While I do agree with the getting the Bachelor's Degree, I think getting the degree is the hard part, making money after graduation is the easy part. I guess I have been lucky, I have found it easy to make good money and have met some well connected people in the process.
This isn't an attack on you mavmb1, but a degree in aviation isn't useless. There are thousands of jobs that don't require a degree in that specific market, all they are looking for is that you can check the 4 year degree box. For instance, last year I was Palm Springs for a vacation and I met a real estate investor and I mentioned I was interested in that. I talked with him for a couple hours about it and ended up seeing him a few times while I was there. He offered me a job whenever I want to come down there. I was like sweet but then I asked,
me: "Do I need a degree? Any training from an outside source?"
him: "Son, what I do there isn't a thing any school could teach you. The U.S. college system is going down the tubes and they don't teach real world material. Anything you need to know will be taught by me"
me: "I completely agree with you that college stinks."
This guy was a professional golfer (still is, doesn't play much) and holds a Masters Degree. The job would start out at around $75,000 a year and go up from there. I was in shock. I am seriously considering this job because 1) pay 2) New Bonanza they purchased last year for business travel 3) potential for more aircraft in the future
I guess what I am trying to say is get out there and meet people. Just like Doug says, Network Network Network. It is so much who you know and not what you know.
Yes, I am a commercial aviation major with a minor in management. Every business class I have ever taken has been a huge waste of my time, along with most of my aviation classes too. If you want you major in aviation, do it because you like it. If you wanna major in business, do it because you like it. Don't do crap that you won't enjoy, because a 4 year degree will end up taking you 6 years because school sucks when you don't like what you do.