Future Career Questions/Advice

1B9Pilot

1B9Pilot

Well-Known Member
Ok so this is a little about me - I'm currently 17 and just finishing up my junior year of high school. I've obviously been looking at colleges and my future and I'm between pilot, controller, management job in aviation or high school teacher. A year ago I was 100% set on becoming an airline pilot, I knew it was right for me, I mean who else says their office is at 39,000 feet! This year I was met with a dilemma. I am big on family life and would like to have a family when I'm older. Now obviously being on the road 1/2 the month could cause a problem so I considered teaching but then, do I really want to spend the rest of my life in school?

So my situation is this, Do I go to a school and get a history degree and possibly stop flying for a bit and give up that idea or do I go to a place like FIT (which I absolutely love that place) and get an Aviation Management degree or a place with a Flight Minor (best of both worlds?).

1. What kind of non-flying jobs can a person with an Aviation Management Degree have?
2. How are family lives for you current pilots? I assume those doing Corporate/Majors have it a little bit better.
3. Has anyone else been in my dilemma and if so, what did you do?

I really appreciate it!
 
1B9Pilot said:
Ok so this is a little about me - I'm currently 17 and just finishing up my junior year of high school. I've obviously been looking at colleges and my future and I'm between pilot, controller, management job in aviation or high school teacher. A year ago I was 100% set on becoming an airline pilot, I knew it was right for me, I mean who else says their office is at 39,000 feet! This year I was met with a dilemma. I am big on family life and would like to have a family when I'm older. Now obviously being on the road 1/2 the month could cause a problem so I considered teaching but then, do I really want to spend the rest of my life in school?

So my situation is this, Do I go to a school and get a history degree and possibly stop flying for a bit and give up that idea or do I go to a place like FIT (which I absolutely love that place) and get an Aviation Management degree or a place with a Flight Minor (best of both worlds?).

1. What kind of non-flying jobs can a person with an Aviation Management Degree have?
2. How are family lives for you current pilots? I assume those doing Corporate/Majors have it a little bit better.
3. Has anyone else been in my dilemma and if so, what did you do?

I really appreciate it!
Click to expand...

Although I am a few years older than you I had a similar situation as you.

1. Same as any other business degree, youll just need to work a bit harder to get an interview. Many companies search resumes by a program that searches for key words. If they say degree in Marketing or finance, you can bet those are the applications that will filter to the top of the list. Just like aviation though, who you know is more important than what you know. So getting a good internship through your school or having an internal recommendation will help get you to the top of the applicant list. After your first job generally your degree is less important than job experience and previous position held. Applying to a product manager spot when you are an assistant product manager with 3 years experience will be more helpful than your degree in most situations.

2. Not a pro pilot.

3. Like I said, I was in a similar position I am just a bit older. Was working towards my ratings, all set to be a pilot, met a girl and now we have a family. I couldnt imagine being away from them especially at this stage for 4-5 days a week. I would be miserable. I started working a corporate cube job with the intentions of it paying for my ratings, it was and will continue to in the future. But I dont intend to pursue a fling career outside of CFIing on the weekends for the foreseeable future. If I can network into a corporate gig where I am home most nights great, but commercial pilots are gone way too much.

Good thing is though, hours are hours. If I am 45 and want to try my hand at being a commercial pilot, Ill have the hours to apply.

Good luck and more importantly have fun!
 
1. It's hard to find jobs right now, who knows in a few years when you're out. Internships will be a must to get hired. All of my friends that did internships have seen rewards while those that worked during college and are now done have settled for other jobs or are finding it very hard to get into the field.

2. I'm single and home a lot. I think I worked less than 3 out of the last 6 months, spread out of course.

3. I got an aviation degree, was all for it but now I regret it. Even though I have a good paying flying job while most of my friends make ~60-80% of what I make I'm still jealous of them. Keep in mind that a few years ago I didn't want to do anything but fly, however, as you get older (I'm in my early 20s) your life priorities change. I had an office job before my flying career and didn't realize that it's not so bad. Don't get me wrong, flying is awesome but office jobs aren't so bad :)

Get a degree in something else and fly on the side. If you start flying at 25 you'll still have 40 years of it!
 
Thanks for the replies! I've also been looking at an Aviation Meteorology Degree, would this be a little bit better than Av. Management? The weather does fascinate me
 
1B9Pilot said:
Thanks for the replies! I've also been looking at an Aviation Meteorology Degree, would this be a little bit better than Av. Management? The weather does fascinate me
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Just my .02, which are worthless, but I dont think getting a degree specific to one industry is a good idea. The degree should be applicable to all industries that utilize Meteorology. Adding the word Aviation to the front of it, could raise some questions if you try use it in a different industry.
 
