Preparing for dispatch school?

C

Chris6

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone,

I found this board a few weeks ago while I was looking for more background about being a dispatcher for an airline. Suffice it to say, JC has the best information on the web!

I hope it is not in too much distaste to make my own thread right away here. I'll try to avoid rehashing information that's in other threads, but I also want to make sure that some info is still current. Doesn't hurt to try to do a bit of networking here either, right?

Anyway, about me: I am a 25 year old, lifetime resident of the MKE area. I have an undergrad degree in criminal justice, and for the last few years I've been trying to get a job in the law enforcement field. Suffice to say it hasn't gone to plan.

At the moment, I am looking to get a plan for the future. My training for a law enforcement job expires in about 7 months, but given the amount of time those hiring processes take (months long) I will know where I stand in about 4 months.

I've looked at the major schools for dispatching and I think Jeppesen would be the best fit for me because it is far closer than Sheffield, and I have a buddy that moved to Denver for a job (so maybe a place to stay for cheap).

The question that comes to my mind first is how much time should I commit to just preparing to go to a dispatch school in terms of studying? Should I start preparing for the ADX or something else X months beforehand? Is there any study materials out there that are free that I could use before I would get things from the school? Any other
issues I might have?

Any pointers for someone at this step of the process would be appreciated!
 
Study for the ADX and be ready to take it as soon as class starts, or take it before you go. Having that done and out of the way will make life a lot easier. You should be able to find some free flash card sets on Quizlet but that will only take you so far. I recommend getting the Gleim ATP book and/or the Sheppard Air software. They aren't free, but well worth the price in my opinion.

Other than that, I would say don't worry about studying ahead of time. Jepp will teach you everything you need to know.
 
I didn't study before class, but I did study my ass off during class. Seemed to work out ok for me..just be prepared to commit everything to class. Forget about the next 4-6 weeks of your social life.
 
Chris6 said:
I have an undergrad degree in criminal justice, and for the last few years I've been trying to get a job in the law enforcement field. Suffice to say it hasn't gone to plan.
Click to expand...

I feel ya man, I was on the list for Highway Patrol a while back and that door slammed quicker than I can blink due to budget cuts and the civil service list expiring.

Now I am a dispatcher....

Sliced Bread has good advice, study for the ADX before you go and take it ASAP. It will make life a lot easier to be able to focus on the real material.

As far as picking a school, when it comes to it at the end of the day, it won't really matter. It's what you take from school and how you shine in the interview. A school can't teach you to how dispatch - your first job will, a school will only teach you what you need to know in order to dispatch.

Good luck to you and let me know if you have any questions!
 
This is a great place to network so welcome! Echoing the others, definitely be ready to take the ADX when you get there. You'll be fed from the firehose for six weeks and you won't have time to study for that. The trouble is that Jepp doesn't have the students take the written until the 3rd or 4th week so you might try talking to Jeremy about getting credit from the course price if you get it out of the way beforehand. You can contact him at jeremy.vincent@jeppesen.com. Also, I used the Gleim ATP prep software to prepare for the written. I preferred the software to the book hands down.

You can download a free PDF version of the Aviation Weather Handbook from the faa site. Here's the link. http://www.faa.gov/regulations_poli....cfm/go/document.information/documentid/22268

I probably wouldn't go too much further than that. You'll learn what you need at school to get your license and as others have said, you won't learn to dispatch until you are actually working as a dispatcher.

Good luck to you! PM me if you have further questions about Jepp.
 
Thank you for the replies/advice. I'll look into those ADX prep software products mentioned and look into taking that before attending a school.

womanpilot73 said:
You can download a free PDF version of the Aviation Weather Handbook from the faa site. Here's the link. http://www.faa.gov/regulations_poli....cfm/go/document.information/documentid/22268
Click to expand...

This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for; Something to stick my head into as time allows and gets me going in the right direction. Thank you.
 
Chris6 said:
Thank you for the replies/advice. I'll look into those ADX prep software products mentioned and look into taking that before attending a school. This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for; Something to stick my head into as time allows and gets me going in the right direction. Thank you.
Click to expand...

Not a problem! Good luck! :-)
 
Jeppesen is an excellent choice and I wish you good luck! I started studying for the ADX about a month before starting class with the ASA prep book and it really made things much easier.
 
Chris,

I just graduated from Jepp, and totally agree with what all of the others have said...Study the Gleim! The more you study that book the easier time you will have in school.
 
Also, the instructors at Jepp are great. John in particular, made the class awesome...Super knowledgeable and a great sense of humor.
 
I don't think I will be able to ever get BAAAAMMMM out of my head! Great teacher, the class wouldn't have been the same without him.

Now to land that first job...
 
womanpilot73 said:
This is a great place to network so welcome! Echoing the others, definitely be ready to take the ADX when you get there. You'll be fed from the firehose for six weeks and you won't have time to study for that. The trouble is that Jepp doesn't have the students take the written until the 3rd or 4th week so you might try talking to Jeremy about getting credit from the course price if you get it out of the way beforehand. You can contact him at jeremy.vincent@jeppesen.com. Also, I used the Gleim ATP prep software to prepare for the written. I preferred the software to the book hands down.

You can download a free PDF version of the Aviation Weather Handbook from the faa site. Here's the link. http://www.faa.gov/regulations_poli....cfm/go/document.information/documentid/22268

I probably wouldn't go too much further than that. You'll learn what you need at school to get your license and as others have said, you won't learn to dispatch until you are actually working as a dispatcher.

