Gotta preach again

[sopdan]

Well, a few weeks ago a responded to a post in the Collegiate Aviation section about my rationale behind continuing my pursuit of an aviation degree even though I have a bicuspid aortic valve. However, I believe that topic has since been deleted.

The main theme was that I do have a backup plan in a field (law enforcement) in which everyone says get a degree in something else. Since I'm not gonna waste four years getting a degree in something I don't like, I might as well just get my ratings at the same time.

And how did I choose which field I was going to pursue as a career when I wanted to do both equally? Well, you can be a pilot at just about any level and still become a reserve officer, but you can't really be a law enforcement officer and be able to afford flying on the weekends.

 

[Kingairer]

Doug to those and to the others who think that their airline is invincible tell them to go to this website http://www.airchive.com/ Its a website with route maps and all kinds of cool stuff from airline/former airlines around the world.

 

[tonyw]

Don't be so down on your history degree. I've got a psychology degree, and that's just about as applicable to something besides academia as yours is.

There are plenty of jobs that require a four year degree -- any four year degree. Okay, so you can't be an accountant, or an engineer, or something like that.

But there are a lot of jobs out there that require a degree in anything.

 

[TheWife]

You are very right Tony! When I was scrolling through job listings a while ago I saw a lot of very well paying jobs that required A 4 year degree but didn't specify in what. And can't you get a really good job with a degree in psychology? I remember seeing some paying around 60K.

 

[WillNotFly4Food]

We have all heard people say that the airlines don't care if you have a 4 year degree in aviation or underwater basket weaving. Well I tell you what, you might be better off with a degree in basket weaving.

I am months away from completing my B.S. in aviation and the closer graduation looms the more I kick myself for choosing to get a B.S. in BS.

Recent family health issues have made this even more palpable. My father at 60 years of age just had a heart stent implanted after a random stress test revealed a blocked artery. This is a man that is very diciplined (ex airforce) with his diet, PT everyday, has the resting heart rate of a corpse, and yet this still happened. Looking at family history you would actually say he is one of the fortunate ones. His father was dead at 55 from a massive heart attack, one brother with quadruple bypass surgery after a heart attack at 46, the other brother with double bypass surgery at age 44, mother with bypass surgery at age 80...

Point being you can't exercise or eat your way out of genetics, and you sure as hell can't predict what will happen with your health. Good diet and exercise undoubtedly makes a difference, just don't assume you're immune if you are, by all accounts, 'healthy'.

Anyways, I look forward to a future filled with melanoma, heart disease, and male pattern baldness! weeee!

 

[tonyw]

The good jobs that you can get in the psychology field require a post-grad degree.

However, with a psychology degree, there are plenty of other solid jobs where they don't care that your degree says "psychology" on it. They just care that it exists. Hell, it could be in general studies, it could be in basket weaving, it could be in anything.

They just want it to exist.

 

[IrishSheepdog]

I'm with sopdan. Law enforcement is my "backup" career. I just hope that IF something REALLY bad is going to happen to kick me out of this career, I hope it's before the cutoff age to become a LEO. Not sure what I would do if I had to ditch at age 45 or something.

 

[Eagle]

[ QUOTE ]
I dont know how far a History degree eventhough from an Ivy League university is going to get me in life.

[/ QUOTE ]

welcome to the club!!

I figure mine makes me a good restoration carpenter as I don't have the inclination to actually teach...

 

[Ophir]

I started a window washer and maybe will end a window washer.



So with the rapid increase in late onset diabetes and diabetes in children, combined with great research and things like the insulin pump, will the FAA ever relax the FAR 67.113? =no diabetes?

 

[sopdan]

I believe they will now give 3rd class medicals for certain cases of diabetes, but no 1st or 2nd class yet that I know of.

 

[fly22]

Its good to here all of this. I was wondereing if my finance degree was worth finishing. I've spent a lot of time as a loan officer trying to build up my clientel and now if feels worth it.

 

[flycanuck]

Yeah Doug, I'm sorta going through the same thing. My cousin recently got diabetes and she is only 21. Its amazing how perfectly healthy people can just come down with stuff like that.....

