college degree

[eriknorth]

I am not majoring in anything aviation related in college, as my school doesn't offer any aviation programs, but before I decide on a major, I would like to know if there is a certain type of degree that airlines look for. Does it need to be a BS or science related? Would a Bachelor of Arts work? I would hate to go through college trying to get a degree so I can fly for a living, only to find out that it does me no good. Thanks.

 

[banned username 2]

Any kind of 4 year bachelor degree is fine.. take something useful you can fall back on incase flying doesn't work out for you...

 

[hyper]

A B.A. or B.S. in anything. As a matter of fact, some may point out that it's better to get a degree in something other than aviation so you have something to fall back on if you ever lose your medical.

 

[Michael Knight]

study something you like so you'll enjoy it and get good grades. If it happens to be something you can fall back on... even better.

 

[bobbysamd]

Degree

It doesn't matter. Take something that you can fall back upon, but also take some courses that can help you with your aviation career. I'd suggest that you take English composition, technical writing and business communications, physics, and math. I'd also suggest you take a course(s) in something like American Labor Movement or labor relations.

I've heard of people who major in Meterology. Not a bad choice, if you think about it. Meterology covers a cross-section of the sciences. Apart from going to work for the NWS, you could teach high school science with a Met degree.

Good luck with school.

 

[Flightjock30]

I doubt your college has Air Crash Investigation as a major. That is a great field to major in and work for the NTSB if flying does not work out for you. It will increase your aviation knowledge and flight safety skills as well because you will have studied so many accidents involving pilot error and how they can be prevented. Good major!

 

[Starsailor]

I second what Michael Knight says: go to college and study something you enjoy, and then if the professional aviation career doesn't work out, you won't look back on your four years of studying Tuvan throat-singing and say "Boy, what a waste of time and money." I don't claim to know anything about HR at the majors, regionals, or 135, but I know I wouldn't want all my employees to have been Aeronautical Science majors (this is not meant to cut at AS majors, either.... If y'all enjoyed that field of study, that is what is important); then again, that's not your problem, eriknorth, is it?

BS or BA? It seems that not only airline HR departments are requiring that you just get the "B" part (your baccalaureate) these days, turning college into just one more hurdle to jump before you enter the working world. Forty years ago, one went to university to build on the foundations of knowledge laid in secondary school, and it was by no means a job requirement. Now employers seem to be saying: "Can you stick with something for 4 years and finish it out? Okay, then we'll take you. 'Eighteenth-century Upper Mongolian Textiles', eh? Don't really care what you studied. Welcome to the McDonald's team." I'm getting off the subject, which is to reiterate that you should above all enjoy your experience at college -- those years are precious few -- and by enjoy I mean enjoy learning new things about the world and yourself, not party through the first two or three years and end up with nothing to show for it but poor grades and the echoes of hangovers past. I used to teach in college; I saw far too many young men and women just coast by with the minimum effort necessary. Please take classes that interest you -- and if they don't interest you, make your professor's semester by pretending they do.

Most states (I'm not sure about all) require a teaching degree/certification before they'll let you teach in secondary school, so if you want to do as bobbysamd suggests (besides the NWS), at least take a few classes in pedagogy as well. Meteorology is a great major -- did it for two years myself. This is not to say I understand the weather any better than the next guy, but I can work through partial differentials that attempt to model its behavior; can I have a cookie now?

This post is getting unwieldy. Whatever you end up doing in school, I wish you the best of luck in finding your niche. Clear skies.

Starsailor