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The Right Degree

Old 10-10-2007, 12:37 PM
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Default The Right Degree

I've heard lots of people on the forums advising against obtaining a degree in aviation/flight technology/ etc. on the premise that it's useless and it doesn't apply out of an aviation career.

Well, logically speaking, how does a degree in criminal justice apply out of the police department? How would you be able to be a policeman if your arms gets chopped off in a freak accident?

Likewise, what about a degree in oceonography? It, too, is useless outside of the field, and you're pretty much screwed if you lose a limb/etc.

Ultimately, isn't the only universal degree an english degree, as it doesn't really prepare you for any ONE thing? Thus, what makes an aviation degree so much worse than any other degree out there? If you want to become a doctor, it makes sense to study medicine at an institution of higher learning; lawyers study law; policemen study criminal justice; so, why should pilots not study aviation?
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Old 10-10-2007, 01:01 PM
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The airlines don't care what your degree is in. Having a degree simply shows the ability to succeed in an academic enviornment and maybe shows a certain maturity in completing the goal. A non-aviation degree in a second area of interest is a good fall back and also might help you pursue something else in your spare time down the road, if you desire. If a person has no second area of interest, then an aviation degree is fine, but there is nothing you'll learn from it, or take away from it, that you're not going get somewhere along the line in your flight training or airline ground school, or just from reading a book.
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Old 10-10-2007, 01:05 PM
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I personally am majoring in an aviation flight degree at WMU, but since I was a transfer student, I got a lot out of the way and I plan to stay around to CFI at WMU for a few years. In these years, I plan on going for a second major in business or a minor in something else. This way I get my aviation degree and ratings, while having student loans pay for it while I earn another degree and flight hours.
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Old 10-10-2007, 03:43 PM
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A lot of people say to get a non-aviation degree in case flying doesn't work out for you or if the aviation industry takes a dip and a lot of pilots are furloughed. It's something to fall back on, and you need one anyways to be favored as a new hire, but if aviation is what you really love, then a degree in that would be fine.
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Old 10-10-2007, 04:32 PM
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I think we are loosing the whole point of this....what is a good degree to have as a backup in case $h^& hits the fan? (loosing your medical mainly. Accident wise...imposible to determine because you never know whether u are going to "loose" your arms or legs as stated before)

For example....shortage of ATC......Atc hmmmm sounds like a cool job, industry related, good money BUT they retire relatively young (50's? correct me if I'm wrong) so, by that age is most likely for a normal human being to start developing issues. (not that it couldn't happen at an earlier age!)....SYNOPSIS ---> NOT A GOOD BUCKUP

So...what is the right degree?

Great thread btw.


TI
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Old 10-10-2007, 05:35 PM
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There really isn't a "right" degree for this field. If you have a second interest, then by all means go for it. It does leave you with options should, God forbid, something happen to you. If you lose a limb, your going to be limited to career fields anyway...but that's stretching things. Most medical conditions would still allow you into another field, as would a furlough.

Aviation isn't a "bad" degree, but like many have said in other threads it doesn't leave you with much of an option for anything...and if something bad happens - you really don't want to have to cross train career fields if you don't have to. Doctors learn medicine, lawyers learn law, etc. you get the point. What they all have in common - usually an undergraduate degree in something other than their primary career field. ie biology/pre med, criminal justice/pre law. I wanted to be a vet, so I did zoology/pre vet. Leave yourself options. Pilots go to flight school. The undergrad degree is just another hiring tool to weed people out, and show you can go from start to finish in something that you'll probably never use. Do I agree? No. But that's how the game is played. Make your time in college useful in the event you can't fly.

ATC isn't always a good backup due to the fact they require a 2nd class medical too, at least they used to...please correct me if I'm wrong. It's interesting and by all means would be interesting if you got furloughed.

So to sum it up, I think where all of the debating over aviation v. non aviation degrees come from is simply a matter of educational diversity and having a back up plan for when things hit the fan.

Now the whole on on campus v. online deal...that's a whole 'nother debate.
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Old 10-10-2007, 06:23 PM
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To me, it doesn't make much sense to live my life as a fallback plan. I'm not going to spend 100K on an education that I would only want to employ in a worst-case scenario; rather, I want me education to prepare me for my future. Period. Computer science? Yes, it's nice, but it isn't what interests me, and I most certainly wouldn't want to spend four years studying it. Physics? Most certainly applicable, but not what I'd want to spend four years studying. Aviation? I was bitten bad by the bug, and I would personally love to study it for 4 years. To repeat it one more time, what makes an aviation degree so much more useless outside the field of aviation than any other degree?
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Old 10-10-2007, 06:36 PM
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Originally Posted by planecrazyjenn View Post
What they all have in common - usually an undergraduate degree in something other than their primary career field.
That's a really good point. Thanks for bringing it up.
I guess the "graduate degree" for aviation science is your ATP

Only one of the colleges I'm looking at has an aeronautical science program (Puedue -- all the others have airports nearby ). I've gone through their entire website & haven't found anything about majoring in flight technology and minoring in something like physics, etc. Could somebody please fill me in here?

Thanks in advance.
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Old 10-10-2007, 06:55 PM
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Plane, not saying it's any less useful...it, alone, just doesn't prepare you (much) for the unlikely event that you lose your medical or such. Trust me, I know what losing a medical is like. I'm just VERY fortunate that I got it back...however there's no guarantee I'll keep it til I'm 60.

Should you choose to major in aviation, great! Having a second major, or minor could really help...especially if you had a fall back career that doesn't require a degree in anything particular. Most fields are pretty open to degrees, as long as they are close.

Point is, you'll need that overpriced degree to make it into the majors...and yes, study something you love. But don't use aviation as a way through 4 years, because you can be just as good of a pilot and not take that route. There's many people on this forum who majored in it, and are happy. On the other and, there are many - including myself - who have 1, 2, 3 degrees and have never set foot in a college aviation class. If your going to pitch out that kinda money, make sure your covering ALL your bases in your future. Look both long and short term, and you'll get everything you want from your college experience...no matter what your primary major is.
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Old 10-10-2007, 08:04 PM
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I graduated with an aviation degree, and I'll agree somewhat. Make sure you either double-major or minor in something you also enjoy and could see yourself doing if you were to have to leave the cockpit. I minored in Spanish (since I'd already had a lot of classes) knowing I'd be able to get a job in many places even though I don't have a business degree, etc.
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