what should I do?

[flynearful]

I am going to graduate college in two months. I am graduating with a B.S. in Economics and a minor in Flight. I am 21.
The whole reason why I went to college is to major in flight and so I would be able to get hired by a major eventually. I changed my major with the aviation industryand economy the way it is. I am glad i did!! I have a private cert. and am halfway through the IFR. (im not in a hurry to finish it.)

I want your opinions on what kind of job I should do with my degree while I get the ratings etc..

Should I go to school to become an air traffic controller?
This would mean I would have to go back to Community college for 2 qtrs. Then go to ATC school in Minnisota etc...

Should I try to get a job with the Econ degree as a Aviation analyst with an airline or maybe Boeing?

I would go to grad school if I get a job that will pay for it.

I know I do not want to sit behind a desk for 8hrs a day.

What would you do?

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

Get a desk job, it pays nice and you can surf the internet all day, not to mention pay is really good.
Build up some time (both flying your desk and the airplane), one type of time to fall back on, and the other to open up new possibilities for you
Get on with a regional by the time you're 26 or so, and hope that you never have to go back to flying the desk.

oh, and dont forget to pay pal me a coupla bucks in a few years for all this advice

 

[jsoceanlord]

get any gov't job, law enforcement, etc. believe me

 

[350DRIVER]

I would do what is going to make "me" happy regardless of "opinions" offered by others. It is "you" that has to either be happy or not happy not others. Personal preference I would say is the key, go on your gut feeling and do what you think that you would enjoy most.

As "poor"as many make the industry out to be present day there are still "just a few" outfits hiring present day- Air Tran, Jet Blue, SWA, Comair, Skywest, Great Lakes, Mesa, and many others-


3 5 0
Good luck to you in whatever you so choose to do-
ps> also keep in mind the 135 companies that are hiring present day and that will continue to do so at a good pace, 91 operators including Flight Options who are hiring at a good pace, EJ, and many others......

I would take a careful look at all variables before jumping to conclusions that may be correct or incorrect.

 

[jsoceanlord]

personally, i say get financially secure and fly on the side.

i know a CAP unit that has a beautiful A36 Bonanaza for use cheap. and there's some medical organizations where you can fly twins into mexico one weekend a month, etc. unlss you inherited a milion bucks, thats what i'd do (ie get a gov't job)

 

[bigsky]

granted Im not a 777 CAptain for a major or anything but am pretty darn pleased to be where I am at! If I had listened to everyone's opinion and advice I am sure I would be stuck in a job I hated and just another unhappy alcoholic--now at least I m a very happy alcoholic! I say if you want it bad enough it doesnt matter - if your not sure then maybe that is your answer.

 

[350DRIVER]

personally, i say get financially secure and fly on the side.

Ahh.... I will second the above with the Lord. - I knew we had to be able to agree on something here-

3 5 0

or... become a bum, retire and surf in Malibu & La Jolla all day & every day.

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

I went to school to fly as well. Got my CSEL/CMEL at college but switched from Aerosci to Air Traffic Management due to the industry. Anyways, ive flown for the last 1.5 years flying corp part 91 **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** and im off to oklahoma city in August to do the 2 month ATC training then off to my first assignment in Calif. Do the ATC thing.

 

[canadflyau]

there are still "just a few" outfits hiring present day- Air Tran, Jet Blue, SWA, Comair, Skywest, Great Lakes, Mesa, and many others

Take Lakes off the list... even this place furloughed 7 a month ago, and 10-15 more in May-June...

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

is mesa hiring again or are they just thinking about it. I never got called back. What the **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED**???? oh well, thats probably for the best now that i think about it.

 

[Full of LUV]

Ask for a refund.

First,
Go back to that two-bit school and ask for a refund. They allowed you to graduate without learning how to spell the great state of Minnesota!

Bottom line, do what will make you happy, there is always ways to make money, and regardless of how much you make, there is always ways to spend it.

 

[bobbysamd]

Job decisions

Ask yourself what would YOU like to do. Which of the items that you mentioned appeals to you the most? Is there something else not mentioned in your post in which you're interested?

As long as you have a four-year degree you can find your way to professional aviation. You will have that square filled with your B.S. in Econ.

There's quite a bit that you can do with an Econ degree, besides grad school. There obviously is teaching. You can also work for the government. There are private economic consultants whom attorneys retain to help them determine economic suffering for their clients. The aviation analyst idea is great, but is Boeing, etc. hiring? You must consider that.

Do finish your ratings and keep flying. Hiring will improve, because it always does. At that time, maybe you will have made contacts who can help you.

Once again, evaluate your interests and go with the one that is most appealing. You have youth on your side. Let's say you opt for aviation, give it even several years, and it doesn't work out. You will still be young enough to start another career.

Good luck with your plans.

 

[Draginass]

I would do something completey apart from aviation while you work on ratings. Right now the industry is very very bad, but that's probably the good time to build time and ratings. By the time it turns around in 4 years or so, you'll be ready.

A word of caution, though. In the future don't expect that major airline job to be what you think it was a couple of years ago. In the future you can expect much lower compensation than you've seen in the past and probably much more career turbulence/job changing. My compensation in 2010 will be much lower in real terms than it was in 1998, and that assumes that the company is still in business, which is not at all certain.

Commercial aviation is very alluring and intoxicating at first, but you need to look at it with a critical eye. Think about the costs of your ratings, the time you'll invest, the costs in time away from home to your future family, periods of unemployment and the boom/bust cycles that are inherent in the industry. Weigh that against other careers that you would enjoy doing, probably make alot more money at, be home almost every night . . . . and be able to fly for fun on the weekends.

What will the industry be like in the future? No one knows, but right now it's in the midst of a nuclear meltdown with corporate governance scandals, dimwitted strategic planning, weak and (also dimwitted) unions, and dog-eat-dog competition among pilots . What rises out of the ashes, who knows.

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

flynear,


Draginass gives a really good summation of the current situation in commercial aviation and Bobbysam and the others speak from alot of experience when they talk about doing what you want to do. My two cents would be to not go to any flight school full time but to do your flying and learning part-time. Doing that without building up mountains of debt is a big key. You may alreay be anticipating paying student loans off and the last thing I would want is to add $400 a month payments for 5 years on top of undergrad loans. I built time flying on the weekends and I'm happy I did. Took me 8 years to pay off my college loans and I hated every minute of it. It will make a big difference in your quality of life to not have those extra payments hanging over your head each month. Particularly if you're not making much money. Good luck.


Mr. I.

 

[Ravengirl]

I vote for ATC with flying on the side. It's what I'm trying to do (still in school).

Stephanie

 

[bobbysamd]

Originally posted by Draginass
Commercial aviation is very alluring and intoxicating at first . . . .

Intoxicating. Yeah. Beware of the hangover.

Still would do it, in some form, if I could find my niche.