degree question

[Dmflying]

is it better to have a degree in aviation or a degree in another field to fall back on? let me know what you guys and gals think?

 

[viper548]

Better to have it in another field. What if you lose your medical? What else would you be qualified to do?

 

[check6]

If you have the money, both, if not, different field.

 

[Fly_Chick]

Choose another field that you enjoy! That way if aviation falls through, you can pursue your next love.

 

[gringo]

to be honest, nobody in the real world really gives a s#!t what your degree is in, as long as you have one. However, you might actually learn something useful when persuing a degree in say, economics or finance or even art history. A bulls#!t degree in aviation science teaches you, well, nothing that's used outside the very narrow field of aviation. About the only degree I've seen aviation related that's of any value would be a management degree, but even that's of little value. (I know, because I got one- wishing I took the Finance degree instead.)

Get a degree in some other field that interests you, so you have something else to do when you get fed up with this industry.

 

[Gutenberg]

I got my degree in hard knocks, or was it big knocks? I want to go back to college. ~~~~\0/~~~~

 

[semperfido]

get the degree in intl finance and learn a couple foriegn languages....then you will be prep'ed to ride around in the back of a gulfstream.

 

[pilotyip]

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. To not fly and get a 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 a 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, 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?

 

[ToiletDuck]

There are other jobs available than just flying with an aviation degree. I've been offered two, one for $45k and one for $55k since I graduated a couple weeks ago. They are out there you just have to look. But i'm with gringo on this one. Your degree doesn't matter much. My sister is high up in IBM and a guy she works with has a degree in Aviation Science

 

[SpauldingSmails]

Get a degree in anything. If it has some fallback all the better. If not at least make it easy and cheap. It looks like you already have your ratings so the advantage of earning credits whilst you earn your ratings is negated. Go cheap and local then. My $0.02.

 

[Dangerkitty]

is it better to have a degree in aviation or a degree in another field to fall back on? let me know what you guys and gals think?

I was hired at both American Airlines and Delta Airlines with a Bachelors in Psychology. If that is an indication that HR Departments dont care what your degree is in than I dont know what is.

 

[Dmflying]

the reason for my question

i was only asking the degree question because i could not decide on if i should get a math science degree. or aviation science degree. i like both just couldnt make up my mind. thanks to everyone

 

[VVJM265]

i was only asking the degree question because i could not decide on if i should get a math science degree. or aviation science degree. i like both just couldnt make up my mind. thanks to everyone

If that is the question then go with the Math, you can do almost anything with it, including aviation. Just my 2 cents.

Best of luck,
VVJM265

 

[apcooper]

Better to have it in another field. What if you lose your medical? What else would you be qualified to do?

You could become a sim instructor or dispatcher at the same airline without the uncertainty of job hunting cold turkey.

 

[WillowRunVortex]

is it better to have a degree in aviation or a degree in another field to fall back on? let me know what you guys and gals think?

I personally would get it in aviation. It will be a subject you are obviously motivated at, you will meet a great group of young people who are interested in the same things as you are (they might become life-long aviation pals/connections) and it will teach you a fair bit of the "book stuff" in aviation. Regardless, make sure you get a degree.

Notice that the thread subject was: what should I get my degree in? Also noticed that the responses were varied, but pilotyip is the only one who suggests that this individual skip college. If I am not mistaken his post is a cut and paste from an earlier post. Pilotyip, you are amazing. Keep beating that dead horse buddy.

WRV

 

[El Guapo]

Go math

Get your degree in math. Don't go to one of those big aviation schools; they are full of geeky guys that only talk about how good of a pilot they are and the lack of women makes it feel like you're in a prison.

Attend a regular university, party your a$$ off and meet people outside of your career. You need to diversify your background and getting a degree in aviation and then a job in aviation doesn't really classify as diverse.

Besides, that degree in math can open up so many other doors. The Air Force loves guys with a strong science / math background. If the civilian world doesn't work out you will always have the military as an option, assuming you're young enough.

best of luck!

 

[pilotyip]

Yea Vortex it is one of my canned posts for anytime someone suggests that you get a degree as a fall back option. It is a very alive horse. From my expereince an unused degree for a career pilot is almost useless. I see too many successful pilots making it without a degree. 7 of our pilots interviewed at a major, four had 4 yr degrees, 3 did not. 3 were hired 2 without degeees and 1 with a degree. If you want to be a pilot you have to fly airplanes. $100K/yr in 10 years in doable without a degree.

 

[PDH]

Get a degree that will enable you to become an entrepreneur. It boils down to going to a bank and persuading them that you need money and you have a fool proof plan to pay it back with interest. A lot of the airline guys I know have second careers on the side.