Originally Posted by
Aviatormar
Yes, it does. I agree. Which I think is silly- when you get right down to it, please tell me what the difference is between the guy who had a degree and one that doesn’t? So the RJ guy who is behind you at JFK uses the same NAS as you. Flies the same jet until recently at a legacy ( Republic 175 vs 190 at AA) and has to pass the same checkrides as anyone one of us at a LCC/Legacy (I would say that most regional training is tougher then anything at the next level)
As a guy who is 99% sure I’m at my terminal job (and has a degree from Thomas Edison- got it while working at a regional because I knew I needed it move on- not that I agree with it but hey that’s how the cookie crumbles) I think the degree is silly. I’m a blue collar worker with a narrow set of responsibilities with limited power to affect change or make decisions at my place of employment. I cannot make policy change, I cannot deviate from company policy without a major reason. Let’s face it- we have a set of skills that are unusual, sure, however, a trade school that the company controls I think is the way of the future. Think United aviate school in PHX.
Feel free to disagree, but a college degree is “just a piece of paper”. It’s literally printed on the same paper as a water bill. I feel it doesn’t reflect on that person’s abilities or character (think the doodos who are in jail for buying their kids way to college- how stupid is that?) vs the HVAC guy who has to figure out how to bid, install and maintain a HVAC system in a condo complex. I think sure, we need to control the influx of new pilots- but a high quality training program that covers all aspects of a pilots scope of work is better suited to what the job requires then a political science degree from western governors university.
Flame away brother.
As someone with a degree that I earned before I ever was a pilot… I think the system is antiquated as well. I’m all for people pursuing further education, especially the degrees that develop skills towards ones future. As a STEM grad that did use my intended degree in the industry I went to school for, I think the training to be a pilot should be enough to demonstrate that a degree is not needed. I understand why the application filter is there, but if we are talking about the ability to “set a goal and finish it,” doesn’t getting your ATP represent that? I think it does.
And I’ll say, there were no tests harder for me in my grad level Physics classes than in any of my checkrides. I understand how easy these checkrides were/are relative to where I am now, but the implications of taking and passing the checkride were far more significant than any of those tests I took.
The college degree requirement should be reviewed and removed.