College Degrees

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03-15-2018, 10:28 AM

#11

Sliceback

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Put your effort into focusing on your flying career vs getting an MBA if you’re focusing on being a professional pilot. If you can do both great. If you can’t ficus on flying.

After you reach your final job you’ll have more time to pursue an additional degree. You’ll also be older and perhaps understand what backup career you’d be interested in if flying doesn’t work out.

03-15-2018, 10:29 AM

#12

rickair7777

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Joined APC: Jan 2006

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Quote:

Originally Posted by canuckian

I always hear the same thing. Get a degree in something else as a backup.
Which field would accomplish that? Aren't most degrees just a box check if it's not backed up with relevant experience.
If you get a degree in something else and then fly as a line pilot for 15 years and lose your medical, what degree would allow you to immediately slide over to another decent job?
I'd say get the aviation degree.

Some degrees will allow you to quickly dust off the skillset and get a job. Accounting, nursing, etc are usually in demand and the skills don't change much over time. Engineering and computer science would require more catching up after many years, although you could easily keep current on computer programming by doing consulting/odd jobs.

With engineering, you'll probably land on your feet long-term, because millennials tend to gravitate away from STEM, so employers can't be as picky as they may have been in the past.

While business is the most broadly applicable degree, there are a lot of them out there, and if employers are going to hire someone with no experience, they'll probably go for recent grads.

03-15-2018, 05:57 PM

#13

galaxy flyer

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Quote:

Originally Posted by justindw199

What if I wanted to have a backup with a company like Boeing or Textron? Would an Aviation Management degree work then?

I worked at an OEM, the number of “aviation degrees” among the 10,000-plus employees could be counted on one hand and they were in Flight Ops. They loved aviation, they had pictures of the product in their cubicles and offices, but all were STEM, Business, Marketing degrees. So, one could stay close to aviation in the manufacturing arena, but a pilot degree wouldn’t get you in the door. I’ve known lots of pilots struggling after their medical or their airline was gone. It can happen.