 

[SierraPilot]

If you lose your medical for whatever reason, would you lose your job? Some conditions are are easily treatable is why I'm asking so would you have a job waiting if you could get your medical lets say 6 months later.. or are you SOL??

Ryan

 

[triplec76]

I didnt fully understand until a few months ago....now Ive decided to get A+ certified in computers and maybe something else involving networking systems. I will already have a 4 year degree which most places require, so I just need to get specialized training in whatever area I wish to work.

I decided to do this because my family does have a history of heart disease that runs in the males. Not to mention that Im too damn stubborn to eat right......The second reason I chose to get certified in the field of computers is because of the state that aviation is in. Im married with a 3 year old son (the jobs in IA arent as plentiful as some other places), and I am not moving him away from family for the sake of a mediocre paying job. Hopefully Ill never need to use a certfication in computers for anything other than my own PCs, but having it will be easy on my nerves.

 

[flyguy]

I majored in computers both because I'm interrested in electronics and because at the time the computer industry was booming and it would be an excellent backup career. Unfortunately there are so many people getting laid off now that its not even a good primary career. Chances are that if the airlines are laying people off its because the economy is bad so the same thing will be happening in the IT industry. It won't help having an obsolete degree either. Fortunately I have a wife who supports me 100% and is in grad school. I'm starting training for my PPL next week and by the time I begin (or end) my aviation career we'll at least have 1 solid income (knocking on wood) so I can go back to school and refresh my skills if I have to, or get a new degree altogether. I kinda wished I'd majored in business now because its so versitile, but business is so freaking boring!

I'm NOT saying don't bother with trying to have a backup plan. I guess I'm just saying it may be a good idea to take it one step farther and at least think about what you might do if the backup plan falls through.

 

[flyguy]

[ QUOTE ]
I always panic inside when i have to take my blood pressure and its always higher then the readings i get @ home. This happen to anyone else?

[/ QUOTE ]

When I got my medical (first one) last week the AME said he was a little surprised at 125/80 for me being only 23. He asked me if I'd ever smoked. I hadn't, and that kind of concerned me. I passed my 1st class medical but it caught me off guard. First of all I though 125/80 was normal, and what did he mean by that? Am I in trouble?

Then I remembered my life insurance physical I took 2 weeks earlier that measured it at 120/70, very normal for someone my age. My own pressure cuff also measured 120/70 about that time, and so I came home and checked it again and it was 120/70. I'm thinking I ws a little nervous about my first medical and that was what caused the higher reading. I sure hope that's what it was.

 

[aceflyley]

Hey John, I had pretty bad asthma when I was little (numerous trips to the emergency room). Just like you, 20 or so years later I'm perfectly healthy and my asthma is 99.9% gone (I maybe use my inhaler once or twice a year). I haven't been to the doctor for any asthma related thing in probably 10-13 years. My question is: when I get my medical should I even tell the doctor that I have/had asthma? Are my records from that long ago still on file with someone?

I mean, I want to be truthful, but I wouldn't want to say something stupid that would mess up my future.

 

[jtrain609]

If you're not on daily meds don't worry about it. They won't defer you if you haul around a provental inhaler around with you (there are a lot of people without asthma that have them). I wouldn't be TOO worried about checking the asthma/allergy box, though some people here will tell you not to. I would say do it, beacuse I don't think it'll be a factor for you and it's better to let them know than have it come back and bite you in the butt years down the road and have someone say that you falsified a medical application.

The killer for me is that I'm on daily meds, and will be the rest of my life. Even when I don't take them every day, I'm very much in control of my asthma. None of the drugs I'm on are disqualifiers, so I'm pretty good.

What the FAA looks at is chance of incapicitation (sp) and severity (among other things). I wouldn't be too worried.

Cheers


John Herreshoff

 

[aloft]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm with sopdan. Law enforcement is my "backup" career.

[/ QUOTE ]Come to think of it, you DO look an awful lot like the terminator/motorcycle cop in T2!

 

[MikeD]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm with sopdan. Law enforcement is my "backup" career.

[/ QUOTE ]Come to think of it, you DO look an awful lot like the terminator/motorcycle cop in T2!

[/ QUOTE ]

There's a likeness........