Does a Masters Degree help

[viper548]

oh boy! the some one took the college bait. The reason everyone getting hired has a degree, is because almost everyone applying has a degree. If 95% of the piltots applying have a BS, and 94% of the jobs go to college grads, then the odds of being hired actually lean toward the non-degreed pilot. If you want to be a pilot fly airplanes build time, it will be a better use of your money. Do the degree on the side if you feel it is needed to get the dream interview.

My guess would be that the non-degreed pilots have much more flight time/better experience, or something else to compensate for their lack of degree.

 

[WillowRunVortex]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this site, so bear with me?

I was just curious if a master's degree helps at all in hiring decisions by airlines? Just a quick thought

Thanks,

E-Train

If you are accepted to a program or are attracted to higher education, by all means RUN,,,dont walk, RUN to that. If you have a Masters you can get a job making 40 to 60,000 in a week. Not great I know , but survivable, it is a great trump to have in the back pocket, especially in this industry. Use this time of aviation disaster to create a back-up plan. Good thinkin bud.

 

[WillowRunVortex]

My guess would be that the non-degreed pilots have much more flight time/better experience, or something else to compensate for their lack of degree.

Yeah crappier jobs in aviation. They are looked at as morons from the time they walk thru the front door. I'm not saying this is right. I have ONE bud who made it to DTW (majors) without college.

 

[Immelman]

I am considering going for an MBA soon.... will it get me a flying job? Probably not. Will it get me a job with my own business that I can wrangle into owning/operating an eclipse jet or some other nice toy? Well, probably not either.. but it makes the odds of that happening a hell of a lot higher, and I'd like it to happen someday. Go for your masters if that's what you're inclined to do.

 

[BenderGonzales]

I wonder though, does a masters get "stale" if you dont use those skills and knowlege? Is a masters you earned 10 years ago worth anything today?

 

[2LT]

The other side of the story...part deux.

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

Refer to bullet #2.

 

[WillowRunVortex]

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

Refer to bullet #2.

Thank-you

 

[pilotyip]

Yea, DAL is one of the 5 or 6 that make it a hard requirement, in fact for while that had a list of something like 250 schools they would accept degrees from. Plenty of time to get that degree before they start hiring again.

 

[Goose Egg]

Yip has some good things to say, but this is one matter where we differ. Education will never hurt you. I'm working on an MBA, so obviously, I'm in the "go for it" camp. This is my rationale:

* A wise person within the industry once told me that everyone is a clone of everyone else--the same education, flying background, etc. Anything that can be done to stand out from the crowd is worthwhile.

* Do I think that having an MBA will get me a flying job? No. It might help, but it won't be a deciding factor. But I'm doing it more as a hedge against a furlough or a flight department closing or a lost medical. You've got to have skills.

* Having an MBA will open up a lot of opportunities should I ever become disaffected with professional flying.

* Since my interests lie in corporate flying, having an MBA would allow me to serve in a dual capacity for an organization, i.e. corporate pilot and something else.

* I'm actually not in a real big hurry to take a $10k pay cut to commute and sit reserve and become embroiled in union politics. SJS? Not me. Maybe someday the time will come for that. Maybe I can figure out something better in the mean time. We'll see.

At the very least it might open doors to you that are outside of aviation. If the last 4 years haven't convinced everyone that plan "B" is a necessity... well, i'm not sure what will.

True dat!

Unfortunately, starting a masters degree just isn't as easy as writing a check and going to class. You have to take that GMAT and go through the stress of waiting to be accepted into a program again.

Unless you luck out like me, then your company pays for it. And my program didn't require the GMAT.


-Goose

 

[Immelman]

May I ask where you're going to school, Goose? I am thinking about Santa Clara U... they have a 3-years-of-Saturdays MBA as well as the night courses. I'll need to get my GMAT done quickly....

 

[pilotyip]

Pilot or MBA, which is it?

You have to decide on what you want to be a MBA 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 an MBA may be fun but it does nothing for your flying career. Now to get a MBA on the side, nothing wrong with that, it is a useful degree helps you understand money, investing, how businesses work,etc. However the fall back value of a MBA in greatly over rated. I have a BS and a Master's in Management. But at age 53 after Zantop pretended to go out of went out of business in 1997, I was making $250/wk loading cargo. 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?

 

[semperfido]

anyone 50+ that is put on the street through is in a particularly tough position and has my sympathy. i too have been there. my degrees didn't help me as much as my friends. who i am very grateful to have. i hope someday i can pass the favor on to someone else.

 

[Goose Egg]

May I ask where you're going to school, Goose? I am thinking about Santa Clara U... they have a 3-years-of-Saturdays MBA as well as the night courses. I'll need to get my GMAT done quickly....

Hey, Immelman. I'll shoot you a PM if I haven't already done so.

To not fly and get an MBA may be fun but it does nothing for your flying career. Now to get a MBA on the side, nothing wrong with that...

I completely agree. I should have stated in my original post that I would not pursue an MBA if it would not allow me to continue to instruct full-time. Luckily, my program meets in the evenings, so I will continue to fly as much as I ever did. In fact, the free tuition for the MBA is one of my perks for flight instructing full-time for this particular organization.

However the fall back value of a MBA in greatly over rated.

You may have a point there, Yip--the "fall-back" value of a 30 year old degree may not help much. I'm a little more concerned with the short-range, say 5-10 years. And besides that, I'd say that an MBA is probably better than nothing.

It's been funny to hear the reactions of people in different professions when I tell them I'm going for the MBA. The pilots' opinions are mixed; the business people are all for it.

-Goose

 

[say again]

I'm sure not having the degree is holding me back, AND that is why I am currently enrolled finishing it up.

 

[Immelman]

You have to decide on what you want to be a MBA or a pilot.

Yip,

I appreciate your insight. Another way to phrase the question, though, is whether you want to fly someone else's airplane where and when they tell you to.... or be the one deciding when and where we fly to in what airplane. I think business school is a good choice for someone who wants a shot at the latter.

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!!).