Actually, I've heard plenty of guys say that they wish they had skipped college and gone straight into flying.
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Getting Hired At 20yrs. Old
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Actually, I've heard plenty of guys say that they wish they had skipped college and gone straight into flying.
Those guys probably spent a lot of nights alone in their dorm rooms playing flight sim and watching tom cruise trying to get out of a flat spin.
I left college after 1 year and started flying 135 and did school on the side. Later I was hired at 20 years old at PSA. If I had to do it all over again, i wouldnt change a thing. I am very happy with the way things have turned out. I finished my BA on the side and you can do the same with a Masters too.
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pilotyip
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Mba?
volsat; you have to decide on what you want to be a MBA or a pilot. There are no guarantees that a MBA makes you employable. 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 one on the side, nothing wrong with that, it is a useful degree helps you understand money, investing, 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, 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, and 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? BTW. D328, that made the right choice about advancing in this career, unless you get your flight time in the military, smart kid, I bet you are is going to do well.
volsat; you have to decide on what you want to be a MBA or a pilot. There are no guarantees that a MBA makes you employable. 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 one on the side, nothing wrong with that, it is a useful degree helps you understand money, investing, 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, 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, and 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? BTW. D328, that made the right choice about advancing in this career, unless you get your flight time in the military, smart kid, I bet you are is going to do well.
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My point was that you never get your youth back. I see so many new hires now owing over 100k in flight training now. Its very hard for many of them to go back and get just a BS. A 4 year degree opens up many opportunities outside aviation.
Not saying its wrong to go straight to a flying career but what is a few years to enjoy life, grow up,get an education and have a backup plan in life.
Not saying its wrong to go straight to a flying career but what is a few years to enjoy life, grow up,get an education and have a backup plan in life.
pilotyip
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If fun is the primary reason for going to college and running up a $100K in debt, then by all means go to college full time and have a ball. But if getting into a cockpit and starting your flying career is your primary goal then full time college is not necessary. Part time having your employer help you pay for it is the best way to go.
DX Rick
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Was it not football season? Should have gone and watched the HS game. Hell, at 20 yrs old, you can still land some HS chicks.
I'm getting sick of listening to the saturday night crowd on my layovers these days. I'd have been arrested if i'd have had a sledge hammer or a gun on my last one.
The only thing the young pup pilots have missed is being a dumbass whooping and yelling, definately nothing to rue.
I must be gettin old or something.
The only thing the young pup pilots have missed is being a dumbass whooping and yelling, definately nothing to rue.
I must be gettin old or something.
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wickedpilot
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Originally Posted by flyinhigh21
Well the reason I ask is because I am thinking of doing the CFI program at ATP and then instructing there. The thing is that I don't turn 21 until the end of April 2008. I would like to instruct at ATP because multi time is scarce around home, but I don't really want to instruct there from now until next April. That would burn the crap out of me. I also have a good friend who is a 2nd year FO at Pinnacle who will definately give me a rec letter, and that is my number 1 choice due to bases (I want DTW). That rec, coupled with the rec I could get from ATP if I do their free RJ course might be enough to get me in at less than 21, you think?
I found Flight Instructing to be one of the most beneficial, fun, risky, and worth-while endeavors in my aviation career. Having to fly the airplane 'through another person' (figuratively speaking) requires skill and earns you experience.
I often find myself getting bored of flying high and fast with the "cruise control" on. To keep my sainity, it takes the ocassional weekend of flying low and slow with the door off. It's exciting to have some 8 hr student sitting next to you white knuckled on the yoke bouncing down the pavement relying on your expertise to keep him alive and the airplane in one piece.
I'm not saying to become a career flight instructor or even to flight instruct for longer than you have to, I'm just saying if you have the opportunity and can live off PB n J's and ramen for a year or two, then you won't regret it.
Well the reason I ask is because I am thinking of doing the CFI program at ATP and then instructing there. The thing is that I don't turn 21 until the end of April 2008. I would like to instruct at ATP because multi time is scarce around home, but I don't really want to instruct there from now until next April. That would burn the crap out of me. I also have a good friend who is a 2nd year FO at Pinnacle who will definately give me a rec letter, and that is my number 1 choice due to bases (I want DTW). That rec, coupled with the rec I could get from ATP if I do their free RJ course might be enough to get me in at less than 21, you think?
I found Flight Instructing to be one of the most beneficial, fun, risky, and worth-while endeavors in my aviation career. Having to fly the airplane 'through another person' (figuratively speaking) requires skill and earns you experience.
I often find myself getting bored of flying high and fast with the "cruise control" on. To keep my sainity, it takes the ocassional weekend of flying low and slow with the door off. It's exciting to have some 8 hr student sitting next to you white knuckled on the yoke bouncing down the pavement relying on your expertise to keep him alive and the airplane in one piece.
I'm not saying to become a career flight instructor or even to flight instruct for longer than you have to, I'm just saying if you have the opportunity and can live off PB n J's and ramen for a year or two, then you won't regret it.
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