Originally Posted by
duckdude555
Hello all!
I'm currently a freshman in college and I've been contemplating doing a complete 180 and switching career paths to becoming a professional pilot. Don't worry, I know that these days a B.S. is required in most fields, and I have every intention of getting one. However, I wasn't sure what some of you would recommend I do. Should I start getting all my ratings/flight time now in my spare time at a local airport outside of classes, or should I wait till after I graduate and do one of those "crash-course" ATP flight school and such? What do you think would be cheaper?
Also, does it matter what exactly I get my college degree in? I would have no problem transferring schools into a university that has a professional pilot program, which generally gives an aviation related degree.
All in all, I want to get the best education for my buck!
Thanks for your help!
~Joe
Being without debt or as little as possible is priceless and gives you a HUGE amount of power in what you are able to do. You won't be forced to work for what is basically indentured servitude and choose the path that gets you to where you want to go, rather than the one that you have to take because you can't pay your bills any other way. This means get your certificates and ratings along the way. Most of us that have been through this will say the same thing. If you take out a bunch of money to buy flying, you are first of all losing the money that you could have been earning during the same period, second, you are paying back interest on the amount, which is like giving an extra 30-40% to the loan holder on top of the amount you borrow, and you just don't need that kind of debt starting out (relatively) early in your life, even though you might think you are an "old dog". It's cheaper to do it this way, even though it might take a little longer for the training, the amount of money you start saving is huge in the long run.
Be careful though, every place that wants your money will try to convince you that you need to get all your ratings FAST and that you need to do it NOW. This is a red flag. Aviation related businesses have been feeding pilots and potential pilots those lines for decades. Decades. There is no rush and you'll be far better off in the long run.