Do Majors hire without Aviation degree?

[pilotyip]

pilotyip?

You sound like pilotyip on the four year degree and an aviation career. According to 727UPS you will only able to get to a mid level aviation job, where you suffer throught life at 100K per year, oh well it is a rotten job, but someone has to do it.

 

[KnowledgeSeeker]

F-eagle,

I don't want to hijack this thread, but if you want some ideas (and opinions) on non aviation routes send me a PM.

 

[msw]

wanttoflyhawaii

Did you get the PM I sent you several days ago?

 

[PSL]

The short answer is no ... you don't need a 4 yr degee to work at SWA, but it helps put you in the majority. Some airlines have the 'catch all phrase' (4 year degree preferred from an accredited college/university).

My new hire class at SWA had the following demographics:

24 in class
Ages : 25 to 51
TT: 2025 - 14,000
Civil : 50% / Military: 30% / Civil/Military: 20%
5 had little (less than 100 hours) jet time
Civil : 3 FAR 91 (DA-50, LR-JET, GIV,V) / 3 FAR 135 Scheduled / 2 Unsched FAR 135 / Rest were FAR 121 Jet / Turboprop
Military : Almost perfectly split between single seat (and RIO capable A/C), transport (C-5,C-130,C-141) and heavy Bomber (B52), 1 Astronaut, 1 U2/SR-71 driver, 2 from the ATC (Air Training Command).

100% of the military guys had at least a Bachelor degree, 75 % of them had a masters (all over the map ... Mathematics, Physics, Electrical / Mechanical Engineering, Economics).

95% of the civilians had a Bachelors degree, 25 % had a masters degree, 1 had a Ph.D. (again ... degrees were all over the map ... Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems Management, Economics, Finance, Chemistry)

The military guys made up 80% of the first half of class (older group) ... most were retired 05s and 04s still serving in the reserves.

From my records we did not have an 'Aviation Science' major in our group. I don't know exactly what that degree entails but from my perspective I agree with a prior poster ... get a degree in something you can use God forbid something happens to you to disqualify you from flying.

So in a word or two ... pretty varied backgrounds. Our class meshed very well. We had little or no clique action going on. We studied, drank and had dinner together.

Sorry for the run on ... I was amazed I could find those records from class actually.

Best of luck ...

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

To paraphrase Bobbysamd from another thread:

GET A DEGREE!

It's not so important what it's in, just get a degree. Anyone who tells you different is either a fool or competing with you for a job.

 

[pilotyip]

No degree needed

(Repeat from another thread) Lets see I don't think Bill Gates has a degree, I know the two top guys who started Jet Blue don't have degrees. We have had pilots hired at SWA, Delta, and Northwest without degrees. I have two nieces, 4 yr degrees from Mich State Univ, in Art, one lives at home, one sells clothes at Old Navy. The degree by itself means nothing. For a guy who will be happy making a 100K per year as a pilot in his mid 30's, an aviaton degree is really a waste of money.

 

[Rick1128]

Many years ago the majors REQUIRED a college degree. Until someone sued and pointed out that most of the senior, well respected captains did not have a college degree. The requirement was dropped. But not completely. It became college degree prefered. And while they do hire pilots without degrees, they tend to be few and far between. And these pilots tend to be very well qualified in other areas (type ratings, etc). So I would say get a college degree. Something that you have an interest in and would help you in your choicen career. But not an aviation degree. They are just about useless.

 

[j328driver]

GET A DEGREE!

Here's another thing to think about.

You'll be fairly young when looking for that first full time aviation job (that will no doubt be for a part-time payrate at some fast food establishment). By this point in your life you'll probably have limited work experiences to show to a potential employer that you are a dependable, stable (fill in the appropriate adjective) employee.

If you can show that you had the "stick-to-it" ablility to complete a 4 year degree, it is much easier to extrapolate that into the potential to be a good employee. (That's not to say that people w/o 4 year degrees are (or cannot) be good employees- not true).

