Does Ivy League degree matters?

[swc12nap1]

To the professional pilots out there who got their undergraduate degrees (aviation or not aviation-related) from Ivy Leage schools or big-name schools like Stanford, Duke, UC-Berkeley, you name it, did that (if ever) influence in advancing your career? To those instead who came from regular universities but advanced fast or who think they are very successful, how did you attain where you are right now? No easy answer I know but answer as best as you can.

 

[mullet]

Absolutely not!!!

 

[banned username 2]

Nope... But you should get a Bachelor Degree... Don't stop at the Associates...

 

[Ty Webb]

The best advice is to get a degree in something marketable. Aviation is so cyclical, you will probably graduate into either a boom or a bust cycle . . . . and if itbecomes a bust cycle, and you have a degree in something marketable, you will be very, very glad you do.

Good luck.

 

[350DRIVER]

Does not matter at all.


3 5 0

 

[bart]

In flying, to might even hurt you to have Ivy League credentials. Outside of being a pilot, having a degree from the best college you can get into is a good idea. A large part of college is meeting people with different backgrounds and interests and making friends that will last a lifetime.

I can tell you that there have been several occasions for me that I heard about jobs (ouside of flying) and had a crack at them before anyone else because of people I knew from college.

As far as moving quickly along in an aviation career, generally, everyone is looking for experience. A degree may help, but they are much more interested in your experience and what former employers have to say about you. Aviation careers move at a pretty well defined pace. There are exceptions, some from luck and others from hard work, but I doubt any from having a degree from Duke or Stanford.

Degrees from big name schools can be helpful in the business world your first 5 years out of school, but that is about it. After that, it is your talent and skills that drive your salary. From my experience as a pilot, there are limited opportunities to drive revenue or reduce costs for the company you work for, and as such, limited opportunities to differentiate oneself and drive compensation.

 

[LJDRVR]

No, but good writing skills do!

"Does ivy league degree matters?"

or is it;

"Do ivy leage degrees matter?"

Just funnin' ya!

 

[Typhoon1244]

Re: No, but good writing skills do!

"Does ivy league degree matters?" ...or is it... "Do ivy leage degrees matter?"

Don't take any chances: "Does ivies leagues degrees matters?"

 

[Publishers]

only

Only to the person paying for the education

 

[BluDevAv8r]

I graduated from Duke in 1999. I don't think my alma mater had much to do with my getting hired at Continental Express or with my job as a CFI out in CA. I do believe however that a college degree helps (the area of study doesn't matter) more than not having one.

Personally, I chose Duke because it was the very best school that I was accepted to. It was definitely the right choice for me. I flew on the weekends and graduated with a degree in Economics and a CFI/MEI, etc. Sure, if I was going to become an investment banker or apply to law school, the "Duke" name might help but since I'm in the piloting profession at the moment, it hasn't helped much in my opinion. Nonetheless, I'm happy with my decision. I wouldn't trade that 4 years for anything. Heck, I'd have loved a 5th year!

I also view my education as a real safety net in case I am furloughed, lose my medical, or decide to pursue an opportunity outside of flying.

-Neal

 

[mainah]

I graduated from Duke in 1999. I don't think my alma mater had much to do with my getting hired at Continental Express or with my job as a CFI out in CA. I do believe however that a college degree helps (the area of study doesn't matter) more than not having one.

Personally, I chose Duke because it was the very best school that I was accepted to. It was definitely the right choice for me. I flew on the weekends and graduated with a degree in Economics and a CFI/MEI, etc. Sure, if I was going to become an investment banker or apply to law school, the "Duke" name might help but since I'm in the piloting profession at the moment, it hasn't helped much in my opinion. Nonetheless, I'm happy with my decision. I wouldn't trade that 4 years for anything. Heck, I'd have loved a 5th year!

Yeah, my four year degree was the best five years of my life!

 

[bigD]

Heck, I'd have loved a 5th year!

Oh, the 5th year is a good one. And the 6th year is even better!

Get ready for my Horns in New York in a couple of weeks!

 

[Stifler's Mom]

I have you both beat...7 years for a BS

 

[bigD]

But I'm not done yet!

(it'll be 6.5 when I graduate, so you still have me beat, though)

 

[Chief_FE]

How about 25 years?

Graduated HS - 1978
BS from Embry Riddle - 2002

 

[bigD]

Now wait a minute Chief - we need to set up some rules here. You need to be *enrolled* for that amount of time!

 

[fLYbUDDY]

Now wait a minute Chief - we need to set up some rules here. You need to be *enrolled* for that amount of time!

He said ERAU, so I wouldn't doubt he was *enrolled* for that long .

That school excels in holding students back! (At least in the ATC program.)

 

[mainah]

He said ERAU, so I wouldn't doubt he was *enrolled* for that long .

That school excels in holding students back! (At least in the ATC program.)

I'm a Riddle Prescott grad and they didn't hold me back, Prescott Brewing Company, Gurley Street Grill and Fat Tire held me back.

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

Not unless it is known that a company desires an Ivy League degree, which would be hard to imagine in the aviation biz, think a degree is a degree. Now if you want to go into management that may be another story - which it is.

If you want an Ivy League education but don't want to pay Ivy League prices try Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY.
Think of it as Harvard without shoes.

 

[LAPD Airship]

I graduated from Duke in 1999. I don't think my alma mater had much to do with my getting hired at Continental Express or with my job as a CFI out in CA. I do believe however that a college degree helps (the area of study doesn't matter) more than not having one.
-Neal

Ummmm, Duke is not Ivy League

Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Darmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale....for those of you that don't know

Back to the original question....NO, it doesn't. At least not in aviation.

