Question about flying career

[pilotyip]

TJ PIC

Turbo Jet Pilot In Command

 

[bobbysamd]

Just get the degree

You are coming around, you now agree an on-line degree is OK, but it takes alot of stick to it ness to pull it off, which will impress your potential employer even more.

It never mattered to me how one gets the degree. What only matters is that one gets it, and from an accredited school. As long as East Bumblebee State is accredited by one of the six accrediting bodies recognized by the Department of Education, that does the trick.

Icing on the cake would be finishing the program timely, high GPA, graduating with honors, etc.

I just feel that it would be better for most people to get college out of the way so it won't being hanging over their heads. Some people learn to fly and get their CFIs in college, and instruct part-time. A good way to make some money and build a few hours.

 

[Timebuilder]

quote:

jesus christ, wtf is this world coming to?

For that answer, you'll have to wait for Timebuilder to check in.

While there is a lot of info available in His Word about what the world is coming to, let's veer back in the direction of Mark's inquiry.

CAN you get a job without a college degree? Sure. Should you, if you can help it? No.

Bobby has a good insight on this. Let me add mine.

I say get a degree in something OTHER than aviation. That way, you can do something useful with the time you will almost inevitably spend during the separations from flying that happen as carriers rise and fall, go out on strike, or simply die off.

Do you need a thicker skin? Yes.

Is there a lot of bile directed at those that attempt to circumvent the normal and accepted paths to good aviation jobs? Yes.

Why not get qualified for ANG service, let taxpayers like me help you pay for college, and get some service time in. I tried to get into the reserves in 1997, but they said I was "too old." Trust me, I'd be happy to be doing my part. If I ever become a congressman, I'm going to push for a change in the way the government is allowing itself to discriminate on the basis of age. Right now, they are shy one pilot, a single guy who was willing and had previous experience in a military environment.

Don't waste the many opportunities you have, and look past the well deserved negativity of some pilots (like me sometimes, too) and use the words to help find your way.

If you want it bad enough, it will happen. Just make sure you LOVE it, not just "kinda like the idea."

 

[pilotyip]

OTHER MILITARY OPTIONS

I assume you have four years of college to complete before being qualified to even apply to the ANG. To put all your money on the ANG thing would be a mistake; you will most likely end up disappointed. As far as I know the Army still has a high school to flt school program. Look into it. Being a graduate of any military flt program gives you a leg up when looking for that civilian job. You have to decide what do you want to be, a pilot making a decent living? Or are you someone pursuing the ultimate goal of a major airline pilot by the age of 29, you will not make it. I have cited success stories on this board of pilots who followed a non-traditional path to their career goal. Do not let the narrowly defined thinking of a majority on this board deflect you from what might be the correct decision. TJ PIC gets you the job, college degrees only open doors; the degree is the easiest to get.

 

[smellthejeta]

uasf flying

Guys,

In order to get picked up for an ANG/Res spot as a non-prior, it is insanely difficult. Difficult to the point where one should puruse other flying options if one wants to fly ASAP. But oh boy, is a guard spot a sweet deal. Oh, and one MUST have a college degree if they want to fly in any part of the air force.

I tried to pick up an active spot, and I was told they are easier to get than an ANG spot but by no means was it easy. For the most part, I gathered that if you met their profile, you were pretty much in, and if you didn't, forget it. There are two tests that they require, one is an officer qualifying test (all pilots are officers) and the other is a hand/eye coordination test.

The AFOQT is a straightforward standardized test that is more difficult than the ASVAB. There are some sections on there, however, that are impossible The hand/eye coordination test is reported in a composite score (PCSM) that takes into account your AFOQT-Pilot score, hand/eye coordination, and your total flight time up to 200 hundered hours.

I think they told me they wouldn't take people active if they didn't have their ppl. Regardless of whether or not the ppl is required, since your flight time is figured into your PCSM score and that there is an aviation knowledge section on the AFOQT, it is impossible to score well without prior flight experience.

My foray with the USAF/ANG/Res ended with a small medical issue that even sidelined my civilian second class for a while (boy, wasn't that a b!tch). He!!, even if I were to enlist, it is potentially disqualifying.

Which brings up the next point for the OP. Enlist in the guard near where you want to go to school. Pick an AFSC in something useful. By that, I mean that you should pick, say, meteorology, satellites and communications, or aircraft maitenance over driving a fuel truck on the weekend.

Right now, even enlisted guard spots are pretty sweet. Depending on the job code (I think all of the ones I listed other fuel truck) qualify, there are some monster signing bonuses. I can't remember what the base bennies are, but during this fiscal year you will get a $30,000 GI Bill, a $20,000 student loan repayback "grant", and a $5,000 cash signing bonus. Some years they offer the choice between the SLRP and the cash, and others they give both. There are state tuition benefits as well, which are really good for your first BA/BS. For instance, in MD, there is a 100% tution waiver at all tech schools, and they do give a tuition break at most other state schools. The GI BIll is paid directly to the student, so it isn't as if the state benies reduce the immediate value of the GI Bill.

So yeah, go to school tuition free, get paid for your "part time job" when you're working.

So if that's so great, why did I pass it up? First off, my little eyeball problem took six months to resolve and I got ahold of the USAF medical standards document in the meantime. Depending on what's asked for my physical and how they check my eyes, I will get DQ'd. Why the "maybe"? Although the condition is explicitly DQ'ing, I'm not sure how they would find it if I'm not required to tell them. Second of all, I don't mind making the commitment now, but I don't want to be on the hook for the next six years, especially if I find a career that does not mesh with the ANG. Yes, there are a few non-military jobs that will not allow you to work for the ANG.

My main goal is to become an air traffic controller, and I have found a place where I can get through school for less than $3,000. If I were to enlist, I would most likely choose meteorology. The problem with that is it takes 15 months to get through school, and my eye condition is unstable. I'm guaranteed in the government if my medical tanks after I'm hired.

 

[wingnutt]

Re: Just get the degree

It never mattered to me how one gets the degree.

well then why are you two arguing? yip's first post referenced to getting the degree online three different times . he never said to skip the degree but rather skip the campus in favor of 4 years of flightline experience

 

[English]

cranky, aren't they?

 

[bobbysamd]

Get the degree - somewhere - and sooner instead of later

well then why are you two arguing? yip's first post referenced to getting the degree online three different times . he never said to skip the degree but rather skip the campus in favor of 4 years of flightline experience

In the past, Yip, who has Bachelor's and Master's degrees, has said to skip the degree. Only lately has he conceded that getting the degree, from someplace, might be advisable.

I like an Aeronautical Science degree, but the bottom line is to get the degree, in something, from an accredited school. I just think it's better for most younger people to finish college first and then fly. So many people start flying and always say they're going to go to college. They get busy flying and never keep that promise to themselves. By finishing college first, they get that major requirement out of the way and can concentrate on flying.