more and get my flight training in college while pursueing a finance degree... Which path would be best?
Finance then aviation or aviation in college?
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Lunchbox
Well-Known Member
I'd recommend doing the flight training in college because you will have more available time. Unfortunately a lot of finance jobs are not 9 to 5, a lot of companies take advantage of your fixed salary and make you work 55 hours. It's not easy trying to study or going flying after an 11 hour work day and it will take you a lot longer if you are a weekend only trainer. However, if you get a government finance job you will never break 40 hours and it could be done if you are motivated and willing to sacrifice your social life by having no free time when you're off work.
Lunchbox
Well-Known Member
I can't really give you a good answer on that because I don't know much about 141 schools since I got my ratings part 61. I'm guessing that you could go to UND and take some of your elective classes as flying classes counting towards your total credits needed for your finance degree. Although 141 training is more expensive, airlines often give hiring priority to these types of students over learning part 61. The cheapest way to get your ratings would be to separate your flight training from your college, another words go to any college for your finance degree and train at the local FBO/flight school. Once you finish your finance degree and ratings you can take a look at the current aviation pilot demand/pay/estimated upgrade time then make your decision on taking a pilot job or finance job.
Study finance. In the course of doing that, you will learn what a rotten business commercial aviation is, and wisely decide on another path.
In all seriousness, you don't need a degree in aviation in order to be a professional pilot. Studying finance will provide you with some very marketable skills, in any industry. Aviation and airplanes will still be around when you are done with college. You'll just be in a much better position to pay for your training then. And you may even decide by the end of college that you're interests have shifted.
Put it another way. A finance man is in a much better position to learn to fly airplanes, than a pilot is in to learn finance.
In all seriousness, you don't need a degree in aviation in order to be a professional pilot. Studying finance will provide you with some very marketable skills, in any industry. Aviation and airplanes will still be around when you are done with college. You'll just be in a much better position to pay for your training then. And you may even decide by the end of college that you're interests have shifted.
Put it another way. A finance man is in a much better position to learn to fly airplanes, than a pilot is in to learn finance.
i agree but i rather be a regional airline pilot making 50K top in my career then an investment banker stressed 100 hours making 500K a year...
edit id never consider investment banking... however other careers in finance are not much different stress office closed off. long hours.. stress and more stress lol... what 100K tops in most positions... but id hate my life.. and dream of flying instead.. where as as a pilot id be happy even if its not all that great once im up in the air NOTHING else matters.. thats just how my mind works.. flying clears my head liek meditation. its another dimension another world... and ofcourse its a lot of fun.. although in finance i could be a trader which gives me freedom but not much and its still a very stressful job.. i was considering just like consulting or analysis of some sort.
edit id never consider investment banking... however other careers in finance are not much different stress office closed off. long hours.. stress and more stress lol... what 100K tops in most positions... but id hate my life.. and dream of flying instead.. where as as a pilot id be happy even if its not all that great once im up in the air NOTHING else matters.. thats just how my mind works.. flying clears my head liek meditation. its another dimension another world... and ofcourse its a lot of fun.. although in finance i could be a trader which gives me freedom but not much and its still a very stressful job.. i was considering just like consulting or analysis of some sort.
Studying business or finance does not mean that you will be stuck there for life, but is a useful knowledge base and diversified background to provide many benefits. To study aviation in college leaves you as a one trick pony. Useless to the outside world if your aviation dreams bust one day. Get a degree in something else. Choose life.