College Degrees

[RichardRambone]

I also kick my own a$$ everyday for getting an aviation degree. It was fun but what it comes down to is me now having to pursue a masters in business or something just as a backup plan. And I hate business!

 

[750driver]

Any advice here you guys/gals can offer me?

Thanks,
Chris

Chris, I would highly recommend you back yourself up with a degree that can work for you. In the event that you ever lose your medical, get furloughed, etc., you want a degree that you can utilize to your advantage.

My backup is in Information Technology, and that's currently putting a decent salary in my bank account every month while I look for a flight position. If you get a worthless degree because it's easy to obtain, it will be useless down the road. My lowest paying IT job ever was 42K (back in 1997) and that was my first job in that field. Something to consider ... best wishes.

 

[AviatorTx]

<--- Gynecology.

 

[CapnVegetto]

My degree actually reads B. S. in Aviation Management from Auburn University, but it should actually read Ph. D. in beer drinking and women chasing, because that's pretty much all I did, and my G. P. A. reflects it. I am still kicking myself, like everyone else, for getting a dam AM degree. It is a waste of paper.

Get a business degree, science degree, something NOT aviation related. That way, if you ever lose your medical, get furloughed, or just plain get fed up with this f-cking business, you have something to fall back on.

 

[pilotyip]

Value of an unused degree

The fall back value of an unused degree is greatly overrated. I have BS and a Master's, but at age 53, I was making $250/wk loading cargo. After Zantop pretended to go out of went out of business in 1997, I had been a temporary High School Chemistry Teacher up until two weeks before the cargo job came along. However, they do not teach school in the summer. 53 year old unemployed airline pilots are not eagerly greeted in any industry that I know of, even of having a couple degrees. Of course, I did not apply for many of the "College degree preferred jobs" such as apt manager, telephone direct sales, plumping floor manager at Home Depot, etc. If you get a college degree you have to use, the knowledge gained in college to develop a career or the degree is useless. After getting a degree, flying an airplane is not a knowledge expanding experience; it is skill development experience. Anyone care to chime in and share their experiences on entering the non-aviation job market after being out of college 20-30 years?

 

[HMR]

Just about every pilot I know (PT91, 135 &121) wants my job. They have degrees, I don't.

I'm thinking of finishing my degree just to keep my brain stimulated. It will definately be something non-aviation related (just in case).

PS-Does ERAU really cost $25K/year? How the heck do people pay that back on regional F/O wages? I make more than a senior RJ captain and I couldn't afford to pay a $100K+ school loan. What's the secret?

 

[coex]

Chris, I would highly recommend you back yourself up with a degree that can work for you. In the event that you ever lose your medical, get furloughed, etc., you want a degree that you can utilize to your advantage.

My backup is in Information Technology, and that's currently putting a decent salary in my bank account every month while I look for a flight position. If you get a worthless degree because it's easy to obtain, it will be useless down the road. My lowest paying IT job ever was 42K (back in 1997) and that was my first job in that field. Something to consider ... best wishes.

My thoughts exactly! Chris, just ask yourself, "what am I going to do WHEN (not if) I get furloughed". Too many people out there never prepare themselves for this, and WHEN it does happen they are totally lost with no where to turn. I'm not saying to get a PHD or a degree that is extremely hard, but just make sure it is something you can truly fall back on and gives you another option. I, like many others that posted in this thread got my degree in Aviation Management. That degree is pretty much worthless.

Once you are in the industry I think you will notice rather quickly that a lot of pilots run other businesses. Real estate, selling cars, boats, you name it......they do it. Right after I was hired at XJT, I started working on my side business. Luckily things have gone well with my business and I now have that to fall back on. Just something to think about

 

[saabtrash]

I love listening to people talk about how you are a moron if you get a degree in aviation. Yes, it is a worthless degree. You know what else is a worthless degree though? One that you have never, ever, ever used. So you get a business or computer science degree, but you never get a job using it...ten years later you think you are magically going to go become a VP at some major company? No. Do you think the IT degree you earned in 2005 will still be even remotely current in 10 years? Definitely not. There are two ways to think about everything, keep that in mind.

 

[BLing]

Im kicking myself in the a** right now for my degree choice. I started off with an engineering degree in construction management which is paying guys $50-80k/yr right out of school. I decided that I wanted to screw off in college and get my degree in aviation because I have always wanted to be a pilot and figured it would help me get my ratings done faster. All I have to say is that I may have set my self up for a really bad situatuation. Like some of the guys have already stated, what happens if you loose your medical? You cant fly and what the heck is an aviation degree going to do for you? Nothing! Right now Im taking some time off school to get my all my flight instructor ratings and to build time. I'm trying to find a way to get a useful degree while flying at the same time. The problem is I only have about 40 credits to go before Im done. Any ideas?

 

[BLing]

PS-Does ERAU really cost $25K/year? How the heck do people pay that back on regional F/O wages? I make more than a senior RJ captain and I couldn't afford to pay a $100K+ school loan. What's the secret?

HMR,

I'm not sure what ERAU costs if you go to main campus, but their online distance learning is approximately $175.00 per credit hour, which isnt bad. I have considered transfering from my aviation degree program to that one, but I havent yet due to what I have stated in my previous post on this subject.