no 4 year degree.....deal breaker or not?

[J.Otto]

Wouldn't straight A's be a 4.0? :beer: Any who I decided having a little fun when I could was worth it. Working, flying and going to class is a lot of work who wouldn't want to kick back an party a night or two of the week right? Besides GPA isn't a measure of brain power just effort imo.

I knew someone would say something! :0

Yeah, for the most part, I rocked A's, but some courses were just too tough to bust an A!

to be honest though, I didnt do a lot of partying in school. Didnt socialize much either. hardly dated. so perhaps this is why i managed to concentrate on the education.

GPAs can be over-rated. However, I do think having the degree is quite important for carer advancement in any occupation. It's just another notch, like having an A&P even though you really wouldnt have any practical use for it.

Flying lessons were also only on weekends, so it took the better part of the year to get that ppl certificate.

 

[Lynxman]

Agh it's all good ya I mixed flying in 3 days a week, but hey at least you have that A&P wish I did might be able to find some good work.

 

[Flightdawg]

to be honest though, I didnt do a lot of partying in school. Didnt socialize much either. hardly dated. so perhaps this is why i managed to concentrate on the education.

GPAs can be over-rated. However, I do think having the degree is quite important for carer advancement in any occupation.

Agreed a degree is important for a career. I was a wild child in college and majored in pussie and beer with a 2.6 GPA. It was a lot of fun, but I should have done better.

 

[Jetjockey]

I managed to get straight A's and a 3.5 while learning to fly. Its not that difficult. School was actually fun for me. I enjoyed the gratification!

Well straight As except for that statistics course.

 

[Lynxman]

Agreed a degree is important for a career. I was a wild child in college and majored in pussie and beer with a 2.6 GPA. It was a lot of fun, but I should have done better.

Sounds like we had similar stories lol. If I went back I wouldn't do it any differently except maybe go out even more.

 

[IBNAV8R]

It is important not to confuse education with intelligence. Unfortunately, most of the application sorters have only the former and will never understand the difference.

My advice, FWIW, is to build experience while getting your degree. In my case ERAU gave credit for experience and ratings and I could and did attend classes at one of many centers around the country.

That said, I'm with the same company that hired me without a degree and I'm probably gonna stay. The majors ain't what they used to be (colloquialism intended).

 

[pilotyip]

Well Said

It is important not to confuse education with intelligence. Unfortunately, most of the application sorters have only the former and will never understand the difference. My advice, FWIW, is to build experience while getting your degree. In my case ERAU gave credit for experience and ratings and I could and did attend classes at one of many centers around the country.

We see confusion here all the time on the difference between a real college degree and a piece of paper stating I have 120 Semester credit hours. It has been posted that I am anti-college degree. Nothing could is further from the truth. The country needs all the college-educated citizens it can have, its raises the level of knowledge to keep this as the greatest country in the world. Real degrees in business, engineering, the sciences, math, and medicine provide a graduate with marketable skills. Take China where it seems they get real college degrees. They are going to be the dominant world power in a couple decades. They a long with India will be the source of all innovation. There are more English speaking people in China than in the US. They produce 5 times the number of graduates in engineering, and the sciences. The US is so concerned with things like income redistribution, environment, and other issues that we are becoming unproductive. We can not complete. If you are going to go to college, get a real degree from a real university. Do not spend four years getting a degree in Women’s Studies. The college degree has nothing to do with flying an airplane. Many have posted they agree it has nothing to do with the mastering on an airplane. I have admitted that the possession of a degree may open doors at a few select places of employment at the upper end of the airline industry. If a potential pilot feels they will only be pleased in life if they get an interview with FedEx, DAL, or UPS then that prospective pilot should go to college and get a degree in anything. If a prospective pilots just loves flying airplanes, and would be happy making $70-$100K per year with no debt from college loans, a college degree is not necessary. I have seen too many non-degreed pilots reach a good career position with out a degree. As per IBNA.. my advice is go to school part time or community college and fly, pilots get hired because they have flight time. Flt time moves you up the food chain to better jobs; the degree is not needed until the last step. You can go to school part time with a full time flying job, you cannot build real flight time while going to school full time. I guess we are getting very politically correct and having an option different that someone else’s is not allowed. I continually see the “If you do not have college degree you are not as good as me” I can not accept that, I just too many people who I admire who do not have degrees. BTW At JUS almost every pilot has a college degree, because everyone has them.

 

[satpak77]

6 pages later, in sum, we now know that

A degree makes you more competitive for the harder-to-get jobs, such as SWA, FDX (only an example )
A degree has NOTHING to do with IQ points
A degree has NOTHING to do with flying ability
A degree is held by more folks than not
And.....A degree makes you more competitive for the harder-to-get jobs, such as SWA, FDX (only an example)

So, everything else being equal, get the degree

** If you are 11 years old and reading this, I recommend a degree from the Air Force Academy, a career flying KC-10s, KC-135s, C-40's, retire as a Colonel, and go to the airlines, preferably FDX or UPS.

 

[CX880]

** If you are 11 years old and reading this, I recommend a degree from the Air Force Academy, a career flying KC-10s, KC-135s, C-40's, retire as a Colonel, and go to the airlines, preferably FDX or UPS.

What if Fedex paid 22 dollars on hour would you go then? Go for the place that you actually would like to go. Freight flying is very hard, there's a reason why they get paid more. Even their airline management feels sorry for them.

 

[J.Otto]

Agh it's all good ya I mixed flying in 3 days a week, but hey at least you have that A&P wish I did might be able to find some good work.

Nah.. I was just sayin in general, notthat i had one. Although I wish I had an A&P for the heck of it though!

 

[satpak77]

What if Fedex paid 22 dollars on hour would you go then? Go for the place that you actually would like to go. Freight flying is very hard, there's a reason why they get paid more. Even their airline management feels sorry for them.