1B9Pilot said:
1. What kind of non-flying jobs can a person with an Aviation Management Degree have?
2. How are family lives for you current pilots? I assume those doing Corporate/Majors have it a little bit better.
3. Has anyone else been in my dilemma and if so, what did you do?
Click to expand...

First, I think it's great that you're thinking about your future. Your priorities will change as you get older, but it's never too young to investigate every facet of prospective careers: just remember to enjoy your youth along the way!

I'm going to indirectly answer your questions through one response. First, your first job out of college will rarely be your last. If you choose to fly for an airline initially it certainly won't prevent you from seeking other employment outside of the 121 world later on. That experience might help you get another job or you might decide to continue with the airlines and work your way into a training department or management. These will generally allow you to be home more often. For example, if you were to become a sim instructor at my old airline, you could move to Charlotte and be home most nights unless you wanted to go fly a trip (for your reference, it took me four years to go from a line pilot to a sim instructor).

I am in in your shoes: I want a more balanced life. I miss my airline friends but left to fly for/help manage a charter operation. I expect to be gone roughly 80 nights a year as opposed to the 134 nights I was away from home at my last job. I will also fly roughly 400-450 hours a year, which I look forward to (I wasn't flying as much as an instructor and started to feel disconnected to line operations). I have an office, the airport is 7 minutes away from my house, and I don't have to clear TSA or ride an employee bus every morning. To ME, it works. It might not for others!

Keep asking questions and exploring your options, all while keep a flexible plan. Just remember that your plan will change many, many times in the next decade. A DEA Special Agent gave me the best advice to cope with such uncertainty: divide your professional life into five-year segments and ask yourself:

- Could I do this prospective job for five years?
- By taking this opportunity, do I close any doors?
- If I decide to move on after five years, will this opportunity give me new skills/credentials to get a better job?


As for your schooling, I would go for History if it interests you. Aviation degrees aren't worthless by any means, but it never hurts to diversify your educational background and have a backup should:

- Airlines stop hiring when you graduate.
- You have/encounter a medical condition precluding you from flying/controlling.


Good luck!
J.
 
Thanks again! I'm still going to look into an Aviation Meteorology Degree (keeping all options open) but am also going to see if there is an FBO near a college that may not have a Flight School at it ex. Catholic University of America is one of my top schools and Dulles FBO at Manassas airport is something to look into to finish my ratings so that when I graduate I could get my History/Secondary Ed. degree, become a high school teacher or middle school and then during the summer/weekends instruct at a local flight school wherever I live
 
1B9Pilot said:
This year I was met with a dilemma. I am big on family life and would like to have a family when I'm older. Now obviously being on the road 1/2 the month could cause a problem so I considered teaching but then, do I really want to spend the rest of my life in school?
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FWIW, it's tough to know what you're really going to value in life at this point for you.

What was important for me at 17 was different from what I wanted at 27 and from what I wanted at 37. I'm fortunate that I made the right "big picture" decisions in life (went to college, got married, started a family), but everything else has been a combination of chance/luck and trying to guide my career with rudder corrections as my priorities in life changed.

The same advice applies to you as has been given to many others on this site: go to a 'real' college, get a non-aviation related degree, learn to fly on the side, and if it still ends up interesting you go after a professional flying job.

Such a path in life will allow you many options, which will in turn allow you to make changes if your desires/values in life change.
 
1B9Pilot said:
Ok so this is a little about me - I'm currently 17 and just finishing up my junior year of high school. I've obviously been looking at colleges and my future and I'm between pilot, controller, management job in aviation or high school teacher. A year ago I was 100% set on becoming an airline pilot, I knew it was right for me, I mean who else says their office is at 39,000 feet! This year I was met with a dilemma. I am big on family life and would like to have a family when I'm older. Now obviously being on the road 1/2 the month could cause a problem so I considered teaching but then, do I really want to spend the rest of my life in school?

So my situation is this, Do I go to a school and get a history degree and possibly stop flying for a bit and give up that idea or do I go to a place like FIT (which I absolutely love that place) and get an Aviation Management degree or a place with a Flight Minor (best of both worlds?).

