The only value in seeking an aviation degree is the ease of getting it, especially if seeking credit for pilot certificates already held. An aviation degree isn't going to teach you much, if anything about flying, or aviation, for that matter, and few look on an aviation degree with much more than a wry smile.

"Let's hire this guy, because he has an associate degree," said no one, ever. An associate degree is a stepping stone to a four-year degree.

Most languages lack the words to say, "Wow, this guy has an aviation degree." It does, however, make children laugh.

You will gradually perhaps see a bachelors become an element of competitiveness or even a requirement for positions, as the number of available positions dry up, but a degree for a pilot was always little more than a box to check in the employment application. The employer is more concerned with your grade obtained, than your discipline, and only then as a marker of your sustained attentiveness to a task. The grade you earn on your degree is an indirect reflect of your work ethic. No employer believes a degree makes you a better pilot. It does add to the weight of your resume, by the specific gravity and mass of the ink it takes to print the name of your degree on that resume. Somewhere out there, someone may be impressed if you hold a masters or doctorate, but in aviation, not so much. An associate degree is all the less impressive.

Any credentials you can legitimately acquire, however, are to your benefit, with a few exceptions, such as a bachelor of counter terroristm, without the counter, or an associate or pornographic filmography. Best to leave those off the resume.

Personally, I went for a Doctorate of Art Appreciation, with a discertation entitled, "Oooh, I Like That One." Well worth the read, if you get the chance. Now available in six languages. With illustrations, velvet and glitter, and for the deaf, scratch-and-sniff; available in finer galleries, everywhere. I went that route, instead of the aviation degree, because I wanted respect. Be forewarned: it's hard to get through a crowd without long delays to sign autographs, and women breaking into your hotel room to take their picture with you while sleeping. If you want to avoid all of that, be smart and major in English. Or counter-terrorism. Violence against counters is at an all time high, especially formica and wooden countertops. You'll never get the adoration or accolades earned from an underwater basketmaking degree, but there's no reason to go to that degree of complexity and heartache, if you're not forced at needlepoint. Speaking of which, don't overlook an Associates of Crochet or Crossstitch. The latter, against a backdrop of angry yuppies sweating to crossfit, is a welcome societal change where you can really make a difference. It changed my life.