Sliceback

You're right. Just like UA hired 3, of 1800+, pilots without degrees proving the point that you can get hired without a degree.

So how many officers don't have degrees and how did they become an officer without a degree? Percentage?

Fletch727

The officers without a degree that I have known were in the Guard who were sent to UPT with two years or more of college complete with the understanding that they would finish college upon completion of pilot training, and did not. One got as high as O-5 before he finished so he could make O-6. Sounds ridiculous, but it's a true story.

HuggyU2

Well... the had an Associates Degree... right?

Sliceback

B squared? Only guy that I knew of that went that route.

It's like my UA hiring comment - you don't need a four year degree, just like you don't need one to become an officer, but it's way less than 1%, or perhaps .1%, that fit that mold.

TankerDriver

These days, a Masters is the new Bachelors. Bachelors are becoming more and more meaningless in a lot of career fields, so we should be lucky the commercial airline industry only requires a bachelors.

Flyaf05

Until last year, Air Force guys basically had to get a masters in order to get promoted to Major. That means almost every Air Force pilot nearing the end of their 10yr commitment and separating has a masters degree. It'll certainly make airline hiring more competitive.

Hacker15e

What changed last year?

Flyaf05

They masked it for the promotion board so they can't tell if you have one or not. A lot of guys are still doing it in case they unmask it like they did before.

Hacker15e

Yeah...those who fell for that in 2005 were paying for it in 2008....

Albief15

1997 when I got selected it was masked... But...not for school selection. The push was to not punish operators but they still couldn't resist peeking anyway wrt school selection.

I was 95% getting out anyway. But I did think it was dirty pool for the guys who wanted to stay who took the "masters not required" baiit and just tried to be good F-15 IPs, flight commanders etc instead of taking ERAU classes at night after a 10-14 hour day at work.

With a nice boost from the ANG, made O-5 before any of those guys as well, again with no masters but with all PME done. While personally kind of smugly satisfying, it was disheartening to realize the active was pressuring guys at the busiest points in their lives to throw college on top of the mix, while a part time guy was only evaluated on his flying ability and job performance in his primary job. I had the time to get a masters then, but didn't need it. Stressing the hardest working guys in the CAF by sending mixed messages on higher education struck me as stupid at best and critically negligent when guys safety or job performance was compromised.