U.S. Airways
- Thread starter KingAir
- Start date
coa787
Unknown Member
Maybe it's all the crack that I smoked this morning, but I fail to see how the bold statement is supposed to have a significant impact on one's career. If you don't like the information that you are absorbing, then perhaps it is time to find another profession.
I fly because I enjoy flying. No one is pointing a gun to my head and forcing me to do something that I find is uninteresting, so I don't need a degree to tell me how much uninteresting information I can or cannot handle, or if I can even handle any, at all.
If I find that my selected career path is overly uninteresting, then guess what? See ya! I'm not going to slave myself to a certain career and forever walk the face of the earth contemplating about how much I hate my job.
KingAir
Well-Known Member
I agree that a college education is extremely important in preparing for a career in aviation and I would never discourage someone in achieving that goal, my "issue" is that it " makes you a better pilot". And all of the other non-flying skills that an airline pilot must possess can be learned just as easy through corporate and charter experience. The simple fact is that 90% of the time it's not what you know but who you know, which by the way takes me back to my original post and the only response that I was interested in reading. Believe me, with a father like mine who is a college professor and who has three phd's, I have been informed, many, many times about the importance of a college education.
coa787
Unknown Member
SmitteyB
Well-Known Member
No, sir. I am sure there are many pilots out there with no college degree.
The point being, just because US Airways doesn't "require" a degree doesn't mean that all applicants are on a level playing field. Ask any professional recruiter.
Look I'm not trying to dampen your spirits at all. I am a Captain at a regional airline and I haven't finished my degree yet (worst mistake in my 25 years) and I know I'm not going anywhere until I finish it. However, to limit yourself to US Airways just because they don't require an undergraduate degree seems to me like you are selling yourself short.
Mountain State University (completely online) recently gave me 50+ credits for my flying certificates. (including my type rating) that coupled with college classes I took in high school and I got 2.5 years of college knocked out without taking a class. It's something to look into if you are interested.
coa787
Unknown Member
Ahh... perhaps prospective employers wouldn't want to hire someone that's going to bail on them in the near future. Well, you'd better like what you do. Still, I don't think that it should stand in the way of happiness.
The good thing about being a pilot is that the amount of certificates that you accrue is a testament to your perseverance and determination. I mean, if you've got an ATP, then you're fairly committed. It isn't a fail-safe method, but I think that it works out quite well.
coa787
Unknown Member
I know of an ex-Captain from a regional that now flies 747s and still has no degree. He's probably on a thirty-six-hour layover in Hawaii as I type this.
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
I know of an ex-Captain from a regional that now flies 747s and still has no degree. He's probably on a thirty-six-hour layover in Hawaii as I type this.
I know a 757/7ER Captain at mainline/legacy who doesn't have a college degree. They're out there.
KingAir
Well-Known Member
That's exactly what I'm getting into now. How do you like there program so far? Cost per Credit Hour?
KingAir
Well-Known Member
That's exactly what I'm researching now, How do you like their program so far? Cost per Credit hour?
Matt13C
Well-Known Member
Maybe it's all the crack that I smoked this morning, but I fail to see how the bold statement is supposed to have a significant impact on one's career. If you don't like the information that you are absorbing, then perhaps it is time to find another profession.
I fly because I enjoy flying. No one is pointing a gun to my head and forcing me to do something that I find is uninteresting, so I don't need a degree to tell me how much uninteresting information I can or cannot handle, or if I can even handle any, at all.
If I find that my selected career path is overly uninteresting, then guess what? See ya! I'm not going to slave myself to a certain career and forever walk the face of the earth contemplating about how much I hate my job.
It is important because as was already mentioned, being an airline pilot is not about flying, it is about all the other stuff.
It is not a perfect system, the hiring dept needs to find a way to quickly weed out applicants. If you are applying to a major, you can fly, you have proven that at previous jobs. They are looking to judge you as a person and your ability to be taught. Not taught how to fly, but how to operate in their system, by their rules with the least amount of effort on their part.
It may not make you a better pilot, but college does teach critical thinking, time management, people skills and the ability to work within a set framework to accomplish an assigned task. All of which are important.
bc2209
Well-Known Member
Loved every minute of his book btw
SmitteyB
Well-Known Member
The program is good, but costly. $330/credit hour. Utah Valley University is half that.
Cav
Former Maddog Whisperer
No but I would bet a large sum of money that all the legacy pilots hired in the recent past or near future have a degree.
I'm going to be really frank here and I'm sure I will offend some people but I don't really care. We need MORE not less barriers to entry into this business. If a degree were a requirement, the profession would be much better off.
wheelsup
Well-Known Member
Maybe HR has determined that college degree holders tend to be more polished? We are heavy equipment operators, blue collar labor, and public appearance is pretty important to an airlines image IMO. I can only image some of the heavy equipment operators (dump trucks, front end loaders, etc.) I've seen wearing a white shirt and tie, cursing and dipping. Maybe HR finds their time is better spent focusing on folks with degrees?
KingAir
Well-Known Member
GREAT book, although I think Robert Hoover's was even better!
Cptnchia
Dissatisfied Customer
The whole point of a college degree is that it shows you can be given a text book, or any kind of document, memorize it, comprehend it, and regurgitate it back on demand.
IOW, those with a degree have a lower failure rate in training than those without. Since it's all about the Benjamins, anything that lowers your training costs is the way they go.
IOW, those with a degree have a lower failure rate in training than those without. Since it's all about the Benjamins, anything that lowers your training costs is the way they go.
coa787
Unknown Member
Judging you as a person, I believe, occurs during the actual interview. Learning how to operate in their system can be tied to your last paragraph, except that college doesn't teach you all of those things, it tries to teach you. Having a degree doesn't guarantee that you've attained those qualities, and this goes back to your statement about how this isn't a perfect system.
Looking at the last paragraph again, I believe that that's the whole point of just going to school in the first place. Not only that, but those qualities sound a lot like those that you'd find in a CFI. Interestingly enough, when I was sitting in CFI ground school, I was told that the people that were CFIs performed better than those that weren't CFIs during training at an airline. If this is true, then having a CFI requirement in place of a degree requirement would save prospective employees a lot of money. Reference the following formula:
K-12 education + CFI = I won't starve as much at a regional
It's interesting how your perspective changes depending on your situation. I suppose that, if I weren't in debt trying to put myself through college, I probably wouldn't be thinking about the degree requirement like this, would I?