FlyingCowboy

Many good University flight schools in the southcentral / west US. I have heard good things about 141 programs like Oklahoma State, OU, and Embry Riddle AZ. May be more wise to go part 61 to save money and not major in Aviation- for degree versatility in the marketplace. A few others that come to mind are around the Colorado Springs area, Southeastern Oklahoma University, Texas State, Kansas State. (AND TRY FOR IN-STATE TUITION AT ALL COSTS.)

JohnBurke

As is your response, isn't it?

For the fledgling aviator looking to embark on a long career in which he or she will slowly, gradually build experience toward a distant climb to the top, it's always wise to take the first few steps, in the lowest paying jobs, by attending the most expensive college and burdening one's self with as much debt as possible.

Good trade-off for getting a brand name on a diploma, in a career where nobody cares where you went to school.

TheDogFather

Congratulations (or condolences) on your grandson's interest in aviation. Like, you, I also have grandchildren, so that means we've both been around long enough to see the ebb and flow of the industry.

Lots of good comments here so far.

If I had to do it all over again, would I get a non-aviation degree?

If your grandson is already getting scholarship money for athletics, and the degree can help him get a job that he enjoys, then that's definitely a nice way to keep an income (even a part-time side-hustle) while building time. The tradeoff is that it will naturally take more time to build time that way.

IamEssential

No, it wasn't. I don't have any good advice for this man, kind of like yours.

TheDogFather

One advantage to getting the degree first is that you'll always have it for your resume, and, yes there are employers who will prioritize hiring a pilot with bachelor degree over those who do not.

Also, don't be surprised if one of those employers requires official transcripts for the interview.

The other advantage to having a degree is that it opens up a lot of military flying opportunities (both active duty, and Reserve/Guard). Every one is different in terms of whether this is an option your grandson wants to consider. Most Reserve/Guard units have pilots who are flying for Delta, American, SWA, UAL, FedEx, UPS (and a few may have chosen the NetJets FlexJets or the Corporate route)...The connections and lessons learned from them can be really valuable.

The active duty service commitment can be tricky--if nobody is hiring when you get out, can you find a Reserve/Guard job? Will your degree help you feed your family while you're in that transition (potentially as a part-time Guard bum with no health coverage)?

If you happen to marry someone who can work full time, the stress of leaving active duty becomes less stressful, especially if you have kids.

JohnBurke

Au contraire. My comments are spot on.

The hardest part of flying is paying for it. Using colllege money for flying funds and incurring that debt are a fools errand, and the truth is that unlike some business arenas, nobody cares what academy or school one graduated from. That goes for both flying school, and academic school...and with the exception of some corporations and passenger 121 operations, few care if he has a degree, either. None care about the discipline of the degree unless it's a test position that wants aeronautical engineering, and in those cases, they'll want to see either a military school or national test pilot school. Beyond that, the local college is as good as any ivy league, and neither will gain one more traction toward an interview or acceptance at any airline, or any other flying position.

If one intends to seek a business degree with the thought of using it should one's career fall flat, then brand name may matter, depending on where one goes. Otherwise, the degree is largely checking a box, and that can be done anywhere. As for scholarships, apply and see what one gets. Generally one is recognized for those skills and abilities at another location, and is granted a scholarship based on that recognition.

While the fledgling aviator doesn't have nearly the hard row to hoe that man of us did years ago, and gets a much better paying job much earlier in his or her career, it's still unwise to carry a lot of debt while entering a flying career. If you're going to spend the money, spend as little as possible; pick a less expensive school, and don't learn to fly at college. What you'll pay there will come back to haunt you for years. A new aviator today makes ten times what we did years ago, but it's still not great, and even less great when saddled with debt. The cost of learning to fly has become much more expensive, but if one chooses to manage it badly, then even more expensive.

The chances that one's first job will be instructing are high; far better to get certification at the place that will employ you, and pick a place that does a high volume of training. Faster progression. That matters. Brand doesn't .

Riddle rat? Nobody cares. Purdue? So what? MIT? Doesn't make any difference in the cockpit. Nobody cares about your degree discipline, whether it's professional aviation or basket weaving. Nobody cares if you did your initial training at Ma and Pa Kettle's School of Fabric Airplanes, or ERAU. It just doesn't matter. One will leave you in debt, the other not so much. If one gets you more hours and work and gets you done more quickly, then the tradeoff may be worth it. Visit the school. Talk to former students. Talk to current students. Research. There's no substitute.

There are other paths than flight instructing, and some take those, for initial experience. I did. I came back later, to instruct. Much later. More than one way to skin a cat, more than one way to build a career. Mine was agricultural. And it didn't involve a degree. Not for a long, long time.

One can embark on a flying career without the degree, and pick it up as one goes. Online training today is a legitimate path to a degree, and nearly every major school, college, and university offers the same degrees, using the same instructors and same training, online. Typically at the student's pace, and often for much less than one has in residency. The finished degree reads identically to one gained in residency, too. Food for thought. Lots of cats. Lots of roads to Rome. Lots of places to train, and a plethora of ways to earn a degree, even while flying for a living.

fasteddie800

Couple things:

- Grandson doesn't have to necessarily jump to a 4-year school with an aviation program. Can start out by just taking some lessons and getting his feet wet. Maybe he'll want to continue, maybe he wont.

- If he does decide to make the leap, one thing you can do is make sure he takes into account the male/female ratio at whatever school he's looking at. Focusing on grades and schoolwork is important, but you can't study every waking moment. You typically only get to experience undergraduate schooling once, might as well do it at a school where you might actually have a social life. Known more than one person who went to a school with 90+ percent guys, and regretted the limitations it put on their social life.