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Isn't flamebait

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Times change

Here's the thing:

My grandparents came to this country basically illiterate and they owned a house, a car and raised a family.

My parents had a high school education and owned a house, a car and raised a family.

I have a four-year degree and live out of a suitcase.

Take that as you will.
Good luck.
 
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mar said:
Here's the thing:

My grandparents came to this country basically illiterate and they owned a house, a car and raised a family.

My parents had a high school education and owned a house, a car and raised a family.

I have a four-year degree and live out of a suitcase.

Take that as you will.
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Not that I usually agree with PilotYIP, but on this issue I do. I decided not to go to college and instead start flying professionally after high school. I got a job flying checks and on my 23rd birthday took my ATP/Learjet type/Lear 135PIC check at the same time. I continued to fly there for a couple of more years after which I got a job at my current employer, a very successful logistics company synonymous with a dark color!

If I went to college, I probably would have fallen into the trap of getting a job at a regional and trying for one of the pax majors. I'm very happy that I chose my route instead.

I'm pretty confident that I'm the only person from my high school graduating class with a 1.7 GPA that is making in the mid $200,000s!
 
FreightNazi said:
I continued to fly there for a couple of more years after which I got a job at my current employer, a very successful logistics company synonymous with a dark color... I'm pretty confident that I'm the only person from my high school graduating class with a 1.7 GPA that is making in the mid $200,000s!
Click to expand...

Well, if it's the same logistics company that I'm thinking of, you likely had some help from the "inside," and your education, or lack thereof, probably wasn't much of a corollary.

Don't get me wrong here--good on ya for networking! I'm just saying that as a general rule we shouldn't necessarily associate forgone education with six figure incomes (or unforgone education for that matter... Is unforgone a real word?)

But I totally agree with you on the whole "regional and going for a pax airline" thing, although I doubt going to college would have "railroaded" you that way. I have a BS and will have a masters, and I'm not going that route.

-Goose
 
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Goose Egg said:
Well, if it's the same logistics company that I'm thinking of, you likely had some help from the "inside," and your education, or lack thereof, probably wasn't much of a corollary.

Don't get me wrong here--good on ya for networking! I'm just saying that as a general rule we shouldn't necessarily associate foregone education with six figure incomes.

But I totally agree with you on the whole "regional and going for a pax airline" thing, although I doubt going to college would have "railroaded" you that way. I have a BS and will have a masters, and I'm not going that route.

-Goose
Click to expand...


I'll be the first person that says get the most education that you can get. But for me, college wasn't my thing and I'm fortunate to be in my current position. What gets me is that SOME on this board (mainly those from the expensive aviation universities) say that you CAN'T get a job at a major without a college degree. Maybe they say that to justify to themselves spending all of daddy's money or being in debt up to their eyeballs, but that sentiment is out there.
 
FreightNazi said:
What gets me is that SOME on this board (mainly those from the expensive aviation universities) say that you CAN'T get a job at a major without a college degree. Maybe they say that to justify to themselves spending all of daddy's money or being in debt up to their eyeballs, but that sentiment is out there.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've noticed that too, and have felt that same way in the past (although I most certainly did not go to an expensive academy.) I think it was probably wise of you to recognize that in your individual situation, you did not need college to meet your goals. I know for me, I doubt I would even have the same goals had I not been to college, and I definitely wouldn't be working where I am now, which is a job that I enjoy greatly.

So, perhaps the safest thing to say on the matter is that some of us need college to be a success, and some of us don't. It is up to the individual to be the judge of that.

I should be, I worked hard to get it!!!!
Click to expand...

That's freakin' hilarious! And I'm pretty lucky my high school GPA wasn't down there too--all I did was eat, sleep, and ski.

Edit: And the only thing that I regret from high school is that I didn't ski more.

-Goose
 
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I have a degree, and I'm flying a BE20 135 PIC. Started in that plane when I was 24. I believe many others here have/are doing the same thing. Still banging on doors for the right corporate job.
 
