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.

HotDogSonicBoom

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.

ZeroTT

You’re looking at the degree requirement backwards. It’s not “why are two identical different because one has a degree”

it’s “i have 10,000 applications and need to invite 20 to interview. Does sorting by degrees get me a better candidate pool”

and it does. No way to argue that it isn’t a useful marker in that situation

the majors are soon NOT to be in that situation and I expect they will take a more focused whole-pilot approach

APCHCLIMB

you mean the “Pilot’s Skills Test”? The one the pilot credentials site?
lolz. Yeah okay. All them circles and triangles really were the first step away from a college degree

Cyio

It’s a step, not a leap. Apparently reading comprehension isn’t your strong suit. The point being is that why offer such a test if it didn’t carry some weight or offer insight into the applicant?

I can easily see more advanced tests like these offering more to a recruiter than a piece of paper saying you graduated with a liberal arts degree.

APCHCLIMB

I believe those were my exact words. It’s a step. Not a leap. But tell me now how good your reading comprehension is. Btw. Thanks for just firing shots like an *******.

rickair7777

Again, it's part of the "whole person" thing.

If it didn't matter in the slightest, then why would they bother with it.

Arguing that the requirement "should be removed" is tilting at windmills... most majors don't even actually HAVE a degree requirement any more, and the FAA certainly does not. But they ALL consider it heavily when screening candidates. Are they all wrong? I don't think so, they know what they're looking for.

Again, monkey flying skills is only part of it. Otherwise why even do an interview at all? Just give them a challenging aviation oral and sim eval and hire the ones who score best. But let me guess, KV knowledge isn't really used in line ops very much, so skip the oral too?

I think it will stay the way it is now... degree not required but preferred when they can get it. Good chance we'll see a short window of a few years where majors hire a lot of folks without degrees because they have to but I don't think that's going to be a permanent trend.

And I only waste my breath on this because I'd feel bad if some noobs read this and think it's safe to invest in a career aviation track without the degree... risky at best.

If you don't want to go to a campus, drink beer, and get laid fine... chip away at it online as you go, so you're at least close enough that you can sprint for the finish line when you start seeing all your FO's at the regional leaving for the bigs.

JohnBurke

Rather irrelevant.

What you can easily see doesn't matter much here, given that interview invitations extend largely to those with degrees.

Certainly operators administer a variety of exams, tests, and evaluations to candidates who are invited to interview.

One must be invited to the interview, first, and when one is unlikely to be called for an interview without the degree, how the degree stacks up against competency, skill, and knowledge evaluations during the interview process, is irrelevant.

The flavor of the candy makes no difference if one is never allowed to unwrap. Competitive minimums are not the lowest bar offered up by the company, but the qualifications of those others that apply, against whom one must compete. If all others have a degree, one tends to run out of chairs when the music stops, and one must remain standing. Without a seat at the table, no interview, no competency tests or riddles to solve, and no candy to unwrap.

You understand this concept?

My reading comprehension is excellent, by the way.