1. What kind of non-flying jobs can a person with an Aviation Management Degree have?
2. How are family lives for you current pilots? I assume those doing Corporate/Majors have it a little bit better.
3. Has anyone else been in my dilemma and if so, what did you do?

I really appreciate it!
Click to expand...

Everyone thinks they know what they want at 17. If you don't remember the movie Crash with Matt Dillon, rewatch it (or watch it if you've never seen it), and keep an eye out for the part where Dillon says to Ryan Phillipe "Just wait till you're on the job for a few years", or something to that effect in reference to Phillipe thinking he knew what he was talking about.

As far as FIT goes. You love paying 40K a year for a BS education hmmm? That degree is worthless, and that school has as much clout in the business as Miami Dade Community college. People with FIT degrees, and Riddle degrees, and Purdue degrees, and UND degrees, are a dime a dozen, except you are left 100k in debt. Oh, and if you choose to go to FIT even after this advice, say good game to your sex life. Male/female ratio is about 80:20, maybe 75:25. Do not go to FIT. Go to a state school. Get an engineering degree. Get laid. Do your flying part 61.

Hambone out.
 
I would get the history degree, try teaching for a bit and if you dislike it, go into aviation. Get your degree at a local/state school to save money and earn your ratings up to CFI locally while attending college. Alternatively, after graduating, you could try aviation first. Then, if you dislike flying, try teaching.

The above does take discipline; studying two subjects at once isn't for everyone; if you don't think you can handle it my advice would be to put your degree fist. I recommend a non-aviation degree for the sake of diversification; history can be a spring board to law, education, and other fields and you said you were interested in it.

To answer your questions:

1. I'd guess they could work at an airport or an airline in a non-flying role. Maybe you could be one of the guys that drives around and counts the runway lights at night, or work for the FAA adjusting signage/navaids. The academic advisors at the institutions offering this degree would be the perfect people to ask this question to.

2. I don't have a wife or kids, and a surprising number of people that I work with who are 50+ don't either. My segment of the industry might not be ideal for family men, but a lot of pilots still make it work. If you're flexible on where you will live, it helps a lot.

3. I was "in your dilemma" about 10 years ago. I chose to study aviation locally and try to get a liberal arts degree from a major university simultaneously. Ultimately I dropped out of college prior to my senior year to fly at the regionals, and 6 years later got a job flying heavy freight which *might* be a "final career stop" type gig. I'm still working on finishing my degree online, only now it's an aviation degree from that famous place in Daytona/Prescott. At this point I'm just finishing out of a desire to avoid being the only "slacker" in my family that doesn't have a degree, plus the added bit of job security should the rug get pulled out from under me at my current job.

Good Luck!
 
Unless you are targeting a specific job (electrical engineer, pre-med, architecture, etc) your degree field is really not an issue. I have an aviation degree and don't regret it. My current job as a major airline pilot required just a college degree; could have been history or biology, they didn't care.

My advice is to pick a degree program you're going to enjoy learning about. If you pick something to just make your resume shine but have no interest in, you're going to suffer through four years of drudgery while trying to pursue your passion (flying) outside your "day job." If you really enjoy aviation and like FIT, then do it and enjoy the ride!

I have a great family life. We had our first child my second year as a regional pilot (money was tight, but we lived on a lot o' love!). We did fine through 7 years at the regionals and now almost five at the majors. We've got three kids, I live in base and am loving life (18 days off in June!! WOOT!).
 
hambone, I take it you didn't like FIT even when you were a student there! It sounds like you got an Aero. Science degree, I'm not even looking to get a degree like that.

hambone said:
As far as FIT goes. You love paying 40K a year
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Sadly, most places are that much anyhow today and actually UND would be cheaper for me than a state school.

Oh, and if you choose to go to FIT even after this advice, say good game to your sex life. Male/female ratio is about 80:20, maybe 75:25.
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No one at age 17 should worry about that

I know people that went to FIT and found it to be a good education and not BS, not starting an argument, just saying.
 
1B9Pilot said:
Thanks again! I'm still going to look into an Aviation Meteorology Degree (keeping all options open) but am also going to see if there is an FBO near a college that may not have a Flight School at it ex. Catholic University of America is one of my top schools and Dulles FBO at Manassas airport is something to look into to finish my ratings so that when I graduate I could get my History/Secondary Ed. degree, become a high school teacher or middle school and then during the summer/weekends instruct at a local flight school wherever I live
Click to expand...

At least when I was in (back in the stone age), the Air Force would pay for just about anyone with a pulse to get a meteorogy degree - you might want to look into that.
 
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