Originally Posted by
stringandrudder
What makes you "special?" exactly? Aside from attributes that Can't exactly be expressed rightfully on paper, what can I do to make myself stand out in a pool of thousands of applicants? I've thought about getting a masters for personal reasons but never thought it would actually have an impact on potential future hiring.
I believe what he is referring to are guys who go through the regionals who all ready have some other kind of experience (coming from substantial experience in corporate or military flying, for example) that makes them more appealing to a major.
That being said, having a Masters can help...but you need to seriously do a cost/benefit analysis of spending that kind of time and money for the specific purpose of landing a job at a major airline. It isn't the one thing that is going to get you hired with an otherwise average resume.
IMHO, all else being equal, you are better off spending your time on community service or finding leadership positions you can hold within the profession (recruiter, training, LCA, union committee or rep, etc).