No of course not. But FDX does not pay that per hour, they pay much more. Plus the job security is much better than PAX carriers.

 

[laserman2431]

We see confusion here all the time on the difference between a real college degree and a piece of paper stating I have 120 Semester credit hours. It has been posted that I am anti-college degree. Nothing could is further from the truth. The country needs all the college-educated citizens it can have, its raises the level of knowledge to keep this as the greatest country in the world. Real degrees in business, engineering, the sciences, math, and medicine provide a graduate with marketable skills. Take China where it seems they get real college degrees. They are going to be the dominant world power in a couple decades. They a long with India will be the source of all innovation. There are more English speaking people in China than in the US. They produce 5 times the number of graduates in engineering, and the sciences. The US is so concerned with things like income redistribution, environment, and other issues that we are becoming unproductive. We can not complete. If you are going to go to college, get a real degree from a real university. Do not spend four years getting a degree in Women’s Studies. The college degree has nothing to do with flying an airplane. Many have posted they agree it has nothing to do with the mastering on an airplane. I have admitted that the possession of a degree may open doors at a few select places of employment at the upper end of the airline industry. If a potential pilot feels they will only be pleased in life if they get an interview with FedEx, DAL, or UPS then that prospective pilot should go to college and get a degree in anything. If a prospective pilots just loves flying airplanes, and would be happy making $70-$100K per year with no debt from college loans, a college degree is not necessary. I have seen too many non-degreed pilots reach a good career position with out a degree. As per IBNA.. my advice is go to school part time or community college and fly, pilots get hired because they have flight time. Flt time moves you up the food chain to better jobs; the degree is not needed until the last step. You can go to school part time with a full time flying job, you cannot build real flight time while going to school full time. I guess we are getting very politically correct and having an option different that someone else’s is not allowed. I continually see the “If you do not have college degree you are not as good as me” I can not accept that, I just too many people who I admire who do not have degrees. BTW At JUS almost every pilot has a college degree, because everyone has them.

I heard colleges have courses that teach things like writing with paragraphs. That might be a valuable skill at some point.

 

[pilotyip]

not good?

I heard colleges have courses that teach things like writing with paragraphs. That might be a valuable skill at some point.

Yea me too, I took a couple of those, got B's in'em, shows what a college degree can do for you.

 

[jmreii]

I heard colleges have courses that teach things like writing with paragraphs. That might be a valuable skill at some point.

College experience teaches you think, formulate opinions, and use common sense whether you have the ability to do so or not. I do not want to see someone just reading a checking a checklist without knowing the purpose behind using it in the first place, common sense always, people!

 

[pilotyip]

??????????????

College experience teaches you think, formulate opinions, and use common sense whether you have the ability to do so or not. I do not want to see someone just reading a checking a checklist without knowing the purpose behind using it in the first place, common sense always, people!

You need a college education top read a checklist? How about a certain level of intelligence that has nothing to do with education. You know like a 29 ACT, or a 1300 SAT.

 

[northstar]

Do you guys that argue that college isn't that important at all, tell your kids the same thing when they ask about it? I'm being serious. College isn't just about books and papers... it's an experience. I'll take an extra job at Chic Fil A if I have to, to make sure my kid goes to college.

 

[pilotyip]

Why so focused on college?

Do you guys that argue that college isn't that important at all, tell your kids the same thing when they ask about it? I'm being serious. College isn't just about books and papers... it's an experience. I'll take an extra job at Chic Fil A if I have to, to make sure my kid goes to college.

Absolutley, most people in my family do not have college degrees, I consider them successful people. My nieces and nephews have college degrees, they work at Starbucks, a nursing home and a Mexican food resturant. Degrees in Art, Photography and French History do not lead to employment. You need an education in order to land a successful job. College does not have the world cornered on the world of education.My brother-in law, owns a Muffler Shop, (non-college graduate) lives in a neighborhood with Doctors, Lawyers. In addition, other professionals because he makes over $200K per year. Sends his kids to private schools, lots of vacations, etc. You fly airplanes because you like to fly airplanes, if you want to make money go to a trade school out of high school and run a muffler shop.

 

[RJLoser]

Not Aviation related but...for the kids that don't plan on being pilots:

Found on: http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/censusandstatistics/a/collegepays.htm

Just in case you still had some doubts, the U.S. Census Bureau has released data proving the substantial value of a college education in the United States. Workers 18 and over sporting bachelors degrees earn an average of $51,206 a year, while those with a high school diploma earn $27,915. But wait, there's more. Workers with an advanced degree make an average of $74,602, and those without a high school diploma average $18,734.

 

[pilotyip]

Not Aviation related but...for the kids that don't plan on being pilots:

Found on: http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/censusandstatistics/a/collegepays.htm

Just in case you still had some doubts, the U.S. Census Bureau has released data proving the substantial value of a college education in the United States. Workers 18 and over sporting bachelors degrees earn an average of $51,206 a year, while those with a high school diploma earn $27,915. But wait, there's more. Workers with an advanced degree make an average of $74,602, and those without a high school diploma average $18,734.

Too bad they don't have stat for those to receive other professional training that does not include a college 4 yr degree. Going to college without developing those skills that allow you to get one of those higher paying jobs is mis-directed effort. As stated above this country needs all of the college educated graduates it can get that bring innovation and knowledge to the work place. College alone does not guarantee a successful career in anything, only marketable skill, and those skills can be acquired outside of college. BTW How come my brother -in-law make more money than me? He is HS grad, and I have a BS and a MA. BTW I am above the average for an advanced degree.

 

[RJLoser]

I agree. College does not make the individual. I have seen trade type individuals blow my salary out of the water. It's all in what you want. I just think the value of a college education should not be ignored.