Undergraduate degrees can be in basket weaving from Central Ohio No Name University.

Ivy league university's open doors in the social circles of business, but that is about it. They also let you get into more prestigious graduate schools which is where the school name really matters.

NYU undergrad is nothing special....Graduate school is a whole other matter.

Don't ever expect to go to a Major Airline without a bachelors degree. They may not "require" it...but they do, believe you me.

 

[BluDevAv8r]

Ummmm, Duke is not Ivy League

Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Darmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale....for those of you that don't know

...

Ivy league university's open doors in the social circles of business, but that is about it. They also let you get into more prestigious graduate schools which is where the school name really matters.

PS,

I do believe that the original poster wrote, "To the professional pilots out there who got their undergraduate degrees (aviation or not aviation-related) from Ivy Leage schools or big-name schools like Stanford, Duke, UC-Berkeley, you name it, did that (if ever) influence in advancing your career?"

I do believe that your second statement that I quote is generally correct. It isn't necessarily the education but the networking that is valuable.

Congratulations on being a 1L at NYU. Its a great law school. Are you on PLOA? One of my best friends is a 3L at NYU and if you'd like to talk to him (although I'm sure you have a network by now), I'm sure he'd be more than happy to discuss his job hunting experiences with you, etc.

-Neal

 

[LAPD Airship]

Oh Neal,

I love fukkin with ya....you know its all in fun I hope.

But you are right...he did have an OR in there didn't he.

Would love to meet your friend. Where are you anyway this cold night?

 

[BluDevAv8r]

Oh Neal,

I love fukkin with ya....you know its all in fun I hope.

But you are right...he did have an OR in there didn't he.

Would love to meet your friend. Where are you anyway this cold night?

Cold? Its 70 here in IAH. Won't be back in NYC for a few weeks. We can grab beers with my friend if you'd like. He lives down off Union Square near campus. And yes, he had an "OR".......

Are you there on an LOA going full time or part time?

-Neal

 

[LAPD Airship]

No, still working.

Part time.

Im in Battery Park City, so not far obviously.

And what job hunting does he have to do anyway....firms should be throwing themselves at him

 

[bobbysamd]

Just get the @#$^&! degree

To those instead who came from regular universities but advanced fast or who think they are very successful, how did you attain where you are right now?

My college education was at a small college. I don't think my B.S.B.A. in Accounting helped me one iota with the regionals, because I was never hired. I do believe it helped me get my foot in the door for my first full-time flying job, at ERAU. I don't believe I would have been hired if I had anything less than four-year degree.

I second the above about a Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, etc. education maybe being a detriment. You might be branded as some kind of arrogant Ivy League smartass with whom other people would not want to fly. Sure, it's stupid and narrow-minded, but those who hire pilots at airlines are very often very stupid and exceedingly narrow-minded. On the other hand, I do not believe that one would suffer such discrimination if one had a degree from M.I.T.

Once more, the bottom line is to get a four-year degree, in something, from an accredited college. As a pilot, your degree from Southern Armpit A&M means just as much as a degree from a big and/or "prestigious" college. Choice of major does not really matter. I, personally, like an Aeronautical Science degree, but that's just me, and a subject that has been discussed plenty elsewhere on the board.

Good luck with wherever you go to college and whatever you choose to study.

 

[swc12nap1]

To the ff: Falcon, Tywells, bart,BluDevAv8r, SDF2BVF2mco, LAPD, bobbysand, thanks a lot for your serious reply. I am sure that there are many readers out there who have gained from your posts. Again, thanks a lot.

 

[BluDevAv8r]

No, still working.

Part time.

Im in Battery Park City, so not far obviously.

And what job hunting does he have to do anyway....firms should be throwing themselves at him

Well I shouldn't have said "hunting"...more like "recruiting" experience. He is working at Paul Weiss next year. He'll do quite a bit better then us lowly REgionAL airline pilots next year.

I know Battery Park - great area. Too far southwest for me though. Once we sign this thing, I'm buying in the Union Square area as well. Good luck with the part-time thing. It won't be easy. Let me know how it goes as I am going to be applying to B-Schools here soon and am tempted to try school full-time and flying part-time. I'll get to your email tomorrow. Been a busy day and my brain is shot on that stuff. You can always call me at the office as well.

-Neal

 

[EngineOut]

These threads irritate the piss out of me. It is plain and simple: if you want to be a professional [major] airline pilot, you need a Bachelor's degree in whatever. Get the degree from a school that will teach you something of INTEREST! If you are really serious about the profession, pursue an educational hobby. Oh, is it possible to go to school to enrich ones' self?!

Doesn't anybody think of opportunities arising while being a pilot? If you're looking for "fallback" education, go to bartending school. If you want to be able to take advantage of pilots who have an aviation degree alone, major in finance at the University of Who the Hell Cares. It isn't hard to make 2 million dollars in aviation...just FIND the dude that started with four.

 

[Ty Webb]

Ummmm, Duke is not Ivy League

Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Darmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale....for those of you that don't know

I have never seen a list of "Ivy League" as you have written. How about Northwestern, the University of Chicago, and Vanderbilt?

Oh, and my alma mater- Southern Illinois University- (majored in Aviation, minored in Beer, or was it the other way round)?

 

[BluDevAv8r]

I have never seen a list of "Ivy League" as you have written. How about Northwestern, the University of Chicago, and Vanderbilt?

Oh, and my alma mater- Southern Illinois University- (majored in Aviation, minored in Beer, or was it the other way round)?

While UC, Vandy, and Northwestern are excellent academic institutions, LAPD is correct about what an "Ivy League" school is. They are:

Brown University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Harvard University
University of Pennsylvania
Princeton University
Yale University

-Neal