I recommend a field that interests you. For me, if I were not able to fly airplanes, I'd be bending wires as a Elect. Engr. somewhere 'cause it's the thing I like best after flying planes.

What I'm trying to saying is, if you plan on using it as a fall-back, make it something that you enjoy, 'cause you just might have to do it for a career if you can't get a medical for instance.

Good luck.

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

Re: No degree needed

(Repeat from another thread) Lets see I don't think Bill Gates has a degree, I know the two top guys who started Jet Blue don't have degrees. We have had pilots hired at SWA, Delta, and Northwest without degrees. I have two nieces, 4 yr degrees from Mich State Univ, in Art, one lives at home, one sells clothes at Old Navy. The degree by itself means nothing. For a guy who will be happy making a 100K per year as a pilot in his mid 30's, an aviaton degree is really a waste of money.

Your loser niece with an art degree, all other things being equal, will more likely land a job with a major airline, than any bonehead who heeds this flawed logic. While it's true that a degree is not
REQUIRED , anyone who plans for a career as a major airline pilot (or any other kind of pilot making 6-digits) who omits the part of preparation that includes a 4 year degree is a moron. Anyone who has ever read hiring statistics and concludes otherwise would likely fit the same description.

 

[pilotyip]

You guys don't get it

You guys don't get it, somehow this got transmitted before I finished, so I will edit, you don't need a college degree to figure that out. I am not saying you must skip college, but some people may want to be pilots are not college material, they can still make it, like in my post above, 100K per year, 13 days off per month is not a bad job by anyone's definition. Maybe not major level, but I am very happy in my present position, I am treated as well as I been treated anywhere. I think there is a bias of the board that most people have college degrees, therefore the only way to make it is the way I did.

 

[trainerjet]

Re: You guys don't get it

You guys don't get it.

No, YOU don't get it 'cause you don't got it and continue to rationaize why you don't need it. I see your career at a premium carrier like USA Jet as a GREAT selling point for a lack of a degree.

 

[trainerjet]

Pilotyip has informed me that he does indeed have a college degree, and his career has turned out the way it has because of certain circumstances and twists in the road that we all face at various times in our lives and careers. And I can fully understand and relate to these twists and circumstances, so I will apologize here in public, on this forum. for my remarks which were uncalled for and unfair. Especially those directed personally at Pilotyip.

I do, however, stand by my beliefs that one should arm himself with as many credentials as possible in order to stand a better chance in this highly competitive industry.

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

PilotYip's stand has nothing to do with his career. His career by anyone's standards is quite successful if one knew all the facts. He doesn't wear his qualifications and positions held on his sleeve and I find that admirable. Don't judge a book by it's cover. That being said, I still can't see advising someone who is looking at a career at a major to not get a degree.

It seems we are here comparing apples to oranges. His argument is that you don't need a degree to have a great career in aviation. That's true. However, that wasn't the question. We are here answering different questions, so naturally we aren't seeing eye to eye.


(get a degree if you want to fly for a major)

 

[GVFlyer]

Re: Do not need 4 yr degree

Do you want to be a pilot or go to school. You do not need a 4 year degree to be successful in aviation. Teaching, Accounting, Engineering yes, but not aviation.

I have never held a position anywhere that did not require a college degree. It is a competitive workplace where supply exceeds demand. Subsequently, prospective employers are looking for discriminators. Not having a degree is one of those discriminators. Remember, you are competing against the civilian products of fine aviation programs such as at the University of North Dakota and military pilots who must have a Masters if they want to make O-4.

What a degree means to me is that you have the discipline to stick to something once started and that you are educable; the later of which is important because of the increasing complexity of the aircraft we fly and the environment in which we operate them.

GV

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

I THINK THIS WILL CLEAR THINGS UP

I rest my case.

http://www.jet-jobs.com/press releases/02InterviewStatChart.pdf



*True, this is only a survey of 100 airinc members, but I would say one could reasonably draw statistical conclusions based on this info.