jban642

I agree with everybody else for the love of god get a degree in something anything but aviation. I love flying and I lucked out and have a great schedule and get paid pretty well for what I am doing. However do look around and see whats happening. I do not work 121 i am a 135/91 guy. However if flying is your thing and it is for many people then go for it. There is nothing like it however do be ready for a few bumps down the road. But then again how much fun would life be without the bumps. I just like to remember the Robert Frost poem when think about this industry "Two roads diverged in too a wood and I took the one less traveled and that has made all the difference." anyway safe flying.

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If it's too good to be true it probably is.

blastoff

For the love of God, if you like Aviation and like the classes, and your ultimate career goal is to be a pilot, DON'T change majors. As you said in the beginning you are more motivated in school because of this. There are plenty of jobs for college educated kids with any degree down to Underwater Basketweaving. You will earn a living on the outside if you have to with an Aviation degree, even enough to go out and do an MBA on the side if you so wished...but you aren't getting into MBA school without good grades as an undergraduate, which is why you need to stay motivated by studying what you enjoy.

Prior to getting my Air Force pilot slot, I was a Financial Advisor, and got hired with an Aviation Degree and a Business minor. I was hired over some stiff from Stanford, because all they cared about was my personality and ability to interact with clients, not what I majored in, which only accounted for half of my academic career regardless. You can get any job you want if you network and interview well.

SkyHigh

I don't agree. It is hard to get noticed in the outside world with an aviation degree. Pilots are seen as being limited when they only have an aviation degree. Having a degree in something else proves that you can do more than just fly a plane. It also makes you more interesting.

Besides all that it is a waste of an education since you will learn what you need to fly on the job or in flight school. If someone is going to get an aviation degree because it is fun then you might as well get a degree in skiing, stock car racing or water sports.

SkyHigh

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Pilots are paid for what they will do, not for what they can do.

blastoff

I'm not advocating Aviation as a major, I'm simply against the Aviation bashing...there are good Aviation programs in this country at big schools. If you don't like your first semester, switch to Business. If you like it, don't let people talk you out of it. Believe it or not, there are jobs in Aviation that actually require an Aviation degree...and none of them are related to being a pilot.

1. Go to a State School
2. Major in what you like
3. Join a Fraternity or Honor Society and Network Network Network

You will be fine, whether you major in Liberal Studies or Aviation.

The vast majority of (non-Aviation) people I knew in college are in jobs unrelated to their major. Recruiters for entry-level college grad positions are simply looking for well poised college educated people. Talk to an HR manager. I was offered several jobs paying over $60,000 for the first year with my Aviation degree (From a large State School), mostly entry-level management and Financial Services. Mine is personal experience, yours is not.

SkyHigh do you really know what's included in an Aviation Degree? I had to take Business, Physics, O-Chem, Calculus, Law, and meteorology classes as part of the requirements for my Major (not GE)...and very few classes directly related to flying, and we received no college credit for flying. Yes there are some Diploma mills that give you credit for doing a no-Flap landing, I agree with you there...but the schools that play Division I Football and offer Aviation are different.

If I had a dollar for every English, History, or International Business major who work in neither.

I went to job fairs and the people in the booth would see Aviation on my resume and start talking about flying...their dad or their Uncle flies, their boss owns a Bonanza, can you fly me to Vegas, it must be great to do that all the time, it breaks the ice. Then they would offer an interview since I can hold a conversation with someone in a suit. It's pretty easy to answer for why you're not a working pilot (cost prohibitive, medical, industry bust, etc...).

Once you get your first job in an industry, your work experience outweighs your degree when you go for the next job. A Bachelor's degree only gets you your FIRST job.

Generation X is the new hire pool now; HR wants a guy with a Degree, a nice suit, and not too much hair gel...that's it, sad but true.

TheReelDeel33

Thanks for all the feedback, Def brought up some good points.

I'm gonna stick to it and just hope for the best.

I've worked in garages and so I know the basics of being a mechanic and i'm also a volunteer firefighter. I feel like those 2 traits could help me out down the road if worse comes to worse and I need a back up. A good paying aviation job would be my way of getting my cake and eating it too so that will continue to be my main goal