Yes, and yes. Airlines want to see you have a degree in anything, however, some have expressed preferences for degrees in Aeronautical Science, Aviation Management or related. Airlines like degrees because it narrows the field of applicants and it usually shows an ability to excel at a higher level of education. I would suggest a degree in something you're interested in outside of aviation, or a degree that could be used within the industry, such as Business Management.

Yes. Some airlines have expressed preferences from aviation university programs such as Embry-Riddle, UND, Purdue, Auburn etc. This is not, however, an endorsement from me to attend one of these schools.


Sure. I typically fly long-haul and/or international flights. As an example, my first flight of a trip is JFK to ANC. It's a 7.5 hour flight that departs at 3:30am.
I leave my house at 6:00pm and drive to a hotel near JFK, arriving at around 8:30pm. I'll sleep for a little bit and then be in the hotel lobby at 1:45am for a shuttle to the airport. At 2:00am myself and the captain have a briefing over the flight plan, weather, load, fuel, problems with the airport or airplane etc. This takes from 10-20 minutes. When we are both satisfied we leave and head to the airplane. We arrive at the airplane at about 2:30am, one hour until departure. Now we do all of our pre-flight duties which I won't get into, but it's lots of little things. We then get briefed by a mechanic about the airplane's condition, and the briefed by a loadmaster about what's on board and where. When everything is complete we fly to Anchorage for 7.5 hours. On arrival we fill out paperwork, brief the mechanic of any discrepancies and then head to the hotel at about 8am Anchorage time.

Layovers can be from 10-100 hours. Most domestically are 12-18 hours. Internationally they are usually 16-36 hours.

Yes, you often have time to visit something. It can be very rewarding and fun if you are ambitious. Many pilots are one of the following: boring, broke, not fun, tired, uninteresting in the location. That's a shame. I've had great experiences all over the world. Keep in mind however that many layovers are in pretty boring cities, or the hotels are in awful locations (e.g. near the airport with no transportation, in a business park far away from the city center.) Also, you must factor in that you just might be flat out tired from working, are very hungry, or something else.

You do not pay for hotel. The hotels vary depending on your airline. I've stayed in five star hotels in world class cities and total dives in awful places. Most are decent. Think Hampton Inn. Still, it's not 1973. You're not staying in Manhattan at the Waldorf.


My first job after college was stocking shelves on the graveyard shift at Target. I applied to about 25 jobs around the country, willing to move anywhere. In about five months I landed a CFI job making $14/hr.
I did that job for one year, was hired by a regional, flew as a FO for six years, made captain and then moved on. I am not at a legacy, but work for a foreign cargo company, flying a 747 and making a good wage. I am pretty happy.

Your mileage WILL vary and be better, or worse. I've seen it go very bad for great people and very good for people I wish never flew an airplane.

It costs way too much money to become a pilot. However, the profession is not dying off any time soon in my opinion. There may be a move to a single pilot cockpit... but no idea when.

It is prohibited in most company's manuals to listen to music. You can certainly relax, however. Most pilot chit-chat with one another, look out the window, read the paper, do crosswords. It's important to maintain a vigilance and be ready for anything, as well as listen for air traffic control calls. You need to continue to monitor weather and changes to your environment as well.

I loved traveling and it seemed like the coolest job in the world.

Often. It can be an amazing career, but far too much of it is predicated by luck, and that is no way to ensure your family has enough food and shelter. I'm happy where I am at now, but it was interesting getting here. There were stretches of being paycheck to paycheck and running into debt while in a one bedroom apt in my 30's...

I'd look at a career in Air Traffic Control. I have several ATC friends, and they don't complain nearly as much as pilots. Most of them love their job.

How boring it is. Training is difficult and fun. The actual job is A LOT of sitting doing nothing.

Fly a plane. Talk to pilots. Get very good grades. Strive for your absolute best. Volunteer at places you have an honest interest in. Stay out of ANY trouble with police, school etc. Do not get into any trouble with alcohol. Seriously consider the military pathways, there are many, some easier to get into then others, and some that are not as popular.

Good luck.