Originally Posted by
Abouttime2fish
As we start down the flight training, college search process, what I’m discovering in my son is he wants to fly planes, but he also wants to pick his own major. Not aviation management or similar. This throws RATP out the window, but opens other training paths. I am worried about getting flight training down while studying for a non aviation major,,,,
Your son may be wiser than he realizes. Aside from checking the “degree” box on applications, there is real value in having a non-aviation, marketable degree as a backup plan. Engineering, business, nursing, whatever his passion (aside from flying) might be. Maybe he medicals out at a young age, maybe he decides flying isn’t for him, maybe another black swan means no hiring for half a decade, maybe…
Yes it will be more work to get a real degree and do his ratings at the same time. Does he want to spend his college years partying and playing, or investing 4 years of hard work for a payoff the rest of his life? You're going to pay for the degree either way, might as well get some value out of it.
This is the route I went decades ago, and the route I strongly advocate for the young folks that I mentor.