Help Please!! Please respond.

sierra9000

New Member
I am currently at student at the University of Illinois Institute of Aviation. I am interested in moving back and going to school in Michigan. I love northern Michigan and am considering going to a community college there to get an associates degree and all my flight ratings and then transferring to finish my bachelors. My question is how will this effect my employability? Is it harder to get a job having gone to a community college even if you finished your bachelors somewhere? Is this a smart idea? I need some direction with consideration placed on the long term effects at my career with this move?
 
Hey Sierra well I do understand your concerns about going to a community college. It does sound a little shady but I can honestly say it has no effect whatsoever on your career. The most important thing is that after you finish your two year degree that you get a good 4 year degree from a good university.It doesnt matter what your degree is in, just as long as you get a 4 year. I actually recommend getting a two year degree in aviation and then a 4 year in something else to fall back on. I myself attended the Salt Lake Community College flight program here in utah. I got my two year degree in aviation then got a 4 year degree up at Westminster College with a degree combining Buisness and Aviation. This actually worked out really well for me. I have about 1300 hours and I am now teaching for $20/hour with the college. I am just waiting for Skywest to start hiring again, maybe if im lucky get an interview. I can name to you at least 20 people off the top of my head that went through the community college here and got jobs at airlines. We even had one go directly to united(back in the days where they were hiring like crazy) he only had about 1500 hours and 300 multi when he went. Anyway to give you a short answer it doesnt hurt you at all to go to a community college and it wont affect if you get hired at all. The only people that came to the community college and went to another university that didnt get hired are the ones that quit flying so you have nothing to worry about. Happy flying!!
cool.gif
 
Thanks for your response, I am glad to hear the good news as getting the 2year and then continuing with a 4 year somewhere else is what I'd like to do. I would appreciate other people's input as well. Thanks a lot.
 
So you planning to go to Northern? I know a guy that went there, he enjoyed it a lot. He got his 2 year degree in aviation, and the 4 year in business. He's teaching as a CFI over in Caro (about 30 miles east of Saginaw). He's not planning on going to the airlines, or anymore more than instructoring; he's helping his family with the farm and then instructing too. Probably the perfect combo for him.

You don't need a degree in aviation. Lord knows I'm not getting one. I'm currently attending Western Michigan and getting degree's in political science and philosophy, and I'll probably end up over at Wayne for law school. That's my backup, law. If things don't work out with the airlines, I'll have a fesable fallback.

If you don't mind, why do you want to leave I of U? I wish I had gone there now that I left Western's aviation program.

Cheers


John Herreshoff
 
Well, I'm originally from Michigan and would like to be back there. Also, I like the fact I'll get all my ratings in a shorter time and can start looking for a flight instructor job while finishing my bachelors. Also, I don't know if the education I'm recieving at UofI is worth the out of state tuition I'm getting charged. The rates just keep being raised too. Now if I don't mind asking what didn't you like about Western? Do you think going to a smaller school will make it harder for me to get a job than say someone coming from UofI or Western? Thanks for your response John.
 
Heya,


The thing I didn't like about Western was that it moved too slowly for me (personally), cost too much (but every flight program does) and I already had my private when I showed up here. I took 4 aviation classes here, never went to class and still got A's in all of them. That happened because the stuff we were learning, I learned when I was like 16 when I started my flight lessons. It was just not the right program for me personally. You don't fly until your junior year, and you don't fly until your junior year. It washes out something like 75% of the applicants within the first year or so, but for me it was because it didn't happen quick enough.

Don't believe that crap about you not being able to get a job because you go to a smaller school. There are more networking possibilites at larger schools to be sure, but a large schools name won't get you anything. For that matter, just because the school is big does not mean that the flight program is the best in the world. I.E. U of I and Purdue pale in comparision to UND's program, though I think I hear more people talk about going to U of I or Purdue because of other accolades that the school has recieved. To me if you are going to go study aviation and are serious about it you either go to UND, Western Michigan or somewhere else. But I digress.

Go to a school that fits who you are, and if U of I is not doing it for you then get out. It's a fine school, and like I said I wish I had gone there; but if it's not working, get out. We have some good university's in Michigan and there is nothing wrong with em. Furthermore, you might want to look into getting your ratings on your own and getting a backup degree in college. That's what I'm doing right now, and I think it's the way to go.

Cheers


John Herreshoff
 
Shouldn't matter that much if at all.

Do the degree for your own good and the ability to check the "Why yes, I DO have a four year degree!" box on an application.
 
Thats what I was hoping to hear, I fully plan on finishing my bachelors but am not sure I want to finish it here at UofI. Also, I see a benefit in getting all my ratings in 2 years and then being able to finish my bachelors in some other area of interest. I am very glad to hear that a name necessarily doesn't mean everything when it comes to a college degree. I don't want to be at any disadvantage in the job market if I go to a smaller school. Again, thanks Doug and John for your opinions and reassurance. I'd appreciate any other input if anyone else has opinions or success stories.
 
Back
Top