Originally Posted by
pilotnicco
I respectfully disagree. I would say that would be the case, if you went to the naval academy, or the air force academy, but that's about it. Like I said earlier, you could be the most intellectual person on earth and gone to an ivy-league, even graduated with an amazing GPA however, none of that's going to mean a damn, if you have low flight time and and are a poor pilot. Also, if you're an engineering major, at MIT, why are you involved in professional airline flying? You could be working a much higher paying job, probably buy your own plane and fly for fun?
As said before, there are many reasons why some of us with engineering degrees became involved with professional aviation. I really enjoy aviation - the flying, the flexible hours, and even the roller coaster of emotions that goes with it. I have WAY more time off as a pilot than I ever did as an engineer, I never take my work home, and I usually look forward to going to work each day. There is still a very good earning potential with aviation that can far exceed what I would make as an engineer. Even most of the captains I work with at SkyWest make more than my friends that are still engineers.
Several years after I graduated, I was doing the 8-5 thing. I remember waking up one Monday, absolutely dreading the upcoming week of meetings and other BS. I was already wishing it was Friday, so that I could start my crappy little two day weekend. It was then that I realized how disturbing that was, and how I needed to change my life. I was just finishing my instrument rating at the time, and kicked it into high gear to finish my other ratings.
I've now been flying for a living for six years, which is a bit longer than I was working as an engineer. I have absolutely no regrets, and still love this crazy profession.
As far as advantages to having an engineering degree, I don't know that it makes that big of a difference. But it does help to have the study habits and technical background for things like ground school, understanding hydraulics, electrical systems, etc.