Good luck to you! PM me if you have further questions about Jepp.
Click to expand...
Hey I'm new here found this site trying to get info on aircraft dispatching , you seem very knowledgeable on the subject . I have two questions for u , you talked about Glem ATP prep software . Does the software teach you or is it only a practice test ? also was it hard finding a job after u got your license? I'm in my early 40's so this is a big step in my life an i want to make sure that i am doing the right thing for myself , thanks in advance .
 
sky's the limit said:
Hey I'm new here found this site trying to get info on aircraft dispatching , you seem very knowledgeable on the subject . I have two questions for u , you talked about Glem ATP prep software . Does the software teach you or is it only a practice test ? also was it hard finding a job after u got your license? I'm in my early 40's so this is a big step in my life an i want to make sure that i am doing the right thing for myself , thanks in advance .
Click to expand...

Welcome! The Gleim ATP prep software is simply a software version of the book. Its sole purpose is to assist in preparing you for the written test. It doesn't "teach" you so much as it gives you the questions and answers which will be in the bank for the exam. It's really about memorization for the written and I found the software version much more helpful for that as you can take practice tests repeatedly. I just took them over and over until I had the answers memorized. As far as "learning", that will come in class and on the job.

I was almost 39 when I went to dispatch school. It is quite scary to make a career change at this age but I did a lot of research and networking to determine if it was the right choice for me. I worried that my age would affect my ability to find a job right away also. In the end, it did not. My first boss actually told me being older and having life experience was a plus.

You'll get out of it what you put into it. I worked hard to obtain that first job before I even left for dispatch school and timing just happened to work out perfectly... Two weeks before I finished up at Jeppesen I was contacted for an interview and two weeks after getting my license, I started my first job as a dispatcher.

Just diligently research the industry, the airlines and the job to determine if this will be a good fit for you. And continue to network as you are now. There are a lot of helpful and knowledgeable people here. And be absolutely sure that at this age, the starting wage can be enough to support you and yours. Be willing and eager to move wherever that first job will take you. Getting that first job can be the hard part, but once you have it, you'll gain the experience to move on to something bigger and better.

Best of luck to you and PM me anytime. :-)
 
womanpilot73 said:
Welcome! The Gleim ATP prep software is simply a software version of the book. Its sole purpose is to assist in preparing you for the written test. It doesn't "teach" you so much as it gives you the questions and answers which will be in the bank for the exam. It's really about memorization for the written and I found the software version much more helpful for that as you can take practice tests repeatedly. I just took them over and over until I had the answers memorized. As far as "learning", that will come in class and on the job.

I was almost 39 when I went to dispatch school. It is quite scary to make a career change at this age but I did a lot of research and networking to determine if it was the right choice for me. I worried that my age would affect my ability to find a job right away also. In the end, it did not. My first boss actually told me being older and having life experience was a plus.

You'll get out of it what you put into it. I worked hard to obtain that first job before I even left for dispatch school and timing just happened to work out perfectly... Two weeks before I finished up at Jeppesen I was contacted for an interview and two weeks after getting my license, I started my first job as a dispatcher.

Just diligently research the industry, the airlines and the job to determine if this will be a good fit for you. And continue to network as you are now. There are a lot of helpful and knowledgeable people here. And be absolutely sure that at this age, the starting wage can be enough to support you and yours. Be willing and eager to move wherever that first job will take you. Getting that first job can be the hard part, but once you have it, you'll gain the experience to move on to something bigger and better.

Best of luck to you and PM me anytime. :)
Click to expand...
thank you for your insight , I'm also looking at Jeppesen's online program , I live the virgin islands so its much easier for me to do the distance learning . I'm just concerned about getting it all down with the distance program .
 
womanpilot73 said:
Welcome! The Gleim ATP prep software is simply a software version of the book. Its sole purpose is to assist in preparing you for the written test. It doesn't "teach" you so much as it gives you the questions and answers which will be in the bank for the exam. It's really about memorization for the written and I found the software version much more helpful for that as you can take practice tests repeatedly. I just took them over and over until I had the answers memorized. As far as "learning", that will come in class and on the job.

I was almost 39 when I went to dispatch school. It is quite scary to make a career change at this age but I did a lot of research and networking to determine if it was the right choice for me. I worried that my age would affect my ability to find a job right away also. In the end, it did not. My first boss actually told me being older and having life experience was a plus.

You'll get out of it what you put into it. I worked hard to obtain that first job before I even left for dispatch school and timing just happened to work out perfectly... Two weeks before I finished up at Jeppesen I was contacted for an interview and two weeks after getting my license, I started my first job as a dispatcher.

Just diligently research the industry, the airlines and the job to determine if this will be a good fit for you. And continue to network as you are now. There are a lot of helpful and knowledgeable people here. And be absolutely sure that at this age, the starting wage can be enough to support you and yours. Be willing and eager to move wherever that first job will take you. Getting that first job can be the hard part, but once you have it, you'll gain the experience to move on to something bigger and better.

Best of luck to you and PM me anytime. :)
Click to expand...


Very good post. I'm 38 and seeing your post is encouraging. I know I can give someone a solid 20 or more years of hard work,but my age has worried me at times. But......after a few TBNT's I've got some interviews lined up and hopefully I'll break through soon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top