Personal Retirement Funds

[pilotyip]

The way I did it

Dangercat there are many ways to skin a cat, you have your way which you feel is the only way anyone should do things. "The way I did it". I do not agree with you, if my grandson elected to pursue a pilots career, I will recommend he not go to college full time, but follow the other time tested path where I have seen too many people succeed. That is fly full time, do your degree on the side, build time, build your resume. I will not debate the fall back value of a college degree, as I have stated many times it is nearly worthless after not being used for 20 years. Here are some of the latest Air Inc hiring stats for the Kit. Percent with no 4-yr degree, AirTran 12%, CAL 9%, DHL 33%, Jet Blue 18% and SWA 7%. Are those not good jobs? In addition, to take this one step further if 95% of the pilots applying have four yr degrees and those airline hiring non 4 yr degree pilots in the 7% to 33% range. It would tend to support that the degree is not all that important in getting a good airline job.

 

[smellthejeta]

I will not debate the fall back value of a college degree, as I have stated many times it is nearly worthless after not being used for 20 years.

I actually agree with you on this. I started a BS in comp sci before I got bitten by the flying aviatoin gig. I finished the degree for no other reason than 1) I already started it, 2) a degree in and of itself is useful, and 3) It doesn't matter what I get it in. So I finished it. The sucky part is because I really didn't care, I have a GPA of 2.6. Tough to get into a good grad school, tough to get a good job without a 3.0 (nonwithstanding the fact I graduated two years ago and haven't worked in the field since).

Now, at the age of 26, I'm faced with the very real possibility of losing (or not getting) my medical. How's that for gitting shat on? My answer to "what do I do" is... go to a community college or local state school and take some refersher courses in my major? Get my A&P? I heard there's actually a bit of a market these days for that. Go do a Masters degree? Where? I got into Riddle's extended campus program, and my employer will pay for most of it.

So your point on the immediate usefulness of a long-ago-gotten four year degree is pretty valid. I won't say that you are 100% right (because I don't know the situation for every possible degree), but your opinion has a lot of merit for those that think they can walk from an airplane after a furlough, BK, or loss of a medical to a degree they haven't used or kept up with in 5, 10, or 20 years.

 

[pilotyip]

smellthejet, this assumes when you put your 10-15-20 year old degree to use you are not going after "College degree perferred" jobs like apartment complex manager, direct phone sales and plumping dept manager at home fix up store.

 

[RockyMnt1]

College Degree

Here is bit of encouragement for those of you with BA/BS degrees...

The IT market today is in such a state that all of our entry level Java programmers must have masters degrees....A BA/BS just isn't competitive anymore.

Have a great day!!

 

[Dangerkitty]

Here are some of the latest Air Inc hiring stats for the Kit. Percent with no 4-yr degree, AirTran 12%, CAL 9%, DHL 33%, Jet Blue 18% and SWA 7%. Are those not good jobs? In addition, to take this one step further if 95% of the pilots applying have four yr degrees and those airline hiring non 4 yr degree pilots in the 7% to 33% range. It would tend to support that the degree is not all that important in getting a good airline job.

Yes, those are good jobs. And you are also proving my point. If someone really wants to go and fly for SWA then they better damn well have a college degree. With 93% of the pilot group at SWA having a college degree chances are pretty slim that someone without one would get a job there.

Right now SWA is hiring less than 50% of the pilots that they interview. If one really wants a job there then they better have all the advantages that they can to land that job. Not having a college degree severly limits someones chances at getting that SWA job.

Thank you for helping me prove my point.

 

[smellthejeta]

Here is bit of encouragement for those of you with BA/BS degrees...

The IT market today is in such a state that all of our entry level Java programmers must have masters degrees....A BA/BS just isn't competitive anymore.

Have a great day!!

Who is "our"? I know the quals have gone WAY up since I started college, but the MS required is new to me.

 

[pilotyip]

Did not see point

No dangercat, you did not see my point but then again, not all college graduates have that skill. If 95% of pilots applying at SWA have college degrees and only 93% of the pilots being at SWA hired have college degrees then the non-degreed has a better chance of being that the guy with a degree. The reason most pilots being hired have degrees is that most pilots applying have degree. It almost like all pilots being hired have an ATP, it is because all pilots applying have an ATP. I meam like almost everyone has college degree, but it is not the end all in anyone's career.

 

[Dangerkitty]

No dangercat, you did not see my point but then again, not all college graduates have that skill. If 95% of pilots applying at SWA have college degrees and only 93% of the pilots being at SWA hired have college degrees then the non-degreed has a better chance of being that the guy with a degree. The reason most pilots being hired have degrees is that most pilots applying have degree. It almost like all pilots being hired have an ATP, it is because all pilots applying have an ATP. I meam like almost everyone has college degree, but it is not the end all in anyone's career.

Well if you are going to use that type of logic then why dont you push for all Passenger Carrier Part 121 Operations to be flown only by Flight Attendants. Since no Part 121 Carrier has ever crashed with a Flight Attendant at the controls then it must be much safer to have Flight Attendants as pilots.

Right?

 

[pilotyip]

Danger cat again I do not follow. What does a college degree have to do with safety at the 121 air carrier level? Are you sure you got your money's worth in getting your degree?

 

[BenderGonzales]

If you have a Roth IRA through a company like Primerica, and you want to switch financial advisors and roll it into another one.... is that even possible???