Does a Masters Degree help

[Goose Egg]

I don't have a particular desire to be rich either, I just think it would be swell someday to operate a small firm that needed flexible regional travel, and then enjoy the heck out of writing off the cost of operating a business aircraft... that's my current dream (as far as aviation is concerned anyways!!).

Oh yeah, nice little TBM or PC-12, maybe a Citation or LJ (but maybe that's a little too fancy.) That'd be sweet.

-Goose

 

[BenderGonzales]

I'm interested in what school it is too Goose. I was under the impression that a GMAT was a requirement for an accredited masters program. No?

 

[Goose Egg]

Hey Bender,

Check your PMs...

-Goose

 

[hindsight2020]

I have mixed feelings on the matter as well. I was one that was constantly told "make sure you get a degree as a back up" ad nauseum. So I went to school and got a BS in AE engineering, all the while getting my ratings in spurts every other summer (PVT summer of 00, instrument summer of 04, comm/CFI this summer etc etc) as I was able to save; hell, in the end I got tired of it and financed the last two ratings.

What I learned is that the value of a degree one pursues as a 'back-up' is a deceitful pursuit. This is particularly true when all you've been trying to do all along is to steer AWAY from having to use that degree in the first place!

So, the only way my BSAE degree, and now the MSAE degree (yes yes, did it only for the rent money) I got coming up in December, will ever be of use to me is IF I ever make it to test pilot school, since it qualifies me to apply, that's it. Oh, and teaching community college (if I'm lucky) but I could have done that going education major for undergrad and grad; sure as hell would have been an easier 7 freggin' years and a whole lot more p$ssy for the same crappy pay.

And the other problem is that MOST of us (hopefully) understand that the aviation industry is a negative returns on investment pursuit. Too much money goes into it and there's no adequate compensation. But that's nothing more than a starving artist's dilema, we KNOW that. So, while we understand the economics of the matter, it still wasn't our FREGGIN' FAULT we were born in a time where our passion in life wasn't economically feasible.

So while I still continue to agree with the main point behind the 'get an education' spiel, in hindsight I would suggest to anybody "getting started in life" to go 'all-in' and get a degree in whatever, by the most inexpensive way possible and focus on the flying. This, of course, predicates getting a cake major so that your flight training won't be prolonged by your schooling like it did to me (of course I still continue to drink the test flight dream Kool-Aid which is why I did what I did but I digress). Otherwise, forget about flying altogether, pick a degree that is marketable, (nursing, pharmacy come to mind), reasearch the working conditions so as to insure that the thought of directly working in that field does not induce feelings of purposely crossing the median during your morning drive to that job, and build up the cash to do the flying recreationally. My guess is, if your passion for flying is indeed somewhat sincere, your satisfaction with ANY of these money-driven pursuits will always leave you a little empty as you look out the cubicle. Such is life I guess. I just wish they [affording the rent and happy about being alive] didn't have to be that mutually exclusive for pilots.


Now back to my pageant, er, Guard applications

 

[BenderGonzales]

Thanks! and best of luck!

 

[BornAgainPagan]

http://www.delta.com/about_delta/delta_employment_opportunities/pilot/index.jsp

Refer to bullet #2.

Hold a Valid FAA Flight Engineer written exam (FEB and FEJ or FEX)

With no more airplanes that require a panel monkey, why is this still a requirement?

 

[mayday1]

I'm interested in what school it is too Goose. I was under the impression that a GMAT was a requirement for an accredited masters program. No?

No, not all programs require the GMAT... I got my MBA at an accredited school w/o the GMAT, although I did have to take a school specific entrance exam with a math and verbal section.

 

[2LT]

US Dept. of Labor -- Stats

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos107.htm#training

I'm sure most have already seen this. If not, look under," Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement," concerning civilian education preferences/requirements -- paragraph #5.

There are as many arguments surrounding the supposed degree "requirement" as there are avenues of gaining the flight time necessary to be considered competitive at most airlines. I'm not offering advice on either. Fact of the matter is, however, that the airlines prefer it to the point of its being a requirement. I think by failing to recognize/address this you're failing to deal with the reality of the situation.

 

[The E-Train]

Wow,

THanks everyone for the information, I've never created a post on any website that has drawn this much response!!

Just a quick FYI to maybe clarify for those who responded, I am currently 4 classes away from finishing my Master's degree, I work for an insurance company, but i've been bitting by the flight bug since I've been flying occasionaly for work. I know that people say that flying for a living is a lot different than flying for vacation/business, but from pilots that I know, they say that it is potentially the best job...depending on the state of the industry.

The only thing that I am debating is the cost of the schooling and the first few years trying to make a decent paycheck. Oh yeah, and since I just got married, I now have to make these big decisions with the wife. I just don't want to ever regret not doing something that I really wanted to do, like becoming an airline pilot in the interest of financial stability, etc.

Any further info would be greatly helped.

Thanks,

E-Train

 

[say again]

Wow,

THanks everyone for the information, I've never created a post on any website that has drawn this much response!!

Just a quick FYI to maybe clarify for those who responded, I am currently 4 classes away from finishing my Master's degree, I work for an insurance company, but i've been bitting by the flight bug since I've been flying occasionaly for work. I know that people say that flying for a living is a lot different than flying for vacation/business, but from pilots that I know, they say that it is potentially the best job...depending on the state of the industry.

The only thing that I am debating is the cost of the schooling and the first few years trying to make a decent paycheck. Oh yeah, and since I just got married, I now have to make these big decisions with the wife. I just don't want to ever regret not doing something that I really wanted to do, like becoming an airline pilot in the interest of financial stability, etc.

Any further info would be greatly helped.

Thanks,

E-Train

Good luck to you E-Train, I'm sure things will pan out for you in the end, whichever course you take.