Originally Posted by
slaterowens
I'm currently attending Louisiana Tech studying aviation. But I got a late start on college as I took some time off to work. I'm 22. And about to be a sophomore. But I know that airlines are starting to hire and I don't want to miss the window. It's going to take about 3 more years to be completely done at Louisiana Tech. And I've already poured about 11,000 in and still don't have my private. It's aggravating. Anyway, schools like ATP and Aerosim have said you can get it all done in like 4 or 5 months at a flat cost. The only downside to that is I wouldn't have a college degree. Advice?!
If you are implying that there's a "window" for hiring, you also realize that means at some point they stop hiring, and you do not progress in your career, so even if you "made it" to the airline, you are now stuck as a FO earning 30K for years on end, maybe a little more after 5 or so years, but is that worth it? These "airlines" that are hiring are Regional airlines, and for most of the people that graduated (WITH a degree!) with me 8 years ago, these have been the end of their career, meaning that they can't go forward at all. A couple have jumped laterally to corporate or charter, but that's about it. Heck, you'll have plenty of time to get a degee while you're stuck at a regional airline, no doubt about that. The degree may make you more marketable, but remember hours/experience/ratings and such trump all, so $40,000 of college is usually worse than $40,000 of hours and an ATP/type rating if you can.
I think you are at a crossroads where you really have to think hard. Let's say you are 11K in debt due to your private (yes, I realize that may not be the case). 11K in debt compared to 100K+ in debt (university program, flight training, etc) is NOTHING. If you want to get flight training done efficienctly, you need to fly pretty often, that requires a lot of money up front. If you want to spread the cost out, then it requires even more money, but spread out over a longer time. There's no correct course of action here, just what is right for you.
Are you going to be a good pilot if you get "all done" in 4-5 months? I think about students I train and how when you add up their hours, it's literally like they've only been flying for a few months after they get their commercial, and it's obviously not the "hours" that count, but the overall experience, how many things did you encounter? Difficult situations? Challenges? Having to remember stuff and knowing where to go back and find that stuff?
So when you go back and think about the crossroad, think about this: How much do you love flying? Enough that you want to be able to do it on your own terms and have fun? Enough that you might search and find some aviation related fields and areas (insurance, engineering, management, ATC, etc) and have enough money to fly yourself?
I think I'd say: Take your time. Better to spread the cost and experience out. Along the way you may see better opportunities. I don't think the "window" thing is valid, sure they are on and off with hiring, but at no point have all the regional pilots gone to majors in the last 10+ years, it just doesn't work like that. The hiring stops and starts, little spurts.