Should I blow another $15,00 for BS degree?

[pilotyip]

Let agree to disagree

I completely disagree, if you get a degree that is worth something like Biology or Finance or basically anything to do with science, it will always be useful.

My experience with a Master's in management. I was tired of being between jobs at age 53. I tried to get into another line of work. 0 interviews, lots of job fairs, lots of professional resumes. I am covered with airline stink, my belief is companies will not touch you later in life for any decent job no matter what degree you have. So you have decide early in life what you are going to do, use the knowledge gained in your college degree or spend 10 years establishing your aviation career. Science is changing so fast that being out of it for 10 years is almost like not being in it.

 

[exphojump]

Definitely get a degree outside aviation. I was furloughed from Independence in 2006 and slogged for 3.5 years to get a degree in Economics from a local university. Now that I have it I have the option of a major in 3 years if they start hiring again.

I plan to transfer to a career in finance in about a year. I am attending the University of London External. For grad school you have to write two 2,500 papers each 8 weeks, self study, and I take comprehensive exams in October. The exams are the same as the lecture students in the UK so it is not easy.

The bright side if you are good at self study, they have undergraduate degrees with the London School of Economics as the lead school. It is all self study and you take very hard exams, (the same as those who attended the lectures) for each subject once a year. It only costs about 5,000 USD to get a BS.

Warning, you really have to love your subject and the tests are very, very, difficult. This is not a diploma mill. But you spread the 5k over 2 to 4 years.

Good luck, and choose wisely because after two furloughs, working overseas and becoming 40 this year, I am ready for a career change.

http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk/prospective_students/undergraduate/index.php

 

[skygod75]

Definitely get a degree outside aviation. I was furloughed from Independence in 2006 and slogged for 3.5 years to get a degree in Economics from a local university. Now that I have it I have the option of a major in 3 years if they start hiring again.

I plan to transfer to a career in finance in about a year. I am attending the University of London External. For grad school you have to write two 2,500 papers each 8 weeks, self study, and I take comprehensive exams in October. The exams are the same as the lecture students in the UK so it is not easy.

The bright side if you are good at self study, they have undergraduate degrees with the London School of Economics as the lead school. It is all self study and you take very hard exams, (the same as those who attended the lectures) for each subject once a year. It only costs about 5,000 USD to get a BS.

Warning, you really have to love your subject and the tests are very, very, difficult. This is not a diploma mill. But you spread the 5k over 2 to 4 years.

Good luck, and choose wisely because after two furloughs, working overseas and becoming 40 this year, I am ready for a career change.

http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk/prospective_students/undergraduate/index.php

I would advise using caution with distance learning universities such as the one above, especially when the university is foreign-based (assuming that the student is resident in the United States). The inherent problem with universities abroad is accreditation issues. Most employers these days want to see a degree from an *accredited* university. Accreditation signifies, at a fundamental level, verification of faculty, curriculum, and procedures used in granting degrees. Accreditation is also important if you wish to use that degree in the furtherance of your study at the graduate level. In addition, accreditation in one country does not necessarily mean that it can be used as such in another.

Foreign-based degrees can be evaluated using a degree evaluation service that essentially verifies the degree as being equivalent to a similar degree from an accredited university in the United States. Different employers will maintain different criteria when it comes to the acceptance of degrees. You may have received a rigorous education that will benefit you in your career field but not having the accreditation status is a deal-killer for many prospective employers. Disciplines such as law, accounting, nursing, elementary/secondary education, engineering, social work, medicine, and others require a graduation from an accredited program to acquire a license (i.e., Professional Engineer) or certification (i.e., Certified Public Accountant).

At any rate, "buyer beware" is always in order when attempting such endeavors.

 

[exphojump]

Do your research,

I recommend you pick a degree led by the London School of Economics. Your diploma will show both UOL and LSE, as would anyone who graduated from LSE.

Check several world rankings and see how the LSE ranks worldwide.

Call a few grad schools in the field of your choice and query about their policy on UK degrees.

Check with the HR at a few of the non aviation companies you want to work for and ask about their policy.

Last, if you know anyone in HR at a Major check their policy on UK degrees

You can always attend the world ranked UVU, if you want, or expensive ERAU, if you know you are staying in aviation.

Just another option I didn't know about, till I was a junior and looking at grad schools online.

 

[Paul R. Smith]

Go get a degree, make sure it is not in Aviation! You are never going to know on how you are gonna loose your medical and would have to leave Aviation all together. Might as well have something to fall back on. It is like having house, car, or any another kinda insurance, you never know when you are going to need it......go get that paper!

Never take advice from a guitar player who plays a Warlock.

 

[higherflyer]

My experience with a Master's in management. I was tired of being between jobs at age 53. I tried to get into another line of work. 0 interviews, lots of job fairs, lots of professional resumes. I am covered with airline stink, my belief is companies will not touch you later in life for any decent job no matter what degree you have. So you have decide early in life what you are going to do, use the knowledge gained in your college degree or spend 10 years establishing your aviation career. Science is changing so fast that being out of it for 10 years is almost like not being in it.

Wow, that's quite a negative and pessimistic view of higher education. Having been on the hiring side and the applying side of the table, I would strongly disagree. Age and higher education are not necessarily bad and negatives to being hired. What a company is generally going to look at is whether there is something to be gained in bringing the applicant on board. There are benefits to hiring the 65 year old applicant for many circumstances where the 25 year old would not be a proper fit. The same goes if the ages were to be reversed.

I can't speak to your situation, but it is entirely possible that you were not the proper fit for the positions to which you were applying. Whether experience, personality fit or whatever, it didn't work for you. That is not the way it will work for others.

As to Marcus' question of getting the degree-- I would get it as soon as possible if you really want to have a shot at the majors. It satisfies a box for most 'major' airlines out there today. Is it needed for the job, probably not. Does it get you in the door, maybe. Will not having it keep the door closed, probably. Good luck in the degree program and good luck in moving 'up'.

By the way, my background is a BS in a totally unrelated engineering field, a MS in Operations Management, 15 years working for a Fortune 20 electronics manufacturer in various positions (operations and management) and now flying for a major airline. It took work to get to where I am today, but drive and hard work are what it takes to succeed today. Good Luck, Marcus! Ignore the naysayers.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

I would say pay off debt and build an emergency fund. If you think it is hard making $75,000 with $75,000 of debt, try making $40,000 as a first year probationary pilot at your new airline now with $90,000 in debt. If you have resources that will supplement your income during the first 5 years it will take you to catch up to your regional salary, then use it to pay down your debt. And that does not take into account the furlough you very well may get to experience. School loans are not forgivable in bankruptcy. You have years before any serious hiring starts in this industry.

 

[pilotyip]

back to the beginning

Wow, that's quite a negative and pessimistic view of higher education. Having been on the hiring .....various positions (operations and management) and now flying for a major airline. It took work to get to where I am today, but drive and hard work are what it takes to succeed today. Good Luck, Marcus! Ignore the naysayers.

You have to go back to the beginning, he was wondering about getting an easy quick degree to advance his career, to check a box, it has nothing to do with knowledge, it is to please a HR specialist. Or his other option was to get a real degree that leads to a job outside of aviation. To get that degree in whatever and not use it for 10-20-30 years and expect to fall back upon that degree does not reflect the reality that I see in today's marketplace. I know too many college graduates doing jobs that do not require a degree beyond high school. Lets just agree to disagree. BTW I must agree with your hard work ethic, it is funny how things turn out when give 110% to everything you do.