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i agree. shouldn't associate forgone education with six figure incomes. then again, you can't rule it out. the degree may/may not open doors. it depends on the route you take. personality/flying ability/previous experience goes a long way. everyone takes a different route. who knows where you're going to end up? in the end, it's about being happy. it's about having fun.

if you look back on your life and were miserable, what was the point? i dropped out of college to start flying. i was tired of school. i hated going to class. i wanted to fly. i quit and moved to florida to instruct. did that for 15 months and fell a$$backwards into a 135 multi job in mass. did that for 2 yrs, now i'm flying hawkers. upgrading next month...at 24. i'm happy. if i had finished my degree (would've been miserable) and gotten an airline job (would've been miserable) i would have a miserable life.

more power to you $19K/yr airline f/o's but i just couldn't do it. not b/c i have a family to support. b/c i never really wanted to be poor again. i ate enough ramen and tuna while i was instructing. never again.

basically i'm just saying don't let people make you think you HAVE to have a degree to be successful. i used to think that. not anymore. so i might not get that ups job i wanted. i'll settle for a part 91 G-V.

flame away stewballs. f-ing prick. :-D
 
he was the one brgging about his 1.7 gpa. i could care less.

and for you people that think all regional fos make 19k a year need to get better info. 19k is low even for a first year fo. i am first year and will make about 27k this year and just under 40k next year. it should be more i will admit but 19k is just not true.
 
It is true, most aviation programs out there that are associated with a 4 year degree really try and push the whole airline gig. The program I'm involved with even has internships set up with regional airlines that are worth college credit, the funny part is they dont have anything set up like that with anything considered "major" or non airline related. Every CFI waits for 1000 hours and goes to their interview for $20 an hour, recently some left with hardly 600 hours....keep in mind though that most these kids have dreamed of flying for an airline as long as they can remember so in their case it is working out pretty good for them. As far as I go my set up couldnt be better. I'm earning a 4 year degree at a major DI school with a notoriously good basketball team, not rushing to grow up and have a job I would have never of gotten if I wasnt here. So here I am sunday afternoon with a hangover, a sunburn from the football game and tomorrow I'll get paid for a few hours of PIC multi turbine time....oh yea I'm only 20.
 
I have a degree in economics from a top 30 school, making 18K a year as a second year CFI.
I went to college because it was a prerequisite for any sort of a stable, albeit not very exciting corporate job. That was five years ago...
Now that I am aiming for the airlines, I find it rather useful to have as most of the places prefer one.
My college experience was very memorable, and I still think fondly of the four years it lasted.
 
I went to Hamburger University. An education for pilots to fall back on.
 
T-Gates said:
I and others have W-2's that could squash your statements....

First of all you work at ExpressJet, a plce with decidedly better pay than most other regionals.

You and others are lucky to be starting in an industry right now that is experiencing explosive growth still in the regional sector. Most new-hires at regionals today don't experience the long periods of reserve lines and straight-guarantee months. When I started my first regional job, I sat ready reserve for 9 months, and grossed just over 13,000 dollars, not including perdiem. That was only a few years ago.

Also, not everyone is flying RJ's, go ask FO's at Colgan, Commutair, Great Lakes, etc... Last I checked the pay there was still sub-20k for first year FO's.
Click to expand...

I am not saying that there arent jobs out there that pay 19k at the regionals. but there are people on here that automatically assume that if you work at a regional and you are an FO you only make 19k. I am just telling them that there are decent jobs out there in the regional sector its just a matter of getting on with a good one. Most companies start out with a shiaty first year puy just look at CAL first year at 30K. but it goes up quickly. My point is the regionals can be a decent job.
 
Oversensitive? Who i could care less what people say because what it boils down to is what each persons situation is. I have said it before and will say it again,
to each his own.

carry on
 

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