elilam12

Hello, I am 18 and graduating high school this June. I have my PPL and no clue what do do next. The goal is to work for a major airline. I live in Oregon and ideally would stay here for my education. Few questions-

1) what type of college education do I need? Just an associates or bachelors?

2) what would be the recommended route (keeping finances in mind) to complete my flight training? Should I stick with a private/independent instructor or look to join a flight school like ATP or even Embry riddle?

3) do I look to complete my education at the same time as my flight training, or should I wait for college after completing my training? Does it make a difference?

Any and ALL advise is welcome. Thanks so much!

rickair7777

Plan on a bachelors. There is at least one major pathway program which would get you to a legacy airline, but if something were to happen to that program the odds of getting to the best jobs in airline aviation are pretty slim.

There are advantages and drawbacks to each. Need to do a lot of research. Also your financial situation will influence your decision.

I normally like smaller schools, you can save money and still get good training but in this climate there is so much instructor turnover you might have trouble training consistently. Big schools will have turnover as well, but usually they have standardized procedures so you can work with multiple instructions without loosing training value. Either way you'd want to carefully research any school you consider, and that includes talking to current students.

In your situation, if you have the money, I would consider an aviation university with R-ATP authorization.

It doesn't matter. If you defer college, you could knock out the degree while building time at a regional, but you have to be disciplined to get it done, it's very easy for life (GF, wife, kids) to get in the way.

But again, an R-ATP university program would knock out both the degree and flight training, and the R-ATP eligibility would allow you to get a regional job somewhat sooner (1000 hours TT vice 1500). Those programs are not cheap though.

sourdough44

Keep progressing. Don’t be afraid to move if needed, at least temporarily.


https://www.aopa.org/learntofly/school/index.cfm

PRS Guitars

Are you paying (via debt) or you parents? If parents...are they using debt? Or have the money saved (and how much)?

elilam12

My dad has an education account for me, I believe there is 70,000 in it now. However I’m not sure if that money can actually be transferred to something (like a private instructor instead of an actual college) without being taxed heavily

TiredSoul

I would usually recommend a Part 61 school but in your case a University with a good aviation department is probably the better bet.
Just make sure you get a degree outside of Aviation. Something that will actually pay the bills should you loose your medical somewhere along the way.
Instruct at the University when you have al your ratings.
Be humble and work hard.

BeezerJg34

That's a great question and the answer really lies in what you're looking for in your college experience. I'll give you the brief tale of two paths (my path and my friend's path) to give you an example.

My path:
4 year college degree (in aviation) at a private college with a flight program. Great instructors, great aircraft, great program overall plus I got the "college experience" aka met some lifelong friends, had a great time, etc. I learned SO much and still see some of what I learned benefit me where my colleagues who haven't had that education fall a little short. I got every one of my ratings there over 4 years. Overall cost just over $200k...my parents were nice enough to pay for the first 1.5 years, the rest I'll be paying for til 2037.

My friend's path:
Went to a local community college for 2 years to get all the core courses out of the way. Over that 2 years he got all his ratings (thru CFI) at a local flight school. Then, he got a CFI job in Florida and while working, finished up his Bachelor's degree at Embry-Riddle doing night and online classes.

Fast forward to today, we have the same job, in fact we work together. The only difference: he's student debt free. So, to answer your question, you have to look and see what is more important: quality education and the college life, or is the cost of education important where you want to limit the amount of debt? In any case, I hope this helps. Feel free to message me if I can help more!

PRS Guitars

Only if you wait that long to pay it. Pay it off as fast as you can! Should be able to knock it out in 5 or six years, especially after you get on with a major.

galaxy flyer

Oregon offer any tuition assistance thru the ANG? Might go to college on them, get a UPT slot and have a R-ATP at 25 and a resume getting to a major debt-free.

GoJuice

I was in your shoes when i was preparing to graduate High School. I decided to pursue a degree in something other than aviation as a back-up plan and regret it VERY much. Knock them both out at the same time and go to an aviation university. If i could do it all over, thats what i would do!