College Vs. Regionals

[paulumbo]

Here's an option.
-Go get one of those 250 hr/25 multi jobs now.
-Go to training and IOE and fly for 6 months.
-Join an air national guard unit. $15,000 signing bonus. Take military leave from your company (they have to hold your job and retrain you). You may continue to accrue seniority. May continue with jumpseat privileges.
-Take a mil reserve job of your choosing (mechanic, avionics, enlisted flight crew-flight engineer or loadmaster on a heavy). The training can be used as college credit for some 4 yr degrees. May squeeze and A+P license out of it.
-Come back from mil training and go back to your airline.
-If you don't like it, quick your job and go back to school. The air guard pays for 100% of in state tuition. No future employer would bash you for quitting to get your degree. Get your 4 year degree and then go fly or try for a pilot slot at an air guard unit. The airline guys at a guard unit are great for recommendations.

If you think you can't handle the military, then you probably can't handle professional flying part 121/135. The FAA is more of a pain than being a military reservist.

Good Luck

I've been considering this very option.....I'm a student at Eastern Michigan University majoring in Aviation Flight Technology with a minor in Psychology. Yeah.....I know, don't get the aviation degree.....but I love flying SO much-I'm an old fart (34) and doing a career change. Lots of good info here!

 

[airplane wizard]

1st mistake was getting a degree in something aviation related....

graduate with a non aviation related degree, it's your insurance policy for the future. an aviation degree is about as practical as an art degree.

Second mistake is getting into an aviation career....

 

[pilotyip]

almost teen ager

You're a freshman in college.....so that makes you what, 18-19? I don't think any 121 carriers are hiring teenagers. Are they?

just had a 20 yr old pilot go to a regional 550TT 225ME 200 TJ

 

[woog315]

just had a 20 yr old pilot go to a regional 550TT 225ME 200 TJ

from USA Jet? are you serious?

 

[pilotyip]

absolutely

from USA Jet? are you serious?

they had not interviewed a F/O candidate with jet time in a couple weeks

 

[FirstMate]

I haven't bothered looking at the past three pages of posts, but for God's sake get your 4 yr degree. Don't drop out now and roll the dice to make 25k or less a yr. Even if you do have a successful career at a place like Mesa or such, when it comes time to get a job at legitimate operation, you will at least have the min education requirements.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

College vs. Regionals?

College, of course!

 

[vectorvictor]

If I wer u I would stey in colige.

This is the only time in your life you can be stupid 80% of the time and everyone expects and encourages you to do so.

Two words for you: Graduate School.

 

[Medivacer]

GO TO SCHOOL AND FINISH.

I got my first job at 19 right after 9/11. Struggled to get any hours. At 23 with no savings and not much time joined the Marines Corps to finish my degree. Best thing I ever did.

While those who joined a regional may have senority, (if I go that route when I get out) I have a nice car thats paid for, the ability to buy a house (VA loan) and I have no debt from school. Plus the networks that have opened up.

So as an effo on an RJ, I still have a better quality of life than the captain who make more $$ per year. (hypothetical)


PS. I have been to the Philippines and Thailand on uncle sams dollar. Nuf said.

 

[pilotyip]

Fall back value greatly overrated

I haven't bothered looking at the past three pages of posts, but for God's sake get your 4 yr degree. Don't drop out now and roll the dice to make 25k or less a yr. Even if you do have a successful career at a place like Mesa or such, when it comes time to get a job at legitimate operation, you will at least have the min education requirements.

You have to decide on what you want to be a college graduate or a pilot. If is a pilot, you fly airplanes and build resume stuff. It will take approximately 10 years to get to a career position in aviation. You have to commit to the time frame to make it. If you elect after 5 years to get out of flying to pursue your major in college, you will be five years behind that year's college grads. To not fly and get a full 4 yr degree may be fun but it does nothing for your flying career. Now to get a degree on the side while you are flying, nothing wrong with that. However, the fallback value of a degree is greatly over rated. I have BS and a Master's in Management, 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 so I had to take the cargo job. The value of an unused degree is highly over rated. 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, and plumbing 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?

 

[vectorvictor]

You have to decide on what you want to be a college graduate or a pilot. If is a pilot, you fly airplanes and build resume stuff. It will take approximately 10 years to get to a career position in aviation. You have to commit to the time frame to make it. If you elect after 5 years to get out of flying to pursue your major in college, you will be five years behind that year's college grads. To not fly and get a full 4 yr degree may be fun but it does nothing for your flying career. Now to get a degree on the side while you are flying, nothing wrong with that. However, the fallback value of a degree is greatly over rated. I have BS and a Master's in Management, 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 so I had to take the cargo job. The value of an unused degree is highly over rated. 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, and plumbing 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?

To each their own I suppose. I enjoyed my four years at school getting a non-aviation degree and I think the experience was invaluable in helping me mature. I'm not saying you can't be successful without a degree, nor is it the end-all measure of a persons intellect; but IMHO it is four years well spent. I do however agree with you, after a period of time following graduation the value of your degree fades away.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

Attending college is not necessarily about procuring employment in a particular field. It also cultures and edifies your understanding of the world through a variety of disciplines.

One thing to consider is that you might lose your medical, get furloughed or decide that professional flying isnt for you. It might be difficult to earn a degree if you're a bit older and bogged down with a wife and kid, trying to obtain employment elsewhere. Get college out of the way now while you're still young and in learning mode. The regionals will always be hiring.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

...and for God sakes, you now potentially have 5 more years to continue flying.